Picpoul, the crisp, briny white from the south of France, is often called the world’s best match for oysters.
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Picpoul → call → oysters
The grape is native to a tiny stretch of coast in Languedoc-Roussillon, where the vines grow beside oyster-filled lagoons.
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vines → grow → lagoons
It also thrives about 3½ hours west of Sydney in the rural township of Canowindra in the NSW Central Ranges (about 30 minutes from Cowra).
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It → thrive → Cowra
Windowrie Estate owner Jason O’Dea is one of only a handful of Australian winemakers working with the grape, grown from cuttings imported from France.
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O’Dea → work → France
You can taste it as it was intended, with a freshly shucked oyster in hand, at Sydney Cellar Door, which returns to The Rocks from Friday, November 13 to Sunday, November 15.
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which → taste → Sunday
Held at First Fleet Park, with views of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, the event brings together more than 35 wineries from the state’s 16 wine-growing regions.
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event → hold → regions
“There’s no better location possibly on the planet to host a wine tasting,” says winemaker Aaron Mercer of Mercer Wines in the Hunter Valley, who will be back for his third year.
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who → ’ → year
Entry is free, with a tasting tumbler and five tokens priced at $40.
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Entry → price → 40
The Hunter will be well represented, with 22 producers pouring some of its best-known bottles, including Tyrrell’s semillon and Brokenwood’s Verona Vineyard shiraz.
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producers → represent → semillon
Liz Silkman, the only NSW Winemaker to be named Halliday Winemaker of the Year, will pour the chardonnay herself on opening night.
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Silkman → name → night
Beyond the Hunter classics, expect plenty of lighter, Mediterranean-style wines, filled with “vibrant fruit and freshness,” says Mercer, “that you don’t need to age for a decade.
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you → expect → decade
“When it comes to wine, we are a hugely diverse state,” he says adding that, geographically, NSW has similar altitude variations to France, “but we have more variety.”
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we → come → variety
His picks include barbera from Orange, montepulciano from Hilltops and sangiovese from Gundagai.
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picks → include → Gundagai
It sells more than prosecco and pinot grigio, which is pretty crazy.”
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which → sell → prosecco
Sydney Cellar Door is part of NSW Wine Month, a statewide celebration of local wines held across 60 events, from wine-paired lunches to tastings and masterclasses, held at restaurants and bars across the state.
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Door → hold → state
In Enmore, hatted restaurant Firepop will match its charcoal-grilled menu with the cool-climate, high-altitude wines of Borrodell in Orange on Tuesday, November 17.
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Firepop → match → Tuesday
The standout will be the wagyu skewers cooked over charcoal and served with three-year-aged pickled garlic shoots from Moonacres Farm.
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standout → cook → Farm
Borrodell’s 2014 aged pinot noir picks up the skewer’s char and savoury notes, while a 2021 pinot meunier cuts through its richness.
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meunier → age → richness
Chardonnay drinkers should head to Claret Club on Saturday, November 14.
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drinkers → head → Saturday
At the hatted bar, co-owned by sommeliers Bridget Raffal and Harry Hunter, Silkman will host a lunch that begins with spring asparagus and sauce gribiche, paired with her 2019 aged-release semillon, followed by roast chicken with mint and shallots, alongside the newly released 2017 SILK Chardonnay.
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that → co → Chardonnay
The wine scored 98 points in the Halliday guide, and Silkman calls it an “absolute stunner”.
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Silkman → score → it
Two days earlier, on Thursday, November 12, Silkman will also lead a tasting at Famelia, a Newtown wine bar and bottle shop that only stocks wine made or produced by women.
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that → lead → women
Elsewhere this month, The Art Syndicate in Surry Hills is pouring rare, aged and iconic NSW wines by the glass, drawn from a bottle-only archive list.
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Syndicate → pour → list
Altitude Restaurant at the Shangri-La is hosting a wine-matched dinner featuring Brokenwood, Tyrrell’s, Ross Hill and Clonakilla.
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Restaurant → host → Brokenwood
The Aporia
