Christmas Supplies

I can't believe it's almost December. Which also means it's almost Christmas. When it comes to Christmas, I tend to do everything at the last minute, but I know there are plenty of people out there that actually engage in some forward thinking. So here's a list of places that are worth checking out if you're looking for a few special items for an amazing Christmas feast. This list is just a start - I'll add more places to the list as it gets closer to Christmas, including Christmas markets.

Bittersweet Chocolate
Too hot to make your own chocolates to enjoy after all the prawns, turkey, cake, wine, etc? Pop into Bittersweet instead for a few chocolates that are sure to end the meal on a winning note.

Tenancy 8, The Barracks
61 Petrie Terrace
Paddington 4064
P - 07 3367 3323
E - info@bittersweetchocolate.com.au
W - http://www.bittersweetchocolate.com.au/

Black Pearl Epicure
For me, Black Pearl Epicure is probably the first place I'd head in Brisbane to pick up ingredients for a memorable Christmas meal. You'll find turkey, ham, duck, caviar, foie gras and truffles amongst their Christmas offerings. If you're looking for inspiration, this is the place to go. You'll find their Christmas order form here - orders close on 4 December 2009.

36 Baxter Street
Fortitude Valley 4006
P - 07 3257 2144
E - showroom@blackpearl.com.au
W - http://blackpearl.com.au/

Brisbane MarketPlace Christmas Twilight Market
The Brisbane MarketPlace at Rocklea will be holding a Christmas Fresh Market on Wednesday 23 December, featuring fresh fruit, vegetables and deli items. The market will run from 2pm to 8pm.

Wednesday 23 December 2009, 2pm to 8pm
Brisbane MarketPlace
Sherwood Road
Rocklea 4108
P - 07 3915 4200
W - http://www.brisbanemarkets.com.au/cms/newsroom/holiday-trading-hours-at-brisbane-marketplace.html

Cru Bar + Cellar
If you can find a park at James Street, it's worth popping in to Cru Bar + Cellar. I'm always impressed with wines I come across at Cru that you just can't buy anywhere else. With Christmas just around the corner, Cru is also very handily placed right next to the James Street Markets.

James Street
Fortitude Valley 4006
P - 3252 1744
E - cellar@crubar.com
W - http://www.crubar.com/

Fair Trade Christmas Market
The Queensland Fair Trade Collective will be holding their Christmas market on the 5th & 6th of December. Although its more of a homewares, toys & jewellery type market, there will be fair trade tea, coffee, chocolate and gift hampers. So you can pop in & pick up some fair trade coffee and also do your Christmas shopping at the same time.

Saturday 5 & Sunday 6 December 2009, 10am to 4pm
Marymac Community Centre
616 Ipswich Road
Annerley 4103
W - http://www.qldfairtrade.org.au/

Kelvin Grove Village Christmas Markets
Peter Hackworth will be running a special Village Christmas market on 23 December 2009, from 4pm to 9pm - with 100 stalls the Village market will be the perfect spot to pick up fresh food & produce for Christmas day.

Wednesday 23 December 2009, 4pm to 9pm
Blamey Street, between Musk Avenue & Victoria Park Road
Kelvin Grove 4059
W - http://www.kgurbanvillage.com.au/news/events/2009/dec/index.shtm?eventnum=2

The Meat-ting Place
If you're looking for a range of organic meat for your Christmas lunch, head over to the Meat-ting Place and get your order in today. A great butcher, who can supply turkey, ham, chicken, duck and pork for your Christmas feast. You'll find their Christmas specials here, and orders must be placed by 12 December 2009.

The Meat-ting place has stores at Paddington and McDowall.
W - http://themeat-tingplace.com.au/

Rosalie Gourmet Market
An excellent deli at Rosalie with a super range of cheese, smallgoods, fruit & veges and general deli items. Rosalie Gourmet Market also includes a bakery and sells a range of kitchenware. Christmas orders close on 14 December 2009, and you'll find the Christmas order form here.

Corner of Nash Street and Baroona Road
Rosalie, Paddington 4064
P - 07 3876 6222
E - admin@rosaliegourmet.com.au
W - http://www.rosaliegourmet.com.au/

Samies Girl
Is your Christmas lunch all about seafood? Samies Girl supplies a huge range of fresh seafood, including prawns, oysters, scallops, mussels, whole fish, fish fillets, crabs, bugs and octopus. Samies Girl doesn't take Christmas orders - they recommend buying your Christmas seafood on the 23rd of December, or you're likely to miss out.

15 Hercules Street
Hamilton 4007
P - 07 3131 4120
W - http://www.samiesgirl.com.au/

Stewarts Wine Co
Stewarts Wine Co have three stores across Brisbane. Every time I walk into one I'm impressed with the range and inevitably end up walking out of the store with a few bottles I've never tried before. They also have a good range of well-priced Champagne, if you're looking for that special bottle for Christmas lunch or dinner.

Stewarts Wine Co stores are located at Ascot, Portside Wharf and the Barracks.
W - http://www.stewartswineco.com.au/

Tognini's
For years Tognini's is where we've headed to pick up a few memorable cheeses to enjoy over Christmas. I'm always impressed by their range of cheese, but they also have a very solid deli selection. Their Christmas offerings include hams, turkey, pate, puddings, Christmas cakes (including gluten free), salmon and a range of salads. You'll find the Tognini's Christmas order form here, and orders must be placed before 21 December 2009.

Tognini's delis are at Milton and Spring Hill.
W - http://www.togninis.com/

Village Meats Rosalie
Village Meats at Rosalie is one of Brisbane's leading butchers, with a quality selection of ham, Bangalow pork, turkey, bacon and hand made sausages.

Shop 2, 155 Baroona Road
Rosalie, Paddington 4064
P - 07 3367 3396

WINE@Era
Although WINE@Era doesn't have a range as big as The Wine Emporium, you'll find some great wines here that you just won't come across anywhere else. I think it's a fantastic selection, with some excellent imported wines. And once you've stocked up on your Christmas tipples, you can pop into Era for a delicious lunch or snack.

102 Melbourne Street (Corner Merivale Street)
South Brisbane 4101
P - 07 3255 2033
W - http://www.erabistro.com.au/index.php?MMID=200

The Wine Emporium
The Wine Emporium may not be the cheapest place to buy wine in Brisbane, but they do have an amazing range of wines from all over Australia and the rest of the world. The staff are friendly and helpful, whether you're looking for a $25 bottle of riesling or a $500 bottle of Champagne.

Shop 47, Emporium
1000 Ann Street
Fortitude Valley 4005
P - 07 3252 1117
E - thevalley@thewineemporium.com.au
W - http://www.thewineemporium.com.au/

Nectar Beer & Wine Specialists

In these days where run of the mill bottleshops like Liquorland & BWS seem to be making an appearance in almost every suburb of Brisbane, I get a real kick out of finding a wine shop that shows a bit of individuality.

Last night I popped into Nectar in West End. It's a pretty small wine/beer shop, but it has a fantastic range. A whole wall is taken up with beers from pretty much everywhere - apparently they stock more than 250 beers. This is definitely the place to visit next time you're wanting to try out a few new brews.

On the wine front, thought has gone into the range, which means there are wines from small vineyards and organic producers. It's great to walk up to a wine fridge and see it full of interesting wines rather than the usual (unimaginative) suspects. I walked out with a bottle of Belgravia sauvignon blanc from Orange for $20. I visited the Belgravia cellar door in Orange a few years ago, but until last night I can't remember ever seeing one of their white wines in a Brisbane wine fridge.

If you're looking for something other than beer or wine, Nectar also stocks French ciders - I'll definitely be going back to try out a few of them.

If only there were more bottleshops in Brisbane like Nectar. Hopefully it will be well supported by all the thirsty West End restaurant patrons.

Nectar Beer & Wine Specialists
114 Boundary Street
West End 4101
P - 07 3846 4655
E - sales@nectarwines.com.au
W - http://www.nectarwines.com.au/

Stewarts Wine Stock Clearance

If you cleaned out your wine stocks with Christmas and New Year celebrations, now is the perfect time to head into Stewarts for their annual wine stock clearance. That means 20% off when you buy 6 bottles of more. There are a few exclusions from the sale, but otherwise it's a great opportunity to pick up a case of wine at prices well below what you'd usually pay.

I popped in to the Ascot store on the weekend, and was lucky enough to pick up a bottle of 2004 Dry River pinot noir, which can be pretty hard to find in Australia. That's one of the reasons why I love shopping at Stewarts, because you usually come across a few bottles of wine that you've probably never tried before.

With the recent opening of their new store at The Barracks at Petrie Terrace, there are now 4 Stewarts outlets across Brisbane.

Stewarts Annual Wine Stock Clearance
W - http://www.stewartswineco.com.au

Christmas Drinks

One of my favourite activities in the lead up to Christmas is finding some great wine to enjoy over the break. If you need some inspiration in tracking down a few special bottles, here are my favourite wine shops in Brisbane:

The Wine Emporium
I'm the first to admit that The Wine Emporium isn't the cheapest place to buy wine in Brisbane, but they have an amazing range of wines from all over Australia and the rest of the world. The staff are friendly and helpful, whether you're looking for a $25 bottle of riesling or a $500 bottle of Champagne.

Shop 47, Emporium
1000 Ann Street
Fortitude Valley 4005
P - 07 3252 1117
E - thevalley@thewineemporium.com.au
W - http://www.thewineemporium.com.au/

WINE@Era
Although WINE@Era doesn't have a range as big as The Wine Emporium, you'll find some great wines here that you just won't come across anywhere else. I think it's a fantastic selection, with some excellent imported wines. And once you've stocked up on your Christmas beverages, you can pop into Era for a delicious lunch or snack.

102 Melbourne Street (Corner Merivale Street)
South Brisbane 4101
P - 07 3255 2033
W - http://www.erabistro.com.au/index.php?MMID=200

Stewarts Wine Co
Stewarts Wine Co have three stores across Brisbane. Every time I walk into one I'm impressed with the range and inevitably end up walking out of the store with a few bottles I've never tried before. They also have a good range of well-priced Champagne, if you're looking for that special bottle for Christmas lunch or dinner. I think that the Stewarts store in the city is the best place to buy wine in the CBD if you're ever in need of a last minute bottle on the way home.

Stewarts Wine Co stores are located at Ascot, Portside Wharf and the City
W - http://www.stewartswineco.com.au/

Champagne Gallery
Champagne Gallery is a Brisbane based website that specialises in Champagne (as you probably guessed by the name). It really has an unsurpassed range of Champagne, including houses like Benard-Pitois, Jose Michel, Veuve Fourny and plenty of others you've probably never come across before. They are still selling a few 1996 vintage Champagnes at reasonable prices, so check out the website if you're after a bottle of bubbles to accompany your prawns or scallops on Christmas day.

W - https://www.champagnegallery.com.au/

Cru Bar + Cellar
If you can find a park at James Street, it's worth popping in to Cru Bar + Cellar. I'm always impressed with wines I come across at Cru that you just can't buy anywhere else. With Christmas just around the corner, Cru is also very handily placed right next to the James Street Markets.

James Street
Fortitude Valley 4006
P - 3252 1744
E - cellar@crubar.com
W - http://www.crubar.com/cellar.html

Dan Murphys
I know Dan Murphys is an enormous Australia-wide chain, but when it comes to great prices, it's hard to go past them. Particularly now summer is in full swing, Dan Murphys is the perfect spot to stock up on all your favourite rieslings, sauvignon blancs and pinot grigios. There are Dan Murphys stores all over Brisbane.

W - http://www.danmurphys.com.au/

Stewarts' Champagne Tastings

If you haven't already noticed, I'm a big fan of champagne. It's great to see more and more champagnes making it to Australia these days, and a few places in Brisbane now have a fantastic selection.

The good people at Stewarts have one of the better selections of Champagne in town. Luckily for all of us, they are putting on a few free champagne tastings in the lead up to Christmas. The tastings will be held at their Portside Wharf store over three Saturdays in December. Here are the wines that will be on offer:

Saturday 6 December 2008
Dom Perignon 2000
Krug Grande Cuvee NV
Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame 1998

Saturday 13 December 2008
Pol Roger Brut Reserve
Pol Roger Brut Vintage
Pol Roger Rose Vintage

Saturday 20 December 2008
Laurent Perrier Non Vintage
Laurent Perrier Rose Non Vintage
Laurent Perrier Brut Millesime 1999

The tasting on Saturday 6 December covers some pretty awesome wines. It's not often anyone gets the chance to try Dom Perignon, Krug & Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame all at the same time, so it will definitely be worth your while to pay a visit. As luck would have it, I'm going to be down the coast.

The tastings start at 2pm. If you're not there at 2pm, there's a good chance you'll miss out on the best champagnes.

Stewarts Wine Co Portside Wharf
Shop 7/39 Hercules Street
Hamilton 4007
P - 07 3216 4444
W - http://www.stewartswineco.com.au/

Wine Emporium Sale

It's not very often that really good wine sales happen in Brisbane. Which is why I rushed in to The Wine Emporium today. The Wine Emporium is having a huge sale that covers wine from just about everywhere. The sale list is 19 pages long, so everyone should find a drop that takes their fancy.

I went for a bit of a splurge on red Burgundy and picked up bottles of Domaine Daniel Rion 2005 Nuits-Saint-Georges "Les Vignes Rondes" 1er Cru, Domaine Daniel Rion 2005 Vosne-Romanee "Les Beaux Monts" 1er Cru and a Faiveley 2005 Nuits-Saint-Georges "Les Damodes" 1er Cru. And seeing as its still winter, I couldn't go past a half bottle of Smith Woodhouse 1994 vintage port.

Although its a "sale", you can only get a list of the wines on sale from The Wine Emporium website. You also have to join up as a member, but that takes about 10 seconds. You'll need to print the list out and take it with you, because none of the wines on sale are marked in the store.

If you need a few bottles to stock up the cellar, you better get in there today or tomorrow. The guys tell me that there were people lined up outside the store this morning before the doors opened, so I don't think there will be much left by Monday.

The Wine Emporium
Shop 47, Emporium
1000 Ann Street
Fortitude Valley 4005
P - 07 3252 1117
E - thevalley@thewineemporium.com.au
W - http://www.thewineemporium.com.au/

The Wine Emporium

I am one of those people that can easily wander around a good wine shop for an hour or so. Unfortunately, Brisbane is now dominated by places like BWS, Liquorland and Vintage Cellars that sell some pretty average wine at very scary prices. I buy most of my wine on-line, simply because it's the cheapest way to buy wine. There are some great wine shops down south, like Winestar, Cloudwine and Boccaccio Cellars, that have fantastic ranges, low prices and deliver to Brisbane for free.

Having said that, there are a couple of really good wine shops in Brisbane that stand out from the predictable supermarket chains. My favourite place to buy a special bottle in Brisbane is at The Wine Emporium. Personally I find the whole Emporium complex a bit pretentious, but every now and again I get dragged along there and always sneak into The Wine Emporium (and end up spending way too much money).

I'm a bit of a Champagne fan, and I think The Wine Emporium has the best selection of Champagne in Brisbane. They have Champagnes from about $40 a bottle upwards, including some that you just can't find anywhere else in Brisbane. Recently I bought a bottle of 1996 Bruno Paillard for about $105. I had it for lunch with some friends at Harvey's (which I'll eventually get to post about) and it was terrific. The 1996 Champagne vintage is regarded as one of the two best vintages in the last century and whenever I see one in a shop, I buy it. I'm yet to be disappointed by a 1996 Champagne and many of them will continue to cellar for another 10 years or so.

If you're not into Champagne, there are French, Spanish, Italian and American wines, together with plenty of local Australian bottles. Walk in here and you'll find loads of bottles that don't even register on a BWS catalogue.

The Wine Emporium has free tastings every Saturday, and the tastings vary from week to week. To give you an idea, this week you can walk in and taste the new release Boireann wines from Stanthorpe (which I think are the best red wines in Queensland), but next week its one of the most famous producers in the world - Louis Latour from Burgundy.

The Wine Emporium also conducts wine education classes, led by the amazing Bernadette O'Shea. Bernadette is probably the leading Champagne authority in Australia, and her passion for Champagne never ceases to amaze me.

Next time you pop into Emporium, make sure you have a look at The Wine Emporium. If you're after a special bottle, or just something different, it won't let you down.

The Wine Emporium
Shop 47, Emporium
1000 Ann Street
Fortitude Valley 4006
P - 07 3252 1117
E - thevalley@thewineemporium.com.au
W - http://www.thewineemporium.com.au/

Boireann Wines

I've been keenly following the improvement in Queensland wines over the last 5 years or so, and we usually go out to Stanthorpe at least once a year for a wine tasting trip.

The winery which is setting the standard for Queensland wine is Boireann. Although they only make a very small amount of wine (about 900 cases a year), the quality is excellent. Not only that, but they are finally getting recognition across the country, with both James Halliday and Max Allen glowing about the wines from their 2007 vintage.

The wines on offer in the 2007 vintage are a Shiraz Cabernet, Shiraz, Mouvedre Shiraz, Mouvedre, The Lurnea (a merlot/cabernet blend), Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Nebbiolo and Barbera.

The other thing about these great wines is their price. The 2007 wines are now available, with the most expensive being only $27. You'll need to get in quick though, as the limited production means they won't be available for long. You'll find an order form on their website. It's also worth paying the cellar door a visit next time you're in Stanthorpe (provided they haven't sold out).

Boireann Wines
26 Donnellys Castle Road
The Summit 4377
P - 07 4683 2194
E - boireannwinery@bigpond.com
W - http://www.boireannwinery.com.au/