Places to visit………food and wine to enjoy! (June issue)

Published: 27/06/2011

Our last update (late April) was well received by a number of you so I thought I would spruik a few more great clients we work with. This time I will include a few clients further afield as we have some worthy clients in regional Victoria and Sydney that you should know about. But first let me start with a new venue at South Melbourne, whose doors open today:

Claypots Evening Star

Stall 101 - 103 (cnr Cecil & Clarke St)

South Melbourne Market

Open Monday to Sunday - 9am to 11pm

I dropped in there last week to ensure our supply of wine was all ready to go and was really impressed with this new addition to the Claypots restaurants (St Kilda and Fitzroy are the other locations). The space is great and there will be plenty of outdoor space for the warmer weather. Although saying that I believe there will be kitchen facilities outside so you may wish to rug up and experience this aspect of the restaurant too. The focus is naturally on product linked to water so my brief was to supply wine that had a direct link to water, whether it the ocean, river or lake. We have supplied them with our Amietta Chardonnay 2009, Georges Michel Wine Estate Sauvignon Blanc, Lamont Pinot Gris 2009 and Thomas Vineyard Estate Verdelho 2010. So drop in for a glass (or two).

I look forward to visiting there myself in the next two weeks - so watch this space for a full dining review!

La Piazza Wine Bar & Restaurant

2 - 4 Howard Place

Bendigo 3550, VIC

Restaurant - Italian, Modern Australian

Open Tuesday - Saturday (lunch and dinner); Sunday (lunch only)

Carlo Barri is the owner and talented chef, restaurant owner and businessman. I always enjoy catching up with him and love the venue he has been operating in Bendigo for about 18 months now. There is a cellar / bar area separate from the restaurant and you can select anything in the cellar to take to your table and enjoy with a meal (for just a small corkage fee). The restaurant offers seasonal products and a new menu was released just several weeks ago. I will be heading there this Wednesday to host a tasting and stay on for a meal (so look out for a review soon).

Porter’s Liquor Ryde (NSW)

Retail Store - supporter of boutique wineries

Midway Shopping Centre

Cnr North Road & Quarry Road

Denistone East. 2112, NSW

Open Monday to Sunday

This is a great modern store, small but perfectly formed. I have only recently met the manager Guy Strang, but have been impressed by his eagerness to embrace the boutique wineries we represent. Already we have a number of products in his store, including Thomas Vineyard Verdelho 2010, Soumah Savarro 2010, Hastwell & Lightfoot Chardonnay 2009 and Hastwell & Lightfoot Cabernet Sauvignon 2006.

So if you are in Sydney and in need of a good retail store - this is a good recommendation!

Vine, Providore of Fine Wines (NSW)

Retail Store - supportive of great wine big or small

1 Moore Park Gardens, 780 Bourke Street, Redfern 2016, NSW

Open Monday to Sunday

This is a store I visit every time I am in Sydney and I really get where they are coming from. Andrew and Michael make up the management and buying team, and Andrew also consults to a bar in the city, looking after their wine list. They have an incredible range of wines in the store and are always on the lookout for new product. I have slowly wormed my way in and the guys now support several of our wineries including Georges Michel Wine Estate (Marlborough); Hastwell & Lightfoot (McLaren Vale); Soumah (Yarra Valley) and Lamont Wines (Central Otago).

That is all for now, but I will provide another update in a month or so. If you have a recommendation of a good place to visit and think our wines would work well then let me know as I am always look for new venues to discover.

Happy sipping, drinking and dining!

Cheers Sarah