MELBOURNE & COWRA SHOW WIN

6 new medals - Koonara picked up 1 silver (yay) and 3 bronze, and 1 silver at Melbourne & 1 Bronze at Cowra -  but then we always get bronze, so no biggie.
http://www.koonara.com/news.htm

Photo Comp:
Last chance to win 5 cases of Koonara: send us your best photo, and it needs to be better than this one by Mark Gosse which is winning at the moment!
Send them to dru@koonara.com to wine 5 cases of whatever you like, worth up to $1,500.

 
Ben & Lisa getting married with Koonara wines

Keep your ear out:

Our Koonara team may call you for a special Christmas phone deal we're offering...

Email me to add your friends and go into the draw to win a dozen unreleased Ambriel's Gift 2004 (Don't forget to let them know you're doing it)
dru@koonara.com

Koonara Vino Report

 To view online click: http://koonara.com/2008nov.htm

Paradise wedding
Nicole and I went to friends Liv Dienhoff and Mark Gowans wedding in Vanuatu recently. A perfect day, with a spot of snorkelling in the morning, and the happy couple getting hitched later that afternoon - all on a tiny little island in the middle of Port Villa Bay.

Walking down the isle to the sound of the conch

Mark, Liv, the Conch & a big smoocheroo - all done with a beer in hand. Nice.

Tiny dancer (check the point of those toes on Prima ballerina)

The recently engaged Shannon and Ned


Where's Wally: Karen, Wes & Richo the peanut

Sal White working hard to post a letter

More photos click HERE

Wine Quoteth: Lees:
The deposits of dead or residual yeast which fall to the bottom of a barrel of wine after fermentation and aging. In some wines (like chardonnay) this can be stirred regularly to give the wine a "yeasty" (think fresh apple pie crust) or creamy texture to it. Sur lie: Literally translates from the French as 'on lees'.



Word of the month:  PEPPIER (peph ee ay') n.
The waiter at a fancy restaurant whose sole purpose seems to be walking around asking diners if they want fresh ground pepper from a ridiculously large grinder.


 

Justin & Simone Kain
More perfect weather (read: drought - again) for this day out at the Coonawarra racecourse. They managed to turn the betting ring into the most amazing venue for a reception. Everyone dressed in their finest racing attire and we even stopped to see a horse race (The Bride's father's horse was racing that day, so the live footage blended well into his speech.)

The blushing bride

Sally, Alice, Dunc, & Kirsty


My beautiful wife Nicole (hiding her bump well) and Fiona testing the dress up photo booth (early)


Pretty much the whole wedding testing the dress up booth (later)

More Photos Click HERE
 

Cooking with MacGyver:
Wam Bamboo Steamer
Place a piece of green bamboo diagonally above a fire. The bamboo is perforated from within (between the joints) and water is placed in the lowest bamboo segment. Food (e.g. rice) is then placed in the top segment which is steamed due to the water evaporating (because of the fire) in the lowest segment.

Is there anything he doesn't know?


Bar Joke of the month:
A neutron walks into a bar. "I'd like a beer" he says.
The bartender promptly serves up a beer.
"How much will that be?" asks the neutron.
"For you?" replies the bartender, "no charge".

Yup. Think about it.
Have you ever lent someone $20 and never seen that person again?
It was probably worth it.


Competition - Worst Baby names
Winners of the worst boy and girl name:

Girl:
"Hortense"  - Jane Bolding

Runner up: 
" 'La-a' - pronounced 'Ladasha'." - Liv, Midwife

Boy:
NAFAN, it's meant to be Nathan but the dad couldn't say "th", hence Nafan. They didn't even get it when I said they could tart it up with a "ph". - Liv, Midwife

Runners Up:

• "I know a woman who named her son Brandy Alexander since he was conceived after a hard night on the spirits." - Lynda Rodgers.
   

• "Skylab. Its a boys name and has been used. And yes it is the first name." - Dave Ryding
   
• True Story - A Dr (Nick's sisters husbands brother) delivered.....wait for it....Dwayne Pipe." - Tash Malani
   
• "Tymon – Simon with a lisp?" - Rachelle Werner
   

• "Boab! - yes it is a tree but there is also a kid running around Darwin by this name" - Kelly Menadue

Thanks to all - there were some classics.





Wine Deal of the month:
Christmas party special:
Buy any 4 cases of wine - get one free!
Marking the release of our brand new bubbles - The Guardian Angel - and our Aged reserve, Ambriel's Gift Cabernet Sauvignon 2002, we want you to snap it up for you Christmas parties.
Just order 4 cases and we will give you ANOTHER case of wine FREE from your selection!

Order HERE or call (08) 8737 3222 for phone orders

Up- coming events:

Coonawarra Cup - Thursday January 8th
Biggest day in the racing calendar, come on down an enjoy a day at the races drinking all types of Coonawarra Wine and Coopers Beer. Visit www.coonawarra.org for more information
 

The ultimate dinner party:
All advice on recipes warmly welcome HERE

Barbecued steak with black olive tapenade butter Serves: 4 Preparation Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 8 minutes Ingredients 4   steaks (see tips)     BLACK OLIVE TAPENADE BUTTER 90 g   softened butter     small clove garlic, finely crushed 2 tbsp   black olive tapenade 1 tbsp   chopped black olives     fresh thyme leaves Method 1.   Brush the steaks lightly with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Preheat the barbecue flat-plate or char-grill plate to hot before adding the steaks. 2.   Cook on one side until the first sign of moisture appears. Turn steaks once only. Test the steaks for degree of doneness with tongs. Rare is soft, medium feels springy and well done is very firm. 3.   Remove steaks from heat, loosely cover with foil and rest steaks for 2 to 4 minutes before serving. Serve steaks with a small dollop of Black olive tapenade butter. 4.   Black olive tapenade butter: Combine butter and garlic in a small bowl. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Add tapenade, olives and thyme leaves. Mix with a spatula until smooth. Tip: Best beef cuts for barbecuing: fillet/tenderloin, rib eye/scotch fillet, sirloin/porterhouse/New York, T-bone, rump. DAVID GRAY - A THOUSAND MILES BEHIND Not a huge fan of the previous album, but this man live gives me Goosebumps. This album features Dave doing a host of his favourite covers. Standout tracks: I Think It's Going To Rain Today Streets of Philadelphia (Bruce Springsteen) Long Black Veil www.davidgray.com http://au.youtube.com/user/TheRealDavidGray

Te-Aro Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 - $25 I've rated wines before from these guys, and they keep getting better, with his one picking up a Trophy at the Barossa Wine show. A new very snazzy label to match the snazzy product in the bottle. http://www.te-aroestate.com Koonara Reserve Ambriel's Gift Museum Release 2002 - $30 Just released! Having been in a temperature controlled warehouse for the last 4 years, it is ready. Earthy and aged to perfection, this price is going up in 1 week, so get your skates on to order HERE. Money back guarantee - you don't like it, send it back, we'll replace it free of charge, plus throw in an extra bottle to cover your freight.     http://koonara.com/ourwines.html

"Here's to a long life and a merry one.
A quick death and an easy one.
A pretty girl and an honest one.
A fine wine -  and another one."

Dru Reschke
Koonara Coonawarra Wines
O: (+61) (0)8 8737 3222
M: (+61) (0)408 101177
F: (+61) (0)8 8737 3220
dru@koonara.com
www.koonara.com
Box 5 Coonawarra
South Australia 5263



Silver  medal - SA Tourism awards
"One of the smallest & best wineries (in Coonawarra) is Koonara - A highlight and a must to check out."
- Ray Jordan, The West Australian