Ciavarella Wines - Mystery In A Bottle
It may well be the rarest patch of vineyard in Australia. Covering a miniscule plot of one and a half acres, Ciavarella Oxley Estate’s ‘aucerot’ is a mystery grape variety whose true identity has eluded many a wine sleuth. Essentials gives you the facts of the case.


Students of viticulture can trace every grape variety in Australia back to its European roots. Well, almost, but not quite. At Ciavarella Oxley Estate there’s a grape that claims shadowy origins and which seems to be the last of its kind in the country.
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Evans Lane, Oxley, Victoria
Tel. 03 5727 3384
ciavwine@netc.net.au

The Hit List - Top Winter Accommodation Escapes
looking for an inviting place to get together with friends, or to have an indulgent weekend away with your partner, North East Victoria has some of the best accommodation around. Essentials has lit the fire and snuggled up on a cosy sofa with a glass of red to make a list of the top winter warmers.

The Buckland – Studio Retreat
Nestled within the grapevines, chestnut groves and tobacco fields of the Buckland Valley — and presided over by the smoky blue, snow-capped heights of Mt Buffalo — The Buckland is the ultimate in couplesonly accommodation for those who prefer their getaway more modern than rustic. Sure, there are unimpeded views of the gumtrees through the floor-to-ceiling windows of your bathroom and an inquisitive wombat has been known to press his nose against the glass, but the mood lighting, personal espresso machine, L’Occitane products, stainless steel appliances, heated towel racks, heavenly linens and softer-than-soft bedding (choose from five different types of pillows) would put the slickest of Manhattan hotels to shame. Not only that, but The Buckland is proof that you can enjoy the finer things in life while taking good care of the environment. Each individual studio — situated at least 60 metres away from its neighbour for privacy — has been designed as a contemporary take on the Australian landscape, with environmentally friendly features such as solar heat pumps, rainwater tanks and double-glazed windows. While snuggling in front of the slow combustion wood heater, your mind won’t be on anything though — apart from the person next to you. It’s guilt-free romance.

McCormack’s Lane, Buckland Valley
(near Bright), Victoria
Tel. 03 5756 2383
www.thebuckland.com.au

Queen of Hearts Tarts
Leading food writer Matt Preston recently declared that Danielle Brooke of Myrtleford’s Plump Harvest Produce makes a raspberry tart that ‘may be the best in the state’. However, give it a taste and you might consider that he was just being diplomatic in not openly declaring it the best.
72 Myrtle Street (Great Alpine Road),
Myrtleford, Victoria
Tel. 03 5752 2257
www.plumpharvestproduce.com.au

Talking Tea with Mr Twining
Jacqui Verrocchio talks with Stephen Twining, 10th generation of the famous tea family and in Australia to promote the new Simply Tea, about his personal tea drinking habits, coffee culture’s impact on tea, the Ethical Tea Partnership and why Yo-Yos are a good dunking biscuit.

Q. Drinking tea can be a very emotional thing.
A. ‘I think you’re right. I think tea is sensual… it’s about the sense of smell and taste. Coffee is quick, but the ritual of tea is something that takes time, something you sit down over. To me coffee is like the initial excitement of a new relationship, but tea is your best friend, your favourite partner, and will always be there

Gigi's Of Beechworth - Dine With Love And Devotion
When you’ve lost the one-and-only, no one else compares. Everything around you is reduced to its own quintessence by default, and only metaphors of love and heartbreak will do. At Gigi’s, you can dine and drink accordingly.

When I give romance the thumbs down, Gigi’s owner Allan Parker responds without hesitation, ‘I’ll get you a glass of wine, sweetheart.’ Pouring me a St Johns Road ‘Julia’ Greenock shiraz — ‘It’s got leather, tobacco — all the good stuff’ — he then asks if I’d like to see the menu, or, ‘Would you just like us to feed you?’ In certain circles, leaving your meal to the ‘chef’s discretion’ is seen as pretentious, especially if the diner requests it. However, Allan’s offer has a bacchanalian lilt, with a note of devil-may-care — like the cigarchomping dominatrix, under whose tutelage the high court judge for once isn’t obliged to make a decision — and I accept immediately.