Drink!

A subject dear to many expats' hearts. Read up on some of the best of Bacchanalian beverage here!

A Taste of Australian Wine - Barossa Valley: "...In the Barossa they take all those many hours of sunshine and clean air and turn it into wine, all flavour, ripeness and health in a bottle. Many of the wines are made not for deep thinking and considering, but for enjoying. They are fun wines, upfront, tasty and enjoyable, made to be slurped down with good food and good friends." Gavin Trott of the Australian Wine Centre describes the Barossa Valley - heartland of Australia's wine production.
A Taste of Australian Wine - Cabernet Sauvignon: "Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's finest red wine grapes. From Bordeaux to California and increasingly in Italy and even Chile, Cabernet makes great red wines. Australia is no exception, making great Cabernet in Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and the Hunter Valley." Gavin Trott of the Australian Wine Centre gives a guided tour round Australia's best Cab Sauv vineyards.
A Taste of Australian Wine - Muscats and Tokays: "The complex flavours, the length, the age and the mouthfilling qualities of these wines put Bordeaux, Burgundy, indeed most other wines other than perhaps vintage ports and Madeira to shame." Gavin Trott of the Australian Wine Centre declares a personal bias in favour of some truly exceptional wines.
A Taste of Australian Wine - Riesling: "Riesling is the grape most associated with Germany, where the best examples of it are stunning, world class wines. Here in Australia we are probably the only other country to give this fabulous grape the care and attention it deserves." Gavin Trott of the Australian Wine Centre reviews perhaps the most underrated of white wine grapes.
A Taste of Australian Wine - Shiraz: "...Shiraz is the best and best known red wine of Australia. It is the most widely grown red grape variety, grown in almost all regions, and makes the most recognised Australian wines in the world market such as Grange and Henschke Hill of Grace amongst others. In addition it is used in blends with many other grapes, as well as being used extensively in the fortified wines of Australia, most notably our vintage port styles." Gavin Trott of the Australian Wine Centre looks at the grape which lies at the heart of so many great Aussie reds.
A Taste of Australian Wine - Sparkling Reds: "Imagine tilting an empty glass and pouring... down the side runs a frothy liquid, vivid purple in colour with violet and purple froth. Roaring out of the glass comes the smell of blackcurrants, blackberries, chocolate, cherries, strawberries and more." Derided thirty years ago, Aussie sparkling reds have since come into their own. Gavin Trott of the Australian Wine Centre reports.
Belgium's Great Beers: "There are two food items that Belgium gives to the world which are probably unsurpassed anywhere. One of them is chocolates. The other, of course, is beer. The English and the Germans may think that their beer's something to brag about, but when it comes to variety and quality, you'd be hard pushed to beat the Belgians..." Dave has a slurp of some of Belgium's great beers.