Archive for March, 2009
Blame it on the French – Champagne gets our NRL and AFL players drunk
I was amazed to read in the local paper that the sales of French Champagnes went up last year here in Australia. More than 3.5 million bottles were imported in 2008, an increase of 10% on 2007 according to the Comite Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne. No sign of crisis, imports in the UK and US were down 8 and 20 percent.
And where did we see this Champagne go to? Here is my guess: in each Australian pre-season of footie sports such as NRL or AFL, the papers are full of headlines with players getting drunk and starting to harass men and women around them in pubs, nightclubs etc. I know some of these guys and can confirm that they are clearly capable of drinking beer like a horse and still behave pretty normal.
So why do they get drunk at this particular time of the year? According to a friend of mine (a doctor), these players face the tough challenge of having to cope with their normal intake ‘beer’ and the mixing with ‘high profile’ drinks at pre-season opening ceremonies. Mixing beer with Champagne helps you get drunk four times as fast, this is according to my friend the doctor.
And this is where the Champagne comes in: luckily for the French Champagne industry we have these pre-season celebrations: our NRL and AFL players, who aren’t used to drinking bubblies have to obey the rules of politeness and drink a few glasses of these as well as their usual intake of beer, and off they go.
Blame it on the French.
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Die Verkaufszahlen franzoesischer Champagner in Australien sind im letzten Jahr um 10% gestiegen, mit 3.5 Millionen Flaschen wurde so viel wie nie zuvor an diesem Getraenk hier downunder verkauft. Kein Wunder, dass unsere AFL und NRL Helden zu viel davon trinken, sind sie doch eher ein paar Bierchen gewoehnt.
Ihr Michael Brecht
The World’s Longest Lunch in Melbourne and surrounds
Initially I thought that this was a pretty arrogant statement by our Victorian marketers. Having experienced the build up to this event I can confirm – it is not an overstatement but simply a perfect description of what will happen on Friday the 13th of March 2009. In over 20 participating locations throughout Victoria we will see the world’s longest lunch unfold, from the banks of the Yarra to the hills around Melbourne, white-clothed tables will be unfolded and become hosts to thousands of guests.
Come rain or shine, the event is a sell-out every year as a three course lunch between 12pm and 3pm is accompanied by entertainment, lively conversations and wines from Victoria.
If the embankment of the Yarra River with 1,200 guests is too big for you, try the World’s Longest Lunch in Rutherglen at Vintara Winery and Restaurant. It will be busy, but not as crowded as the Southbank event and I personally prefer the views of the Murray Valley over a City view any day. Bookings for the Rutherglen event are best done by calling +61 (0) 447 327 517.
This year’s special is a charity event initiated by HEAT (Hospitality, Employment and Training) hosting the Homeless World’s Longest Lunch together with Melbourne Food and Wine. Each donation of $80 allows one person being homeless or in risk of homelessness to enjoy the lunch on the lawn of the St. Kilda Town Hall. The donation hotline is: +61 (0)3 9696 5340
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Das laengste Mittagessen der Welt findet am Freitag den 13. Maerz in Melbourne und Umgebung statt. Mehrere Tausend Essens- und Weinliebhaber werden an diesem Mittag unter freiem Himmel den diversen Gaengen und Weinverkostungen folgen – ein grossartiges Ereignis.
Ihr Michael Brecht
Wine tasting and business networking in the Southern Highlands
As some of you know, I run a business networking platform in Australia as my day job. Several times a year I have the chance to combine the tasks of running ZaaBiz with the pleasures of tasting wine.
Cellar Door in the Southern Highlands
We are inviting our members from the Southern Highlands to join us for our next business networking event in March. There will also be a few Sydneysiders who are escaping the big smoke for this evening, drive down South (it is about a one hours drive) and get involved in some Speed Business Networking on the night.
This first event in the Highlands in 2009 we have partnered with the amazing Cellar Door of Tertini Wines in High Range/Mittagong to experience some wine tasting on the night. Wine tasting and some business related networking – a combination made in heaven.
The event will take place on Thursday the 19th of March.
So for all my readers on downunderwines who are in the area: come along, bring loads of business cards and remember to enjoy the wonderful wines responsibly.
WHERE:Tertini Winery Cellar Door, Lot 5 – Kells Creek Road, Mittagong (just off Wombeyan Caves Road)
TIME: 6:30pm – 9:00pm DATE: Thursday 19th March
Please RSVP to info@zaabiz.com.au or answer in our event section here on ZaaBiz.
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Ein paar Mal im Jahr habe ich das Vergnuegen meinen beruflichen Teil als Geschaeftsfuehrer bei ZaaBiz mit dem privaten Teil als Wein Blogger zu verbinden. ZaaBiz ist das fuehrende Netzwerk fuer Geschaeftsleute hier in Australien – mehr als 150,000 Mitglieder aus downunder, Neuseeland und anderen Teilen Asiens sind inzwischen an Bord.
Unseren ersten Event des Jahres in den Southern Highlands werden wir gemeinsam mit Tertini Wines in deren Cellar Door abhalten. Wenn Sie hier in NSW weilen, so schauen Sie doch einfach vorbei – mehr Infos und Anmeldemoeglichkeiten gibt’s hier.
Ihr Michael Brecht
Rare Steakhouse in Melbourne – great meat and exceptional wines to try
I simply love a good steak, together with chips (I should really call them french fries as I prefer the thin ones) and a few veggies and I am a happy man. A great bottle of wine on top and I am in heaven.
This happened in Melbourne on the weekend. In my series spectacular places I would like to give a special mention to the Rare Steakhouse in Melbourne’s CBD. Hidden away from the mainstream in an isle next to Little Collins Street, we enter the Steakhouse and immediately fall in love with its interior. 70s fabrics, colours and chandeliers welcome you on your way to your table. The menu is quite simple, the focus stays on meat with a few lines explaining carefully what to expect from each dish. Too easy mate.
The wine list is great: Victorian and South Australian wines dominating the list. What else to expect from a Melburnian restaurant, and I do not mean this disrespectfully, to the contrary. I have received quite a few comments on my posts about wine drinkers from NSW not drinking ‘their’ local drops. In my opinion it is essential to support the local wine makers and therefore the focus on wine from VIC and SA in Melbourne is very understandable.
Our wine tasting starts with a 2007 Heathcote Shiraz from Tar & Roses, quite a rich wine with 14.5% but an excellent match to our Fillet. Dan Lewis and Narelle King have made this wine an outstanding match for the anymeat lover here Down Under. Have to explore more about the Tar & Roses wines – big exclamation mark. The good news is: most of the great reds are available by the glass, I am simply not used to this luxury from Restaurants in Sydney. Wine by the glass is made for the wine enthusiast who wants to explore – I usually drink more by trying a few wines than by just sticking it to one bottle.
More on the other wines in a separate post – have to get this one on the way.
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Im Rahmen meiner Serie ‘Besondere Restaurants’ Down Under berichte ich heute von meiner Erfahrung im Rare Steakhouse in Melbourne am letzten Wochenende. Ich verspreche Ihnen grossartiges Fleisch, eine wunderbare Atmosphaere aus den 70ern und eine Weinkarte, die es in sich hat. Wir testeten diverse Weine aus Viktoria, denn es gilt ja hier dem lokalen Geschmack zu folgen.
Ihr Michael Brecht
Melbourne Food and Wine Festival starts on Saturday the 7th of March
While the NSW Wine Week in Sydney is almost finished now, its big rival from Victoria starts to warm up for the famous Melbourne Food and Wine Festival. The festivities commences on the 7th of March and last until the 23rd. Get excited for more than 2 weeks with over 200 events. The adjacent wine regions in Victoria are complementing a great time ahead full of brilliant events for your taste buts and senses.
Melbourne Food and Wine Festival
The Melbourne Food and Wine Festival this year turns 17, so no wonder it has a well structured website, which explains in detail each event coming up. Let me therefore focus on telling you my personal highlights in the coming days. But be aware: some of the sessions are already sold out, so it makes sense to check upfront before being disappointed when seeing the sign: ‘sold out’.
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Kaum ist die NSW Wine Week in Sydney beendet, so beginnt in Melbourne das Food and Wine Festival. In seinem 17. Jahr finden in der Hauptstadt Viktorias und in den umliegenden Weingegenden ueber 17 Tage mehr als 200 Events statt. Ich werde in den naechsten Tagen von meinen persoenlichen Highlights berichten. Beginnen werde ich morgen mit einem Vorbericht zum ‘Laengsten Mittagessen der Welt’.
Ihr Michael Brecht
NSW Wine Week 2009 – happy drinking in Sydney’s Hyde Park
Having spent a few days in Melbourne and Adelaide this year I can confirm: Melburnians and people from Adelaide (is there such a thing as in Adelaidian?) are true supporters of their respective wine regions. The majority of the wine lists in ‘their’ restaurants are full of local wines. So how about New South Wales?
Winebar in Melbourne with local Victorian Wines
Sydneysiders tend to buy and try drops from interstate or even international producers – Victorian, Tasmanian and South Australian wines as well as the latest drops from Europe or the US dominate wine lists in Sydney and around. The latest MAT Nielsen Data shows us that only 6.3% of the total bottled wine sold in NSW comes from local producers although the States’ wineries produce about one third of the wines here Down Under.
I can confirm this result as the most famous wine region here in NSW considered by my friends is the Hunter Valley. That’s it! Basta!
Not too many people in Sydney itself know, that the Canberra region or the Southern Highlands produce some outstanding drops. And this is the reason why NSW wine producers have teamed up and started the NSW wine week, for the first time last year. Their strategy is to seriously increase NSW wine presence in bottle shops and restaurants over the next five years.
The wine week kicked off on Sunday in Sydney’s Hyde Park, with more than 100 wineries displaying their wines. A fantastic event with thousands of wine enthusiasts and lots of sunshine. But don’t forget the rest of this week: in many restaurants we will find lunch specials (for under $50 per head) and in various places in Sydney, you’ll be able to learn and experience wine and food prepared and commented by the city’s finest chefs and wine experts. Enjoy.
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Die NSW Wine Week (vom 1. bis 7. Maerz) findet nun schon zum 2. Mal statt. Mehr als 100 Produzenten haben am vergangenen Sonntag ihre Weine im Hyde Park bei herrlichstem Wetter zur Schau gestellt. Viele Tausend Besucher kamen und probierten was das Zeug haelt.
Und warum gibt es diese NSW Wine Week: ganze 6.3% aller in NSW verkauften oder servierten Weine kommen aus den lokalen Wineries, das ist zu wenig – so haben jene beschlossen und somit die NSW Wine Week ins Leben gerufen, um damit ihren Ruf hier in und um Sydney zu verbessern. Wir wuenschen viel Erfolg.
Ihr Michael Brecht
Methode Tasmanoise by Jansz – sparkling at Sydney Airport
I love traveling in Down Under. My favourite sport at Australian airports is ad-spotting – there is always a new, fun advertisement surprising travellers from all over the world.
Today I found ‘Methode Tasmanoise’ – my favourite sparkling for an Australian sun-downer in oversize combined with the french-tassie play of word. I absolutely love it.
Tasmanian Sparkling in Sydney
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Ich bin ein grosser Fan von australischen Flughaefen. Hier finde ich jedes Mal eine neue, witzige Werbung, mein Mobile ist gluecklicherweise immer griffbereit.
Heute kam ich an meinem australischen Lieblings-Sparkling (Champagne duerfen wir hier ja nicht sagen) vorbei, die Methode Tasmanoise ist ein schoenes Wortspiel.
Ihr Michael Brecht
