Sniffing Sideways
You’ve seen the film for wine buffs, so you might like to do a few of the things that were lampooned in it as ‘pretentious wine snobbery’.

Firstly, choose the glass for your pinot noir carefully. You’ll want to sniff and swirl these wines, to get a bit of air into the glass so that all the wonderful things about pinot noir are released. Choose a largish glass, one that is tapered at the top so that the aromas are released but trapped in the top to allow you to slowly sniff and enjoy. After all, half the enjoyment of a glass of wine is in the aroma. Practice swirling the glass in private, if you must. Start by making slow circles with the glass on the bench. As the wine gradually gets an even momentum, gently lift the glass off the bench and learn to swirl in the air.

Now you’re really looking the part. And another thing – don’t let anyone tell you that it is bad form to chill a red wine. The recommended temperature for red wine is room temperature – but that is room temperature in Europe! So, given that it is just a tad hotter here, pop the bottle of pinot in the fridge for 20 minutes before you want to drink it – around 16-18 degrees Celsius is perfect.

European influence – a daily passion at Shepparton’s Eastbank Café
If you’re thinking that a chef who’s worked at the likes of London’s famed Claridges Hotel where H.R.M. Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh are regular guests – that he must know, really know, how to cook – then we’d have to say, you’re absolutely right. And if your next question is, ‘How do I find a chef that good to cook for me (at a price that we mere commoners would find quite reasonable)?’ then may we suggest you head straight to Shepparton’s Eastbank Café, where the talented but unassuming Michael Treacy works the range.

Think Morocco
Upon entering the first of many rooms, or display areas, an addictive assortment of Moroccan pottery blasts out with even brighter colours. It’s hard to resist a purchase, as the mind instantly starts a greedy, yet enjoyable, snatch ‘n’ grab.

Thinking Moroccan has become a bit of an addiction for Westerners in recent years. For Europeans, Morocco presents one of the most exotic short-haul destinations, and is now visited by more than four million tourists each year.

With the sun shining down on us, the drive up to the WillOaks homestead in Oxley – past lazy Angus bulls, over the cattle grate and up to the immaculately presented property – was like ‘a visit to friends we hadn’t yet met,’ remarked my pleasantly surprised driving companion. The warmth of Peter Rickards’ greeting after he found us languidly admiring the pond covered in water lilies, managed to usurp the brightness of what the weather had provided naturally.

From The Alpine Valleys With Love
So reads the motto of King Valley-based preservers Verrocchio’s, who combine an Italian love of fresh produce with the finest English traditions to produce high quality preserves made with fruit gathered from around North East Victoria. Recipes are created by chef Richard Verrocchio (who also pitches in at Myrtleford’s acclaimed restaurant Range), whose eccentric temperament puts him more in league with surrealist Salvador Dali than with Jamie Oliver.