Noseys Wine Tasting Event at Sol Lounge, Darlinghurst (22 Sept 2011)

239 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst NSW 2010

http://www.solloungebar.com.au

A nose for boutique wines

“Hi, I'm Bas. I select the wines we sell at Noseys. I love all of our wines, but my favourite categories are Rich, Blush and Deep. We believe in being Nosey about where our wines come from, how they were produced, and who produced them. We believe in promoting lesser known varietals.”

Thanks to Daniela Penno from Polkadot PR for inviting me to this very intimate wine tasting event hosted by the online boutique wine retailer Noseys which use a unique categorisation system. The 9 categories of Bubbly, Fresh, Mellow, Rich, Rosy, Blush, Smooth, Deep and Sweet aim to make it much simpler to work out what you might like without getting too swept up into the multitude of wine varieties to choose from. You probably won't find these wines in your general supermarket liquor shops and prices start from around $20 so they seem quite reasonably priced if you're looking for a boutique wine that's different from the mass produced norm. Wines were matched with canapés and the Le Colture Prosecco went well with the Oysters Natural although I love a good oyster on any occasion. Catering was provided by Simmone Logue Fine Food Company and I was a fan of their Cocktail Vietnamese Roll and Cocktail Chocolate Ganache Tart. I found the Narkoojee The Athlestan Merlot 2005 and especially the Patina Mudgee Shiraz 2005 very drinkable which would go nicely with a juicy steak.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Supports smaller wine growers, Customer feedback is encouraged, If one of the wines gets consistently bad reviews it's out, Intimate PR event, One handed canapés suited holding a glass of wine in the other hand, Easy to navigate website

CONS: Need to order online so you need to plan ahead to purchase

MUST TRY: Remembering Noseys for something a bit more special

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Personal wine tasting notes

Intimate event for guests

Noseys 9 wine categories

Grab a glass to start the tasting

Le Colture Prosecco, Valdobbiadene, Italy - apple and earthy; Geoff Weaver Sauvignon Blanc 2010 - fruity

Man O' War Pinot Gris 2010 - honey texture; Patina Chardonnay 2007 - buttery smooth

Krinklewood Francesca Rose 2010 - bio dynamic, low in sulfate; Derwent Estate Pinot Noir 2008 - smooth

Narkoojee The Athlestan Merlot 2005 WORTH TRYING :-) - good nose, not too much tannin; Patina Mudgee Shiraz 2005 WORTH TRYING :-) - nice nose, would go well with steak, little bit of body, easy to drink

919 Classic Muscat - quite strong, distinct, sugary, more porty than Noble One

Oysters Natural with Fresh Lemon

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Tartlet of Curried Crab Mayonnaise and Mango Salsa

Roulade of Smoked Salmon with Creme Fraiche & Salmon Pearls

Cocktail Vietnamese Roll - Chicken, Cashew Nut, Coriander & Soy Dipping Sauce

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Peking Duck Crepe with Cucumber, Spring Onion & Hoi Sin

Bean Burrito with Mint, Creme Fraiche and Sun Dried Tomato

Cocktail Chocolate Ganache Tart

WORTH TRYING :-)

Bas Hegge and wife

Daniela Penno (Polkadot PR), Shanshan (Food is our Religion), Geoff (Get Big Little Kid)

Adeline Er (Through Beauty Eyes), Ms Critique

Bloggers love taking photos

Guests enjoying a tipple

Dionne Taylor (centre) and guests

Hair emergency — flower required

Shanshan (Food is our Religion) and Adeline Er (Through Beauty Eyes) with new found drinking friend

Bas Hegge eating jelly beans while holding nose and then releasing nose to demonstrate how much we rely on smell to taste

Daniela Penne capturing the moments

Goodie Bag of Delamere Vintage Rosé, Tasmania

Love the 3D embossed lettering on the business card

Simmone Logue Fine Food Company catering

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Stoli Vodka 'Original' Blogger Event at Sol Lounge Bar, Darlinghurst (23 June 2011)

239 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst NSW 2010
http://www.solloungebar.com.au

Being infused with Stoli Vodka

Thanks to Beau from Polkadot PR for inviting me to this very intimate event of around 20 bloggers to sample some original Stoli Vodka cocktails by Bartender Luke Ashton and tasty canapés by Chef Matty Bee. It was quite a relaxed event and due to the small number of guests it allowed most people to have a seat which was nice and there was no worries about easily sampling the food and drinks stress-free.

Chef Matty Bee apparently used to work for Longrain and he’s cooking skills were evident. His Bloody Mary Oyster Shots with Asian Celery was brilliant using Coffin Bay Oysters which are one of my favourites. Great flavours which punch that didn’t hold back until the last drop — I eventually stopped myself by the fifth one, I think. The nicely presented Rare Seared Tuna with Stoli Vodka infused Black Bean, Cucumber and Ginger Dressing was a melt-in-your-mouth sensation and the Blue Cheese Balls with Walnut Dust with Stoli Vodka macerated Cherry Tomato was certainly well-flavoured by the blue cheese. I openly declared the Szechuan Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings better than District Dining and still stand by my decision — they were seriously wicked and I want the recipe please. My childhood pyromaniac tendencies were excited with the Torched Marshmallow Skewers although I can’t remember seeing the Melted Chilli Stoli Vodka Chocolate that was listed on the menu. Unfortunately Sydney will now miss Matty’s cooking as he was about to jet set off the following week to New York to work in a fine dining restaurant — I hope it all goes well for you there.

Bartender Luke Ashton looked comfortable making cocktails and first up on the menu was the Twist on the Classic Dirty Martini. Quite alcoholic as you’d expect although I couldn’t quite get used to the dehydrated smoked olive and licorice ash rim — I like it dirty but perhaps not that dirty. His signature cocktail of the The Tsarina was much more to my liking which used Stoli Razberi. The Vodka and Soda with a bespoke spiced rhubarb soda was the easiest cocktail to drink and the most refreshing. My fourth cocktail was a special request for something different. With the available ingredients at Luke’s disposal he made me a Lemon & Mandarin Gimlet. Lethal on the alcohol but worked quite nicely with the lemon and mandarin notes. It probably would have gone well with a bit of Cointreau to round the flavours with some extra sweetness.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Interesting and intimate venue space, Excellent canapés by Chef Matty Bee, Relaxed atmosphere, Generous goodie bag of delights

CONS: Was a school night, I didn't get to try a straight shot of Stoli out of the freezer to appreciate its smoothness, Chef Matty Bee cooking has gone to New York

MUST TRY: Getting the recipe for Chef Matty Bee’s Bloody Mary Oyster Shots with Asian Celery and Szechuan Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings — please!

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Bloody Mary Oyster Shots with Asian Celery

SIMON FAVOURITE :-) — OMG BLOODY GOOD!

Chef Matty Bee plating up with Yarra Valley Caviar

Rare Seared Tuna with Stoli Vodka infused Black Bean, Cucumber and Ginger Dressing

Blue Cheese Balls with Walnut Dust with Stoli Vodka macerated Cherry Tomato

Szechuan Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings

SIMON FAVOURITE :-) — OMG BETTER THAN DISTRICT DINING!

Torched Marshmallow Skewers with Melted Chilli Stoli Vodka Chocolate + homemade Macarons

Canape menu

Megachef Premium Fish Sauce, Premium Oyster Sauce — Chef Matty Bee swears by this brand

Bartender Luke Ashton

A Twist on the Classic Dirty Martini: Smoked olives steeped in Stoli Vodka then topped with straight Stoli, with a dehydrated smoked olive and licorice ash rim

The Tsarina - Stoli Razberi, Mandarin Napoleon, Luxardo, A dash of Peach Bitters, fresh lemon juice and fresh pink grapefruit juice. Garnised with a mandarin twist

A play on the popular Vodka and Soda - Stoli Vodka combined with a bespoke spiced rhubard soda

Look at the size of those ice cubes

Lemon & Mandarin Gimlet — Something off the menu

Cocktail menu

Fee Brothers 1864 Peach Bitters — haven't seen this one before

Photographer captured 4 ways

Stoli bar

Upstairs seating and decor

Cheeky Stoli drinkers

Sharing a Boy Moments

Downstairs bar

Stairs between downstairs and upstairs

Goodie bag including bottle of Stoli, Sami's Kitchen Falafel Spice Blend, Blackbird Chocolate Hot Chocolate Spoon, Guylian chocolates, Byron Bay Cookies Museli Cookie, Franc Essential body care, Yankee Candle, Lunch Voucher for City Hotel and double movie pass to The Trip.

Outside Sol Lounge

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