Cocktails & Cabernet.

New Hunter reds, aged Coonawarra drops and delicious flavoured vodkas on offer this month

WORDS ROBERTA MUIR

WINTER FRUITS

We love the exciting new range of flavours from premium Polish vodka-maker, Wyborowa (tel: +48
(22) 5971 009) Unlike some of the luridly coloured offerings of recent years, these crystal-clear tipples are inspired by traditional Polish recipes and ingredients – including almond, apple, pear and rose. You can linger over their intense aromas and flavours at selected bars around Australia, including Sydney’s Lincoln Bar, Red Hummingbird in Melbourne, The Bowery in Brisbane, Adelaide’s Elysium Lounge and Llama Bar in Perth.

Grant Collins, consultant bartender to Sydney’s Zeta Bar (tel: +61 (2) 9265 6070), suggests an Almond Breeze: combine 45ml Wyborowa almond-flavoured vodka, 10ml apricot brandy, 60ml passionfruit juice, 2 to 3 dashes of bitters and a dash of orange juice. Shake, strain into a long glass over ice, and top with a good squeeze of lime juice and an almond.

COCKTAIL ROYALTY

Have a Marie Antoinette moment on July 4 at extravagant De Nom, the Sydney bar modelled on the Palace of Versailles.

Its Cocktails et Aperitifs evenings, held on the first Wednesday of every month, feature the LifeStyle Channel’s celebrity mixologist Manuel Terron and Ben Davidson (Australian Bartender of the Year three years running). Enjoy their magical concoctions, some delicious canapés – and the cocktail-lover’s goodie bag handed out to all who attend! AU$125 per person. For bookings, tel: +61 430 067 373.

WINE HOG?

Hunter Valley winemaker Steve Langham from Piggs Peake claims his 2006 House of Bricks Cabernet Merlot (RRP AU$55) released this month is “an absolute freak”: “It’s about the best cabernet I’ve seen… a ripper. [Wine writer James] Halliday ranked the 2004 House of Bricks second in the country, and this one’s way better.” Despite their playful names, these are wines worth taking seriously, so keep your eyes peeled for the new House of Bricks Cab Merlot, as well as the Sows Ear Semillon, Wiggly Tail Marsanne, Silk Purse Verdelho, Wolfie Zinfandel and Super Tusker Sangiovese. Available by the glass at Otto and Altitude in Sydney, Fins at Byron Bay and Mini in Melbourne, or drop into the winery at 697 Hermitage Rd, Pokolbin. Tel: +61 (2) 6574 7000.

AGED BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

This month brings a rare opportunity to try some older wines from South Australia’s Coonawarra – a region known for producing wines with great ageing potential. Wineries are digging deep into their reserve stock for the Cellar Dwellers program, offering tastings (and some sales) of older vintages, plus special lunches and dinners throughout the month. A special wine trail tasting event on 14 and 15 July will be serving up the 1990 to 2000 vintages of the region’s signature wine variety, Cabernet Sauvignon, at 14 cellar doors. Wine buffs book now! Tel: +61 (8) 8737 2855.

SAIL AWAY

Wine-making and sailing family the Oatleys (of Wild Oats yachts and wines) open their new luxury resort, Qualia, on the Great Barrier Reef’s Hamilton Island next month. Located on the secluded and breathtakingly beautiful northernmost point of the island, it’s just one more very good reason to spoil yourself with a visit to the stunning Whitsundays! www.qualiaresort.com.au

BEER NIRVANA

If a good beer’s more your thing, look out for Nirvana Pale Ale (American-style) and Sassy Blonde (a Belgian-style pale ale) from microbrewery Murray’s Craft Brewing Co. Both recently won silver medals in the Australian International Beer Awards – against 941 beers from 39 countries! Launched just 18 months ago on tap at the famous Pub With No Beer on the New South Wales North Coast, these spicy, biscuity beers are now available through selected retailers, hotels and restaurants in Sydney, Newcastle, the North Coast and Melbourne.