A pinot playground awaits

IS there a wine grape more synonymous with our Geelong region than pinot noir? Sure, we craft some great chardonnay and shiraz, but it’s this thin-skinned red berry than has taken much of the spotlight over the previous couple of decades as the jewel in our vinous crown.

Now in its 7th year of celebration, Pinot Affair is a weekend dedicated to highlighting producers and wines of this style.

Roughly ten wineries have combined to host nearly two dozen individual events over this coming weekend across the Bellarine, Moorabool and Surf Coast.

There are too many key events to list here, so make sure you jump onto the website to see which ones take your fancy.

Personally, I love pinot. But until recently (ie the past 20-odd years), there wasn’t a grape variety more challenging to understand than pinot noir, proving both fickle to grow in the vineyard and less identifiable in the glass.

Today though, it remains the darling of the wine-world: both with everyday drinkers and those who take their wine-game a little more seriously.

For us simple folk, those bright red-fruit flavours and crunchy acidity make for delicious drinking – while for the more serious crowd, the grape’s more savoury, delicate elements can provide endless points of conversation.

As a famous wine-poet once said: on the road to wine-nirvana, if you don’t end up in Burgundy, chances are you’ve taken a wrong turn. Amen.

On the horizon is another much anticipated local festival dedicated to local wine and food: Tastes of Greater Geelong.

 

There are 73 different confirmed events for the month-long program.

There’s more to come on the venues involved, but I’ve seen the initial list and it’s enticing. The official schedule drops in just over a week, but the overall dates are firmly locked in (19 June–19 July) which will certainly give operators around the region a chance to capitalise on the quieter winter period.

Hats off to CoGG for continuing to promote the festival, particularly with all the challenges going on right now in the world of hospitality. Stay tuned: I’ll cover more on this in the coming couple of weeks.

Some positive news coming out of Little Malop Street: cocktail basement hotpot, Daisy Bar, has introduced a hot-supper food menu, after strong demand from hungry patrons.

Their new upstairs kitchen space will provide snacks and small plates like gruyere and leek croquettes, chargrilled skewers and an indulgent cheeseburger designed to be paired with their much-loved house martini. Previously, the venue has been able to provide cold food options until late into the night, but there’s nothing like enjoying some warmer options – particularly as we reach these chillier winter times – while downing some of the best mixed drinks in town.

In less-than-thrilling news, the Rotary club-run monthly waterfront market will end next month after over 30 years.

It’s a shame, given how long this event has been attracting visitors for, but comes as little surprise, as rising costs continue to plague small community events like this.

The weekly Belmont Market is also in a state of uncertainty, having only been put up for tender for new operators in the past couple of months.

 

But the Beckley Park Market is continuing strongly, supplying deli and bakery foods, decent quality fruit and veg, and some good ol’ trash-and-treasure stalls thrown in for good measure.

On behalf of all market-goers around town, let’s hope we don’t lose any more of our beloved local marketplaces.

Finally, a small shout out to friend and work colleague, Daisuke Yokota, who is running a tiny pop-up Japanese restaurant in Birregurra over the coming weeks.

Hungry locals and the odd out-of-towners (like me) can enjoy proper karaage chicken, katsu curry and super fresh sushi rolls, at the Birre Town Hall for the next few Monday nights.

Chef Dais is one of the talented chefs who works tirelessly at the high-profile restaurant, Brae (also in Birregurra), but his first foray into the pop-up world has allowed him to explore a culinary side closer to his hometown of Osaka.

It’s a treat for those in the area, but book ahead as the past two Mondays have been booked out entirely.

Takeaway is also available, but with a BYO permit in place at the makeshift dining room, why not bring a bottle of sake or Hibiki along for the ride? I’m certainly going to.