The Wine Guild Sunshine Coast Chapter - Event Calendar

The Sunshine Coast chapter of the Wine Guild of Australia posts details of upcoming and past events on this page.

Upcoming Events

WGA (Sunshine Coast) Christmas Function

Date: 26 November 2011
Venue: LEFTY'S Restaurant, 51 Duporth Ave, Maroochydore
CLICK HERE for the flyer
 

Past Events

WGA (Sunshine Coast) Barossa Valley v Adelaide Hills Tasting

Date: Saturday 15 October 2011
Venue: Corner Melrose and Fifth, Maroochydore

CLICK HERE for the full report
 

WGA (Sunshine Coast) Hunter Valley Wine Tasting

Date: Saturday 16 April 2011
Venue: Corner Melrose and Fifth, Maroochydore

Our members and guests enjoyed a range of Hunter Valley wines.

CLICK HERE for the full report

WGA (Sunshine Coast). Queensland Wines Lunch and Tasting, Feb 19, 2011


Flashback about 20 years (you know you can remember ...) to a Queensland Tourism Awards function, where the patriotic Tourism Minister of the day had decreed that only Queensland wines were to be featured at the black tie event.  One of the state’s premier restaurateurs, still a senior player in the food industry today, sipped cautiously at his white – then took a second sip. and curled his lip.  When it came to the red, he took a tentative sip and poured the rest away, preferring water as his tipple for the night. “Queensland will never produce a decent wine,” he declared to the table. And who would have shouted him down, way back when?

Time has proved him wrong, to the benefit of the 40 members and guests of the Wine Guild’s Sunshine Coast chapter who sat down to a five course lunch and no less than 25 different wines at the Taste of Queensland function on February 19.  From a well-received introductory sparkling to the final shiraz, the group tasted wines from 16 wineries from the Granite Belt, south to Tamborine and north to the Burnett.

John Gribble pulled the event together with the help of other members and partners (especially Jennie Gribble and Jennie Schofield). Wine and cheese maker Bruce Humpherey-Smith and Peter Schofield provided information and insight on the wines and the Queensland wine industry, until the decibel level of the diners overwhelmed them late in the afternoon.

And chef Lee Booker, who calmly created a series of dishes with a borrowed kitchen and a few barbecues, deserves his own cooking show!

To prod the memory of those who were there, and the envy of those who weren’t – this was the line-up for the lunch.

Bracket 1
Sirromet Sparkling Chardonnay-Pinot Noir

Bracket 2
Robert Channon Pinot Gris
Heritage Estate Chardonnay
Dingo Creek Chardonnay
(Appetiser – Bruschetta with salsa of tomatoes, olives and basil)

Bracket 3
Whiskey Gully Chardonnay
Ravenscroft Chardonnay
Witches Falls Chardonnay
(Appetiser – Hervey Bay scallops wrapped in bacon)

Bracket 4
Ballandean Estate Viognier
Severn Brae Viognier
(Entrée – Ceviche of mahi mahi)

Bracket 5
Jimbour Verdelho
Robert Channon Verdelho

Bracket 6
Witches Falls Pinot Noir
Summit Estate Shiraz Grenache
Hidden Creek Tempranillo

Bracket 7
Ballandean Estate Nebbiolo
Dingo Creek Merlot
Witches Falls Merlot
(Main course – Barbecue roasted lamb, potatoes roasted in duck fat, Caesar salad)

Bracket 8
Ravenscroft Petit Verdot
Clovelly Estate Barbera

Bracket 9
Golden Grove Shiraz
Whiskey Gully Black Rod Shiraz
Mount Tully Shiraz

Bracket 10
Golden Grove Durif
Severn Brae Sangiovese
Bungawarra Paragon (Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Malbec)
(Dessert – Apple tarte tatin)

Eumundi Winery Aged Semillon
Port
(Cheese and fruit platters)

As ever, individual palates varied but there was a general agreement that the best was saved ‘til last – or was that a by-product of the growing stack of empty bottles? Though much of the tasting ended up in the spittoons in the interests of responsible consumption, there were many well received wines and some orders flowing through to our generous winemakers, most of whom donated their wines for the event.

Thanks as always to the providers of our Sunshine Coast venue, the body corporate of Melrose on Fifth.

And to the nay-sayers from the past – let’s drink to Queensland wines!