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 cool altitude and a pair…

ByCrispinApril 26, 20260Comments

EAT > AUSTRALIA EAT > GC EAT > NOOSA EAT > SA EAT > SOUTHERN VALES WHERE TO EAT >

EAT > Victory Hotel, Sellicks Hill (16/20)

There are pubs that age badly, and there are pubs that age magnificently. The Victory Hotel, perched on the brow of Sellicks Hill with a panorama stretching across Aldinga Bay and the Fleurieu coast, belongs emphatically to the latter camp. This is one of Australia's great gastropubs — weathered, warm and quietly formidable, with a…

ByCrispinApril 26, 20260Comments

EAT > AUSTRALIA EAT > MELBOURNE EAT > VICTORIA WHERE TO EAT >

EAT > Blackbird, Melbourne (14/20)

Blackbird Melbourne is a three-level, moodily newcomer on Flinders Lane that feels built for long, steak lunches built around fire, flesh and a little theatre. It’s the Brisbane icon reimagined for Melbourne, with an open kitchen anchored by a Josper grill, a serious cellar and a cocktail bar that leans hard into nostalgia. Blackbird is…

ByCrispinApril 17, 20260Comments

VISIT > AUSTRALIA VISIT > McLaren Vale VISIT > SA

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 live the wines they’re talking…

ByCrispinApril 14, 20260Comments

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

EAT > CATALINA, Rose Bay Sydney (19/20)

Catalina’s has become a venue for our special events, it is that kind of place. Stunning views, exceptional service, delicious food and a world class wine list. There are few restaurants around the world that have such an abundance of world class assets and as such Catalina remains one of the most in…

ByCrispinApril 7, 20260Comments

VISIT > AUSTRALIA VISIT > McLaren Vale VISIT > SA

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 the flagship Block 6 and…

ByCrispinApril 5, 20260Comments

STAY > FIJI WHERE TO STAY >

STAY > Six Senses, Fiji (18/20)

Tropical Paradise the Six Senses Resort, Malolo Fiji Six Senses Fiji is a polished, design‑forward barefoot luxury outpost on Malolo Island that wraps high‑touch service and serious sustainability credentials in an easy, island‑club mood. It feels more like a private Vunabaka beach enclave with a Six Senses overlay than a conventional resort, which is precisely…

ByCrispinApril 5, 20260Comments

EAT > AUSTRALIA EAT > MELBOURNE EAT > VICTORIA WHERE TO EAT >

EAT > Geralds Bar, Carlton (15/20)

Gerald’s Bar 2.0 on Lygon Street feels less like a “new” opening and more like a beloved neighbourhood institution stretching comfortably into a much bigger, grander suit (think Talking Heads) — same irreverent soul, and a lot more room to play. The move of Gerald’s Bar from its old cozy location to a new…

ByCrispinMarch 31, 20260Comments

STAY > BURGUNDY STAY > FRANCE WHERE TO STAY >

STAY > Le Relais Bernard Loiseau, Burgundy (18/20)

Le Relais Bernard Loiseau is a destination hotel where serious gastronomy, deep spa-soothing and old‑world Burgundy village charm intersect. Perhaps more famed as the home of restaurant 'La Côte d’Or' which has held as many as 3 Michelin stars in its famous history. It is a place where you come for the meal…

ByCrispinMarch 29, 20260Comments

VISIT > AUSTRALIA VISIT > McLaren Vale VISIT > SA

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 best known for Shiraz and…

ByCrispinMarch 25, 20260Comments