A BARREL FULL OF FUN
WINE-loving visitors to Victoria can now choose to stay in a giant wine barrel.
The first Skybarrel from the team at Clifftop at Hepburn Springs is described as “Australia’s most adrenaline-churning luxury villa.”
Part of a collection of luxury accommodation options owned and operated by David and Manolita Penman, the first of several planned new Skybarrel villas opened in September.
“They’re luxury dwellings in massive barrels,” says David Penman. “One of them is 16 metres above ground. We have snapped up pretty much the best views in Ballarat (literally on the side of Mount Buninyong) and we are putting the barrels on top of an extinct volcano with an 80-metre vertical drop.”
Something special then. See www.clifftopathepburn.com.au/
IT’S ALL IN THE NAME
NEW ZEALAND’S decision to recognise Prosecco as a geographical indicator has been well received in Italy and poorly met in Australia.
A recent agreement means that only Italian Prosecco from the Prosecco region will be able to be sold under that name in New Zealand - and not Prosecco made and grown in Australia, which will have to use a different name.
The recognition of Prosecco comes as part of a larger bilateral trade agreement between New Zealand and the European Union.
The decision follows a similar agreement between China and the EU in 2021.
Australia has been producing Prosecco since 1999 - largely in the King Valley in Victoria - and those producers had argued that the name refers to a variety of grape, rather than a geographical indication.
Damien Griffante, director of strategy and international affairs at Australian Grape & Wine, said the announcement was a blow.
“We are disappointed in the decision as reported and are seeking clarification of the impacts from the New Zealand Government,” he said.
WOMEN, WINE & SONG
A female-owned wine bar in suburban Melbourne is giving a helping hand to local female musicians.
Ericka Argiris from Murrumbeena Wine Bar has recruited a line-up of young female musicians who match the bar’s mood, giving them a spotlight and an audience that will hopefully help kickstart their careers.
Argiris says she wants to emphasize the importance of giving local female artists the spotlight.
She says she often scouts local talent from the Melbourne Musicians Facebook page if she believes they would complement her venue.
One of her long-standing favourites is Abbey Williams, who performs jazz songs with her
