SENSATIONAL SYDNEY

Friday, March 17, 2017

On a perfect Sydney sunny summer day (29oC) I ambled around the sensational Taste of Sydney, a feast to the culinary senses.

From Thursday 9th to Sunday 12th of March, Sydney’s Centennial Park was buzzing with the sounds of thousands of happy foodies and the delectable aromas of food as the TASTE of SYDNEY was held. Subtitled, “For Friends Who Feast”, this was a magnificent open air celebration of all things foodie, including wine.

There were plenty of amazing dishes to be had, made by top-class restaurants, such as my all-time favourite, Barangaroo-based, Turkish Restaurant, Anason, www.anason.com.au in this temporary, culinary wonderland. There were masterclasses, cooking demonstrations, competitions, including the coveted “Best in Taste” Award, which this year was won by “Bouche on Bridge” Restaurant. www.boucheonbridge.com

Added to this, there was a plethora of provedores offering unique, handcrafted delights such as dips, paté, peanut butter, chocolate, natural cordials, teas, bagels, olive products, fresh pasta, cheese, coffee, and much more. All of which could be washed down with artisan beer, ciders and handcrafted spirits including four small local gin distilleries.

Like last year, one of the most interesting wine stands out of the thirty or so stands at the event was that of the Tbilvino Georgian Wines imported by Tamada Wines. www.tamada.com.au  They have a broad range of Georgian wines centred on some of their native varieties – believe it or not, Georgia has 525 native grape varieties. In the white wines, their star is Rkatsiteli (the R is silent so it is pronounced Kat-sit-telly) and the reds it is, by far, the big, dark and bold Saperavi. Saperavi is to Georgia what Shiraz is to Australia and Malbec is to Argentina – the national hero.

Georgian’s make a fair proportion of their wines in clay amphora called qvervi, in the most natural winemaking process in the world. Their methodology is gaining traction around the world, with more and more boutique winemakers now producing their wines in “eggs” (qvervi) which are made either out of stainless steel or clay. Also on display were some amazing bottles of Georgian Brandy (Zearis ChaCha) – which had a compartment shaped like a bunch of grapes inside the bottle and that compartment was filled with Saperavi, which you could pour out (to drink) via a special little opening. Sensational presentation, making it a fantastic gift item.

Aother really interesting stand was a wine club called, “Secret Bottle” www.secretbottle.com.au  It’s members receive six vials of wine a month, with a glass of wine in each, so that they can “try before you buy”. As they say: “Our mantra is to fight for the independent producer and uncover these secret hidden bottles. We are wine activists”. The Chalker’s Crossing 2015 Hilltops Shiraz I tasted was a fabulous. A light, bright, brambly Shiraz that was smooth and easy to drink/quaff. It is an ideal pasta and pizza wine, which at $18 offers excellent value.

I popped into the busy Orange (the region, not the colour) Wine tent to say g’day to the good folks at Angullong Wines. www.angullong.com.au  I had recently reviewed it’s “Fossil Hill” Barbera and Sagrantino. I tried the 2015 “Fossil Hill” Sangiovese which is a delightful wine that shows the best characters of this lovely Italian variety without the high acidity on the finish that is so often a trait. I then went next door to taste the wines at the Logan Wines stand, but alas they were charging $4 per taste, so I gave them a miss. Sorry, but in an event where all the other wines can be tasted for free, charging really doesn’t cut it.

On a much more positive note was a stop at the United Cellars stand. www.unitedcellars.com  As part of the global United Lifestyle Group, this online wine seller, promotes a wine lifestyle, with tastings, sourcing wines from around the world and special wine education events such as the Mike Bennie Series “Wines That Will Change Your Life” – a sort of complete wine package for the “time poor” wine enthusiast. The wines on taste were all imported and included a nice dry Languedoc (France) 2015 Grenache Rosé, a zesty Bosco Dei Cirioli Venezia (Italy) 2015 Pinot Grigio, a delightfully svelte Portillo Mendoza (Argentina) 2015 Malbec and Vina Romita Rioja (Spain) Tinto (Tempranillo/Granacha). But my favourite was the sensational and delectable Borgo Selene 2014 Italian Nero d’Avola, which has beautiful, spicy aromas, fruit sweetness on the front palate and a smooth, drying finish – very classy!

There were plenty of other wineries participating especially from the Hunter Valley, but sore feet, a touch of sun burn and a very full and happy belly, precluded visiting them all. So, I guess I’ll just have to come back again next year to this outstanding event and check out some of the other wineries.

Thanks Sydney you are Sensational!

So great, and affordable an event such as this (and many others over the year) are a fantastic way to enjoy fabulous culinary delights and to be able to sample a considerable number of wines so as to work out what your preferences are before you spend your hard earned money to buy the wine.

Cheers and remember – “Life is too short to drink wine you don’t like”.