World Malbec Day celebration at Chophouse Sydney.

Malbec World Day in 2015 is Friday April 17th. To celebrate we will be going to a special Malbec wine tasting in Melbourne called Gauchita Gil , with food, dance and the wines of Argentina, Australia and France!

On the eve of Malbec World Day, Chophouse Sydney is putting on a special Malbec dinner celebrating the wonderful Malbecs of the Cahors region in France.

Malbec has been making a name for itself in recent years, thanks to the wines of Argentina. Many people are surprised to learn this grape variety comes from the Cahors region in south-west France where Malbec has been cultivated for hundreds of years. Argentina is certainly producing some great Malbecs and as a result many people have been looking again at Cahors to benchmark these wines. Cahors is considered an up and coming region in France with a great improvement in quality in recent years and increasing recognition world-wide that some great wines are still being produced there. 

"Cahors is that rarest of all wines: both a rising star and a timeless classic." --The Guardian (UK) April 2013.

5 courses and some wonderful matching wines from Cahors and south-west France for $99 on Thursday April 16 2015.

Call 1300 246 748 for reservations. This dinner was almost booked out at the time of this post. You can read more about the wines of Cahors here.

North East Food and Wine Festival March 14th 2015

DiscoverVin has been invited to participate in the Market Day of the North East Food and Wine Festival.

Saturday, March 14th 10am - 4pm 

Junction Place, corner of Church Street and Elgin Boulevard, Wodonga

Come along and enjoy a relaxing atmosphere and indulge in the region’s fantastic food, wines, ciders and brews plus some international wines from independant producers.

Expect an array of differing cuisines – from Thai and Middle-Eastern to Italian, Spanish and more...Browse the stalls and meet some of the region’s top producers. Enjoy a glass of wine or Champagne. We have the perfect rosé to match a plate of paella and a glass of perfectly balanced french sticky to go with some cheese or patisserie.

With free live entertainment all day, this promises to be great day out for the whole family...

See what the best of the region has to offer you.

WIne and Food Dinner: Talking French- Bishop Sessa Thursday November 6th

We are looking forward to seeing our friends in Sydney for a great night of wine and food at Bishop Sessa, 527 Crown Street, Surry Hills on Thursday November 6th at 7pm

It will be a pleasure to taste the amazing dishes of chef Paul Cooper. Have a look and see what customers have been saying recently about Bishop Sessa on Trip Advisor. We know the wines will be great!  

Call 02 8065 7223 to secure your spot. 



Chateau Rollan de By 2006 served at Autumn French Dinner

Chateau Rollan de By was the feature wine at the Autumn French Dinner in Sydney.  

Chateau Rollan de By 2006 the perfect Bordeaux red served at the Autumn French Dinner

The wine was served with Rangers Valley Beef Tenderloin, field mushrooms, spinach, Paris Match, jus gras.

Staff from Cordon Bleu cooking school work to present Rangers Valley Beef Tenderloin.

Dinners thought the wine a perfect match for chef Guillaume Brahimi's tender beef.  
Robert Parker's review of the 2006 Chateau Rollan de By provides an evocative description of the wine.
"Sweet cassis fruit, cedar, tobacco leaf, licorice, and subtle smoke aromas are followed by a wine with impressive ripeness, medium body, and a long, lush, evolved, richly fruity finish. Consume this charming, sensual 2006 over the next decade. Good value." Available online.

The secret revealed.  The mystery venue for the Sydney Autumn French dinner was the dining hall at Saint Andrew's College, University of Sydney

Bordeaux Dinner The Bathers Pavilion Balmoral Wednesday March 5th 2014

This is going to be a magical dinner at the Bathers Pavilion at Balmoral Beach, matching the award winning cuisine of Serge Dansereau with some fine Bordeaux wines. Places limited. Call Bathers Pavilion (02) 9969 5050 to reserve. 

Fifth anniversary Cocktail Party at Franck Provost Double Bay

Franck Provost Paris Hair is France's number one salon and last night the Double Bay Salon was celebrating its 5th Anniversary.  Amber Renae, the Franck Provost brand ambassador, VIP's, members of the French Trade Commission and Alliance Francaise, bloggers, journalists, fashionistas and just about every French person living in Sydney was there! So French, so chic!!

DiscoverVin wines were sponsors of this event and we offered the following wines by the glass:

Domaine de la Croix, Irrésistible Rosé  - The name says it all! A delicious rosé from one of the top producers in Provence.

Château de la Bouyere Bordeaux Blanc - A great value for money crisp white wine for the coming summer months.

Château des Saurs, La Constance, 2009 - One of our best sellers is this lovely lighter style red from Gaillac in South West France. Silver Medal winner.   

We also offered tastings of some of our best sellers:

Château Jolys Jurançon Sec 2011 - a delicious dry white wine awarded 92 points and voted 'Best Import' by Huon Hooke in the Sydney Morning Herald in June 2013.

Château Haut Peyrous, Retours de Palombieres, 2008 - a sensational Merlot/Cabernet/Petit Verdot blend from an organic producer (Marc Darroze) in Graves (Bordeaux).

Chateau de Saurs, Moelleux, 2011 - A late harvest wine made from an ancient variety in Gaillac.  Silver medal winner at the Paris 2012 Concours General Agricole.  

All of these wines, I am happy to say, were a hit with Francophiles and French people alike. 

There was a real buzz in the air as the glamorous models displayed the Summer 2013 (Hair Style) Collection - long soft curled tresses seem to be the hairstyle of the moment - pity I've got short hair!  

Event: Slowed cooked food and wines of South West France Sydney

Looking forward to seeing some of our Sydney friends in Sydney! This will be a great night of tasty slow cooked food and some great wines to match. Excellent value! Call Chophouse 1300 246 748

Bordeaux DInner in Brisbane

Following on the heels of successful dinners in Adelaide and Melbourne it was a great pleasure to hold a Bordeaux dinner in Brisbane on October 25th. This time we went to local favourite and award winning French restaurant C'est Bon in Wollongabba. Part of the charm of this restaurant, apart from the great food and wine, is the friendly and quintessentially professional front of house staff led by Celine Damour. As usual they made everyone welcome and the evening ran like clockwork. Thanks to Celine, Anthony, Sandrine and the team!

The evening kicked off with an amuse-bouche of salmon and goat cheese "tartare" which was a perfect foil with our favorite  cru classé  dry rosé from Provence- Domaine de la Croix 2010.Following that the dinner followed the theme of New Bordeaux showcasing 2 fabulous whites matched to a classic dish of monk fish in a white wine sauce. The soft acidity of the Chateau Haut-Peyrous Graves 2009 and rich complexity of the Tour des Gendres Moulin des Dames Blanc 2009 (both semillon/sav blancs) were great matches. There was a lot of discussion about which one people preferred and it seemed to be a split decision. Both are drinking beautifully well. Several people made comments like "the best semillon/ sauvignon blancs that I have tried".

Then onto a great main course of rack of lamb moist and just pink in a red wine sauce, matched with spaetzle (to soak up the delicious sauce!) and some beautifully presented seasonal vegetables. We enjoyed 3 red wines which showed off the Merlot based wines of the right bank versus the Cabernet based wines of the red bank. Chateau D'Aiguilhe 2008 one of the "rising stars of Bordeaux" (and recently shown on the cover of Decanter magazine) is a great example of the opulence of the right bank Merlot based wines. Tourelles de Longueville 2007 is a great example of a "second label". A wine made from the younger vines to at Pichon-Longueville Baron to the same exacting standards as the "first label", intended to drink young and representing great value for money. The third red was from the ever reliable Chateau Lanessan. From the 2004 vintage it is starting to show some integration of the fruit and tannins and is a great example of how the reds of the left bank can develop with a few years of clearing. These 3 red wines all impressed for their purity of flavours, class and finesse.

Desert was a pear poached in red wine served with  a lovely calvados sabayon and cinnamon ice cream matched with the incredible Chateau Le Pradey Sainte-Croix-de-Mont 2008. This is a lovely dessert wine. Luscious fruit (stone fruits, tropical fruits and and some citrus notes,) excellent mouth feel and sweetness but a lovely non-cloying dry finish. Lots of excitement amongst the diners who had not previously had a Saint-Croix de Mont wine before. This is an excellent appellation facing the famous vineyards of Sauternes and Barsac just across the Garonne river.

To finish some excellent cannelles de Bordeaux. Crunchy on the outside, moist and gooey in the middle. Not easy to get right. Well done Anthony!

All in all DiscoverVin had a great night. and it was a pleasure to collaborate with Celine and her team. There was a real "buzz' and energy in the room.  It was a pleasure to meet some new customers and to see them enjoying the food and wines and see their excitement and pleasure form enjoying good food, great new wines and great conversation. 

Next up it will be Sydney's turn to enjoy the wines of New Bordeaux, matched to the cuisine of Fix St James in Sydney and hosted by another consummate professional- Stuart Knox Sydney Morning Herald Somelier of the Year 2012- to look after us. Details of the dinner can be found here.

Bordeaux Wine dinner in Sydney Nov 13

Details have now been finalised for the upcoming wine dinner in Sydney at Fix St James November 13th 2012. Fix St James is one of Sydney's restaurant gems and is run by Sydney Morning Herald Sommelier of the Year 2012, Stuart Knox. It will feature some excellent but good value wines matched to the great food from the kitchen. It promises to be a great night. Be quick for bookings as our recent dinners in Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane sold out very quickly. Call DiscoverVin on 0260 206016 for reservations.