EVENT: The Sydney Food and Wine Fair 2007

October 27, 2007
Hyde Park, Sydney
Website

Once again we find ourselves at the end of another Sydney Good Food Month, finishing up with the Sydney Food and Wine Fair. And this year it's a monster. Top names like Longrain, Spice I Am, Otto, Lucio's, Flying Fish, Salon Blanc, Becasse and many many more rocked up to showcase their stall-ly ways on the day.

And what a fantastic day it turned out to be. The coupon system they used, which involved queueing up to buy coupons which is what the stalls accepted, worked perfectly and meant that there was only a lengthy wait for a couple of the more popular stalls.

Sydney put on a gloriously sunny day too, which provided the perfect backdrop for the food aromas and live music that drifted around and mingled.

While the wine on offer wasn't that great (as expected really), the food certainly was. Becasse offered a delicious chunk of smoked trout with tea vinaigrette and radish salad, Longrain made the long wait at their stall worth it with a perfectly tangy BBQ pork noodle salad, bill's offered a pretty handsome looking berry pavlova. Long lines also made their way out of Lucio's for the roasted quail and Bourke St Bakery who were offering some awesome looking pastries that disappeared after only an hour.

There was temptation all round and the only way to survive the day was to be brutal with how you spent your hard earned money... err... coupons.

Great food, great weather, nice location, not too much hassle, good value and all for a good cause. I don't know what more anyone could possibly want.

WINE:LOUIS ROEDERER Cristal 1999

Type: Champagne
Origin: France
Approx Cost: $320
http://www.champagne-roederer.com/

Cristal has been something I’ve wanted to try for a very long time. So it was good that I finally got the chance with a bottle to accompany a fantastic meal of various foods from the wonderful David Jones Food Hall.

A mid straw colour that shows it’s youth but also hints at the big flavours in the glass. Fine mousse and bead as you’d expect. Big, great nose. An explosion of bread, dough, vanilla, flower, orange and nuts. Wow it’s good. And it follows through to the palate which is really rich on the honey, lemon and baked fruits. Super creamy. It still tastes tight, so I’d love to come back in about 10 years to get this, but it’s still fantastic right now. It’s not perfect, but damn it ticks a lot of boxes.

96%

WINE: BILLECART-SALMON Brut NV

Type: Champagne
Origin: France
Approx Cost: $70
http://www.champagne-billecart.fr/

The NV Rose by Billecart-Salmon is my favourite NV Rose by a long way. It’s a really excellent wine with a great style to it. The Brut NV, however, has always fallen a bit short for me. It has a great style to it but there’s just something lacking with it.

Pale straw in colour. That great mousse and bead which is fine but doesn’t persist for too long this time. This tasting was from a half bottle so that may have been responsible. Aromas of honey and citrus. Nice flavours of apple, citrus and honey. Creamy texture. Looking great so far, but then the finish lets it down a little.

Don’t get me wrong, this is still a really good non-vintage champagne. It’s just not great.

89%

WINE: WITHER HILLS Sauvignon Blanc 2006

Type: White, Sauvignon Blanc
Origin: Marlborough, New Zealand
Approx Cost: $25
http://www.witherhills.co.nz

Another Malrborough Sav Blanc. Let’s roll with it.

Pale straw in colour. The palate is pretty full on. Spicy oak, buckets of limey citrus, a bit of foliage and a lot of tartness.

This was a bit too tart and vibrant for my liking.

84%

WINE: BIMBADGEN RIDGE Sparkling Semillon NV

Type: Sparkling white
Origin: Hunter Valley, NSW
Approx Cost: $15
http://www.bimbadgen.com.au/

The only sparkling white that Bimbadgen make across all of their ranges, if I’m not mistaken. But whatever, I’m always keen to try a new sparkling wine that I haven’t had before. And a sparkling semillon. Awesome.

Surprisingly medium-fine mousse and bead. The bead dies out pretty quickly which isn’t a great sign. Pale straw in colour, but it looks a little weak. Palate is a bit boring. Heavy with the lime and a background of lemon. Some floral notes in there. Toasty. But a really weak, unrefined finish.

It’s good for the price, but it certainly doesn’t compete with many things above that price range.

83%

WINE: SEPPELT DP63 Muscat NV

Type: Fortified, Muscat
Origin: Rutherglen, Victoria
Approx Cost: $30
http://www.seppelt.com.au/

The muscat ride continues with one of Australia’s best known wineries.

Brown amber with green edges and gold flecks. Very tasty. Brown sugar, sultana, fruit pudding, caramel. Nice, lingering finish.

It’s not exceptional, but it’s very nice and fantastic value.

89%