Wine Australia Festival - January, 2006 - New York City

Celebrate Australia with Wine, Food and Fun!
The Eighth Annual Australian Wine Festival in New York


A chill is in the air in New York but in Australia, a warm sun is shinning on grape vines ready for picking from the Hunter Valley in the east to Margaret River out by the Indian Ocean. Harvest for vintage 2006 is about to begin. Celebrate the season in New York at the Wine Australia Festival on Thursday 26 January at Skylight New York (275 Hudson, between Spring and Dominick streets), from 6:00 to 9:00 pm.

In true festival style, there will be an "outdoor" atmosphere created with grass and trees and tent tops. The wines will be set up by wine type, as well as winery name, so you can learn all about the diversity Australia offers, find your favourites or try something new. And you'll be able to join some of the visiting winemakers at "Cellar Door Experience": 20-minute seminars on regional offerings.

The wide variety of Australian wines means that you can choose one to accompany any course, menu item or ethnic cuisine. To introduce guests to the infinite pairing possibilities, food tastings will be offered at stations from some of New York's finest and hottest restaurants. Guests can enjoy Sauvignon Blanc with Indian vegetarian food from Mainland, Cabernet with Tuscan cowboy beans from Maremma, Pinot Gris with pork belly from Brasserie 8= , Pinot Noir with duck confit empanadas from North Square, Riesling with crab and shrimp cakes from City Crab & Seafood, Shiraz with smoked Black Angus BBQ from Spanky's BBQ, a dessert of black-bottom apple tart from Cafi Mae Mae matched with famed Aussie "stickies," plus and other palate-pleasing combinations from Asia de Cuba, Orsay, Sapa, The Harrison, and Uncle Jack's Steakhouse.

Although you'll be able to taste about 300 different wines, this is more than your regular wine tasting. Mingle with the winemakers, listen to Aussie music and get a chance to win a trip to Australia from GoWay Travel or an instant Australian wine cellar (up to five cases).

Tickets for the evening are $75 through localwineevents.com. The event has been a sell-out the last three years, so get your tickets today! For additional information and a list of participating wineries and restaurants as they become available, visit wineaustralia.com/usa.


Calendar announcement:
Join more than 50 Australian wineries, a dozen New York chefs and get a chance to wine a trip Down Under at the Eighth Annual Wine Australia Festival on January 26, 2006 at Skylight New York. Tickets are $75 each in advance, available on www.
localwineevents.com. For event details, contact the Australian Wine bureau, 212 351 6585 or www.wineaustralia.com/usa.


General information:
The Australian Wine Bureau USA is a membership organization of Australian wineries and their importers that began in 1996 when Australia's ascent in the American wine scene was just beginning. At that time, Australia was shipping two million cases to the US in a year . . . today that number is tops 20 million! The AWB/USA organizes tastings, public relations opportunities, seminars and other educational programs for its members in order to increase the understanding and sales of Australian wine throughout the USA. It now boasts 70 members representing more than 200 brands, from some of the smallest wineries to the largest in Australia.