Latest news with #CullenWines
West Australian
3 days ago
- Business
- West Australian
Cullen Wines: WA winery cracks top 10 in The Real Review's 2025 Top Wineries of Australia list
South West winery Cullen Wines has followed up its impressive 2024 by cracking The Real Review's top 10 wine producers of Australia in consecutive years. A leading wine authority, the outlet awarded the Wilyabrup-based operation out of Margaret River 9th place in the revered list. Vanya Cullen, Managing Director of Cullen Wines, reflected on her standing as a pioneering winemaker in a region of renowned producers. 'I'm incredibly honoured and humbled to be included in the top 10 — waving the flag for Margaret River, but also for sustainability, which sits at the core of Cullen Wines and is so vital to our industry as a whole,' she said. WA's next best performers were Cherubino Wines at number 31, and L.A.S. Vino at 36 — with the later also boasting a rosé named as a finalist for Rosé Wine of the Year. Scraping into the top 50 were Flametree at 47, and Moss Wood at 48. Unsurprisingly, more than 60 per cent of the State's top performers hailed from Margaret River. 'It's wonderful to see so many family-run wineries taking out top spots!' Ms Cullen added. Cullen Wines proudly claims to be Australia's first carbon neutral organic biodynamic winery. As one of just three nominees for Vigneron of the Year, the esteemed managing director said it was 'really special to see the love and energy we pour into the land recognised'. With Victoria boasting nine of the top 20 wineries, Geelong's Wine by Farr claimed the crown for the second time in four years. The win marked the State's fifth consecutive list topper, known primarily for its Pinot Noir and Chardonnay varieties. Rankings were determined by an expert panel who assessed almost 15,000 wines. A total of 414 producers were awarded a Top Wineries Certificate, which equates to almost 15 per cent of Australia's 2700-odd wineries.
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Business
- Perth Now
WA winery cracks top 10 of renowned Aus list
South West winery Cullen Wines has followed up its impressive 2024 by cracking The Real Review's top 10 wine producers of Australia in consecutive years. A leading wine authority, the outlet awarded the Wilyabrup-based operation out of Margaret River 9th place in the revered list. Vanya Cullen, Managing Director of Cullen Wines, reflected on her standing as a pioneering winemaker in a region of renowned producers. 'I'm incredibly honoured and humbled to be included in the top 10 — waving the flag for Margaret River, but also for sustainability, which sits at the core of Cullen Wines and is so vital to our industry as a whole,' she said. WA's next best performers were Cherubino Wines at number 31, and L.A.S. Vino at 36 — with the later also boasting a rosé named as a finalist for Rosé Wine of the Year. Scraping into the top 50 were Flametree at 47, and Moss Wood at 48. Unsurprisingly, more than 60 per cent of the State's top performers hailed from Margaret River. Manging Director Vanya Cullen of Cullen Wines. Credit: Cullen Wines 'It's wonderful to see so many family-run wineries taking out top spots!' Ms Cullen added. Cullen Wines proudly claims to be Australia's first carbon neutral organic biodynamic winery. As one of just three nominees for Vigneron of the Year, the esteemed managing director said it was 'really special to see the love and energy we pour into the land recognised'. With Victoria boasting nine of the top 20 wineries, Geelong's Wine by Farr claimed the crown for the second time in four years. Cullen Wines in Wilyabrup, Margaret River. Credit: Cullen Wines The win marked the State's fifth consecutive list topper, known primarily for its Pinot Noir and Chardonnay varieties. Rankings were determined by an expert panel who assessed almost 15,000 wines. A total of 414 producers were awarded a Top Wineries Certificate, which equates to almost 15 per cent of Australia's 2700-odd wineries.
The Age
4 days ago
- Business
- The Age
Pioneering spirit: this longstanding cellar door remains a key Margaret River address
Some people spell 'Willyabrup' the traditional way with two Ls. Others write it with just one L. Everyone, however, agrees that Willyabrup was where this one-time dairy hub began its transformation to food and wine Valhalla following the planting of the region's first commercial vineyards in the late '60s by, among others, doctors Kevin Cullen and the aforementioned Tom Cullity. So begins the story of Margaret River wine. So begin the stories of, respectively, Cullen Wines and Vasse Felix. While Kevin's daughter Vanya oversees Cullen's day-to-day, Vasse was bought by the Holmes à Court family in 1987 and looks very much like a showpiece cellar door managed by an organisation with deep pockets. Admired from afar, its two-storey stone-and-timber digs are a picture of pastoral, '80s-era country living. Inside though, the sleek ground-floor tasting room – all clean of line and dark of lighting – betrays an interest in contemporary, clean-cut design. Upstairs, the first-floor restaurant is beautified with equally modern accents – think black steel, sharp angles and a muted palette – yet natural light aplenty, a soaring vaulted ceiling plus the chance to enjoy lunch overlooking the good doctor's original plantings serve as reminders that you're in the country and that this is where the opening chapter of Margaret River's wine story unfolded. The layered, globetrotting cooking, however, looks and tastes unmistakably now. A salty, puffy 'flatbread' calls to mind the savoury anpan doughnuts found at Japanese convenience stores, yet the pickled mussels, fennel and sweet-cooked onion piled atop are distinctly Nordic. There's a similar east-meets-west groove to the tartare of diced kangaroo bound in a gutsy Korean fermented chilli sauce and moulded onto a grilled rice cake of pleasing crunch and chew: think of it as sushi for discerning UFC bros.
Sydney Morning Herald
4 days ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Pioneering spirit: this longstanding cellar door remains a key Margaret River address
Some people spell 'Willyabrup' the traditional way with two Ls. Others write it with just one L. Everyone, however, agrees that Willyabrup was where this one-time dairy hub began its transformation to food and wine Valhalla following the planting of the region's first commercial vineyards in the late '60s by, among others, doctors Kevin Cullen and the aforementioned Tom Cullity. So begins the story of Margaret River wine. So begin the stories of, respectively, Cullen Wines and Vasse Felix. While Kevin's daughter Vanya oversees Cullen's day-to-day, Vasse was bought by the Holmes à Court family in 1987 and looks very much like a showpiece cellar door managed by an organisation with deep pockets. Admired from afar, its two-storey stone-and-timber digs are a picture of pastoral, '80s-era country living. Inside though, the sleek ground-floor tasting room – all clean of line and dark of lighting – betrays an interest in contemporary, clean-cut design. Upstairs, the first-floor restaurant is beautified with equally modern accents – think black steel, sharp angles and a muted palette – yet natural light aplenty, a soaring vaulted ceiling plus the chance to enjoy lunch overlooking the good doctor's original plantings serve as reminders that you're in the country and that this is where the opening chapter of Margaret River's wine story unfolded. The layered, globetrotting cooking, however, looks and tastes unmistakably now. A salty, puffy 'flatbread' calls to mind the savoury anpan doughnuts found at Japanese convenience stores, yet the pickled mussels, fennel and sweet-cooked onion piled atop are distinctly Nordic. There's a similar east-meets-west groove to the tartare of diced kangaroo bound in a gutsy Korean fermented chilli sauce and moulded onto a grilled rice cake of pleasing crunch and chew: think of it as sushi for discerning UFC bros.
Sky News AU
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News AU
'Outrageously good': Celebrity chef Nigella Lawson loses her mind over $19 sandwich at little-known Sydney deli
Celebrity chef Nigella Lawson has officially crowned what she believes to be the best sandwich in Sydney. The British food icon, 65, took to Instagram on Tuesday to wax lyrical about a $19 creation from Smalls Deli in Surry Hills, known simply as the 'Toto'. "I've been in Sydney for a while now, and so it was past time for my customary pilgrimage to @smallsdeli," she wrote alongside a snap of the sandwich in progress. "Delayed gratification is not really my thing! But my patience was rewarded by this gorgeous creation, the Toto- or maybe it should be the Totò, since it's named for the mononymous Italian actor- sandwich." Nigella described the sandwich in mouth-watering detail: "Spread with lemony butter bean purée and pesto, it's bulgingly stuffed with mortadella and mozzarella, exuberantly sprinkled with chopped toasted almonds, and topped with peppery rocket. "Though it looked so beautiful as it was being made I had to photograph it like this, before the rocket went on and this epic sandwich was closed up. "Then, of course, the only thing on my mind was eating it!" While it might be delicious, the Toto doesn't necessiciarly come cheap- priced at $19. Smalls Deli was clearly thrilled with the celebrity nod, resharing Nigella's post with a heart emoji and the caption "PINCH ME". Fans were equally enthused. "It really is the best sandwich in Sydney!" one follower commented, while another said: "love love love @smallsdeli". The renowned British chef and author has been zipping around Australia since early May, sharing her favourite foodie finds from coast to coast, and keeping her three million followers hungry for more. "I can never stay away from Australia for long," she told fans in March, ahead of her visit. After touching down in Western Australia on May 5, Nigella headed straight to Margaret River's iconic Cullen Wines. "What does any wise person do on arriving in Margaret River? Why, go straight for lunch at @cullenwines, of course! That's my cure for jet lag and my recipe for deep joy," she said. She also raved about Perth's acclaimed Italian eatery Lulu La Delizia, which came recommended by former MasterChef judge Matt Moran. "Last year when I was asking for Perth restaurant recommendations, @mattscravat sent me to @lululadelizia where I plumped for their 6-course feast menu, and left full of fabulous food and immense gratitude towards both Melbourne Matt and the Perth Prince of Pasta @joelvalvasori!" she wrote. Her glowing review included a special mention of the restaurant's prawn orecchiette: "I've been feasting on the memory… ever since." Once in Sydney, Lawson made a beeline for Potts Point favourite Fratelli Paradiso. "Walking through the doors after a year away just felt like coming home," she said. "I love everything about this place: great people, great mood, great food. "…Purring with pleasure, and planning when I can come back for more."
