Bites

Those familiar with Margaret River’s food scene will know that Clairault Wines can do more than a decent bottle on wine, with its restaurant ranking among the best in the region.

So it is with some excitement that executive chef Luke Clarke has announced another of his nights of indulgence, with the scheduling of a degustation event on September 2.

A passionate advocate of local produce, Mr Clarke plans to use Albany oysters, Margaret River venison and some kervella cheese to create his six-course feast, paired with some of Clairault’s most impressive back vintages.

But don’t panic if you can’t make it. Another degustation is planned for November 18 in conjunction with the annual Margaret River Wine Festival.

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Still down south, The Margaret River Chocolate Company has seized on university research out of the US suggesting that hot cocoa should be considered as a ‘super drink’ because of its antioxidant properties.

In light of the news, the successful WA-based company, with production facilities in Margaret River and the Swan Valley, will introduce two new products to its range – a 70 per cent dark chocolate and super-premium European cocoa powder.

The company has invested six months researching which cocoa-based products to launch, eventually choosing a dark chocolate sourced solely from Ghana in West Africa.

The product is rich in flavonoids, compounds which are used to calculate the prevalence of antioxidants.

With red wine thought of as the darling of the antioxidant brigade, what better place to produce a healthy chocolate than in the middle of wine country? Cocoa sweetens the deal and has almost twice the antioxidants of red wine.

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Old Kent River Wines continue to forge a remarkable reputation for one of the wine industry’s quiet achievers, the Frankland River.

On August 27, the winery will present its latest vintage at The Ragged Robin Restaurant in York. Included in the release will be the much anticipated 2002 Reserve Pinot Noir.

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The next long weekend may only be a few weeks away, but if you simply cannot wait that long, your answer may be the Capes Long Lunch.

Organised as a mini food and wine tour-de-force, the chartered trip features tastes from Lamonts, Amberley Estate, Clairault, AbbeyVale Vineyard and Happs.

A circuit from Busselton to Dunsborough and Yallingup between the stops will no doubt prove that the journey is more important than the destination, but there is even a discounted ticketing arrangement for the hapless skippers among us.