Introducing ... Regan Drew your local Tassie Gourmand!

G’day There,

My name is Regan Drew and if you're lucky enough to be part of the upcoming Tassie Gourmand tour, we'll get to know each other well, but if not, here's a little bit about me and Tassie.

I worked in bars, bottleshops, nightclubs and pubs for around 13 years in Tasmania from the mid 1990s. Then I landed a real day job in Sydney, but I could never shake the association with quality wine. I undertook Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) Level 3 Award studies and passed with Distinction, have been an Associate Judge for the Citi New South Wine Awards in 2013, been a Steward/Assoc Judge for the Royal Sydney Wine Show. The academic side is fine, but I love the agricultural aspect and had a couple of stints helping out in the Hunter Valley during vintage with Andrew Thomas of Thomas Wines. After being exposed to all this good wine, I've contributed writing wine review content for Cracka Wines and Sunshine Coast based wine hub The Grapehunter. After starting my own blog, vinonotebook.com, I was invited to be the "Weekend Magazine" wine columnist for the APN ARM stable of newspapers, with a readership of over 500,000.

Lakiesha Mundy

December 21, 2015

Adelaide Hills, David Bowley, Drink Local, Drinking, Insight, South Australia, Taste-E, Tasting, Vineyards, Vinteloper, Wine, Wine dinner, Wine Facts, Wine Region, Winemaker

Hiding behind a mask. Wine varieties by another name.

Lakiesha Mundy

December 21, 2015

Adelaide Hills, David Bowley, Drink Local, Drinking, Insight, South Australia, Taste-E, Tasting, Vineyards, Vinteloper, Wine, Wine dinner, Wine Facts, Wine Region, Winemaker

In show business, names are as interchangeable as romantic partners. Reginald Kenneth Dwight? Try Elton John. Chaim Witz? That's Gene Simmons. And Norma Jean Mortensen? Marilyn Monroe. Let's not even start talking about Prince.

Did you know in the world of wine names can be interchangeable too? It's usually geographical, but sometimes just to mess with you, there's more then a few Norma Jean's on the shelves of your local bottle shop or on a wine list, moonlighting as Ms Munroe.

Made in Mudgee

Words by Gregor Stronach I received an invitation a couple of weeks ago, by email – and it took me all of about 20 seconds of frantically stabbing at my keyboard to type “Yes please, of course, I would love to be there, it sounds amazing!” to lock in my seat at the Crow Bar for the Made in Mudgee event on August 25.

How to UnWINEd on a Friday Night...

"Sumptuous food with complimentary wine choices. A fun, relaxing and educational evening." - Matt Slee, Tulloch Wines

TGIF! After a long week, there is nothing better than settling in with a glass of wine... Our guests at The ArtHouse Hotel were lucky enough to do just that last Friday!

Lounging on the Chesterfields with a Tulloch Cuvee in their hand, our guests were well and truly “UnWINEd”ing into their weekend. As the last guest arrived and the last of the bubbles disappeared... our first “UnWINEd” dinner began.

Lakiesha Mundy

July 2, 2015

Asia, Bars, Cocktails, Drink Local, Drinking, Food, Foodie, Healthy Eating, HK, Hong Kong, International, Tourist, Wine

Going Bonkas in Honkas... an adventure fuelled by cocktails and food!

Lakiesha Mundy

July 2, 2015

Asia, Bars, Cocktails, Drink Local, Drinking, Food, Foodie, Healthy Eating, HK, Hong Kong, International, Tourist, Wine

Travel while you're young and able. Don't worry about the money, just make it work. Experience is far more valuable than money will ever be. - Anonymous

Functioning purely off excitement and adrenalin I stood in the middle of Hong Kong Airport - I did it, I'm here.

With a few ticks off the bucket list already that day, I couldn't wait to start a week of new experiences!

A night of indulgence... with life's guilty pleasures...

Wine was breathing, cheese bubbling on the stove and you could faintly see your breath in the air when you spoke... yes, Winter was here and so was the Fondue Feast! As the last candle was lit, the first guests started to filter in up the stairs...

Falling in love with Orange is something worth 'raven' about...

The bubbles are poured and guests slowly start to trickle in.. the murmur of conversation thickens with each person and soon enough the room is a buzz with eager diners ready to "Fall in love with Orange".

The first wine of the night is the NV Cuvee of Printhie's sparkling range Swift. It is an easy to drink sparkling and pairs nicely to the two canapé courses of Baked Polenta, whipped cream cheese and basil pesto followed by the Cocktail Potatoes filled with crispy bacon, garlic mayonnaise and chives.

Lakiesha Mundy

March 11, 2015

Cheese, Date Night, Fine Dining, Midweek Dinner, Sydney, Taste-E, Uncategorized, Week Night Dinners, Wine, Wine dinner, Woollahra

Fromage a Trois ... My Top Three Cheese Boards in Sydney

Lakiesha Mundy

March 11, 2015

Cheese, Date Night, Fine Dining, Midweek Dinner, Sydney, Taste-E, Uncategorized, Week Night Dinners, Wine, Wine dinner, Woollahra

As the "go to" girl for cheese recommendations and advice with my family and friends, I thought it was high time I posted up my top 3 cheese and wine locations in Sydney.

Although I am no stranger to the cosy night at home with a generous cheese board and a bottle (or if you know me well... two, or three of red) with a friend - I love to venture out and try something new.

Having been to pretty much every cheese selling establishment in Sydney, I have narrowed it down to just three...

Lakiesha Mundy

October 10, 2014

Cheese, Fine Dining, Guillaume, Mudgee, Paddington, Sydney, Truffle, Week Night Dinners, Wine

Guillaume - elegant, refined and well worth the wait...

Lakiesha Mundy

October 10, 2014

Cheese, Fine Dining, Guillaume, Mudgee, Paddington, Sydney, Truffle, Week Night Dinners, Wine

As eagerly anticipated by Guillaume and his team as it has been by diners! I finally set aside a night to experience it for myself!

The website was yet to launch, so the excitement about the menu was the topic of discussion in the cab ride over...

"What do you think he'll keep from Bennelong?" "Ohh I hope the Tuna is still on the menu!!" "Can't wait... so hungry!!"

With rumbling tummies and the 9 months of waiting... 'we couldn't wait', is an understatement.

Lakiesha Mundy

August 5, 2014

Cheese, FoodPath, Ilawarra Prime Alpaca, Li Sun Exotic Mushrooms, Small Cow Farm, Southern Highlands, Sydney, Taste-E, Tertini Wines, The Far North, Truffle, Turramurra, Week Night Dinners, Wine, Wine dinner, Wine Region

Alpaca, truffle, shimeji... all discovered along "a foodie trail through the Southern Highlands"...

Lakiesha Mundy

August 5, 2014

Cheese, FoodPath, Ilawarra Prime Alpaca, Li Sun Exotic Mushrooms, Small Cow Farm, Southern Highlands, Sydney, Taste-E, Tertini Wines, The Far North, Truffle, Turramurra, Week Night Dinners, Wine, Wine dinner, Wine Region

The smell of freshly baked bread wafts around the room... as the Tertini 2009 Sparkling Cuvee Pinot Noir Chardonnay is being poured. A wintery night, reminiscent of my drive down to the Southern Highlands just a few weeks ago... you could faintly make out your breath as you spoke..