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The Forager: Juice, Tasting Oz, Penfolds

Apr 30, 2014

Today, premium juices of very different kinds, Tasting Australia latest, chef movements, a challenge to tradition and more.

Red-letter day

Tomorrow (May 1) is a big day for wine collectors of a certain kind, with the annual release of Penfolds’ “icon and luxury collection”, including the 2009 Grange, 2011 Yattarna Chardonnay, and a limited-edition 2010 Bin 170 Kalimna Shiraz.

Also to be released are the 2012 Reserve Bin A Adelaide Hills Chardonnay, the 2011 RWT Barossa Valley Shiraz, the 2011 Magill Estate Shiraz and the 2010 St Henri Shiraz (the cheapest of the lot at $95).

The Grange is priced at $785 – but that is overshadowed by the $1800 price tag attached to the Kalimna Shiraz which, to celebrate 170 years of Penfolds winemaking, is a rare, single-block limited-edition.

This version of the Kalimna has been made only once before – in 1973. It is sourced exclusively from old vines planted at Block 3C in the Barossa’s Kalimna vineyard.

For Philip White’s review of three of the star wines in the release, including the Grange, go here.

 The wines to be released tomorrow (Thursday, 1 May).

The wines to be released tomorrow (Thursday, 1 May).

Pressed Juices opens in Adelaide

And for juice lovers of a very different kind … Melbourne cold-pressed juice pioneer Pressed Juices has opened a store in Adelaide.

The Pressed Juices store in Rundle St.

The Pressed Juices store in Rundle St.

The Rundle Street shop opened last weekend and sells a big range of cold-pressed juices, smoothies and “mylks”. The blends are put together at the firm’s Melbourne premises and delivered to Adelaide daily before dawn.

Cold pressing is a global food fad based on the idea that slow and steady cold-pressing of fruit and veg extracts more vitamins, minerals and enzymes than any other method (here’s our examination of the concept – the bottom line is that the jury is still out on whether it is actually better for you).

Whatever the health claims, the juices have a very pure taste. There is a huge range of “green” vege juice blends, fruit and veg blends, a “zest” collection, antioxidant blends, and “smoothies” (using produce such as avocado, coconut and banana to provide texture). A range of “mylks” are extracted from almonds, sweetened with dates and flavoured with a range of optional add-ons including cacao, vanilla bean and even espresso.

They’re not cheap, with a 475ml bottle ranging from $7.50 for plain coconut water up to $9.50 for the mylks and smoothies. Most of the juice blends are priced at $8.50-$9.

The shop also sells bulk packages for those keen to go on a “juice cleanse”. The three- and five-day cleansing packages give you enough juices to last you through the detox (or “trial by kale”, depending on how you look at it).

Pressed Juices is at 231 Rundle Street.

Drinking Rosé for a cause

Now this is a win/win.

Excellent Leigh Street bar udaberri is marking its second birthday this week with a celebration of Rosé.

The bar is pouring an international selection of Rosés (matched with bar snacks), with proceeds from every glass going to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Traditions challenged

We were struck by a curious juxtaposition of two news items this week.

First, the Barossa. Be Consumed. ad won an award at an international tourism film festival in Latvia. The ad, you may recall, has some suitably “authentic” fleeting imagery of a Barossa cooper charring the inside of an oak barrel.

Then came a report (via beveragedaily.com) that a maker of newfangled polymer wine barrels has declared traditional oak barrels to be “bullshit”. The maker argues that, like the initial resistance to screw-caps, there is no reason not to embrace new barrel technology.

Go here to read the report.

Welcome back, Bethany

The Forager is pleased to learn that chef Bethany Finn has a new gig, heading up the kitchens at the boutique Mayfair Hotel, due to open in October this year.

Finn did great work at the late and lamented Urban Bistro, which closed suddenly at the end of 2012.

Tasting Australia

The festival is in full swing, with serious business underway today at the Food Summit 2014, where members of the SA food industry get together to talk about its development.

The public can get down to the “Town Square”, established in Victoria Square, for an “express lunch” between 11am and 2pm (last chance is today for the lunch, but there are a range of other events from which to choose).

Tasting Australia wraps up on Sunday (May 4) with a family-oriented Producers’ Picnic at Victoria Square. Choose your own picnic from a wide selection of stalls, featuring wine, drinks and food from the state’s premium producers.

A word about a couple of Sunday events – the Street Tasting Trail has been postponed due to poor ticket sales. However, if you’re disappointed by that, there are plenty of other events on, including the “Elixir of Autumn” tour in the Adelaide Hills.

This tour will take you by bus to Forest Range to sample apples from a rare certified organic apple orchard (which organiser Conscious Lifestyles says produces great eating apples and fruit for local cider makers). You’ll get to make apple juice using a traditional press and taste aged apple cider, natural cider, local wine and cheese.

You’ll finish the day at Adelaide Hills Chestnuts, where you’ll sample chestnut soup, chestnut brownies, feijoa cake and more.

To book send an email here. For more information call Tiffany Schultz on 0427 475 123.

For the full Tasting Australia program, go here.

 

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