Arguably the Sunshine Coast’s most likable larrikin, Mix FM host and media personality, Todd Widdicombe is to wine what a bread-roll is to a coeliac. A self – proclaimed “ beer bloke”, Todd denies any knowledge of grape types let alone any enthusiasm for the products of fermented berries. So in my eyes, there’s no…
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Business leader, entrepreneur and “locavore”, Roz White is undeniably one of the movers and shakers of the wider Sunshine Coast community. She wore the badge of Sunshine Coast Business Women’s Network outstanding business leader in 2015 and was named regional owner/ entrepreneur leader of the year in 2016 by the Australian Institute of Management. Such…
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With the Spring Racing Carnival just around the corner, it’s only a matter of time before champagne is on almost everyone’s lips. And not just as a topic of conversation. So in that context, my recent catch-up with Australia’s pre-eminent champagne guru, Tyson Stelzer, was rather timely. Although he’s a Brissie boy, this one time…
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She may be renowned for her ability to design recipes that simplify life in the kitchen, but Australian author Kim McCosker’s taste in wine is anything but uncomplicated. Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, McCosker’s career didn’t start out in either the restaurant industry or as a wordsmith. Initially studying a Bachelor of International Finance at Griffith University,…
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My fascination with Italian wines is not of recent creation. It was probably 15 years ago that I found myself in the country shaped like a boot in order to attend a legal conference, yet still found time to taste my way through a decent cross section of their local varietals. Some of their whites…
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Wine is many different things to individuals. To some, it’s a social lubricant while to others it’s a digestive served with a meal or even just an end of the week anaesthetic! But whatever it is, there’s no doubt that is used accompanies a conversation or a story – and sometimes the wine can be…
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There’s no doubt that gold medals, wine show trophies and high ratings from wine critics and judges are worth big dollars to wine makers and wineries. And it’s not just in Australia that producers scramble to attract the attention of the influential critics and “experts”. Around the world, wine companies compete, jostle and hustle for…
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We’ve all heard them, often believed them and sometimes even republished them; but the sad reality is that urban myths about wine seemingly spread faster than coronavirus in a Wuhan wet market! Some of the lines my dear sister comes up with have made me choke on my chardonnay over the years, but the one…
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Entrepreneur, restauranteur and all-round great bloke, Tony Kelly is synonymous with the Sunshine Coast’s dining scene. Having started out as a chef, the trade he first fell in love with, in his mother’s kitchen has led him to design, create and run a range of successful restaurants and bistro’s over the years culminating in him…
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I’ve often heard self-deprecating winemakers profess that 90% of the quality of a wine is derived from what happens in the vineyard. Having recently sampled the Brockenchack Jack Harrison 2016 Shiraz ($60), and with all due respect to the winemaker, Shaun Kalleske, I suspect they might be right! After another ideal growing season in the…
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