We don't actually have an award for best newsagency display of Spice but if we did, NewsXpress newsagency in Albany would win it. Many thanks for the photo and the display, we're all super pleased and proud.

Posted by anthony at 8:32 PM | Permalink

The Swan Valley and Regional Winemakers Association held their annual wine awards dinner at last Friday. Lovely collegial atmosphere in the atmosphere for the tightly knit winemaking community speeches and poems by Dorham Mann and John Taylor. The five course meal from the team at Caversham House with accompanying Swan Valley Wines was exceptional and made for a great evening. Big winners was Sittella Winery who took out three awards including Most Successful Exhibitor and Most Successful Exhibitor of Table Wines. Best Wine of the Show went to Talijancich Wines for their NV Julian James Reserve Muscat and Best Museum Wine to the Houghton's 1998 Museum Release Verdelho.

A list of trophy winners is here and you can download a PDF of the medal winners for handy bottle shop reference here.

blue eyed cod with German potato salad with sauce viege

Posted by anthony at 4:39 PM | Permalink

Vince, Verity James and Neil Perry

When not doing his fantastic spread of meat and butcher wisdom like his five birds in one quintet or 37 cuts from a saddle of lamb in this issue of Spice, Vince Garreffa has a butcher's shop in Inglewood - Mondo Butchers.
He's just expanded his story to do justice to his amazing range of meat and local and international gourmet products. It looks great. The renovated shop was launched on Monday with a few hundred people in attendance, including Sydney chef Neil Perry.
All the best Vince!

Mondo Butchers,
cnr Beaufort and Sixth Avenue, Inglewood
08 9371 6350

Posted by anthony at 1:32 PM | Permalink

As part of the the 2007 Swan Valley Wine Show, The Wine Show Public Showcase is being held on Sunday the 23rd September at Houghton’s Winery
Visitors to this showcase can be among the first to taste award winning wines from the 2007 Swan Valley Show and take the opportunity to discuss the wines with the producers.
SVRWA President Anthony Kosovich believes that regional producers have been able to produce another fantastic vintage this year.

Tickets are available now for $15 from the Swan Valley and Eastern Region Visitor Centre, 9379 9400 or visitorcentre@swan.wa.gov.au or are available on the day for $20.

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The woman lurking enigmatically behind her hand-crafted silver ladle is Beth Linton, fifth-generation Western Australian silversmith. You can read more about her in this Spring's Spice. You can also learn about five different sheep breeds, one of which secretes deadly toxins that will kill a man in fifteen minutes* - can you tell which one? Albany chef Andrew Homes works his magic with a three course seasonal dinner. Chefs Alain Fabregues and Giuseppe Pagliaricci expertly pair up two dishes with one bottle of Pinot. Vince Garreffa shows you in detail 37 ways to butcher a saddle of lamb. Marg Johnson has a rude amount of vanilla pods and runs through the essentials and the delightfuls. Verity James points out what to look for in fruit and veg and solves family ennui with unshelled pea pods. We've got organic and biodynamic winemakers spoken with, their ways explained and their wines tasted. Free-range organic pigs and local macadamia nuts. A couple of exceptional things to do with truffles and ruminations on the cupcake. People to see and things to do in Albany. The families behind legendary local provider of goods The Re Store and the stories behind a fresh restaurant, a fresh coffee bar, a fresh organic cheesemaker, and a fresh providore. Tales, tips and tastings of exceptional coffee, which beer gardens to go to and why, and why Sophie Zalokar ended up in Pemberton. If there's a more exhaustive top to bottom and gate to plate look at food and wine, we haven't seen it. Get one and enjoy.

*not actually in any way true

Available by subscription or in all good newsagents Australia-wide and at the following outlets in WA:

Kakulas Sister (Freo), Wine Liasons (Freo),Fresh Provisions (Bicton, Claremont, Mt Lawley), Mondo Di Carne (Inglewood), Sealanes (South Freo), The Home Provedore (Freo, Claremont), O2H (Nedlands), The Grocer (Nedlands), Lady Kitchener (Claremont), Black Duck Gourmet Pantry (Albany), Blackwood Kitchen (Bridgetown), Seashack (Esperance), Get Stuffed Olive Company (Gingin), Loose Produce (Como), Margaret Riviera (Cowaramup), Picobello Patisserie (Bicton), Swansea Street Markets (East Vic Park), Boatshed Markets (Cottesloe), Gourmet Centro (Subiaco), Vanilla (South Freo), Angelo Street Markets (South Perth), Food for Me (East Vic Park), Kailis Fishmarkets (Leederville), Clayton's Quality Meats (South Perth) Kitchen Warehouse (Osborne Park), The Beaufort Street Merchant (Mt Lawley), Rising the in the Yeast (Myaree), Love Me Tender Butchery (Palmyra), Crave On (Leederville), Cherry's Fine Food (Mt Pleasant), Matters of Taste (Bicton), Deli Di Mondo (Attadale), George Street Merchants (East Freo), Malibu Fresh Essentials (Safety Bay), Cape Kitchen (Busselton), Margaret River Venison (Cowaramup), Chilli Hot Kitchenware (Dunsborough), Taste of Balingup (Balingup)

Posted by anthony at 7:54 PM | Permalink