Introducing ... Regan Drew your local Tassie Gourmand!

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.

Lakiesha Mundy

December 21, 2015

Adelaide Hills, David Bowley, Drink Local, Drinking, Insight, South Australia, Taste-E, Tasting, Vineyards, Vinteloper, Wine, Wine dinner, Wine Facts, Wine Region, Winemaker

Hiding behind a mask. Wine varieties by another name.

Lakiesha Mundy

December 21, 2015

Adelaide Hills, David Bowley, Drink Local, Drinking, Insight, South Australia, Taste-E, Tasting, Vineyards, Vinteloper, Wine, Wine dinner, Wine Facts, Wine Region, Winemaker

In show business, names are as interchangeable as romantic partners. Reginald Kenneth Dwight? Try Elton John. Chaim Witz? That's Gene Simmons. And Norma Jean Mortensen? Marilyn Monroe. Let's not even start talking about Prince.

Did you know in the world of wine names can be interchangeable too? It's usually geographical, but sometimes just to mess with you, there's more then a few Norma Jean's on the shelves of your local bottle shop or on a wine list, moonlighting as Ms Munroe.

Lakiesha Mundy

December 19, 2015

Abbotsford, Cafe, Coffee, Food, Foodie, Healthy Eating, Little Big Sugar Salt, Melbourne, Raw Food, Silly Season, Sydney, Taste-E, Tasting, Tourist, UBER, VIC, Water

Taste.E Tips // for surviving the SILLY SEASON!

Lakiesha Mundy

December 19, 2015

Abbotsford, Cafe, Coffee, Food, Foodie, Healthy Eating, Little Big Sugar Salt, Melbourne, Raw Food, Silly Season, Sydney, Taste-E, Tasting, Tourist, UBER, VIC, Water

"Water gets warmer. Drinks get colder. Music gets louder. Nights get longer. Life gets better." - Anonymous

It's that time of year again, I am sure it comes around quicker as I get older! Although a great time of year with lots of fun, laughs, time with friends and family... it is also filled with parties, lots of alcohol, long hours, deadlines, stress, lack of sleep... a recipe for BURNOUT...

Here is how Taste.E are getting through this year:

Made in Mudgee

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.

Whisky & Cheese @ The Hive Bar, Erskineville

I’ve long been a fan of cheese pairings – but I’ll readily admit that they’ve all been pairings done with a range of wines, from the ‘top shelf’ end of the decadent scale to some seriously mediocre offerings lined up alongside a bowl of well-beyond room temperature cheddar cubes.

But even longer than I’ve been a fan of a cheese-pairing evening, I’ve been a devotee of whisky – specifically, Scotch whisky (with the occasional smattering of Irish, Bourbon, Canadian, Rye, Japanese… and especially Australian whisky thrown in for good measure…)

A night of indulgence... with life's guilty pleasures...

Wine was breathing, cheese bubbling on the stove and you could faintly see your breath in the air when you spoke... yes, Winter was here and so was the Fondue Feast! As the last candle was lit, the first guests started to filter in up the stairs...

Falling in love with Orange is something worth 'raven' about...

The bubbles are poured and guests slowly start to trickle in.. the murmur of conversation thickens with each person and soon enough the room is a buzz with eager diners ready to "Fall in love with Orange".

The first wine of the night is the NV Cuvee of Printhie's sparkling range Swift. It is an easy to drink sparkling and pairs nicely to the two canapé courses of Baked Polenta, whipped cream cheese and basil pesto followed by the Cocktail Potatoes filled with crispy bacon, garlic mayonnaise and chives.

Lakiesha Mundy

March 11, 2015

Cheese, Date Night, Fine Dining, Midweek Dinner, Sydney, Taste-E, Uncategorized, Week Night Dinners, Wine, Wine dinner, Woollahra

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

Lakiesha Mundy

March 11, 2015

Cheese, Date Night, Fine Dining, Midweek Dinner, Sydney, Taste-E, Uncategorized, Week Night Dinners, Wine, Wine dinner, Woollahra

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...

Lakiesha Mundy

August 5, 2014

Cheese, FoodPath, Ilawarra Prime Alpaca, Li Sun Exotic Mushrooms, Small Cow Farm, Southern Highlands, Sydney, Taste-E, Tertini Wines, The Far North, Truffle, Turramurra, Week Night Dinners, Wine, Wine dinner, Wine Region

Alpaca, truffle, shimeji... all discovered along "a foodie trail through the Southern Highlands"...

Lakiesha Mundy

August 5, 2014

Cheese, FoodPath, Ilawarra Prime Alpaca, Li Sun Exotic Mushrooms, Small Cow Farm, Southern Highlands, Sydney, Taste-E, Tertini Wines, The Far North, Truffle, Turramurra, Week Night Dinners, Wine, Wine dinner, Wine Region

The smell of freshly baked bread wafts around the room... as the Tertini 2009 Sparkling Cuvee Pinot Noir Chardonnay is being poured. A wintery night, reminiscent of my drive down to the Southern Highlands just a few weeks ago... you could faintly make out your breath as you spoke..

Lakiesha Mundy

June 27, 2014

Bunnamagoo Wines, Cheese, High Valley Cheese, Kookaburra Estate, Lowe Wines, Mudgee, Mudgee Honey, Sydney, Taste-E, The Far North, Turramurra, Uncategorized, Week Night Dinners, Wine dinner, Wine Region

Indulge your senses with a "Taste of Mudgee"…

Lakiesha Mundy

June 27, 2014

Bunnamagoo Wines, Cheese, High Valley Cheese, Kookaburra Estate, Lowe Wines, Mudgee, Mudgee Honey, Sydney, Taste-E, The Far North, Turramurra, Uncategorized, Week Night Dinners, Wine dinner, Wine Region

A hint of frost on the windscreen… rows of naked vines line the side of the road… rolling low hills in the distance… Yes, it is early Winter in Mudgee.

A region that is not defined by any one Wine or grape varietal, but is “good at many wines” Rob Black, Winemaker - Bunnamagoo Wines. This historic town is oozing with character which is reflects in its winemaking.

Lakiesha Mundy

May 29, 2014

Audrey Wilkinson, Binnorie Dairy, Cheese, Hunter Valley, Hunter Valley Cheese Co, Sydney, Taste-E, The Far North, Tulloch Wines, Turramurra, Week Night Dinners, Wine dinner, Wine Region

A Journey through the vines at the "Taste of the Hunter Valley"...

Lakiesha Mundy

May 29, 2014

Audrey Wilkinson, Binnorie Dairy, Cheese, Hunter Valley, Hunter Valley Cheese Co, Sydney, Taste-E, The Far North, Tulloch Wines, Turramurra, Week Night Dinners, Wine dinner, Wine Region

As an iconic region of Australia, it seemed natural to take our tastings through the vines of our closest wine producing neighbour. With a plethora of wineries to choose from it seemed a daunting task to select just two! So I let myself be guided by my palate.. "Hunter Semillon and Shiraz is something not replicated in any other wine region" Anthony Gismondi. After tasting my way through the region.. armed with tasting notes and the distinct taste of wine on my tongue.. the Taste of the Hunter Valley was born. Audrey Wilkinson's 2010 Cuvee Blanc on ice... the pungent aromas of the Golden Washed Rind from the Hunter Valley Cheese Co... the room sat still awaiting our 50 guests for the evening.

Lakiesha Mundy

May 4, 2014

Cheese, Mandagery Creek Venison, Midweek Dinner, Orange, Philip Shaw Wines, Printhie Wines, Ross Hill Wines, Second Mouse Cheese Co, Sydney, Taste-E, The Far North, Trunkey Bacon & Pork, Turramurra, Wine dinner, Wine Region

Food, wine and a 'Taste of Orange'...

Lakiesha Mundy

May 4, 2014

Cheese, Mandagery Creek Venison, Midweek Dinner, Orange, Philip Shaw Wines, Printhie Wines, Ross Hill Wines, Second Mouse Cheese Co, Sydney, Taste-E, The Far North, Trunkey Bacon & Pork, Turramurra, Wine dinner, Wine Region

A warmth fills the room as guests filter in to the bar... the hum of conversation and laughter steadily grows, casually interrupted by the pop of a cork followed with a gentle clink of a champagne flute... an event is definitely underway here.

The scents are ambient - a waft of blue cheese, venison stewing on the stove from the kitchen, a yeasty fragrance from the flow of sparkling wine.. the recipe for a great night out!

Upon arrival at The Far North, our host venue for the evening, guests are greeted with a glass of Printhie's sparkling range "NV Swift Cuvee" and a canape of House sugar cured Ocean Trout Crostini with Tzatziki caviar. The Cuvee complemented the oily fish on the Crostini nicely with the richness from the pinot.