Nine reasons to dine at Australia's Best Restaurant in a Winery

Media Release

Tower Lodge's nine wins Best Restaurant in a Winery

Tower Lodge's restaurant nine has won the "Best Restaurant in a Winery" at the 2011 National Awards for Excellence held at Luna Park on October 24.

Tower's award is in succession to its win of Best Restaurant in a Winery" and "Restaurant of the Year in the Hunter Valley" at the 2011 Australia Restaurant & Catering Regional NSW Awards for Excellence.

Located nine feet underground in the original Tower Estate cellar, nine and its unique dining concept, was the brainchild of Andreas Breitfuss, Maître de Maison who developed the idea with the aim of offering different dining experiences for Tower Lodge guests.

Nine's private dining space is surrounded by warm earthy sandstone and wood surfaces providing an intimate and luxurious dining experience for up to 16 guests.

"To win the award of Best Restaurant in a Winery in Australia further reflects the hard work and dedication Andreas and his team put into Nine and Tower Lodge," said Matt Cowley, CEO, Tower Estate.

"It is also a reflection on my long term vision for Tower Lodge, to offer our guests a truly unique experience in the areas of dining and accommodation."

Nine features nine seasonal degustation menus (one vegetarian) using, where possible, local Hunter Valley produce paired with one of six optional wine lists, featuring a selection of premium local and imported varieties along with Tower Estate's own wines.

The National Awards for Excellence are the culmination of 10 regional Award events held throughout the year across the nation. Over 270 finalists in 34 categories competed at a ceremony at Luna Park to determine the best of the best of Australia's restaurants and caterers.

Restaurant & Catering represents around 4,000 restaurants and caterers across Australia. Each year over 900 members are reviewed in the Awards of Excellence.

nine Facts

opening times: Friday & Saturday nights 6.30pm to 8.30pm (last booking 8.30pm sharp)

menu type: 9 course degustation (chefs selection created seasonally) excl wines, $180 per person, or 9 course degustation paired with a selection of premium local and imported wines, including picks from the Tower Estate cellar, $250 per person.

wine list: selection of Australian premium wines and exclusive imported varieties including Champagne, sparking, red, white and dessert. The wine list includes specially selected Tower Estate wines.

Tower Lodge, part of the gold standard Relais & Chateaux association is Australia's best shared secret comprising of 12 distinctly different guest rooms including two premier suites. Each of the rooms are uniquely furnished with no room the same and feature a king size bed, deep soaking spa bath, complimented with antique pieces and rich fabrics creating an opulent setting for any guest.

For those who truly want to indulge and enjoy a Hunter Valley weekend, Tower Lodge has packages which include the following:

2 night's accommodation in a Lodge room
Dinner for 2 guest in Roberts Restaurant
Dinner for 2 guests dining in restaurant Nine
Complimentary upgrade to high tea
Breakfast
Pre- dinner beverages daily
Private wine tasting at Tower Estate Winery

Prices are based on twin share and start from $1,035 per room per night.

To make a reservation at Tower Lodge and/or nine visit www.towerestate.com or call (02) 4998 7022

About Tower Lodge

Opened in May 2001, and situated on the grounds of Tower Estate, Tower Lodge is the only 5-star boutique luxury lodge in the Hunter Region.

The Lodge features 12 rooms including two suites accommodating up to 24 guests. Room rates range from $720.00 per night and include accommodation for two, full buffet and a la carte cooked breakfast, complimentary afternoon tea, a pre-dinner drink and an evening turn down service

Website www.towerestate.com

Tower Lodge is a member of Relais & Châteaux.

At the Top of New England | Topper's Mountain

Media release

It was Topper's Mountain Wines which stole the show at the New England's night of nights on Friday when it took out 4 of the top trophies including the coveted Champion Winery of Show at the 2011 New England Wine Show.

Renowned wine critic Huon Hooke chaired the panel of judges at a show that he openly admits he was "...without much of an idea of what I would expect to find." And was pleased to find that this "tiny little wine region... making a bigger range of interesting wines than they have in Coonawarra" where he has gone onto judge at their wine show this week.

Interviewed from the region on Thursday after the one day judging which saw a record 154 wines judged by the expert panel, Huon told the ABC that the potential for the region was great. He made reference to the extraordinary number of less mainstream varieties that were of gold medal standard at this show and thought that perhaps varieties like Gewurztraminer and Tempranillo were styles on which the region could "hang their hat".

Topper's Mountain couldn't be happier with these claims that the less mainstream varieties are set to thrive in the region as they are almost as far from mainstream wine producers as their remote vineyard is from civilisation.

Recently quoted as having the 'ultimate fruit salad' vineyard, owner Mark Kirkby of Topper's Mountain has trialed plantings of 28 varieties in his 10ha vineyard since first planting in 2000, many with as few as 200 vines of each clone or variety. Mark's aim is to narrow these 28 down to 8-10 star performers through grape quality work in the vineyard in conjunction with ongoing wine style evolution with winemaker Mike Hayes to show off the exciting, cool-climate terroir of Topper's Mountain.

Located in spectacular yet remote countryside north-west of Armidale, about 50km north-west of the New England's highest town Guyra, Topper's Mountain reaps the benefit of altitudes in excess of 900m, ensuring idyllic growing conditions for his far-from-mainstream cool climate varietals. The vineyard is situated on beautiful, deep, red & aged volcanic soils high above the valleys of the MacIntyre and Gwydir Rivers.

Rose petals, a hint of tar & fresh strawberry leaves followed by layers of succulent, savoury & meaty  characters on the palate reinforced by Nebbiolo's big, smooth tannins. Plenty of time for cellaring this one!

"It doesn't seem real" says owner Mark Kirkby after winning four trophies; 6 gold, two silver and five bronze medals on Friday night "we couldn't have timed it better having just made our first, albeit small, commercial release of wines under the new  Topper's Mountain label."

It seemed the 2009 Toppers Mountain Nebbiolo (RRP $35) couldn't put a foot wrong, at first being awarded the Trophy for "Best Other Red Variety", then "Chief Stewards Pick of Golds" (which also takes into account the winery's contribution to the region), then finally the big one, "New England Wine of Show". Together with the 2010 Topper's Mountain Gewurztraminer (RRP $30) taking out the Trophy for "Best Aromatic White Wine", had Topper's Mountain named "Champion Winery of Show".

This is the first year which gold medal winners at the New England Wine Show qualify to enter in Australia's National Wine Show held in Canberra each year, giving this small region even more opportunity to show the wider wine world just what great things the region is doing.

Just last year the New England Wine region developed a Regional Brand Strategy aimed at raising the profile and awareness of Australia's newest wine region, and this the first wine show since, gives the NEW (New England Wine) region great promise from which to leverage its marketability, having hosted perhaps one of Australia's most regarded wine critics. Mark Kirkby sits on the marketing and branding strategy committee.

Topper's Mountain are seeking distribution of their wines in the on premise market in Sydney and Brisbane.

For further information contact:- Mark Kirkby – Topper's Mountain Wines, mark@toppers.com.au (0411) 880 580

BUBBLE AND BROTH, STELLAR RISE OF MOSCATO

BUBBLY partner with spicy lemongrass,
coriander and chilli-infused Asian broth

Wc24Oct11

David Ellis

A DECADE ago Moscato was a little-known, relatively alternative wine style in this country, but it's enjoyed somewhat of a stellar rise since then – with Victoria's Brown Brothers leading the charge, and now accounting for an amazing 49% of all Moscato sold in this country.

And not content to leave it at that, they've now released their first-ever Sparkling Moscato under the stewardship of winemaker Cate Looney, who has been making Moscato for the past half-decade.

"The Brown family is renowned for pushing the envelope with new product development, and we (the winemaking team) were delighted when they challenged us to see where we could take Moscato next," she says.

POWER and elegance, nice drop
with home-made Osso Bucco.

What the team came up with is a sparkling wine made from Muscat of Alexandria grapes (the Romans found this grape's distinctive aroma was akin to musk, so dubbed it Moscato meaning "smelling of musk,") and which has a sherbet-like perfume and lifted aromas of citrus and freshly-crushed grapes that follow through on the palate.

A delightful bubbly at just $16.50, Cate suggests you take a bottle or two along to your favourite Asian restaurant and enjoy with a spicy lemongrass, coriander and chilli-infused Asian broth.

ONE FOR LUNCH: THE Adelaide Hills' Petaluma uses fruit from it's B&V vineyard on the eastern escarpment of Mount Barker for it's Bridgewater Mill Shiraz, a wine of somewhat power and elegance as a result of the work that went into selecting just the right site for its B&V vineyard in the early 1990s.

Fruit was hand-picked for the just-released 2009 Shiraz that's a wine having ripe, fresh blackberry and lifted plum characters, and spicy white pepper on the palate; at $22 it's a nice drop to serve with home-made Osso Bucco.

(NEED A FOOD/DRINK IDEA? Check out  http://www.vintnews.com )

                                   

Winsor's choice: Dominique Portet 2011 Fontaine Rosé

Winsor Dobbin

Another impressively dry new-wave rosé from father and son team Dominique and Ben Portet in the Yarra Valley - the ninth and 10th generations of family winemakers. This is worthy wine for inclusion in the second Rosé Revolution, a blend of merlot, shiraz and cabernet sauvignon from the Yarra and Pyrenees. It's a disturbingly drinkable wine with intense red fruit aromas and flavours but with a dry and savoury finish. Chill this down, serve it with a picnic and watch it disappear at breakneck speed. $20. www.dominiqueportet.com

2008 Shiraz - Pick of the show - Heathcote Wine & Food Festival - October 2011

Media Release

The small but highly awarded Southern Heathcote vineyard, Redesdale Estate is proud their latest release of the highly awarded estate grown Heathcote Shiraz vintages, the 2008 Shiraz, was nominated as the pick of the show, at the recent Heathcote Wine and Food Festival. Renowned wine writer and judge Jeff Gordon commended the vintage - "my pick of the show - the 2008 Redesdale Estate shiraz - elegant but powerful fruit, beautifully integrated with soft tannins". He also further noted the exceptional quality of Redesdale Estate's produce by voting the Redesdale Estate olive oil as his personal 'best in show'. The 2008 vintage is the latest of 6 vintages, which have all gained the highest ratings on release.

www.redesdale.com
www.jeffgordon.com.au

$86.3 million celebration for NSW Wines

Media Release

Last night saw the Mistletoe Wines 2009 Reserve Chardonnay crowned the 2011 Citibank NSW Wine of the Year in front of the who's who of the wine industry at the Citibank NSW Wine Awards Presentation Dinner at Guillaume at Bennelong in Sydney.

Those who attended also heard from special guest the NSW Minister for Primary Industries and Minister for Small Business, the Honourable Katrina Hodgkinson MP, who was delighted to announce new Nielsen data, revealing that since the launch of the government /industry partnership behind the NSW Wine Strategy in February 2008, sales of bottled NSW wine within NSW have dramatically increased from $52.4 million a year to a new record yearly sales figure of $86.3 million*, a 64% increase in just 3 years.

Mike De Iuliis, Chair of the NSW Wine Strategy said, "The partnership with the NSW government has been critical in the achievement of these great results and we know with continued hard work this growth is here to stay."

The State of NSW is passionate about wine. In the last 12 months, ending July 2011, total bottled wine sales in NSW have grown by +8.4% in value – outperforming the market with other States growing at just +3.4%. And the latest quarterly figures highlight further growth of +11.1%, show that not only is there growth but that growth is accelerating!

Mike added, "And it's not that NSWs enjoys wine, we are also continuing to appreciate our local wines more. The latest Nielsen figures show local Sales of NSW wine in NSW are now outpacing bottled wine from Victoria and South Australia by 2X and whilst all price points are growing it is the premium wines in the $20+ per bottle category which continue to lead the growth with an increase of +14%, now making up 15% of the state's bottled wine sales."

These amazing Off-Premise sales figures from Nielsen are complemented in a report by Wine Business Solutions on the On-Premise that shows a 22% increase in the last year in the representation of NSW and ACT wines on NSW /ACT wine lists.

Even more encouraging is that the message of NSW wines' quality, diversity and value - which has been so successfully accepted by wine drinkers in NSW - is now spreading. Nielsen figures show within Total Australia, sales of bottled wine indicated to be from NSW is growing by +10.6% in value with growth rates in QLD and SA doubling and quadrupling respectively! Reasons for all NSW winemakers to celebrate. But it was Ken Sloan from Mistletoe Wines who had the most to celebrate, collecting the Trophy for the 2011 Citibank NSW Wine of the Year, flanked by the other 8 Trophy winners of the 2011 Citibank NSW Wine Awards:

2011 Citibank NSW Wine of the Year & Trophy Best Young Chardonnay ~ Mistletoe Wines 2009 Reserve Chardonnay, Hunter ($40)

A contemporary Chardonnay which highlights that this grape is making a comeback! This wine also collected Gold at the 2011 Winewise Awards and 2011 Hunter Valley Boutique Winemakers Show, and last year was crowned the 'Reserve Wine of Show' at the International Chardonnay Challenge in NZ. Mistletoe Wines is a wonderful example of the family businesses which dominate NSW winemaking (family owned wineries account for over 75% of the total NSW crush) and shower our vineyards with care and dedication, creating wines worthy of world-class status.

Trophy Best Young Semillon ~ Two Rivers 2011 Stones Throw Semillon, Hunter ($16)

Another multi-award winning wine, capturing the qualities of the Hunters signature white grape and showing exceptional value for money at just $16.

Trophy Best Mature Dry White ~ Thomas Wines 2006 Cellar Reserve Braemore Semillon, Hunter ($45)

Re-released in August 2011, this wine is just starting to emerge with those classic bottle aged Hunter Semillon complexities.

Trophy Best Young Shiraz ~ First Creek Wines 2010 Winemakers Reserve Shiraz, Hunter ($42)

The Hunter has again collected the most Trophies, with the 'new generation' of winemakers, not resting on their laurels but pushing winemaking further.

Trophy Best Young Cabernet ~ Winburndale Wines 2008 Fontana Cabernet Sauvignon, Central Ranges ($30)

Bathurst can sometimes be a little overshadowed by its neighbour Orange, but wines from the Central Ranges are starting to shine in their own right.

Trophy Best Young Red Other Variety ~ Logan 2009 Weemala Merlot, Central Ranges ($18)

The 2nd wine from the Central Ranges, proving their quality is not just a case of luck but an emerging region with great grapes & talented winemaking.

Trophy Best Young Red Blend ~ Logan 2009 Cabernet Merlot, Orange ($25)

The region of Orange goes from strength to strength every year creating increasing amounts of wine with elegance and flair.

Trophy Best Mature Dry Red ~ Freeman Vineyards Secco Aged Release 2004 Rondinella Corvina, Hilltops ($75)

A very unusual blend of two Italian varieties this wine showcases their amazing ageing potential and longevity.

Trophy Best Sweet White ~ De Bortoli 2008 Noble One, Riverina ($64)

Yet again proving that the Riverina is a region that dominates in sweet wine production.

Alongside the Trophies, two other special awards were presented on the night. The NSW Department of Primary Industries Graham Gregory Award is presented to someone for their individual contribution to the NSW wine industry and this year the deserving recipient was Richard Hilder. Katrina Hodgkinson, NSW Minister for Primary Industries and Minister for Small Business, presented the award commenting, "Richard has contributed significantly to the viticulture and horticulture industries within the Australian Wine Industry.  His forward planning for the development of irrigation, fertigation, pruning, harvesting, and other viticultural practices has benefited the overall wine industry…it is because of people like Mr Hilder that the NSW wine industry is continuing to go from strength to strength and is a major player in the international wine market."

The NSW Department of Primary Industries Award for Best Organic Wine was awarded to David Lowe for the Lowe Wines 2009 Zinfandel from Mudgee. The Organic category was a hot division this year with 30 Organic wines entered into the Wine Show (20% more than last year) and 2 were awarded with spots in the 2011 Citibank NSW Wine Top 40. Both of these wines, along with the rest of the Top 40, will be on taste for the public at the upcoming Citibank NSW Wine Awards "Best of the Best Top 40" Tasting on Thursday 20th October. Visit www.nswwine.com.au for details.


*MAT 31 July 2011 Nielsen figures:

·       Data prepared by Nielsen is based on wine sold in NSW that is indicated to be from NSW.
·       The figures are calculated using off-premise sales of wines that indicate that they are from NSW on the bottle.
·       In $AUD dollar

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Beelgara Estate joins the elite

Media Release


Beelgara Estate joins the elite of premium Australian Winemakers

Beelgara Estate is one of the oldest wineries in the Riverina grape growing district of Australia, having been established in 1930.

Being a top twenty Australian winery, Beelgara has established an enviable reputation amongst industry analysts, having just recorded three consecutive years of incremental profit growth with a forth year projected at a 10% increase.

One of Australia's leading wine writers, James Halliday, has just awarded Beelgara a five star winery rating in the 2012 edition of his Australian Wine Companion, which effectively ranks Beelgara amongst the elite of Australian winemakers.

Rod Hooper, Beelgara's chief winemaker has commented, "we are immensely proud of our elevation to a five star rating from James and it is a wonderful endorsement of the quality of our wines and a just reward for all our hard work over recent years". Two of Beelgara's most awarded red wines achieved 94 points, which is an amazingly high score and ranks them amongst some of the best reds in Australia.

Allison Payne, Beelgara's CFO has remarked, "this most recent award has crowned what has been another amazing year for us. We are now shoulder to shoulder with some of the most premium and profitable wineries in Australia".

Beelgara has just reported a circa $2.1 million EBITDA profit for the 2011 year, eclipsing the record profit in 2010.

Beelgara Estate Pty Ltd
National Sales Office: Unit 2/448 Pacific Highway Artarmon  NSW  2064  Australia
Tel: +61(2) 9017 6400