Millie Archer

First thing Monday morning I'm heading to the Registrar of Births, Marriages & Deaths & changing my surname to Archer. It seems yet another Aussie Archer is experiencing great success with a bonza product. Not only is brand French Essence attaining world dominance faster than you can say ' Blog Superétoiles' than another Archer makes their mark.

Chris Archer is a well-known Aussie winemaker now living in New Zealand. He's created a cheeky non-vintage carbonated Riesling called Ritzling. He suggests drinking it with a twist of lemon & viola you have what the clever Mr. Archer calls a blend of 'pure happiness'.

Ritzling comes in a four-pack of 250ml. bottles & just check out that exquisite packaging. I'm sure Madame V. Archer would give it her tactiturn approval & may even want to add it to Shop French Essence.

So after what's been an extremely average week, I reckon come Monday & the name change, big things are in store for moi. I see a stunning farmhouse in the idyllic French countryside, an olive grove & a big book deal on the horizon - bring it on!! And Vicki if you read this post, I reckon you & I need to open a bottle or 3 of your relative's product for quality control purposes. It's the weekend, so go enjoy!

Clive O. Said So.....

Dear South Australian Tourism Commission & the Adelaide Hills Regional Development Board

In an interview 10 days ago with Ellen Degeneres to promote his latest movie 'The Boys are Back' Clive Owen described the Adelaide Hills (where a good part of the movie was filmed) as '....so stunningly beautiful, that part of the world' & '....it's amazing, there's such a sense of space & wildlife, it's really stunning, you should go.'

Since then, the silence from you mob has been deafening. You guys need to grasp hold of Clive's fantastic unsolicited endorsement immediately & run with it at lightening speed in your promotion of our wonderful Region to the rest of the world. If I don't see any evidence of that very soon, then I may be forced to enact a bloodless coup at your next Meeting. A take over as Marketing Manager & maybe even Chairman, is on the cards here. And as MOTH calls me his 'Little Pirhana Fish', that thought alone should galvanize you into immediate action to avoid the infamous Millie Death Stare around the Board Room table!!! MOTH reckons it can freeze boiling water in a second, so be very afraid.

Oh & as I come from the Private Sector, I'm used to getting things done pronto & with a minimum of fuss. No Committees, Sub-Committees & Sub-Committes of Sub Committees as so aften occurs in the good old Public Sector. I'm sure there are no politics, no hidden agendas, no factional in-fighting & no self-grandisement within your Organizations, but just in case I get a whiff of such nonsense, be prepared for some whip-cracking Millie-style. I deliver what I promise.

Apart from being renown as Australia's premier cool climate wine region, the Adelaide Hills has sooooo much going for it.We know we live in one of the most spectacular regions in Australia & we're ever so friendly & welcome visitors & tourists with open arms. You've been given an amazing opportunity, so please, please, please do as you are mandated & promote us until you can promote no more. 'Cos Clive said so!

Regards
Millie (A very passionate & parochial local - all fired up & hot under the collar!)

So my friends, can I tempt you with ......

Mt. Lofty House at Crafers - accommodation in an elegant Country House

Apple Tree Cottage at Oakbank for a wonderful stay in a stylish country cottage

Cladich Pavillions at Aldgate for a striking modern Aussie experience & all fully self-contained

Henry's at Basket Range - life in an apple orchard, the house is all yours

Breakfast amongst the trees on the deck at another of Cladich Pavilions fab houses

Panoramic vistas of glorious countryside dotted with our amazing cold climate vineyards

and more vineyards

A meander down back country roads dotted with lush green dairy properties

And a picnic high on the hill overlooking Apple Tree Cottage

A round of golf at Mt. Lofty - but you may need to step around the wildlife on the Course

Lunch on the deck of one of Australia's most acclaimed (& my favourite!) restaurants Bridgewater Mill at Bridgewater is an absolute must

Or dine inside & experience impeccable service in elegant surrounds

Mr. Gorgeous Himself aka Chef Le Tu Thai conjures up magical dishes using local Adelaide Hills produce

And of course all enjoyed with a bottle or three of the restaurant's flagship Petaluma white

A long leisurely lunch at The Lane Vineyard Restaurant at Hahndorf is a must

But do enjoy a glass of Helen & John Edward' s fabulous wine in the tasting area before moving into the snazzy dining room

The restaurant's elevated setting let's you take in the the stunning views of The Lane's vineyards while enjoying your meal

And what about rounding off the day with a pint at my local Pub The Stirling Hotel just around the corner from Casa Millie de MOTH

And of course, dinner back at the Pub in the evening to enjoy the great food in MOTH's favourite eatery, the Mallee Room Grill
A relaxing lunch the next day on the verandah at the Norton Summit Hotel And a late afternoon glass in the sun of one of my favourite Savvy Blanc's at Shaw & Smith Wander over to see Kris at Woodside Cheese who produces wonderful artisanal cheeses like this
and this
and this
and this

And a slight diversion over to the little village of Summertown to pick up some yummy chocolates from Just Bliss

I could a full week of posts on the many fantastic attractions of my Adelaide Hills. All contained within a compact 70 kilometre area, & only a 30 minute drive from the Adelaide Airport - I hope to see you all really soon!!! Oh & to the SATC & AHRDB - GET CRACKING the clock's ticking!!!!

Image1,2: Flickr BrentMid Image3: Adelaide Hills Country Cottages Image4,6: Cladich Pavilions Image5,19: Bishops Image7: The Age Image8,9,10,11,12,21: Please Take Me To Image13,15: Bridgewater Mill Image14: Lifestyle Image16,17,18: AGFG Image20: The Stirling Hotel Images22,23: Shaw & Smith Image23,24,25,26: Woodside Cheeses Image27: Just Bliss

Label Love

Contrary to popular belief, I'm not a complicated person. In fact if you want to make me really, really happy you only need to drop me off outside 2 stores - a book shop or a wine store. Give me unlimited time & a few dollars & I'll emerge in a euphoric state, my little purchases tucked under my arm & a grin from ear to ear.

I also love great design, design that's clever, a little quirky, tells a story & sells a product. I recently read a fab article from Wine Business describing the process behind the design of a wine label. If you're interested in knowing what drives design in wine labelling, this article is well worth the read.

I do however, abhor wine snobbery, there's no place for it ever, ever, ever. There are a number of great Antipodean winemakers who can be described without fear or favour as larrikins. They add wonderful dimesion & balance to the world of wine, god bless them. They will not hesitate to call someone a Wine Wanker if they deserve it & nor will I.

These days I tend toward the quirky on the Wine Shop shelves to grab my initial attention. Not that I'll be swayed to trade good content for a creative label, but often it will influence me more than a boring, staid label that's done it's time. So here are a few of my current faves, interestingly mainly South Australian wines because we have one of the best Graphic Agencies in the whole wide world, Mash Design here in Adelaide. If you've found something wonderfully quirky & clever in your wine store lurkings, please tell me.

These 3 are from Shinas Estate . The Guilty is a Shiraz, The Innocent a Viognier & The Verdict a Cab. Sav. The Owner/Winemaker is a Magistrate Judge.

The next 3 come from the outstanding Killibinbin Winery in McLaren Vale. The main US distributor of Killibinbin was always referring to these as being 'Killer' wines, so this 'Killer' comment became the impetus for the packaging of this series of wines. The theme was enlarged using graphics from old horror flicks and their gruesome killing scenes. There is the 'Stranglehold' Cab. Sav., 'Bloodcurdling Scream' Shiraz & 'Killer Hand' Red Blend.

Then there's the fabulous 'Return of the Living Red' from Redhead Wine Studio in McLaren Vale. This label was designed for the top end of their fine wine range. As this Red is non-vintage it has no age (the 2 grape varieties coming from different vintages).This was a complex fine wine, a mysterious and intriguing wine. To compliment this, Mash Design developed a concept to create a small packet envelope containing missing and/or suppressed crime files implying the existence of the living dead in and around the vineyards. With use of disturbing illustrations and fascinating old photos on a toothy uncoated paper the concept was bought to life. A slip knot with old twine and a deep red wax dipped bottle went with the old crime file folder.

A barrel monkey is the Australian equivalent of California’s cellar rat - ' one who drags hoses or pushes barrels in winery'.... the distinguishing features include a purple tongue & stained red hands. This Shiraz was produced by a group of moonlighting barrel monkeys using the equipment at Redhead Studios in McLaren Vale.

The highly-acclaimed Lazy Ballerina Shiraz Viognier from McLaren Vale is named after the viticultural term. It refers to the common trellising effect that a wine grapevine is grown on in Australia.

I love the 'Bins' range! According to Dieline 'It started out as a cheeky concept based on many Australian wines (Penfolds in particular) who use the specific 'bin' number to identify their wines. The Design Agency used the fact that in the U.K bins are usually associated with refuse or garbage & then twisted the concept by taking photos of regular garbage bins outside houses in the U.K. As is quite common, householders paint their respective house number on their bin to identify it as theirs. Bin 15a is obviously a flat.'

Image 1: Madwine Images 2,3,4: Shinas Estate Images 5,6,7,8,9,10: Mash Designs Image 11: Sam's Wines Image 12: Lazy Ballerina Image 13: The Dieline