Travel
Rootstock Sydney 2015 A Success
Big weekend was had in Sydney Nov 28-29, as Brash Higgins and other wine artisans held the fort at the 3rd annual Rootstock Sydney Wine Fair. A great international event that focuses on sustainable and organic practices in food and drinks organised by Mike Bennie, Giorgio di Maria and James Hird plus many more. Visit the…
Read MoreTeam Brash runs NYC Marathon
Nov 1, Brash Higgins and two mates from overseas are joining together to form Team BRASH to run the NYC Marathon, raising heaps of charity funds for The Childhood Cancer Association (CCA) of South Australia in the process. Recently a wine industry colleague of mine’s son was diagnosed with a rare cancerous tumour. As I was running…
Read MoreLondon-21st Century Vino
Join Brash Higgins and other exciting Aussie producers in London Sept 29 for 21st Century Vino, a tasting of wines made with Italian varietals imported into Oz by the Chalmers family; 21stCenturyVino 21st Century Vino is all about celebrating the quality and diversity of Australian wine. The 21st Century Vino concept tracks and encourages Australian wine’s evolution beyond an homogeneous approach, one focused…
Read MoreBrash World Tour 2014
Brash Higgins was overseas the last 5 weeks, paving the way for exports to the USA with Hudson Wine Brokers www.hudsonwine.us and planting seeds in London. Here BH enjoys a cold wheat beer in Berlin’s glorious Tiergarten on a warm summers day. Good to be back home now.
Read MoreA Nero d’Avola whirlwind in Sicily
I went to Sicily this Summer to explore the origins of the grape nero d’avola and how to best cultivate it. As mentioned before, this red wine grape was harvested in May last year on our McLaren Vale vineyard and is poised to make a smart little wine. We went over in August, with my viticulturist…
Read MorePlumbing Arno Bay for Snapper
I had the pleasure to spend a day out on the Spencer Gulf for the first time fishing for Pagrus auratus, or Australasian Red Snapper. Aussie Red Snapper is not related to the Red Snapper fished in the Gulf of Mexico (Lutjanus campechanus), but it is a highly prized fish for eating and for sportsman…
Read MoreOn the Fast Track from Melbourne to the Mornington
At this time of the year things once again get confusing. It’s harvest time for the grapes in McLaren Vale, and the Northern Hemisphere is buried in snow. The Winter Olympics are underway and rather than jumping over slushy puddles in NYC, as I would normally be doing, I’m enjoying the cooling breeze of jumbo…
Read MoreThe Bloody Kokoda Track-Papua New Guinea
Sometimes I even surprise myself. Last year after a long dinner involving much food and wine in a comfortable restaurant, I agreed to hike the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea. At the time I was responding to the challenge of an Australian friend who clearly knew more than me and got my dander up…
Read MoreGetting Site Specific in South Africa
There are few wine regions in the world that can rival South Africa’s natural beauty. The Groot Drakenstein Mountains, for example, are equally as picturesque as the Dolomites in Italy, and they set the dramatic scene as backdrops for the Cape winelands, and along the southern coast other mountains splay like tentacles breathtakingly into the…
Read MoreThe Frenchies and Kangaroo Island
I’ve been moving around Oz a lot lately; finally checking out some areas I’ve neglected. On a trip to Melbourne to visit my distributor, I decided to drive the Great Ocean Road from Adelaide with the two French backpackers staying with us, Quentin and Marion. These weren’t just any backpackers, however. Marion is the step…
Read MorePassing Through Pauillac and Margaux
The left bank of Bordeaux’s famous wine communes of Pauillac and Margaux are flat and pretty uneventful, save the impressive chateaus set back along the highway and the goods within them. Unfortunately, appointments are necessary to visit these top cellars, or “chais”, as they are called. I only had an hour to spare and getting…
Read MoreSaint-Emilion Under Winter Skies
One of the best looking medieval villages in France also makes some of its most delicious wines. Saint Emilion sits on the shoulders of the Northeastern perimeter of Bordeaux. Any sane driver should think twice about even driving OUTSIDE its walls or prepare to pay for a new side mirror or two. This little hillside…
Read MoreIn Bordeaux With Ermitage
After a good visit to NYC, I flew to France for the Vinitech wine supply show in Bordeaux. As a guest of Tonnellerie Ermitage, I was able to meet a lot of winemakers over the three day event who used and liked the Ermitage oak barrels. At our booth we also set up a temporary…
Read MoreNYC Loves Brash Higgins
I’m in NYC for the month of November showing the Tasmanian and NZ wines in my portfolio to my friends in the restaurant scene here. Nice time to be here, right after the economy has hit the schnitzel. Needless to say, it’s still a good time to visit. The tourists and mosquitos have left for…
Read MoreWhite Pepper Magic in Hawke’s Bay
I’ve been drinking syrah, or shiraz as it’s known in Australia, for at least 20 years now. This red wine grape takes on different qualities depending on where it’s grown. The Australian version typically is rich and full of dark berry fruit. The French version, where it reigns supreme in the Northern Rhone, has more…
Read MoreFarewell, Sweet Wharekauhau, Sheep’s Paradise
There are magical places in this world that haunt you. 5 years ago as a neophyte sommelier in David Bouley’s chaotic world, I met 2 guests who spoke well of New Zealand. It was a great table, one where a lot of priceless info was exchanged. We are still in touch today. They turned me…
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