Barossa in Top 10 Wine Regions of the World

The Barossa has been named one of the world’s top 10 wine destinations by the world’s largest online travel community, TripAdvisor. The iconic South Australian wine region was the only Australian destination to make it onto the prestigious list, alongside European regions such as Bordeaux and Tuscany.

Tourism Minister Jane Lomax-Smith says the listing is significant because it was based not just on TripAdvisor editors’ opinions, but also on the Barossa’s popularity with travellers. “The TripAdvisor website is home to more than 15 million reviews of holiday destinations and products written by real travellers who want to share their experiences with others,” she says.

“South Australia, and in particular the Barossa, is obviously being highly praised by those who have visited here for a holiday. The Internet is the place where more and more travellers are researching their holidays, and its importance as a tool to spread the word about visiting South Australia cannot be underestimated.”

In its list of the world’s top 10 wine destinations, TripAdvisor praised the Barossa as: “this scenic region in Southern Australia (which) is highly regarded for its Shiraz and its other robust varieties of red wine. Characterized by its visibly rich German heritage, along with its rolling, vine-covered hills, Barossa Valley is a uniquely beautiful destination for sightseers and wine connoisseurs alike.”

The Barossa is an important drawcard for attracting Australian and international tourists to South Australia. “The South Australian Government is committed to marketing the region through the South Australian Tourism Commission and Tourism Barossa,” Dr Lomax-Smith says.

“The South Australian Government will continue to promote the Barossa’s unique culture, heritage and acclaimed wine to the world. “Being named as one of the world’s top 10 wine destinations shows just how marketable the region is as a tourist destination,” Minister Lomax-Smith says.

For more information on Barossa Valley check here.

Fleurieu Fiesta 08

October is upon us and so the limelight this month shines on Fiesta!

Fiesta! is a celebration of exceptional food, wine and hospitality across the Fleurieu. We celebrate Spring with a myriad of events during October, showcasing the very best that this culinary diverse and rich region has to offer. On offer are degustation dinners, salubrious long lunches, intimate workshops, as well as celebratory feasts, tastings of cheeses, new season olives and olive oils and new vintage wines.

Once again the Fleurieu Peninsula will open its doors and invite everyone to be a part of the celebration. Fiesta! 2008 is set to be a feast of the freshest seasonal food packed with over 20 wine and dine events, involving 15 restaurants, seven wineries and 24 galleries. All of the events offer a different experience to the public. Some of our picks include;
· Fiesta! at the Willunga Farmers Market (each Saturday) Fiesta! hosts its own stall at the market featuring Punters Pick and Fleurieu Peninsula Slow Self Guided Tours.
· Oliver’s Taranga Degustation Dinner (10 October) Food by XO Supper Club matched to museum & current release wines.
· French Flavours Come to Penny’s Hill (17 October) Come and enjoy French Provincial Cuisine with a modern Australian Twist.
· Wild about Yeast (19 October) Bread, Beer, Wine and Olives. Get wild about yeast at Producers of McLaren Vale.
· Fiesta! Finale (Saturday, 25 October) An Italian inspired slow food feast featuring current and museum released wines, at Primo Estate.

Throughout the festival you may notice restaurants across the Fleurieu offering a unique dish using regional produce, matched with local wines. Be sure to support these guys and eat local.

This is a perfect opportunity for visitors and locals alike to experience some of the peninsula’s best kept secrets and indulge in the region’s diverse range of food and wine. For more information visit Fleurieu Fiesta, or www.richandlingering.com.au/fiesta_tours.html

Shadow's Passing at Fox Creek

South Australia's wine world lost a faithful friend this week with the death of Fox Creek winery mascot, Shadow. Shadow, a border collie, greeted visitors to the McLaren Vale winery for more than a decade, appeared on TV shows and even had wine named after him.

He was loved by many visitors to cellar door, and always eager to charm our guests. Shadow's party trick was to chase the vibrating trellis wire along the vineyard rows during vine pruning. Due to this a wine was named after him in 2001 - Shadow's Run.

Shadow, who died on Tuesday, aged 11. We are certain he will be missed by the Fox Creek team, and the McLaren Vale community.

South Australia's Success at Decanter World Wine Awards

Australian wineries are celebrating a record medal haul in this year’s prestigious Decanter World Wine Awards. Decanter Magazine’s expert judges tasted a staggering 9,219 wines from around the world during a mammoth week of tasting in London. Australian wines scooped more trophies and medals than any other New World country with only France claiming more medals overall. Just 1.1% of the thousands of wines entered won a Regional Trophy and Australia’s 15 trophy winners will now go on to compete against trophy winners from around the world for the ‘champion of champions’ International Trophies, announced at a glamorous awards ceremony in London in early September.

Australian wines stormed to victory in the ‘Under £10’ (AU$20.50) category winning more Gold medals in this category than any other country. However, Australia’s growing prominence in top price wines was clear with 77% of Australian medal winners in the ‘over £10’ category.

As for Australia’s best wine region, naturally it was South Australia which scored a convincing victory taking home 359 medals including eight trophies and 13 gold medals with Barossa the stand-out region; including a boost for their whites with the Australian White Single Varietals Over £10 Trophy going to Peter Lehmann’s Margaret Semillon 2002 - an absolute stunner.

Rich & Lingering's private tours regularly include some of the winners, such as Shaw & Smith (Gold Medal - 2006 Shiraz), Wirra Wirra (Gold Medal - Dead Ringer Cabernet Sauvignon 2006), Penfolds (Gold Medal - Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon 2005), Murray Street Vineyards (Trophy - Greenock Shiraz 2006), Peter Lehmann (Trophy - Reserve Riesling 2002).

Tasting Australia during Vintage

Tasting Australia, Australia’s premier food, wine and beer festival held in Adelaide will now be held in Autumn instead of Spring, from 6 – 13 May 2010, allowing visiting media, food and drink professionals and the public at large a chance to experience the best South Australia has to offer at vintage time.

In the eleven years since its conception, Tasting Australia has become one of the nation’s most influential and best attended gastronomic festivals. The event has hosted hundreds of Australia’s and the world’s top chefs, sommeliers, restaurateurs, food, wine and travel media and has attracted a wide cross-section of the food-loving public to Adelaide and South Australia.

It regularly attracts celebrity chefs of the calibre of Rick Stein, Antonio Carluccio, Nick Nairn, Rachel Allen, Paul Rankin, Sophie Grigson, Madhur Jaffrey and Claudia Roden, Stephanie Alexander, Serge Dansereau, Neil Perry, Shannon Bennett, Paul Wilson, Chris Taylor, Cheong Liew and many more.

Tasting Australia has now grown to such an extent that the last event comprised 70 events, of which 65 were aimed at the general public. 50,000 people attended over eight days. A major feature of the 2010 event will be a focus on South Australia’s local heroes – those food and drink producers, chefs, writers and educators who have raised the bar in gastronomic excellence, according to South Australian Tourism Minister Jane Lomax-Smith.

“Over the past six events, Tasting Australia has shown the world’s food, wine and beer lovers that Adelaide and South Australia form a hub of gastronomic excellence,” Dr Lomax-Smith says. “We are not just an exporter of premium food and beverage. Our great chefs have been exemplary ambassadors for the state, with professionals such as Christine Manfield, Tim Pak Poy, Maggie Beer, Cheong Liew, and Simon Bryant, among others, making a big impression around Australia and overseas. “There is no doubt that Tasting Australia will continue to boost tourism numbers to South Australia, as well as encouraging further markets for the State’s food, wine and beer products,” says Dr Lomax-Smith. “I believe that a move to vintage time will add to the positive media coverage afforded the event.”

For more information see www.tasting-australia.com.au

World Food Exchange in Adelaide

The inaugural World Food Exchange is a unique, must attend event for South Australia's food and wine producers and the culinary tourism industry. The event will bring together leading international and Australian experts in the development of high quality food and wine themed tourism experiences to share their knowledge and expertise.

The four day event, from 21-25 September 2008, will promote South Australia as a leading culinary tourism destination and showcase South Australian primary produce industries as ecologically sustainable and among the best in the world.

The World Food Exchange regional tours provide an opportunity to introduce visitors to a taste of regional South Australia's brilliant experiences, highlighting the whole chain of wine and food experiences. The World food Exchange organised tours incorporate unique experiences only available through the World Food Exchange program. They feature a taste of the lifestyle and world-class ecologically sustainable seafood and aquaculture industry of the Eyre Peninsula as well as immersion in the food and wine culture of Barossa Valley.

It's an event not to be missed.

For more information or to register, visit worldfoodexchange.com or www.richandlingering.com.au/FoodExchange.html

Hill-Smith Honoured

Michael Hill-Smith MW, the owner of the Adelaide Hills based winery Shaw & Smith, has been named Member of the Order of Australia in this years Queens Birthday Honours list.

The Order of Australia is awarded to individuals to recognise their contribution to the country. Hill-Smith was nominated for his role in the Australian wine industry. The order is ranked at a similar level to the Member and Order of the British Empire (MBE, OBE) awards in the UK.

In 1988, Hill-Smith was the first Australian to pass the rigorous Master of Wine exam. He is chairman of judges at the Royal Adelaide Wine Show. He is also a wine consultant for Singapore Airlines, a trained cordon bleu chef, and all round nice guy.

Hill-Smith was delighted at his appointment. 'Obviously, she has made a terrible mistake,' he joked.