briefs
ONE FOR SWEET TOOTHS
THE Barossa Valley has welcomed a new cellar door for chocolate lovers.
Barossa Valley Chocolate Company is the first combined chocolaterie and cellar door in South Australia’s most famous wine region.
Located in the heart of the Barossa just outside of Tanunda, the Barossa’s newest tourist attraction is surrounded by vineyards that produce fruit for Vineyard Road, whose wines are also available at the cellar door. The $5.5 million chocolaterie and cellar door houses a state-of-the-art chocolate kitchen.
Barossa Valley Chocolate Company CEO Chris Day and his wife Sandy travelled 100,000km around the world to sample the best chocolate experiences from the sweetest meccas - including Bruges and Florence - to seek inspiration.
“The world-class Barossa Valley Chocolate Company has been inspired by the very best experiences from across the globe, from Bariloche in Argentina, to Napa Valley in the USA and the Chocolate Line in Bruges,” Sandy said. “Much of what you see in store was inspired by our travels, like our chocolate wall that was inspired by the inimitable Venchi Cioccolato e Gelato in Florence.”
The facility features a range of more than 250 products for chocolate lovers.
“There will be something for everyone, from watching chocolatiers making the artisan, hand-made chocolate through the viewing windows in the retail area, to chocolate-making classes in the special experience room, and a specially curated chocolate and wine pairing experiences in the cellar door,” Sandy said. There is also an ice creamery serving freshly-made gelato and the 150-seat Benni’s Cafe, which will be serving locally-sourced food. The complex also has a deck overlooking a lake, a private cellar, an amphitheatre and landscaped areas. Barossa Valley Chocolate Company is open daily 9am-5pm at 64 Burings Rd, Tanunda, or visit www.barossavalleychocolates.com.au.
MASON MADE A DIFFERENCE
WARREN Mason, one of the pioneers of the Australian wine industry, died peacefully in April.
Mason and his talented chef/caterer partner Jacquie established the Sydney International Wine Competition in 1982 with the idea that wine and food were like horse and carriage - they needed to be judged together - because that’s how most people consume wine. Mason worked with many great winemakers and wine figures.
During his 18-year term as founding chairman of the New South Wales branch of the International Wine & Food Society, Mason convened a 1982 dinner to introduce several innovative small-scale winemakers who were doing exciting new things in regions such as Yarra Valley, Margaret River and Adelaide Hills. These winemakers and others were invited to submit wines they felt might complement the meal of five small courses. The event was a big success and out of it grew an annual judging, the Small Winemakers Competition, channelling wines into the society’s Small Winemakers Dinner. Boutique winery luminaries of the period who entered their wines in the first tasting included John Middleton (Mount Mary), Peter McMahon (Seville Estate), Bill Pannell (Moss Wood), Max Lake (Lake’s Folly) and Brian Croser (Petaluma). This event gradually evolved into a larger, more serious event - the Sydney International Wine Competition.
