So in some way, we’re virtually on the finish of 2024. That sneaked up on us a bit, didn’t it. Maybe it’s as a result of there’s been a lot happening just lately.
On this newest Version, we’re speaking about jiujitsu gradings, a brand new Champagne launch, a resurrected celebration of NSW wine all through November, huge birthday weekends away, a marriage and even a regatta on Sydney Harbour!
We hope you get pleasure from this catch-up.
Cheers – Jim & Christina xx
And we’re off! Just for the weekend, however it’s good to be up within the air once more. A lot of our journey just lately has been on the street, which has been nice, however it all the time feels extra you’re out and about if you fly.
We’re off to Lennox Head, simply south of Byron Bay to have a good time our beautiful buddy Sonia’s huge 4-0.
We’ve identified Sonia for a few years, so in fact we’re travelling for her huge birthday. Plus we’ve by no means been to Lennox earlier than! Plus…
… it’s a flowery costume get together!
Gown code is ’80s disco glam, which I feel we’ve each achieved – in various levels! Sonia seems to be fabulous and the setting, a cafe-bar known as Shelter, is ideal. Searching on the ocean this beautiful venue is pleasant but trendy, and the meals, drink and repair right here is excellent.
If you happen to’re ever in Lennox Head, ensure you hit Shelter up. You gained’t remorse it.
L-R: Margan’s clear and scrumptious White Label Albarino 2023 from the Hunter & Ross Hill’s unbelievable Japanese View Chardonnay 2021 from Orange
This night, we’re again in Sydney at The Reduce Bar & Grill – a unprecedented steak restaurant within the Rocks. We’re right here to have a good time the reincarnation of New South Wales Wine Month.
Extra about NSW Wine Month in a second. To begin with, let’s speak concerning the wine tonight. We’re served a variety of very good wines from a few of our favorite NSW wineries (and a few new ones too).
Wines from Logan, Robert Stein, Margan, Ross Hill, Philip Shaw and Brokenwood are paired with among the most unbelievable meals. What’s extra, we get to listen to from the winemakers themselves, who’re all right here at the moment to inform us extra about their wine. In addition they discuss why it’s extra necessary than ever that we select NSW wines over others.
For instance, do you know that in NSW eating places, solely 12% of wine lists comprise wine from NSW. Evaluate that to South Australia the place 76% of their wine lists have vino from their dwelling state. Loopy, proper?
The meals at The Reduce is off the charts. We begin with entrees together with moreish prime rib empanadas with house-made sizzling sauce and yellowfin tuna tartare with piquillo peppers. These go so nicely with the Robert Stein Dry Riesling from Mudgee.
It’s not shocking, contemplating the place we’re, that everybody at our 20-strong desk have chosen the 250g Black Angus fillet with a 3+ marble rating. It’s a good selection. Smoky and superbly crusted on the skin, the meat is completely medium uncommon and tender within the center. The steak additionally goes beautifully with probably the most wonderful double-cooked chicken-fat hasselback potatoes.
As for wine, we’re served glasses of Philip Shaw’s No.8 Pinot Noir 2023 from Orange and Brokenwood’s distinctive Vegas Winery Shiraz 2022 from the Hunter.
Not solely is that this a meal to recollect, it’s a listing of wines to buy too. And in case you’re searching for an excellent glowing, ensure you discover Logan’s Classic ‘M’ Cuvee from Orange.
Now, NSW Wine Month. It hasn’t occurred for a few years, however this November, it’s again with a vengeance.
For the following 30 days, all types of wonderful occasions shall be popping up round Sydney, championing the fantastic viniferous treats from NSW.
Not solely are there numerous particular occasions in several bars across the metropolis (click on right here for extra about them), there’s additionally Blissful Hour, with a lot of pubs and bars giving nice costs on NSW wines.
Better of all although is Sydney Cellar Door wine competition.
For the entire weekend of November 8-9, Tallawoladah Garden – the backyard in entrance of the MCA at Round Quay – will play host to 40 premium NSW wineries from all 14 areas within the state. It’s free to get in and also you simply purchase tokens to style when you’re there.
TL-B: exterior the Union Financial institution, contained in the Nice Western Lodge, about to soak up a wagyu and macaroni pie
This weekend, I’ve been launched into the wild by myself – nicely, with a couple of mates. We’ve taken the XPT (Specific Practice) from Sydney to the beautiful regional city of Orange for a mate’s fortieth birthday. All of us agree that – regardless of the early begin and the lateness of the bar cart opening – the practice is the easiest way to journey to Orange. You get to see a lot extra of the countryside. In reality, you get to see belongings you by no means would from the automobile window.
We’ve talked about Orange greater than as soon as on this website (yow will discover our Important Information to Orange right here), however it’s often been a way more salubrious expertise. With 9 guys on their very own for 4 days, issues are sure to be considerably… looser!
He hit as most of the pubs on the town as we are able to – and there are quite a bit in Orange. Our first cease, straight off the practice, is the Nice Western Lodge. One of many oldest pubs on the town, it’s an ideal instance of the grand previous nation pubs right here.
We additionally hit up the Orange Pie Firm for certainly one of their signature pies – a wagyu and macaroni pie – which is excellent. We additionally share a couple of of their award-winning sausage rolls, laced with maple bacon.
Nevertheless it’s not all pubs and pies. We attempt to catch some tradition whereas we’re right here. One of many closest and oldest wineries in Orange is Philip Shaw’s cellar door. These wines have gained so many awards over teh years and justly so.
We get pleasure from a tasting then stroll again into city after exploring the grounds.
One other sizzling tip we’ve talked about earlier than right here is if you wish to keep on the town but in addition get pleasure from a wine tasting, the experiences they provide at Ferment Wine Centre are an ideal choice. This store is in a ravishing little heritage constructing, and Ferment presents an opportunity to strive wines from wineries that don’t essentially have their very own cellar door, however whose wines are nicely price tasting.
In fact, in Orange, you are able to do your personal wine tasting expertise – in many of the pubs! We quiet down within the beautiful beer backyard of the Parkview Lodge, whose wine listing is great, however certainly not a uncommon factor right here. Thanks to Mr Brown for some glorious wine modelling!
Different pubs we go to on our journey embrace our favorite, the massively grand Lodge Canobolas, the fascinating Victoria Lodge, the Lodge Orange, the Royal Lodge, the Metropolitan Lodge and Badlands Brewery. We additionally uncover that the Orange RSL has one of many nicest cocktail lounges and rooftop bars within the metropolis.
L-R: Michael, Brett, Mark, Rodger, Nim, Justin, Dom, Khalil and me!
However our favorite cocktail bar is definitely Washington & Co on Summer time Road. This enjoyable little dive bar stirs up very good cocktails and the environment is all the time cracking. Extremely really helpful, and their blissful hour is price dropping every little thing and working throughout city for.
Just a few of us additionally make the very good move to discover the extremes of Orange’s evening life. The Blind Pig Sound Lounge & Bar is a number of enjoyable, does jelly photographs and permits guests like us to extend the common age by a number of a long time! Very accommodating. However that’s Orange for you.
It is a weekend I don’t suppose any of us will overlook – in a great way in fact.
This afternoon, we’re on the lovely Sofitel Darling Harbour for a particular Champagne launch. Up within the elegant Champagne Bar overlooking the water, we’re welcomed by the enigmatic Madame Pommery – Nathalie Vranken, proprietor and CEO for this well-known Champagne home.
Sofitel is proud to be pouring not only one however three new cuvées from Pommery, launching at the moment: Pommery Brut Apanage NV, Cuvée Sofitel 60 and Apanage Brut 1874.
The final of those – the Apanage Brut 1874 – has been launched in celebration of the one hundred and fiftieth birthday of Vranken-Pommery Champagne Home. It’s a good mix of 2012, 2015 and 2018 wines – three very good vintages – to create a fragile but structured Champagne with frivolously buttery nutty flavours coupled with white nectarine and fantastic minerality.
For that additional little bit of theatre, Sofitel Darling Harbour’s hospitality supervisor has sabraged a bottle of the 1874. This bar is among the only a few in Sydney to open Champagne this manner, chopping the highest and cork of the bottle with a sabre – a method that Napoleon himself is alleged to have created.
L-R: Christina, Amy Reeves & Jim; champagne on the Sofitel Darling Harbour; Jim, Nathalie Vranken & Christina
What a technique to spend a day – sipping fantastic French Champagne overlooking the attractive harbour. And to prime it off, we’re fortunate to not solely meet the spectacular Nathalie Vranken, but in addition the charming Amy Reeves.
Amy narrowly missed out on profitable this yr’s Australian Idol, however she’s come to date – actually and figuratively – from her dwelling in Broome, WA. She’s now dwelling in Sydney and dealing laborious to forge her approach within the music world. We’re excited to see what our beautiful new younger buddy does subsequent. I wager it’s going to be nice!
This one was huge! Christina is now formally a crimson belt jiujitsu fighter! Very proud to look at Chris at her grading tonight. She’s labored so laborious to get thus far and deserves her new colors.
Subsequent cease: black belt!
L-R: owner-founder of Dialogue, Kate Bradley; ice sculpture; previous and current Dialogue crew kicking again!
Tonight, we’re on the very cool bar Quantity 10 on the fringe of Rushcutter’s Bay and Darlinghurst to have a good time a particular birthday.
Dialogue – a communications, advertising and public relations firm – is popping 10. It’s such a milestone for this firm that owner-founder Kate Bradley began from her entrance room a decade in the past. We’ve labored carefully with Kate and Dialogue just about the entire time, and it’s fantastic to see this necessary date come to go.
Kate has labored so laborious on this enterprise and she or he deserves each success. Effectively finished, Kate (it’s additionally a blinder of a celebration btw!).
This afternoon, we’re up in Bayview on the southern fringe of Pittwater. It’s a ravishing day – simply good for a marriage!
We’re right here with Christina’s household to have a good time her sister’s greatest buddy’s marriage to a man she’s identified since kindergarten!
That is Leanne and Murray, and their wedding ceremony on the BYRA Bayview Yacht Membership. They marched down the hill from their home lead by a bagpiper. They’ve made their technique to the deck that appears out over the water. What a surprising spot to get married.
It’s such a beautiful get together and a beautiful factor to be celebrating. We’re so blissful for Murray, Leanne and their households. It’s all the time a superb factor to see a lot pleasure in a single place. Right here’s to the blissful couple.
Right now is a vital day within the Balmain calendar: it’s the Balmain Regatta!
We’re aboard our buddy Michael’s boat the 401, which is a part of the spectacular Regatta Workboat Convoy. The Convoy sees Sydney Harbour inundated with all types of historic and trendy working vessels, from tugs to ex-navy boats.
It’s among the finest days of the yr for the peninsula – even higher in case you’re aboard certainly one of these beauties.
The boats motor out previous the Harbour Bridge and the Opera Home, and all the way in which previous Fort Denison/Muddawahnyuh earlier than turning again to race all the way in which to Balmain Crusing Membership in Birchgrove.
Though our buddy Michael is having the most effective day of his yr to date, I feel we’ve bought the most effective a part of it; sitting again having fun with the views, glorious conversations, and equally excellent foods and drinks.
Everybody’s introduced sufficient booze to flood the fleet and a lot grub we may survive for weeks at sea. Nim’s scotch eggs all the time deserve a particular point out although. I don’t know how he does it.
All too quickly the race is over, and we switch to a young that takes us to the jetties of the crusing membership. Anybody can be a part of the get together on the membership, and the stay music, foods and drinks right here confirms this to be the most effective day in Balmain.
We watch the crusing boats end their races and moor up, absorbing the competition environment and pinching ourselves that that is actual life.
When the final crusing boats tie up and winners have all been introduced, issues slowly start to wrap up. We make our technique to our buddy’s home not far away for the unofficial regatta after-after-party, the place we watch the solar sink into the ocean. A special occasion certainly.
We hope you’ve loved this Version. Chat to you once more quickly.
Jim & Christina xx