Punt Road Sparkling @ Melbourne Tomato Festival

SO February 21, 2016May 1, 2016

What does a Tomato Festival have to do with sparkling wines? To most people, probably nothing, but for me, cooking with fresh produce and enjoying wines go hand in hand.

And besides, what self-respecting event organiser would not have a decent beverage supplier on site to accompany the wonderful array of foods on offer at such an event?

And the Melbourne Tomato Festival delivered my wishes. The lovely people from Punt Road Wines served us their deliciously summery sparkling wine, and in a most elegant and practical (unusual for these two things to be together) vessel. Whilst others were being served in clear flimsy plastic picnic cups, Punt Road Sparkling was poured into these lovely stemless (and I’m not normally a fan of stemless glassware) acrylic glasses with a horizontal indent for your thumb. Not only was this a lovely aesthetic to make a non-glass vessel more sophisticated, but it also served to cleverly stop any slips from one’s hand whilst meandering through the stalls and demonstrations. On a warm day with rocky paths, steps and tiered grass areas to negotiate, this was perfect. I’ll be hanging on to these little beauties and adding them to my picnic basket for future use.

The Punt Road Sparkling was light, fresh, fizzy and with a hint of fruits that I’m guessing was peach or nectarines. Not too sweet and the bubbles lasted to the end of the glass. Not that it took long to drink....went down very easily in the warmth of the afternoon.

A bit about the festival....we arrived early at the venue (Edendale Farm in Eltham) so as to attend the opening ceremony with Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, Guy Grossi an Aboriginal Elder and two other indigenous young men. Guy spoke first, explaining the reason for the festival (keeping Italian culture of family and food practices alive in Melbourne) and showcasing some of Victoria’s brilliant fresh produce. Premier Andrews spoke of the history of Italian immigration and it’s priceless contribution to food, culture and coffee. Then the indigenous group created fire in the traditional way by rubbing sticks to officially open the festival.

There were cheesemakers, olive oil producers, pizza makers, Sicilian street food stalls, gelato makers, salumi bar, winemakers, fresh produce growers and cooking demonstrations by leading Australian chefs : Guy Grossi, Karen Martini, Liz Egan, Scott Pickett, Matt Wilkinson, Dani Valent and adopted Aussie Irishman Colin Fassnidge.

A feature throughout the day were the multiple passata making sessions that took place under a marquee so that all not participating could also see. Just beautiful to see a sea of red juice flowing from the hand-operated devices.

Other demonstrations were : A Mozzarella making session by Giorgio from That’s Amore Cheese, a make your own pizza oven by Polito Ovens, sessions on butchery, food choices and bees/polination. And of course, the Melbourne’s Best Tomato Competition winner was announced.

All in all, a really fabulous day out, a festival that’s not so large you have a lot of back-tracking to do, and amazing Victorian produce all round. And, of course, with a lovely glass of newly discovered Punt Road Sparkling wine in my hand. Couldn’t ask for a more perfect day!

#fruity #tasteofsummer #melbournetomatofestival #puntroadwines #yarravalley #victorianproduce #karenmartini #guygrossi #bubbles #australiansparkling #sparklingobsession

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Maschio Dei Cavallieri Prosecco

SO January 27, 2016February 17, 2016

So lately it seems I've been drinking more Prosecco than champagne. This hasn't been a deliberate thing, just something that's happened organically through people bringing me bottles to try and restaurants and bars having a Prosecco as the sparkling wine of choice on their menus.

A recent visit to a friend's place saw me greeted with a lovely cheese board and a bottle of Prosecco on offer. This one was another Italian DOC one, and was called Maschio Dei Cavallieri.

I can't say much about it that I haven't already said about other Proseccos I've had the pleasure of drinking of late, except that it was definitely drinkable by my standards. And in case this is the first post of mine you've read, what I mean by that is that I seem to sway towards the sparkling wines with the lighter coloured tones and more delicate flavours.

So what I will say is that it went down well with the food on offer, worked well with the lovely crumbly strong cheddar and overall was a respectable experience.

At the end of the day, it's just such a subjective thing, and for me, the company I am in will always outweigh the quality of the wine or food.

#proseccotime #iloveprosecco #italiansparkling #wine #champagne #ilovechampagne #sparklingobsession #cheese #wineandcheese #cheeseboard #friends

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RIALTO PROSECCO NV @ Arbory Bar Melbourne

SO January 26, 2016February 9, 2016

On a gloriously sunny Australia Day a walk around the stunning city of Melbourne is the perfect thing to do. Lots happening, people everywhere and plenty to see. And with the Australian Open tennis tournament in full swing, that means even more people flocking to the city from all over Australia and abroad to enjoy what the world’s elite tennis players have dubbed the “Happy Slam”.

My sparkling companion today is keen to get to one of the many pop up food stalls at the Australian Open Festival along Birrarung Marr – an area along Melbourne’s Yarra river that’s long and large, perfect for festivals and open air events of all kinds.

Being Melbourne, the food capital of Australia (and a place that competes side-by-side with other global cities in the culinary arena) the pop up stalls were not what a tourist would expect. There was no predictable greasy junk food, but instead a selection from some of the best restaurants and bars this city has to offer. Feel like some Thai food? Sure. Some Mexican or French? Of course. Authentic, high quality gelato in a myriad of flavours? Definitely. Greek street food? Yep. Modern Australian, naturally.

So we wandered through a well arranged space where we passed by Combi, Gelato Messina, Huxtable featuring Mr Claws, Huxtaburger, Lavazza, Mamasita, Uncle, Gazi, Organisc Avenue Juices, Cobb Lane, Canadian Club Racquet Club, Heineken & Jacob’s Creek Bar, Estelle and Mistress.

We were looking for a place to sit, chat, eat, drink and watch the tennis match de jour.

Of course it was super busy, but we managed to find a shady spot under a tree and park ourselves there for a couple of hours, enjoying the surrounds.

At one point, we decided to move from our space, and check out one of the other big screens at the Canadian Club Racquet Club. This was situated on one of the steep, sloping grassy areas. Great, we thought. No problem seeing the screen here, as impossible for anyone to block your view. So we bought some food and attempted to sit on the grassy slope, and soon discovered it was no easy feat. It was just too steep. I couldn’t even put my handbag down on the grass next to me – it had to go behind me so that it didn’t slide down the hill! And, the game just finished, so we had positioned ourselves pretty much to see nothing...oh well....

Deciding to move on from there, we were considering going across to the other side of the river, but something made us stick to the side we were on, and I mentioned to my companion that I had yet to visit The Arbory Bar – one of Melbourne’s newest, hippest places to be. It’s a cleverly designed area, in what was previously an unused space next to Flinders Street Station, right on the riverfront.

Being a long, narrow space, there are amazing views of this beautiful city making no seat a bad one, plus sexy beats pumping out from the sound system that give the place it’s super cool, yet relaxed vibe. We were in a great spot. Right opposite one of the cocktail bars and under the canopy of trees, making us feel far away from it all and yet still right in the midst.

Ahhh....finally time for a proper drink! And on the list of sparkling wines is an Italian Prosecco! So far, I haven’t been as enamoured by the Italian originals, even though they are the genuine article, but being the eternal optimist, I will give this one a try. Called Rialto Prosecco NV, my sparkling companion treats me to a glass whilst they sip on a specially prepared mocktail, lovingly created by an extremely accommodating and creative barman.

But back to the Rialto Prosecco. Pale in colour than most of the Italian DOC varieties I’ve tried so far, I am now excited to try this one, as I’ve gravitated towards sparkling wines that are less bright yellow. It was beautifully chilled and with that dry, but not too dry taste that I have come to adore. Sipping this cheery beverage on a warm summer’s late afternoon, watching the world on the other side of the Yarra go by, I am reminded what a wonderful city Melbourne is as those perfectly formed bubbles make their way through my body and bring me to a state of perfect relaxation and sheer contentment.

There was some irony, though....sipping Rialto Prosecco whilst looking at Eureka Tower, instead of Melbourne’s Rialto building. Still, it took nothing away from the pleasure of the afternoon and the pursuit of my Sparkling Obsession.

#RialtoProseccoNV #proseccotime #iloveprosecco #ItalianProsecco #ItalianSparkling #ArboryBarMelbourne #AusOpen2016 #sparklingobsession

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Punt Road Sparkling @ Melbourne Tomato Festival