EAT > Cortile Spirito Santo, Siracusa, Ortigia Italy (18/20)

Nestled in the historic heart of Ortigia, Syracuse's enchanting island, Cortile Spirito Santo delivers Michelin-starred Sicilian refinement in a 17th-century palazzo. This gem, part of Palazzo Salomone Luxury Suites, blends Baroque elegance with contemporary flair, earning its star in 2023 for chef Giuseppe Torrisi's masterful dishes. AMBIENCE > Elegant and serene, the restaurant unfolds in…

ByCrispinMarch 7, 2026

STAY > ITALY STAY > Sicily WHERE TO STAY >

STAY > Grand Hotel Des Ètranges, Siracusa (17/20)

Grand Hotel Des Étrangers in Ortigia is Syracuse at its most cinematic: a freshly restored, 5‑star grande dame with Ionian light pouring in through neoclassical balconies and just enough contemporary polish to feel quietly current rather than stuffy. AMBIENCE > The hotel’s neoclassical façade dominates the Ortigia waterfront, looking straight over the Levant Sea with…

ByCrispinMarch 3, 2026

DRINK > WINE DRINK > WINE > Pinot Noir

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 the biggest names in wine. …

ByCrispinMarch 2, 2026

EAT > AUSTRALIA EAT > MORNINGTON PENINSULA EAT > VICTORIA WHERE TO EAT >

EAT > Cape, Cape Schank (17/20)

Cape Restaurant at RACV Cape Schanck remains one of the Mornington Peninsula’s most compelling reasons to drive that extra stretch of highway after dark: dinner here still feels like an occasion, but an unusually relaxed and generous one. AMBIENCE > Cape’s room is still that familiar dusk-toned amphitheatre of glass, timber and bottle-light, only now…

ByCrispinMarch 1, 2026

EAT > AUSTRALIA EAT > MORNINGTON PENINSULA EAT > VICTORIA WHERE TO EAT >

EAT > Ten Minutes by Tractor, Main Ridge (19/20)

Ten Minutes by Tractor has always felt like the Mornington Peninsula restaurant that most confidently blurs the line between winery dining room and serious destination restaurant; under new head chef Craig Lunn and an evolved wine program led by head sommelier Noah Rozenfeld, it now reads as a sharper, more self-assured version of itself. AMBIENCE…

ByCrispinMarch 1, 2026

DRINK > WINE DRINK > WINE > Pinot Noir

WINE > Clarence House Estate Pinot Noir, 2024 (17/20)

Clarence House Estate Reserve Pinot Noir 2024 is a poised, cool-climate Tasmanian Pinot that trades in perfume, fine-boned structure and quiet confidence rather than sheer volume, rewarding both contemplation now and patient cellaring later. APPEARANCE > Pale to medium garnet in the glass, with a translucent core that hints at delicacy rather than density. A…

ByCrispinFebruary 22, 2026

EAT > AUSTRALIA EAT > NSW EAT > SYDNEY WHERE TO EAT >

EAT > Saint Peter, Paddington Sydney (20/20) – 2026

Saint Peter in Sydney is one of Australia’s (possibly the world’s) most compelling places to eat seafood right now, a restaurant that turns whole fish into high drama without ever losing sight of comfort, generosity, and genuine hospitality. Relocated to The Grand National Hotel in Paddington, it feels like both a neighbourhood dining room and…

ByCrispinFebruary 21, 2026

DRINK > WINE

WINE > S.C Pannell Sunrise 99, 2022 (18/20)

There are Grenaches that charm, and then there are Grenaches that draw a line in the sand. S.C. Pannell’s Sunrise 99, from a century-old McLaren Vale vineyard, feels like the latter: a debut that arrives fully formed, pitched at the serious, ageworthy end of the spectrum while still humming with McLaren Vale warmth, but this…

ByCrispinFebruary 15, 2026

EDITORIAL

THE ALMANAK > FEBRUARY EDITORIAL

With many of our reviews in December and January focused on Japan, February returns us to Australia. ALMANAK remains a guide: a way to make sense of seasons, places and the choices that fill your calendar. February bends that lens back towards Sydney, taking one wharf, a few streets of Paddington and a clutch…

ByCrispinFebruary 15, 2026

EAT > AUSTRALIA EAT > GC EAT > QLD WHERE TO EAT >

STAY > Ovolo Sydney, Woolloomooloo (16/20)

Ovolo Sydney, Woolloomooloo is the hotel that turns a heritage finger wharf into a neon‑lit playground: all‑in perks, bold design and a quietly serious sleep, right on the harbour’s edge. Set between the Royal Botanic Garden and the Art Gallery of New South Wales, it feels as much like an adults‑friendly clubhouse as a classic…

ByCrispinFebruary 15, 2026