Autumnal Team Building Delights At Biota Dining, Bowral.

Autumn sees the harvest of fabulous  kitchen garden produce and what better way to experience it than by joining cooking classes hosted by Biota Dining Owner and Executive Chef James Viles.

From the art of sour dough to salami, plot to plate cuisine  and impressive dinner party menu inclusions, let James and his Biota team host your group for a cooking class. It can be as simple or complex as you like but will be sure to bring the 'Master Chef' competitor out in all of you!

Class times are limited so for more information contact SHCE on   p: 02 4861 5973    e: info@shce.com.au

Need A Cozy Conference Venue this Autumn?

Available for exclusive use , Tree Tops Edwardian Guest House in Bundanoon, is the perfect Autumn hideaway offering a comfortable, warm environment in which to relax , with hosts Karin and Harry ensuring your conference is a seamless and enjoyable one .

This deligtful venue  offers a unique alternative to conventional conferencing….nestled in the heart of a sleepy country village, far from the worries of the working world, delegates will experience an unforgettable getaway with colleagues. The  Guesthouse can accommodate up to 30 people for conferences - 12 in single rooms (4 spa suites and 8 standard ensuite rooms), and 18 in shared accommodation or two bedroom family suites.

All rooms have private facilities. Bedrooms are well furnished, some with antique brass beds or four poster beds. The main living rooms, dining rooms and guest areas of the Guesthouse are comfortably decorated with some antiques and lovely artwork. Only one conference booking is taken at one time, giving you privacy and exclusivity.

There are a number of break-out rooms in the house, and in the garden there are a number of seated private areas.

Other Guest facilities include: Billiard Room- Games area- Log fires in winter- In house massage (by appointment)- Photocopying, fax and computer facilities- Telephone line for computer link up.

Team building activities such as popular Murder Mysteries and Team pursuits in the surrounding scenic outdoors are also available on request.

Rates include all meals , morning and afternoon teas, accommodation, and use of conference room and standard conferencing equipment.

Throughout the months of April and May , take advantage of a 10% reduction in B&B rates for corporate group bookings of two days or more.


For more information contact SHCE on   p: 02 4861 5973    e: info@shce.com.au

Rain Couldn't Dampen Celebrations for Award Winning Wines!

When terrential rain and flood warnings hit the Southern Highlands over the weekend , regretably the inaugural  Dan Murphy's Australian Highlands Food and Wine Festival 2012 was forced to literally take a 'rain check' until 2013.

Behind closed doors however, sheltered from the storms, nothing could dampen the announcement of the results of The 2012 Dan Murphy's Australian Highlands Wine Show at a Gala dinner on Friday night, following two days of intense judging and tastings at the industry only event.

Much to the delight of the local Food and Wine industry , Southern Highlands winery Tertini Wines scooped the pool of the major awards winning Best Wine in Show for their Tertini 2008 Riesling which also won Best White Wine in Show, and  their  Tertini 2009 Pinot Noir winning Best Red Wine in show.

Over 200 wines from across Australia’s highest altitude wine regions were judged against each other by a panel of 6 judges including Nick Bulleid, Huon Hooke and Christain Gaffey. The Southern Highlands confirmed their increasing reputation as a premium cool climate wine region, taking out 6 of the 9 trophies awarded on the night.

Major Trophy results were;

Best Wine in Show – Tertini 2008 Riesling

Best Red Wine in Show – Tertini 2009 Pinot Noir

Best White Wine in Show – Tertini 2008 Riesling

Best Chardonnay in Show – Cherry Tree Hill 2009 Reserve Diana Chardonnay

Best Riesling in Show – Tertini 2008 Riesling

Best Pinot Noir in Show – Tertini 2009 Pinot Noir

Best Cabernet Sauvignon in Show – Freeman Vineyards 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon

Best Shiraz in Show – Z4 2009 Shiraz

Best Red Wine Blend in Show – Robert Stein 2009 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz

Chairman of Judges Nick Bulleid commented on the very high standard of all gold medal winning wines, as well as the major trophy results confirming other recent wine show results for the winning wines.

Chief Steward and wine show organiser Mark Bourne commented that “The Inaugural Dan Murphy’s Highlands Wine Show, based on wines grown above 500m in altitude, has proved an outstanding success and is looking forward to future shows with increasing entries from across Australia’s highest altitude wine regions”

Full results will be posted on the wine show website www.australianhighlandswineshow.com.au

For more information and to purchase Tertinis award winning wines visit: www.tertiniwines.com.au

Ella’s Holiday To Hit The Right Note At The Dan Murphy’s Australian Highlands Food and Wine Festival 2012.

Popular local band Ella’s Holiday will set the tone  for a fabulous food and Wine Festival as they entertain the masses with their acclaimed smooth Jazz , Blues and Soul Tunes.

The band is not short of exceptional talent either!

Lou, the lead vocalist has worked with the likes of Glen Cambell, Fleetwood Mac and renowned music industry identity Geoff Harvey.. With vocals that have Jazz enthusiasts swooning, even Barry Humphries was stopped in his tracks and offered his kind compliments recently!

Noel on piano, vocals and songwriter Is a true genius on keyboards. Currently writing for the band he was recently chosen to accompany legendary Little Pattie for performances in Canberra; no rehearsal was needed as Noels talents led the way!

Dave on drums studied with jazz great Mel Lewis and Australian drummer Alan Turnbull. He has played and performed throughout Australia since 1975 and currently teaches drums in several schools and at Power Point music Bowral.

So if you are a fan of Sinatra, Krall, Gardot , Peroux and Geyer, you will love Ella’s Holiday. Don’t miss them!

 Dan Murphy’s Australian Highlands Food and Wine Festival 2012

Saturday 3^rd  March 10am – 6pm & Sunday 4^th March 9am – 4pm

Bong Bong Picnic Race Course , Kangaloon Rd , Bowral

More Vineyards Putting The 'Wine' Into The Dan Murphy's Australian Highlands Food and Wine Festival.

Cuttaway Hill Wines : the family owned Cuttaway Hill Wines is cradled in the cool climate wine region of the Southern Highlands and owned and operated by the Bourne family on the outskirts of Mittagong and Bowral.

All vineyard sites are at an altitude above 550m and predominantly north-facing, providing good sunlight exposure for most of the daylight hours. Traditional harvest dates for this premium cool climate region are generally mid March through to mid May.

Cuttaway Hill wines are made entirely from grapes grown in the Southern Highlands and each vineyard provides a unique character that gives the wine lover a true taste of the Southern Highlands in a glass and its national and international award winning wines are building a strong reputation among wine connoisseurs.

Cuttaway Hill's range of premium quality table wines artfully blend traditional and new world wine styles and include classic varieties that are full flavoured and combine cool climate complexity and wide appeal to represent the unique terroir that is the Southern Highlands and Cuttaway Hill.

Wines of note: 2004 Lawrence Sparkling Cabernet Sauvignon, 2006 & 2008 Chardonnay, 2008 & 2009 Sauvignon Blanc.

Diamond Creek Estate : Established in 1997, Diamond Creek Estate is an award winning family owned and operated vineyard and olive grove.

Diamond Creek Estate is situated on the northern slopes of Mittagong, around 120 kms south of Sydney.

The property for many years was dairy country, enjoys rich basalt soil, northern sun and although at an altitude of 680 metres, it has a unique topography, which leaves it relatively immune from frost. This creates an ideal microclimate for cultivating premium quality, cool climate wine grapes and the finest olives for extra virgin olive oil.

The vineyard occupies around 15 acres and a similar area is dedicated to olive trees.

The vines are subject to intensive management for improvement, hand pruned and leaf-plucked as required. They are personally tended, cropped for optimised yields to produce premium quality cool climate wine grapes. Diamond Creek Estate Wines are produced only from estate grown grapes.

Wines of note: 2006 Noble Diamond Botrytis, 2006 Diamond Creek Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Farago Hill Wines was established by Ricardo Farago and Katrina Hill in Canyonleigh .The vineyard was planted in 2003 with the intention to produce wine equal in quality to that of the best Pinot Gris regions in Europe.

 Following planting, high caliber, viticultural practices were implemented, including minimal irrigation and constant hand tending of the vines.

Five years later, the combination of the terroir, which has been compared by experts to that of the best Gris regions in France, the micro-climate and hard work has produced an excellent wine that they are very proud of.  The result is due to a combination of nature, their experienced consultant, and an outstanding winemaker, Suzanne Little, who has a long list of top wines to her name, including the Reserve range of Rosemount Estate.

Wine of note : The 2008 George Ellis Pinot Gris , the first public release and it, together with subsequent releases have been met with accolades.

Glenfion Wines: is a family owned boutique vineyard based in Canyonleigh. A partnership between Laird, Jenny and Andy Stewart making wines of distinctive character that are a true expression of the environment in which they grow.

Wine of note: The 2008 Mongrol Block  100% Shiraz.

For tickets  visit www.australianhighlandswineshow.com.au.

For further details contact:

Southern Highlands Corporate Events on p: 02 4861 5973 e: info@shce.com.au