2 | JUNE 2014 thb

F O R Y O U R june

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28TH JUNE—13TH JULY 2014 |SNOW TIME IN THE GARDEN at Hunter Valley Gardens | Chill out these school holidays and enjoy ice ska ng on the 14 x 35 metre Real Ice Ska ng Rink. Join in other Snow Time fun including a 25 metre Ice Toboggan and play in the man made snow! There will be lots of fun for the whole family with games, hearty food, Husky dogs and warm beverages. Plus see the amazing ice sculptor carve something incredible on the weekends. Check the website closer to the date for more informa on and a full program. This is a day and night event running from 9.00am – 9.00pm every day. For more informa on visit www.hvg.com.au.

6TH—8TH JUNE 2014 | MERRIWA FESTIVAL OF THE FLEECES | This annual event is held to commemorate the area’s involvement with the Australian Wool Industry. The feature event is the Running of the Sheep, where over 1500 sheep wearing Red Socks lead the parade down the main street of Merriwa. With an opening night of entertainment on the Friday, events are held mainly on the Saturday. The event started in 1990 and now a racts over 4,000 visitors to the town.

5TH—9TH JUNE 2014 | WILDLIFE ART EXHIBITION at Morpeth Gallery | World Environment Day celebra ons con nue at Morpeth Gallery over the June long weekend where some spectacular Australian wildlife artworks will be on display. What be er way to appreciate our natural environment and its inhabitants than by browsing the work of some of Australia’s finest ar sts in the field and taking a piece home with you to admire on your wall every day! Meet and watch Natalie Jane Parker, Stephen Jesic and James Hough pain ng in the gallery, they combine hours of research, careful cra smanship and a en on to detail in order to give life to their works. For more info visit www.morpethgallery.com

THE HUNTER BLACKBOARD IS PROUD TO PARTNER WITH...

EVERY SUNDAY IN JUNE 2014 | PAELLA CLASSES at The Verandah Restaurant Learn how to cook Spanish Paella and tasty Churritos in a hands-on cooking lesson in the Calais Estate Barrel Room with Chef and Owner of The Verandah Restaurant, Ma Dillow. Enjoy a menu of Spanish Iberico Jamon with fresh baked Spanish bread, served with Calais Estate in house made Sparkling Wine, Spanish Paella, served with Sangria and Spanish Churros with chocolate dipping sauce, served with Dessert wine. The cost is $90 per person—for more informa on visit www.verandahrestaurant.com.au

1ST JUNE 2014 | JAMES BLUNT at the Civic Theatre Newcastle | James Blunt shot to fame in 2006 with the smash singles 'You're Beau ful' & 'Goodbye My Lover' from his pla num selling album 'Back to Bedlam', one of the UK's best-selling albums of the 2000's. Bringing a full band with him for the tour and renowned for his charm and grace on stage, Australian audiences will surely be cap vated when he returns for his first visit since 2011, playing songs from his highly an cipated new album as well as a collec on of hits. For more informa on visit ww.civictheatrenewcastle.com.au

1ST—30TH JUNE 2014 |HUNTER VALLEY WINE & FOOD MONTH throughout the Hunter Valley | Hunter Valley Wine & Food Month is a month-long celebra on of the region’s unique culture of fine wine and food. Throughout the month of June, visitors can take part in a series of in mate themed ac vi es that are sure to delight and inspire. And of course, no trip to the Hunter Valley would be complete without a visit to a local winery and sampling a few of the world-class wines from Australia's most historic wine region. For more informa on visit www.winecountry.com.au

EVERY FRIDAY & SATURDAY IN JUNE |STEAK & SHIRAZ MATCHING at Hunter Valley Steakhouse | The Hunter Valley Steakhouse at Mercure Resort Hunter Valley Gardens is offering the perfect steak and Shiraz matching experience from 5-6pm each Friday and Saturday night throughout June. For only $15pp (free when dining a erwards) you will be served samples of different Hunter Valley steaks accompanied by Hunter Valley Shiraz, and we challenge you to iden fy the best match. Aiding in your selec on will be some tas ng notes and, of course, our Chef’s selec on to see how well you do. Bookings are recommended—visit www.mercurehuntervalley.com.au

JUNE 2014 | 3 thb

EDITORS f r o m t h e

HIGHLIGHTS THE TOP 12 THINGS TO DO THIS MONTH It’s Wine & Food Month in the Hunter Valley and a plethora of special events are on offer...

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FROM THE PADDOCK TO THE PLATE | Food Miles...Why do they ma er? If you have a specific interest in food, then you may have heard the term before...now find out why its so important.

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THE INTERNATIONAL BEER CUP | Forget the World Cup and go to the Garden Cellars for their Interna onal Beer Cup in this June! 10

FOUR HUNTER VALLEY CLASSICS | Chardonnay, Semillon, Shiraz and Merlot...up close and personal! 24 CLEAN & GREEN | ORGANIC & BIODYNAMIC WINEMAKING Drama c changes to our planet have changed the way we think about winemaking...

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HUNTER BLACKBOARD MAP | A popular addi on to each and every issue. Use it to find your way around Wine Country...

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June is possibly one of the best month’s to visit the Hunter Valley—it is certainly one of the best month’s to live here! Despite the unseasonably warm weather, it’s s ll chilly enough in the evenings to crank up the open fire and enjoy one of the Hunter Valley classic wines while toas ng one’s toes!

In this issue we look at four of the varie es of wine that the Hunter Valley is perhaps best known for...Semillon, Chardonnay, Shiraz and Merlot. Find out all about the history of each variety, how best (and how long) to keep it, how to match it to your meal and more importantly our top pick for each variety.

June is Wine & Food month in the Hunter Valley and there’s a plethora of special events with a wine & food focus to enjoy. Even our local markets are ge ng into the food & wine swing with a focus on stalls providing related items.

We’ve chosen 12 events to enjoy over this month, ranging from progressive tours & lunches to learning how to create our favourite fare...there’s even breakfast in the air—which is certainly taking Wine & Food month celebra ons to a new

height! Hopefully we’ll get to each and every event over the month and we’ll come out the other end with a few new skills (and some addi onal winter padding!)

June also brings with it the World Cup in Brazil—but who needs that when we’ve got the Interna onal Beer Cup happening right here in the Hunter Valley! Visit the Garden Cellars over the month of June to taste the compe tors and cast your vote!

If you have a specific interest in food, then you may have heard the term “food miles” men oned before now - a term that refers to the distance food has traveled from where it was originally grown to your dinner table (or “from the paddock to the plate”). If you’ve ever grown your own veggies or kept a couple of chickens in the back yard you’ll understand the joy that comes from “growing your own” and in this issue we consider the importance of shopping locally for produce.

Pu ng this issue together has certainly made us all excited about ge ng out there and tas ng the treats on offer...we hope you enjoy it too!