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Alicia meeting up with Master Butcher John Harbour and Cheesemaker Nardia Baxter-Keene from Goldfields Farmhouse Cheese, before this Sunday's Taste Ballarat Food&Wine Expo.

Taste, Ballarat

A great weekend ahead with the Ballarat Wine Show, and the Taste, Ballarat exhibition on Sunday.

The Wine Show keeps getting better every year, with more producers, and better booze each time.

So this year, it's our first entry into our local show. Johnno is no stranger to the wine show scene, in both a judging and exhibiting role, but it might be interesting this year with his name on the label!

Anyhoo, it promises to be a great weekend, and for all of you in the 'Rat on Sunday, there will be the Taste Ballarat exhibition at the showgrounds. The best food and wine from around our district will be showcased from 10am - 4pm.

If I were you I'd be scoping out a bit of Johnny Harbour's wagyu beef, and perhaps a bit of Goldfields Cheese to go with our Mitchell Harris tasting...

TASTE BALLARAT

SUNDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2009. 10am - 4pm

BALLARAT SHOWGROUNDS

CRESWICK RD, BALLARAT

Mitchell Harris - finally available in Ballarat

It's been long enough coming, but finally Mitchell Harris Wines are available in our home town of Ballarat.

Drop into Campanas on the corner of Mair and Armstrong Sts, where all three of our wines are available, along with heaps of other top booze. (and some pretty wicked deli treats, too!)

Cheers Ballarat

H&M

Young Guns of Wine: What does it take to be a GUN?

Thanks to some much-appreciated tickets from Ed Charles at the Tomatom blog, we were lucky enough this Sunday to head along to the 3rd Young Guns of Wine awards at Carousel in Albert Park. The brainchild of Rory Kent, these awards celebrate fun, irreverence and originality in winemaking. This is the way our industry should be looking, despite what the high-trousered bow-tie brigade might think. Rory and the team put on a spectacular night, with some great wines from the YGOW nominees, Food and Desire nosh and some cool beats to eat and drink by.

The Awards were dished out by Nick Stock and Max Allen, and continued the cool theme. Adam Foster from Syrahmi was the People's Choice as voted at events throughout the weekend, then it was the enfant terrible of Aussie winemaking, Colin McBryde who took out "The Big Gun" as the YGOW.

Well deserved, the man with plenty of art all over his arms has created a brilliant arty brand in Some Young Punks that are well worth checking out. We indulged in the Monsters Attack riesling on the night, and a tight flinty little monster it is. He is also the winemaker at Adelina in Clare too.

Anyhoo, a top night, top food, top booze. And hopefully a glimpse of a cool future for Aussie wine.

The Age Epicure Review - Mitchell Harris Pyrenees Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

After a winter of our Cabernet being snapped up into restaurants all over town, we've finally hit the broadsheets with its first press review in today's (21st July 2009) Epicure section of The Age.

We're rapt with the review by Ralph Kyte-Powell, albeit they put the wrong bottle shot (!) next to it!

For those of you sticklers who want to see the REAL BOTTLE here 'tis...

Mitchell Harris Pyrenees Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 $20-$22

Made using organically grown grapes from Victoria's Pyrenees, the experience of John Harris in Victorian wineries shows. Blackcurrant, mulberry, dark chocolate and light minty aromas. The medium-bodied palate has silky texture, subtle savoury flavour and fine-grained tannins.

(13.5 per cent alcohol; screw cap)

Ageing? Drink over four years.

Food ideas Lamb cutlets; Vietnamese mint-wrapped beef.

Stockists include King & Godfree, Carlton; Decanters by the Bay, Port Melbourne

4.5 Stars, $$$

Not bad really, eh? Could probably go some of that Vietnamese mint-wrapped beef tonight actually...

The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon is disappearing pretty quickly now, but you can still pick some up at our retailers, or join or mailing list for special prices on the entire MH range. Drop us an email here.

The tasting notes are available on the Mitchell Harris website by clicking here.

Mitchell Harris Footy Limerick 2nd Instalment

In theatre with scalpel and stitch

with Craig as my gas-passing bitch

I sew up those Caesars

with delicate tweezers

to pay for my "Harry and Mitch"


-Patrick Moloney

An average footy tipster like me

Needs this chance to get a bottle of MH wine for free

A limerick? No prob

I’ll get right on the job

And look forward to toasting the Cats winning spree

There once was a couple of couples

Who liked footy tipping and drinking bottles of bubbles

“Let’s make our own to put on the table”

And so was born the Mitchell Harris label

The wine that’ll make happiness of all of your troubles

Here is my last offering of a verse

Unfortunately, they are quickly getting worse

Which is not like MH wine -

That stuff becomes finer with time

And will quench any footy tipster’s thirst

-Jen Absalom

Here we are, it is round nine,
After all my trying, I think it's about time
Oh, wouldn't it be great
If I could pick eight
And the old man could win the wine.

-Ian Mitchell

MH Footy Tipping Limericks!

Yep, the Mitchell Harris Mate vs Mate Footy Tipping comp has our MAY LIMERICK CHALLENGE going!

A sample of the first week's work:

Two thousand and nine is a tipster's nightmare,
Results each week go the shape of a pear,
A drop of Mitchell Harris red eases the pain,
of punters going insane,
and cat fans who are too smug to bear. - Watto

There once was a tipper called Jan,

She was Didak's no 1 fan.

As the pies began to slide

To her wine-maker she did confide,

Mitchell Harris, full forward, is the plan. -Jan

There's a lot more things to football,
Than one would ever think,
There are blokes running round in pouring rain,
When they could be having a drink?
Me, I like Mitchell, the wine that gives me voice,
When you line them up together, 
Well, do you have a choice?

Go to the footy,
Drink Mitchell's wine,
Don't get too cocky,
Or step out of line.
It's only been decades,
Since my last flag,
Mitchell Harris is my winner,
Of that I do brag! - Helen

So there you go, can you tipsters beat any of those?? You have this week to go. Best poet collects the booze!

Mitchell Harris hits the town!

So, we've made it to the big city. And to one of the coolest restaurant/bars around at the moment too. This week the Mitchell Harris 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon has been taken up by the good folk at Seamstress, in Lonsdale St. A dead cool little spot if ever there was one, and we're absolutely stoked to have Seamstress be our first on-premises release in the CBD.

So, next time you hit the town, call in and have a glass or three to beat the winter chill.

Egg Yolk Ravioli and Mitchell Harris Sauvignon Blanc - a perfect match?

The tasting bench was christened in fine style over the Easter weekend with -you guessed it- an egg dish. This one was put together by Shannyn from a ripper recipe from Philip Johnson's E'cco Bistro cookbook. 

The egg yolk ravioli with asparagus, truffle oil and parmesan recipe can be found here, and well worth a crack at. 

Out of the fridge came the 2008 Mitchell Harris Pyrenees Sauvignon Blanc, and we were all rapt with the way it married textures with the dish. Its nutty, fumé notes complemented the range of flavours, rather than smacking it with the big fruit stick like some other savvies around. 

Fiddly, but not difficult, have a crack at the egg-rav the next time you're trying to impress. You could definitely do worse than the MH Sauvignon Blanc to wash it down with, too!