Lunch Magazine » South Australia

Lead me down the garden path

jonathan — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 05:41:41 +0000

Lauren Arena

You don’t have to be a gardener to appreciate the healing powers of a garden, whether it’s a shady spot under a big old fig tree, a leafy glade or a richly coloured, pillowy flowerbed. So when I push my way through the iron gates of the Adelaide Botanic Garden, I am instantly put at ease.

I wander down the gravelly path, twisting and winding my way further into the garden. I pass woody Cycads, evergreen Wollemi pines and tall Araucarias before taking a seat on the dewy grass beside Kainka Wirra Main Lake.

A light breeze touches the water in ripples and the sun, peaking through the clouds, glistens across the lake where the water lentils have separated.

A little later at the Botanic Garden Restaurant, housed in a heritage rotunda, I have another picture-perfect view of the lake as I muse over the breakfast menu and sip on my nojito (I’m not in the habit of drinking at 9am), a fizzy concoction of muddled lime and apple juice.

Scrumptious... breakfast in the garden

The restaurant is spacious and contemporary with an all-white colour scheme and floor-to-ceiling windows. I start my day with a very generous serving of sautéed portobello mushrooms on toast with vine tomatoes and goat’s chèvre; it’s hearty and delicious with lots of texture and a punchy tang from the fresh cheese.

I waddle across the garden to the magnificent Palm House – it’s a Victorian glasshouse, probably the last of its kind, filled with a collection of arid Madagascan plants. The impressive structure was imported from Germany and opened in 1877, but its tall pillars and ornate domed ceilings remind me of an Ottoman temple. The exquisite hanging glass walls and fine iron glazing bars were restored in 1995 and is surrounded by a cactus and succulent garden.

It’s a sanctuary of peace – quiet and untrammelled by others. There are no plugged-in power mums jogging with baby strollers and their vibrating blackberries or troops of lycra-clad cyclists that take up the entire width of the pathway. It almost doesn’t feel like life in the real world. I’ve been left to contemplate the weather, my daily itinerary and where I need go without a single person passing me by – do I really want to leave this place?

It’s hard to believe I’m in the middle of South Australia’s capital city in a garden spanning 125 acres and that I’m yet to see a single one of the 1.23 million Adelaideans who live here.

Exotic... The Palm House

Admittedly, Adelaide is a small capital city, one of the smallest in the country. Nevertheless this ‘City of Churches’ – a moniker coined from the city’s history as Australia’s first freely settled colony with a commitment to religious freedom and civil liberties – is known for its absolutely jam-packed annual events calendar.

I’m here to see the Santos Tour Down Under (a UCI WorldTour event – perhaps that’s where all the cyclists are) but there's an event to suit almost any interest – like Adelaide Film Festival, the month-long arts festival Adelaide Festival and Fringe, the music and dance festival WOMADelaide, Adelaide International Guitar Festival, and the list continues.

The Adelaide Botanic Garden is one of three public gardens that grow alongside the city’s eclectic mix of old and new architecture. It’s conveniently wedged between the National Wine Centre, which runs regular wine courses to develop visitors’ palates, and the Art Gallery of South Australia, housing an extensive collection of contemporary international art.

As the final stage of the Tour Down Under is about to begin, I leave the garden as slowly as I can, hesitant to bid farewell its soothing lakes and tranquil greenery. As I walk through the gates I promise myself that I will come back soon – at the very least for another nojito.

www.southaustralia.com

Kangaroo Island … the perfect place to ride out a zombie apocalypse (or take a break)

jonathan — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 06:42:22 +0000

Maybe I’ve been watching too much of The Walking Dead, but during the launch of Kangaroo Island’s new campaign I kept reflecting on the pristine wilderness’s desirability as a place to ride out a zombie apocalypse.
Once you’ve cleaned out the zombies, there would be no way any new ones could find their way ashore.

The campaign was launched at an evening at Sydney's Boathouse Restaurant at Blackwattle Bay attended by top level South Australian Tourism folk, Tourism Australia supremo Andrew McEvoy and James and Halley Baillie the owners of Southern Ocean Lodge, the island's premier accommodation.

But no one wanted to discuss my zombie apocalypse theory, so intent were they on singing the praises of the island, its natural beauty and its food.

Ms Baillie said one of the highlights of the island for her was swimming with the dolphins in the shallow pure water.

"Nothing could prepare me for it. It blew my mind. There would have been 40 wild dolphins around and below us,'' she told Lunch Magazine.

The centrepiece of the campaign is a striking new television commercial capturing the freedom and beauty of the island, which has hit television screens around Australia.
Using the tagline “let yourself go” and featuring the song Rise by Eddie Vedder, the commercial is designed to capture the unique sense of transformation, discovery and escape the island offers.
SATC Director of Marketing and Communications, David O’Loughlin, says Kangaroo Island is one of the country’s great treasures.

Next stop Antarctica ... Southern Ocean Lodge

“This marketing campaign shows that we are serious about ensuring Kangaroo Island becomes known as one of Australia’s top tourism icons,” Mr O’Loughlin said.
“Activity will run for a minimum of 18 months on the eastern seaboard and will be supported by an extensive retail campaign.”
The campaign, which will also include digital, print and editorial components, is a response to research showing that while Kangaroo Island is an attractive proposition to many potential interstate visitors, general awareness about it is low.
South Australian Tourism Minister Gail Gago says the television commercial is the most impressive the state has ever produced.
“There is great potential to increase tourism to Kangaroo Island among this market, which simply doesn’t yet know about the island’s existence or what it has to offer,” Ms Gago said.
“In particular, we are targeting high-yield travellers who are looking for a sense of discovery and an escape from busy lives.”
Director Jeff Darling, renowned for directing commercials for Qantas featuring children’s choirs, says he wanted to capture the raw textures and experiences of Kangaroo Island.
“There is a real feeling of freedom on Kangaroo Island that you can’t find in other places and I wanted to make this story a personal journey,” Mr Darling said.
“Some of the characters featured are children and they really helped us capture the sense of freedom and exploration that you can’t help feeling when you are on the island.”
Pierre Gregor, chair of Tourism Kangaroo Island, is confident the campaign will entice more visitors to the island.
“The commercial has a feeling of breaking free and relaxing in natural surrounds, which is what Kangaroo Island is all about,” Mr Gregor said.
“The local community can be proud of how the island is being represented to a national audience and we look forward to seeing lots of new visitors coming to discover the place for themselves.”

www.southernoceanlodge.com.au

http://www.southaustralia.com

Red dirt Wynns every year

mark — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 02:26:16 +0000

The challenges of keeping the old while bringing in the new face Wynns senior winemaker Sue Hodder, who recently spoke with Lunch Magazine’s Mark Eggleton about the Coonawarra and this year’s Wynns releases

Reaping rewards ... Wynns' Hodder

For wine drinkers, Australia’s Coonawarra is probably the nation’s most iconic patch of dirt. Cracking through this often-parched strip of red earth are some of the nation’s most productive vines bearing gorgeous fruit of extraordinary intensity.

Moreover, Coonawarra is unlike most of the nation’s other wine regions, which tend to lie close to major population centres. It’s a place you have to make an actual pilgrimage to – it’s not about dropping in at a few cellar doors on your way somewhere else. There are no spa retreats or golf resorts nearby. It’s all about sampling the grape at some of the nation’s best-known labels, which sit cheek-by-jowl across this hallowed swathe of red soil.

Among the region’s most famous occupants for over 50 years has been Wynns Coonawarra Estate. In recent times, Wynns senior winemaker, Sue Hodder, and her team including viticulturist Allen Jenkins as well as winemakers Sarah Pidgeon and Luke Skeer have revitalised Wynns and its iconic vineyards.

Hodder recently spoke proudly of the work her team have undertaken in recent years to add to the Wynns story and of the kudos this has attracted.

Solid ... Black Label

Much of this work has involved reinvigorating large areas of the vineyards. According to Hodder, some of the older vines were sitting in beautiful soil but had never quite hit their mark and they had to come out in recent years. The challenge for the winemaking team though was deciding what vines really needed to go.

“It’s a big trade-off – we do prefer an old vine’s root system and trunk and you’re giving that up by pulling it out. You have to be convinced in the medium term you are going to get better quality than you’re getting at the moment,” Hodder says.

This trade-off has seen a number of low-yielding older vines receive a stay of execution as Hodder acknowledges they produce quality and she wants to “hold on to them as long as possible.”

“As for some of the rejuvenated older vines, they are going fantastically well and will for another 40 years,” she says.

Hodder’s demeanour suggests a woman at ease with her place in the world. She speaks in the measured, dry, matter-of-fact tones of rural Australia but with an eloquence reflecting her standing as the public face of a revered international brand.

Commenting on this year’s Wynns releases Hodder is especially fond of the single vineyard release off the Davis block.

“The Davis Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 comes off a rejuvenated block at the end of my street which looks fantastic and it’s a great wine,” she says.

“Also a highlight is the 2008 Michael Shiraz and the 2008 John Riddoch – it needs a bit of time but it’s a really stylish sophisticated wine.

Star ... Davis

For Hodder, Wynns isn’t about having a mishmash of varieties sitting under a range of labels but primarily exploring new ways of working with the varieties that have a heritage in the region such as cabernet and shiraz.

She cites the V&A Lane wines sourced from the vineyards running along the lane bisecting the original electorates of Victoria and Albert and the single vineyard wines as an example of the Wynns philosophy to explore the region’s terroir in more detail.

“The Davis Block builds on a tradition of creating a single vineyard wine which reflects the individual expression of the block.”

Kicking off the single vineyard wines is one of the key highlights of Hodder’s time at Wynns and she cites the 2001 Harold Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon as a particular standout.

“Seeing the rewards of getting the vineyards back in shape over the last few years has been fantastic as well.”

Yet probably Hodder’s proudest achievement has been to maintain the quality of Wynns flagship Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon.

“Keeping the Black Label as good as it can be is a massive highlight. It remains one of the top four cellared wines in Australia and it’s a great honour to be associated with it. My favourite remains the 2005 vintage but one of the more special moments of my career was being part of a 50-year vertical tasting of the Black Label – we’re doing it again when it turns 60 (this year marks the 54^th vintage release).

This year’s Wynns’ release highlights:

“The Siding” Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

Sophisticated ... John Riddoch

One of the first releases of what’s cracking up to be a “ball-tearer” of a vintage – beautifully herbaceous and full of dark minty chocolate and stewed plums on the palate.

Wynns Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

The 54^th vintage of this cellar favourite is not a classic but is a solid all-rounder bouncing with dark berry fruits on the palate with good tannins and toasty vanilla oak.

Davis Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

The single vineyard star that gets its own show this year and it’s my highlight. Subtle oak and warm homely spices balanced with a little chocolate on the nose with a soft mixture of berry fruit, chocolate and the whole warm homely feel of Grandma’s spices blended with honey on the palate.

Michael Shiraz 2008

The return of Michael after a few years kicking its heels and it’s a cracker. A bit of hard candy on the nose with its mix of rhubarb and (dare I say it) custard melded with subtle dark fruit and silky smooth oak on the palate. Drinking surprisingly well young.

John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

What can I say? It’s a typical Riddoch. This needs time to think as it’s big, juicy and ticks all the John Riddoch descriptor boxes – dark chocolate (tick); layers of chewable dense fruit (tick) and a velvety long sweet finish (tick).