08 April 2012
TRAINING YOUR PALATE # 1(d): DON'T SMOKE
07 April 2012
NEW ANSELM VAN ROOD EXHIBITION
The venerable Anselm van Rood is one of DRINKSTER's favourite masters of fine line and the shape and colour of space. We have the honour of opening his new exhibition at artimagesgallery at 32 The Parade Norwood on Friday 13th at 6pm. So put the sharpest sheen on those peepers, polish up the plastic and get down. They'd make stunning wine labels, but I want to wear them! To relish Anselm's work in detail, click this. That's Still Life With Yellow Fan (2011) above, and Still Life With Babette's Jug # 1 (2010) below. Both are acrylic on paper on panel.
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05 April 2012
RAU GOES SOFT ON HIS DEVELOPMENT BAN
A day of breath-taking nonsense: Planning Minister John Rau laying down the law whilst advising us last year that the hated and totally inappropriate Seaford Heights development would proceed on priceless agricultural land in the gateway to the McLaren Vale vignoble. As a sweetener, that day he announced a development moratorium which he has now softened, suggesting this was in response to community feelings.
Now it's time for the Minister to respond to the feelings of the McLaren Vale community, who have ably demonstrated their opposition to the Seaford Heights development.
Releasing this nonsense on the eve of Easter is about as good as doing it on Christmas Eve. Nobody home. You get away with it. Photo Philip White
PRESS RELEASE - TEXT VERBATIM
From Hon John Rau, Deputy Premier, Attorney-General, Minister for Planning and Minister for Business Services and Consumers - Thursday 5th April 2012
CHANGES TO PROTECTION REGIME
FOR BAROSSA AND McLAREN VALE
Planning Minister John Rau today introduced a new interim Development Plan Amendment (DPA) to protect the Barossa and McLaren Vale districts from urban sprawl.
Mr Rau said the new DPA – which contains planning rules for the districts – provided revised controls to protect the districts in response to community concerns about overly restricted development in the former interim DPA.
“It is vital that we put in place measures which protect the integrity and culture of the Barossa and McLaren Vale,” Mr Rau said.“Last year we took quick and decisive action to protect these unique areas from inappropriate development and urban sprawl with the introduction of an interim DPA.
“I have listened to local council and community feedback and am taking further action that will allow appropriate development activities to occur in the protection districts.“This is a positive step forward for the community, particularly those in the agricultural and primary production industries who will benefit from this new arrangement.”
The interim DPA will ease some of the restrictive development requirements introduced last year, while still maintaining protection from urban sprawl.
Mr Rau said two new Bills – to be introduced to Parliament today – would allow councils to refine the planning rules for their areas.
Importantly, the Bills and interim DPA will retain appropriate controls on land division for residential purposes and new housing in rural areas.
Measures being taken as part of the DPA enable:
• Development that would be reasonably expected to occur within the townships.
• Housing on allotments already designated for rural living, subject to appropriate design measures.
• Development that supports primary production.
Mr Rau said it had been a challenge to get the right balance for these important tourism, winemaking and agricultural areas."I believe that through the introduction of this new DPA, we can continue supporting economic growth in the Barossa and McLaren Vale and deliver an excellent interim solution for the community,” Mr Rau said.
The interim DPA will be subject to a new period of formal consultation with the community, led by the independent Development Policy Advisory Committee (DPAC).
Anyone who made a written submission on the previous interim DPA will be invited to make a new submission.
ENDS
Tractor Action photographs of the October 2010 community demo opposing Seaford Heights both by James Hook. Lorraine Rosenberg (below), the fiercely pro-development Mayor of Onkaparinga, which includes much of the McLaren Vale vignoble, supported Constellation Wines' replacement of the 1841 John Reynell vineyard with intensive ghetto-like housing, and has long supported the Seaford Heights development.
The new Rau plan will "allow councils to refine the planning rules for their areas".
YEARLINGS TO PLAY VALE CRU ON PIAZZA
DRINKSTER can think of nothing better than sippin with The Yearlings when they play at Vale Cru's twilight tasting on the Piazza delle Vale on Sunday 15th. (The new piazza's in the main street of McLaren Vale, opposite Blessed Cheese and Fall From Grace.) The Yearlings, the favourite troubadours of The Vales (they live here) are just back from their US tour with heaps of new stuff. Laura Jackson photographed them on Seaford Heights; the Yangarra winery shot is by Milton Wordley. Their music will be a vast improvement on the geology speech made at the first Vale Cru show at The Victory!
Hit the Vale Cru website for details and tickets. Whitey's rock sermon photographed by James Hook of Lazy Ballerina. Andrew Jefford must be in there somewhere ...
DEAD SEPPELTS TO PLAY WYNDHAM ESTATE
These are NOT the beautiful vineyards at their Wyndham Estate Hunter winery.
This is Seppeltsfield, in the Barossa.
Not only is the Barossa in another state, but Seppeltsfield belongs to somebody else, and those vines in the foreground belong to whatever's left of what used to be BRL-Hardy.
Along the lines of the great E&E Shiraz which was supposed to come from the two Elmores' blocks at Ebenezer but very quickly didn't because the bastards wouldn't pay the worth money for the Elmores' precious dry-grown ancient vine fruit, etc etc ...
As Seppeltsfield looks like being the stand-in for Wyndham Estate at the above champagne fixture, DRINKSTER wonders who'll be filling the roles of Farrugia, Prero, Barricelli and di Toro - the Dead Seppelts?
You can see the roof of the Seppelt mausoleum amongst the trees on the horizon ... there's another snap of it below ... I never noticed too much in the way of this type of tombstone ever being built for any of the Wyndhams or McGuigans in the Hunter ... Tyrrells either for that matter... French winemakers don't seem so big on such imperial internment ... it's certainly not the style of the Pernod or Ricard families ...
04 April 2012
AGENT ORANGE: THE 2012 CHILLI PASTE
Bhut jolokia (the Ghost), with Scottish Bonnets, Habanero (two sorts), various types of Bird's Eyes and whatever, plus as many types of fresh garlic as you can get, barring that execrable crap from China ... 
... shred em in the blender ...
... after you've covered it in oil, let the blended paste cool and settle for a few hours before bottling ... if you can't keep it in the fridge, you'll be safer pasteurising the paste after bottling ... a small jar lasts a long time ... call me ... only joking ... photos of Whitey and turmeric by the grower of these chillies, Annika Berlingieri (pictured) the wood oven pizza Satanika/St Annika of Settlement Wines ... all other photos by Philip White (thanks Struick for the St Petersberg Museum shirt) ... the chilli paste recipe is an evolving thing coming like a soprano sax solo from unthinking lungs ... every photograph natural light ... and the paste? Half life 1.6 trillion years?
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