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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IVY Anti-Hangover Shot Launch, Kit & Kaboodle, Potts Point (5 Dec 2011)

33 Darlinghurst Road, Potts Point NSW 2011

http://www.kitkaboodle.com.au

Prevention rather than cure

Thanks to Megan from Polkadot PR for inviting me to the intimate launch of the IVY Anti-Hangover Shot on Level 1 of Kit & Kaboodle with its sexy Asian style decor. Apparently clinical trials of Ivy were conducted on 100 participants resulting in 80% of those who consumed Ivy immediately after drinking didn't experience any hangover symptoms. I guess that's pretty good odds although I'd love to know how much they drank, what they drank, what their alcohol blood level was and if any of them were Russians. I've had my fair share of hangovers in the past so a product like this would have been very handy at the time. I'm sure everyone has their own hangover cures. For me it's not drinking tequila, or bad quality tequila anyway and drinking heaps of water and maybe a panadol or two before going to bed. If that fails there's always the 'Hair of the dog' and McDonald's and a coke. Not mixing your drinks and staying on clear spirits is another factor I've found sometimes works.

If I stay on Gin & Tonic all night I tend to fair pretty well in the morning — maybe it's all the tonic. But I guess the best way to avoid a hangover and save your liver is to drink in moderation or not drink at all which is 100% guaranteed. If you must drink and want to cheat a hangover then perhaps a product like this might help although it's a little disconcerting when the ingredients aren't actually listed on the bottle and there didn't seem to be a used by date. Apparently it's packed with Vitamin B, C, Ginseng and Arginine which they say restores all the vitamins your immune system loses from alcohol consumption. It tasted a bit like Ribena and apple juice to me so I guess its sort of like an fruity energy drink with all its vitamins.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Possibly might save you from a hangover, Convenient size for one shot although I wonder if it could be sold in larger bottles? Will be available at premium liquor stores, bars and clubs

CONS: The bottle didn't provide any ingredient details (perhaps the packaging hasn't been finalised?), You'll have to remember to drink it rather than trying to take it once you have a hangover, I'm not sure if it'll save your liver from damage, Available only online at the moment

MUST TRY: Remembering to drink alcohol in moderation and having lots of water if you do

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IVY Anti-Hangover Shot ($10 for a 2 pack, 90 ml each) produced by The Feel Good Factory

No supplement facts listed on the bottle which is a little strange but manufactured and bottled by Beverage Solution Tech

Vodka and ginger beer cocktail

Lychee cocktail

Duck pancakes — these were quite popular amongst the guests

Sushi

Vegetarian canapes

Vegetarian spring rolls — I LOVE spring rolls and these were pretty good

Mini quiche and Food Is Our Religion aiming up her shot

Shepherds pie

Sausage roll — an interesting take on a sausage roll

IVY is the brainchild of two young brothers

Enjoying the cocktails

Guests

Tweeting about IVY I presume

DJ Emily Scott in the house. DJ's have changed a lot since I went clubbing — they used to be mostly blokes

Pretty sexy decor — I love the old lamp shades

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