A good read
A great new guide book by Jane Lopes & Jonathan Ross – How to Drink Australian. Harper Noon. Now I’m not just saying this because dad is included in the book! I took this book with me to Western Australia when I went to work the harvest, to give me some recommendations of wineries to […]
Highlights of our NZ holiday
(Photo above – a view to the lake, Queenstown.) Highlights of our 2025 family trip to New Zealand by Indi Noon. As Harper and I have now entered what I call “Chapter 2” of our lives, “Chapter 1” being our schooling years, mustering all four family members under one roof has become a little bit […]
A harvest in Alsace, by Indi Noon
Photo: (Harvest festival in the village of Barr 2024) August 2024, Location: Brisbane Airport. Destination: Paris. I remember arriving at Brisbane International Terminal four hours early that morning. The check-in gates weren’t even open so I perched myself on a bench outside the departing gate for a while and recall being riddled with excitement, uncertainty, […]
Our favourite way to roast chicken
Brined Chicken Thank you to the Weisbrodt family for sharing this recipe. 6% Brine (300g of salt in 5L water) 1.5 to 2kg Chicken 1 lemon 1 bunch of thyme 60g unsalted butter & extra for rubbing into the skin 30mL dry white wine or rosé Method Remove trussing from chicken and place in a clean container/pot. […]
Delicious entrée to serve with a glass of Rosé – Prawns in Pernod
This is one of our favourite entrée dishes to serve with our rosé: Prawns in Pernod sauce 1kg fresh green prawns, peeled 20g finely chopped white of spring onion About 100g butter ¾ cup of cream 2 tablespoons Pernod Salt and pepper ¾ cup dry white wine or Rosé 1 cup of fish stock Serves […]
A harvest job advert with a very frank description!
When Harper was searching for harvest jobs in the Napa Valley, he came across some job descriptions which surprised us! Here’s an excerpt from one “…this position requires working in a fast-paced, physically demanding environment, under conditions of physical and mental fatigue, while maintaining clarity, focus, and a positive attitude. Applicants must be willing to […]
What consumers really want
I read an article by Jancis Robinson a while ago titled “What consumers want from wine producers” which I found very interesting. She discussed the rise of the ‘experience economy’ that is replacing the old ‘service economy’ that I grew up with. In this new world, one’s memory or ‘experience of a brand’ has become […]
What the eye can’t see
It recently occurred to me that our eyes are both our greatest strength and our biggest weakness. We take in the world around us predominantly by eye and emotionally attach to things predominantly by sight. We wine drinkers also give great importance to aroma/flavour but there’s no getting around the primacy of sight. Whilst this […]
On the tools
It’s hard to beat the food from a chef who’s on the tools in their own restaurant. Or wine from a vigneron who tends the vines and makes and sells their own wine. Consumers know this and would like to think all chefs own the restaurant they’re working in and all winemakers sell the wine […]
Out and about – Germany 2023
In June 2023, we travelled to Germany to attend the Master of Wine Symposium. It’s always good for us to leave our comfort zone and see how our wine looks in international company. One of the topics discussed at the Symposium was the meaning of ‘sustainability’ in different cultures. It turns out it means something […]