FOOD TRENDS FOR 2016

IS SMALLER BETTER?

The No.1 magazine for visitors to Hunter Valley Wine Country

B L A C K B O A R D

JANUARY 2016 | ISSUE #107

WINES OF OUR TIMEMustTry

Summer

TUESDAY 26TH JANUARY | AUSTRALIA DAY CELEBRATIONS | Civic Centre, Singleton | Celebrate Australia Day 2016 in Singleton with markets and entertainment on the Civic Centre Green and the Australia Day Citizenship Ceremony at the Civic Centre. Live performances will be held celebrating a mix of cultures and styles and there will be a variety of market stalls and food stalls operating throughout the day, including craft, clothing and a variety of other interesting wares. Food stalls will offer a delicious choice of healthy food options. For more information visit www.singleton.nsw.gov.au

2ND - 26TH JANUARY | MEGA CREATURES | Hunter Valley Gardens Do your kids love all things creepy crawly? Or maybe they are fascinated by prehistoric predators? During the January school holidays, Hunter Valley Gardens will become home to Mega Creatures! See giant animatronic Mega Bugs such as beetles, centipedes, cicadas and snails and the brand new Mega Dinosaurs including a T-Rex, Stegosaurus, Triceratops and loads more. The Mega Creatures event is run in conjunction with the Christmas Lights Spectacular and is open from 9am - 4pm and 6.30pm - 1pm every day. Discover the world of Mega Creatures by taking advantage of two family friendly events for the price of one. For more information visit www.hvg.com.au

15TH TO 24TH JANUARY | CIRQUE DU SOLEIL - QUIDAM | Newcastle Entertainment Centre | Since premiering under the Big Top in Montreal in 1996, Quidam has captivated millions of people across five continents. The show invites you into a world more exotic than your wildest imagination; a dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment brought to life around the globe by 1300 artists hailing from more than 50 different countries. And for 10 days, that world will be brought to life when Cirque du Soleil stage 11 shows of Quidam at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre. To purchase tickets visit www.ticketek.com.au

SUNDAY 10TH JANUARY | HI-5 SUMMER SONGFEST | Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley | Come and party with Hi-5 these school holidays with their brand new show Hi-5 Summer Songfest! The whole Hi-5 team will host an exclusive performance at Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley that will bring laughter and enjoyment to the whole family. This Songfest extravaganza will include all your favourite Hi-5 songs so get your dancing shoes ready to groove to Hi-5 hits like It’s a Party, Underwater Discovery and L.O.V.E. For more information visit www.crowneplazahuntervalley.com.au

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FRIDAY 29TH JANUARY | CINEMA UNDER THE STARS | Allan Bull Reserve, Singleton | Newcastle Permanent's Cinema Under the Stars is Australia’s largest regional outdoor cinema program and entry is FREE! So gather your friends and family together to relax with a picnic as the sun sets over Allan Bull Reserve and the screen lights up for ‘Home’! The night begins at 5.30pm with a fantastic line-up of entertainment including the energetic Matt Zarb, who will have everyone up and dancing before the movie screening at sundown. For more information visit www.newcastlepermanent.com.au/cinema

FOR YOUR DIARYJanuary

WANT MORE? Keep up to date with events in the Hunter by visiting www.huntervalleyonline.com.authb 2 | JANUARY 2016

UNTIL TUESDAY 26TH JANUARY | CHRISTMAS LIGHTS SPECTACULAR | Hunter Valley Gardens | Every year Hunter Valley Gardens bring thousands of families together to celebrate the magic of Christmas at the Christmas Lights Spectacular. Open every night with over 1.5 million Christmas lights on show throughout designated areas of the Hunter Valley Gardens. With sound and light displays, live entertainment, food and beverages available for purchase on site, this is an event for all ages. For more information and tickets visit www.hvg.com.au

thb 3 | JANUARY 2016

Dine at the divine Circa 1876 until the 31st of January 2016 with our brilliant two course special. For only $65 per

person you will be treated to two unique courses and a glass of house wine per person. Sumptuous, delicious dishes at

an exceptional price!

Our own bees supply bush honey, free range chickens offer up our eggs each day, and a lush, bountiful kitchen garden is lovingly tended to by Chefs with a passion for presenting you

produce that comes light on carbon footprint and high on flavour.

Sink into the rich soil of Circa 1876 and transport yourself you to a truly

exceptional dining experience.

Bookings are essential: info@circa1876.com or (02) 4998 4998

64 Halls Road, Pokolbin NSW 2320www.theconventhuntervalley.com

H U N T E R V A L L E Y

Summer is now well and truly upon us and as always, Hunter Valley Gardens swing into action with fun outdoor activities for the kids. Do your kids love all things creepy crawly? Or maybe they are fascinated by prehistoric predators? During the January school holidays, Hunter Valley Gardens will become home to Mega Creatures when they host the biggest display of animatronic bugs and dinosaurs in Australia. Of course, the Christmas Lights Spectacular continues until the 26th of January as well - so you can enjoy two events for the price of one!

This months "Summer Issue" of The Hunter Blackboard is also full of the things we like to do most of at this time of the year and that is celebrate, eat great food and drink superb wines. Get adventurous and try out a few different and delectable wine varieties. Although they may be the new kids on the Hunter block – they may just be the next wine trends of 2016.

Speaking of trends, we also look at food trends that will tempt the palates of food lovers in 2016. Crank up the BBQ, stop by the shops for some seaweed and don’t forget to share – these are all major trends for the coming year.

Nothing says "Summer" quite like ice cream and if your tastebuds are set to ice cream "connoisseur" status then you will not be disappointed by our 5 Scoops of Summer tour of the Hunter Valley.

Of course, this is the Hunter Valley – so you will need to be prepared for drinking wine with your ice cream delight!

Typically the domain of the family kitchen table, shared dishes, or divvy dishes, are becoming a popular way of eating at some of the most sophisticated restaurants in Australia and chefs throughout the country are embracing this trend by introducing tapas style menus and offerings. Find out why in this issue.

We also look at the increasingly popular variety – Viognier. A wine like no other, Viognier has, in a relatively short period of time, become the choice of drinkers and growers alike. The last decade has seen a massive increase in Viognier production throughout the world and is currently considered a real challenger to Chardonnay.

Finally, in this issue we find out about Ken and Gwen Sloan – owners of Mistletoe Winery. They are certainly living the dream and creating some of the region’s most awarded and talked about wines from their 5.5 hectare vineyard on Hermitage Road in Pokolbin.

Enjoy!

FROM THE EDITORS

ContentsARE WE A NATION OF COFFEE SNOBS?Is this simply misguided patriotism, outright coffee snobbery or is there something really special about Australian coffee?

MUST TRY WINES OF OUR TIMEThese wine varieties you may have never tried or maybe even never heard of. These relatively new wine varieties to the Hunter Valley will change the way you think about wine…

2016 FOOD TRENDSKale, quinoa and coconut water are so 2015! We take a look at what food trends will be dominating the food scene in 2016.

HUNTER BLACKBOARD MAPThe Hunter Blackboard’s handy guide to finding your way around Wine Country…

A COOL WAY TO EAT THIS SUMMER Share plates or tapas style menus are undeniably the coolest way to eat this summer…

JOURNEY TO THE HUNTER VALLEYKen and Gwen Sloan, owners of Mistletoe Winery, are living the dream creating award-winning wines, but it was a long journey for the Sloan Family to make their way to the Hunter Valley.

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