Fine Dining

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Introducing ... Regan Drew your local Tassie Gourmand!

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G’day There,

My name is Regan Drew and if you're lucky enough to be part of the upcoming Tassie Gourmand tour, we'll get to know each other well, but if not, here's a little bit about me and Tassie.

I worked in bars, bottleshops, nightclubs and pubs for around 13 years in Tasmania from the mid 1990s. Then I landed a real day job in Sydney, but I could never shake the association with quality wine. I undertook Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) Level 3 Award studies and passed with Distinction, have been an Associate Judge for the Citi New South Wine Awards in 2013, been a Steward/Assoc Judge for the Royal Sydney Wine Show. The academic side is fine, but I love the agricultural aspect and had a couple of stints helping out in the Hunter Valley during vintage with Andrew Thomas of Thomas Wines. After being exposed to all this good wine, I've contributed writing wine review content for Cracka Wines and Sunshine Coast based wine hub The Grapehunter. After starting my own blog, vinonotebook.com, I was invited to be the "Weekend Magazine" wine columnist for the APN ARM stable of newspapers, with a readership of over 500,000.

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Made in Mudgee

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Words by Gregor Stronach I received an invitation a couple of weeks ago, by email – and it took me all of about 20 seconds of frantically stabbing at my keyboard to type “Yes please, of course, I would love to be there, it sounds amazing!” to lock in my seat at the Crow Bar for the Made in Mudgee event on August 25.

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How to UnWINEd on a Friday Night...

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"Sumptuous food with complimentary wine choices. A fun, relaxing and educational evening." - Matt Slee, Tulloch Wines

TGIF! After a long week, there is nothing better than settling in with a glass of wine... Our guests at The ArtHouse Hotel were lucky enough to do just that last Friday!

Lounging on the Chesterfields with a Tulloch Cuvee in their hand, our guests were well and truly “UnWINEd”ing into their weekend. As the last guest arrived and the last of the bubbles disappeared... our first “UnWINEd” dinner began.

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Fromage a Trois ... My Top Three Cheese Boards in Sydney

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As the "go to" girl for cheese recommendations and advice with my family and friends, I thought it was high time I posted up my top 3 cheese and wine locations in Sydney.

Although I am no stranger to the cosy night at home with a generous cheese board and a bottle (or if you know me well... two, or three of red) with a friend - I love to venture out and try something new.

Having been to pretty much every cheese selling establishment in Sydney, I have narrowed it down to just three...

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Guillaume - elegant, refined and well worth the wait...

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As eagerly anticipated by Guillaume and his team as it has been by diners! I finally set aside a night to experience it for myself!

The website was yet to launch, so the excitement about the menu was the topic of discussion in the cab ride over...

"What do you think he'll keep from Bennelong?" "Ohh I hope the Tuna is still on the menu!!" "Can't wait... so hungry!!"

With rumbling tummies and the 9 months of waiting... 'we couldn't wait', is an understatement.

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DAY 3 - Foodie Gourmet Escape to the Margaret River, W.A.

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DAY THREE

Today was about food. It was a day of grazing, hopping from one gourmet delight to the next.

Starting with breakfast at the very quaint "Margaret River Bakery". We started the day well with homemade Granola, Eggs Benedict, orange juices and a couple of coffees. While sipping on our coffees we studied the map... circling the "must go" places. We mapped our route and we were off...

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DAY 2 – Foodie Gourmet Escape to the Margaret River, W.A.

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DAY TWO ...waking up to the soothing sounds of the rooster's crow... not ideal... but we weren't going to let that dampen our spirits...

Today was going to be a big day of eating and drinking!

“Accept what life offers you and try to drink from every cup. All wines should be tasted; some should only be sipped, but with others, drink the whole bottle.”

- Paulo Coelho, Brida

Starting at the top - Fraser Gallop Estate! We had a tasting booked for 11am in the winery itself. This was hands down the best tasting of the weekend.

Guillaume at Bennelong

Undoubtedly, the BEST restaurant in Sydney. An experience that combines, exceptional, personal service, high quality produce and outstanding attention to detail and flavour combinations. As a regular diner at Guillaume's iconic restaurant, I am devastated to see it go.

To dull the pain and disappointment, there is no better way than to MAKE LOTS OF RESERVATIONS BEFORE IT CLOSES! To justify the spend, I merely reason that I would in fact dine there at least 1-2 times per year in the next few years... it helps, ok?

I would like to share with you my personal highlights from the series of dinners at the restaurant to date... one more booked at this stage..