EAT > AEGLI, South Melbourne (16/20)
Behind a modest terrace facade on Coventry Street, in the space that once housed the experimental fine-diner Lume, Aegli has quietly become one of the most convincing Greek tables in Melbourne, a chef’s love letter to the villages and islands…
STAY > Hotel Sorrento, Sorrento Victoria (17/20)
Perched on the limestone cliffs above Port Phillip Bay, Hotel Sorrento is the Mornington Peninsula's oldest hotel and its most enduring symbol of coastal glamour — a family-owned 1872 landmark that has just closed out a multi-year redevelopment without losing…
EAT > BOMMIE, Hamilton Island QLD (17/20)
Perched inside the Hamilton Island Yacht Club with Dent Passage unfurling beneath its floor-to-ceiling glass, Bommie is the Whitsundays' most credentialed fine-diner. A place to see and be seen.
Fine dining above Hamilton Island Marina
There's a particular kind of…
VISIT > Charles Melton Winery, Barossa Valley
Charles Melton is one of the Barossa’s most essential cellar doors: intimate, quietly confident and focused on serious, long-lived reds that reward attention as much as they reward time in…
SKI > Cortina d’Ampezzo, Dolomites Italy
The Dolomites is one of the very best places in the world to ski (well it does depend on what you want from a ski holiday). Stunning scenery, wonderful…
CAFE > JUNIPER, South Melbourne (16/20)
Close to the South Melbourne Markets there are numerous coffee shops that each offer a little something. Juniper however brings that perfect combination of fine coffee, quality food and…
VISIT > Samuel’s Gorge, McLaren Vale SA
Samuel’s Gorge is one of McLaren Vale’s most atmospheric red-wine addresses, a rustic 1850s farm shed perched above the Onkaparinga gorge with views that feel painted into the label itself.…
SKI > RESORTS
Maiko Snow Resort is one of Snow Country’s most versatile all‑rounders: a big, three‑area hill with true ski‑in/ski‑out lodging, a purpose‑built day‑trip gondola base and easy Joetsu Shinkansen access that makes it a natural follow‑up (or contrast) to GALA, Kagura and Ishiuchi. For ALMANAK readers, it feels like a hybrid between…
GALA Yuzawa is one of Japan’s most convenient snow resorts, a purpose-built hub where the Shinkansen literally delivers you into the ski centre before you ride straight up into three compact, well-planned ski areas. It feels more like a vertical snow terminal than a village, but for Tokyo-based day trippers…
Yuzawa Kogen Ski Resort is a compact, ropeway-accessed mountain that fuses classic Echigo-Yuzawa onsen-town charm with big-mountain views, easy access and family-friendly terrain just minutes from the Shinkansen. The main ropeway — is one of the world’s largest, carrying up to 166 passengers—climbing about 500 vertical metres in a 7‑minute…
STAY >
DRINK > BARS
DRINK > Woods Yard, South Melbourne (16/20)
Translating the perfect European wine bar experience to Australia rarely works. Predominately because we have all had so many amazing experiences at perfect little local venues in Italy, Greece, Spain or France. But Woods Yard have nailed it with all the bits you love and retaining a little Australian…
DRINK > Fratelli Burgio, Ortigia, Italy (15/20)
There are lots of bars in the beautiful historic town but the Salumi and wine at Fratelli Burgio make for a perfect combination and of course it is in the perfect location, combine it with the harbourside bar Alporto you have it all sorted.
AMBIENCE >
In the beating heart…
DRINK > Death & Co, Melbourne (18/20)
Slip behind the velvet curtain on Flinders Lane and Melbourne falls away, replaced by a low-lit room that feels like an edit of the world’s great cocktail bars: a little East Village swagger, a lot of CBD polish, and a level of detail that rewards staying late. This is Death…
DRINK > Great Dane Brewing, Akiu, Sendai (15/20)
Set against Akiu’s pine-lined hills and onsen steam, Great Dane Brewing brings Midwestern brewpub heart to one of Tohoku’s most storied hot spring valleys—a Wisconsin-born, Sendai-brewed outpost where craft beer, wide-open views and a low-key road-trip energy converge. It feels less like a side-trip from the city and more like…
DRINK > Conte, Sydney (17/20)
Conte in Sydney’s CBD is grand, an unapologetically Italian, ode to the Negroni. Part bar, part ristorante, and all about drama, detail and la dolce vita energy. With more than 30 (and climbing toward 40) Negroni riffs, serious Italian wines and a full dining menu, it feels less like a…
DRINK > Gracie Melbourne, Hardware Lane (15/20)
Hardware Lane is a place that many Melburnians stay away from (largely given a bad reputation by the touts that stand outside the largely formulaic but popular tourist restaurants that fill most of the laneway). Gracie Melbourne is a stylish little venue in a part of the city…
VISIT > WINERIES
VISIT > Charles Melton Winery, Barossa Valley
Charles Melton is one of the Barossa’s most essential cellar doors: intimate, quietly confident and focused on serious, long-lived reds that reward attention as much as they reward time in the cellar. This is a visit for people who care about old vines, thoughtful blends and wines that have shaped…
VISIT > Samuel’s Gorge, McLaren Vale SA
Samuel’s Gorge is one of McLaren Vale’s most atmospheric red-wine addresses, a rustic 1850s farm shed perched above the Onkaparinga gorge with views that feel painted into the label itself. This is a cellar door for people who like their Grenache wild‑haired and characterful, poured by a team who clearly…
VISIT > KAY BROTHERS, McLaren Vale South Australia
Kay Brothers is a heritage-rich, red‑focused McLaren Vale address where old vines, traditional winemaking and elevated vineyard views come together in one of the region’s most characterful cellar doors.
VARIETALS >
Kay Brothers is, at heart, a Shiraz house, with the variety accounting for the majority of production and underpinning…
VISIT > BATTLE OF BOSWORTH, McLaren Vale SA
Battle of Bosworth is one of McLaren Vale’s most characterful cellar doors: organically farmed, family-run, and set in a restored 1850s chaff shed and stables with sweeping vineyard views to Gulf St Vincent, it combines serious wine credentials with a relaxed, regionally grounded setting.
VARIETALS >
Battle of Bosworth is…
VISIT > PRIMO ESTATE, McLaren Vale SA
Step through the glass doors at Primo Estate and the first thing you notice is the light: refracted off pale stone, softened by timber, framed by rows of vines that run towards the Willunga foothills. It feels more like a contemporary Italian villa than a conventional Australian cellar door –…
VISIT > D’Arenberg, McLaren Vale SA
Founded in 1912, D’Arenberg is family created a winery that has become synonymous with the McLaren Vale region, today many of the visitors are just as familiar with the architectural cube museum and the restaurant.
I grew up in the McLaren Vale region and D’Arenberg winery was part of…
DRINK > WINEWine & Spirit Reviews
WINE > Burguet, Gevrey-Chambertin “Symphonie”, 2019 (18/20)
There are Gevrey-Chambertin producers who chase power for its own sake, and there are those who chase precision instead. Jean-Luc & Eric Burguet belong unmistakably to the second camp. The "Symphonie" is the domaine's village-level flagship, a blend drawn from several small parcels — including En Billard and La Justice…
WINE > Decades, Pinot Noir, 2024, Coal River Tasmania (18/20)
There are new labels that feel engineered for the market, and then there are those that arrive with the conviction of a long-held idea finally finding its vineyard. Decades is firmly the latter. The 2024 Pinot Noir is a remarkably assured second release from Steve Flamsteed and Brad Rogers: fragrant,…
WINE > Wilimee Pinot Noir, 2024 (17/20)
There are Pinot Noirs that announce themselves loudly, and then there are wines that arrive with the quiet authority of deep soil and older vines. The Wilimee Pinot Noir 2024 is unequivocally the latter — a wine that carries the ancient weight of rare Cambrian and granite geology, shaped by…
WINE > Bannockburn Pinot Noir, 2024 (18/20)
There are a few wines that are always in my wine cellar and regular and reliable choices when out for dinner with friends and it is found on the wine list. The Bannockburn Pinot Noir is a crowd pleaser, delightfully pretty but retaining enough structure and elegance to…
WINE > Corofin, Pinot Noir, Marlborough (17/20)
Marlborough is a region much better known for Sauvignon Blanc than for Pinot Noir but Corofin make a wine in Marlborough that surprises as it rises above the quaffable and into the respected tiers of premium wines; competing with wines with great accolades from Central Otago in New Zealand's South…
WINE > Elanto Pinot Noir, Balnaring (18/20)
Mornington Peninsula is home to many fine Pinot Noir wines but it has been quite a few years since the industry got quite so excited about a new vineyard. Elanto has only released two vintages of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to date and they are already receiving outstanding reviews from…
