Now you have the love..

Dr. Dutt Dutt Dutton

So I was looking through some crap on the net today and actually found something quite interesting for Australian Luxury Goods,

DUTTON DIRECT!! http://www.duttondirect.com/


If you someone have the money to afford anything on this website, you can indulge in travel, aviation, fine wine, nice cars.

All the things I adore, particularly travel.

Yet if you're just a regular Melburnian muppet like me, its nice to just have a "skwizz" as my rather classy mother would put it and just keep on dreaming.

Work more, play more....as some douchebag said.

Seek & You Shall Find

So I've been rather busy lately with work which has given me more than enough time to be thinking laterally when it come's to business ideas.

I'm still unsure of what to do, yet I know one day I want to own my own business. The prospect of being involved with wine and luxury goods is exciting, yet living in Australia there is no real mass market to work from.

Which made me think about Hong Kong, most of everyone's wealth seems to be about power and status, which is absolutely fine. It's how Europe Monarch's (particularly Englands) have distributed their power and wealth over all these centuries.

However I'm still unsure of what to call the business or what to do exactly. Certain things spring to mind such as "Trading Company" with some sort of cool name attached. Like the East India Trading Company, just one of the many English private enterprise's of the 18th/19th century. These have always fascinated me.

It excites me with the idea of being able to do an auction site like Sotheby's, yet more personal and for bigger clients. As one day I'd love to land a job with Louis Vuitton Group as a Communications/VIP person who deals with brand management of the big champagne houses.

I had an idea of being a businessman who offer's to find rare australian and international wines that are hard to come by and do the work for them by searching out for this wine. This would be perfect for wealthy Hong Kong and European business as of course, they would rather be spending their time minding their business'.

If the opportunity ever came one day, I'd surely grab with both hands, I'm quite sick of doing shift work as a Sommelier, the wine's great but the hours our lazy, yet the rewards so far could never have been greater.

Hopefully something comes up soon, wish me luck and pass on my number next time you speak to your multi-millionaire Hong Kong cousin who loves his Grange.

Salute!

Canary Islands

Summery Daysss

The Dapper Lads of Fantastic Mr Fox

All of you should know about the books of Roald Dahl, the ingenious children's literature genius/author. He's the one who gave us the great's such as Charlie and the Chocolate factory, The Big Friendly Giant, Revolting Rhymes and of course my favourite - FANTASTIC MR FOX. Such a sly dapper little fox.

Now, a very fond director of mine Mr Wes Anderson has recreated Mr Fox in film (see trailer below). He's created quite a lot of funny quirky films. Most notably Darjeeling Limited, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquitic and now Fantasic Mr Fox. All o Wes Anderson's films all seem to have a real sophistication to them. Whether it's what his character's are wearing in the film or the awkwardness of some scene's & character's in his films. Whatever it is, I actually like. I'm particularly fond of those printed luggage cases in Darjeeling Limited.






With all Wes Anderson film's comes some classily dressed men and women. See below George Clooney with gorgeous new girlfriend Elisabetta Canalis, Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman all putting a classy take on the traditional black tie look at the world premiere in London. Both Felecity and Sophie Dahl were both present at the world premiere also. So exited to see this film. For some reason the actors and the classiness of the film just reminds me of international luxury and VIPs.

Here's to old Roald Dahl, thankyou for giving me imagination

Lorenzo Galli l'Erudito

So, I opened my emails the other day to find that someone had put my name down to compete in the l'Erudito essay competition run by Lorenzo Galli Estate.

The competition consists of an essay with a three different questions to choose from. The best 12 submissions get offered a place at a two-day masterclass in January - on italian wine's no doubt. The dux of the two-day masterclass then wins a $10, 000 paid trip to Italy, to be completed within the year end.

Due to the fact I just haven't had the time to complete a 1500 word essay on prolific italian varietal winemaker's in Australia! You can only assume I haven't entered for the two-day masterclass, with the competition ending date being Friday 15th October (tomorrow).

There's also he fact I'd be competing with people of the same calibre as Sally Humble, Culter & Co. Sommelier and last year's dux. Which I'm more than likely not so ready for.

Nonetheless I look forward to counting down the days until next year's competition (sarcastic/cringeworthy outloud laughter followed).

Wish me luck!

Giesen Wine Tasting

Now I know I haven't posted lately and I DID say that I would do it regularly. But I've just been so busy with work and Uni that I really haven't had the time. So I do apologise to all of my loverrrly readers.

So, about three weeks ago at work, my boss - Mr Mark Bailley, Head Somme at the Botanical, declared that I would be "wine stewarding", I guess you could say, at the Giesen Wine Dinner.

The Host for the evening, who was to provide the wines, was David Le Mire MW (left), owner/operator of Vino Pronto and La Linea Wines. The food of course was to be prepared by new Head Chef Paul Cooper (former Sous Chef to Shane Osborne at Pied-a-Terre London).

As you could imagine I was absolutely packing my dacks as new owner Chris Morris, of Colonial Leisure Group (also owner of Computershare), Head Somme Mark and General Manager Ian Rayner were all sitting on the wine dinner.

The dinner consisted of four courses, each course with a wine flight. The first two course had three white wines (all Sauvignon Blanc) for each course and the last two courses had two red wines (all Pinot Noir) for each course.

Unfortunately, I have since lost the sheet detailing each course and the wine's with the wine flight. I can safely say though that there were four Giesen Wine's, the Sauv Blanc, The Brother's Sauv Blanc, Pinot Noir and The Brother's Pinot Noir - all drinking extremely right now. However, my pick of the bunch was the Ata Rangi Pinot we had to substitute because one of the red's (Domaine Chevalier) was corked.

What also should be noted is I accidently poured the Brother's Pinot Noir in the third course flight when it was meant to be in the fourth course flight. The result being I had to take back and replace 8 glasses, resulting in an extremely red face on my part.

However it was an extremely good night, I got the chat to David LeMire and a couple of the blokes from Negociants wines. I'm looking forward to stewarding the next wine dinner, minus the embarassment's.

Again & Again Virus

Dirty Little Secrets

Young Teenage Love

Slow sloww drive

And at the end of a good night...

How I Feel on my way to going out

The Sound of the Sun Coming Out

Birds & the Bee's

I was in at university the other day and thought I needed something cheap and easy to spice up my room.

I remembered that I'd passed this different type of florist on Flinders Lane, adequately named "Pollon", in the city numerous times (right next door to Alphaville). Pollon is designed and owned by designer/florist-to-the-stars, Nicholas Minton Connell. This time I thought I'd go in and have a peek as to what they actually sold and found some of the most refreshing floral decorations I've ever seen in my life (without trying to sound too gay - please note that I'm not gay).

I straight away bought a bunch of pussy willows and blossoms (basically big long twigs with blossoms sprouting of them). I may have looked like a complete twit walking from Flinders Lane to the station and sitting on the train with my new bunch o' twigs, however it was all worth the while after seeing them in my room, and I strongly suggest that anyone looking to brighten up their room should go have a look.

Nick's designs are also the closest to what you'll get, in Melbourne, in comparison to Helena Christensen's & Lief Sigersen's floral design store BUTIK (situated in NYC). At $30 a bunch it's seriously worth a look for anyone who's happy to have a different sort of artistic material in their house/room.

To taste or not to taste

Well after starting two weeks ago at my new job at the Botanical Restaurant, as Assistant Sommelier, I had my first wine tasting with my new bosses - Head Somme & Beverages Manager of the Botanical complex.

It was at the Hilton Hotel (quite an ugly old building) on the Monday passed and was quite an event run by the Fine Wine Partners brand.

There were quite a few wineries present, the most notable of the fourty represented wineries being the By Farr winery, Innocent Bystander, Tappanappa Winery and some suprisingly delicious unkown italians.

My tiple of choice for the event was a Moscato made by a producer called Gavi, which tasted almost like caramelised apples & pears, bringing me back to the days when I actually enjoyed apple pie.

I also met budding new Sommelier Sally Humble of Melbourne's & Andrew O'Connell's famed Cutler & Co (picture below). If your looking for a night to lash out and certainly break the bank, in quite the opposite of areas, then do try it. I will be making my way there soon I can assure you.

Je suis ooo la laaa baby

And for those who bat for the other team baby...

Where the world comes to meet..en film

Happy kids a good kid