Hanging With The Cool Kids at Longview

When you're somewhat limited by the amount of events you can attend (ie when you have a baby), it's important to make sure that those you DO attend are worth your while.

This is why it wasn't a difficult choice to sign up for a day at Longview Winery for their Krush Klinic during the 2012 Crush Festival. We went along last year and had a great time, so we guessed (correctly) that it would be a safe bet this year.

In a nutshell, Longview have pulled together all the best elements of a food and wine festival, and then tweaked them to appeal to the 'cool kids'.

By attending this event, I was cool for a day, by default.

Seriously, it was like someone had grabbed some issues of Rip It Up, Attitude Magazine and Vice Magazine and brought them to life. There were fashion designers, street artists, writers, hippies, glamours, and an abundance of good looking, young people.

To entertain us during the day, we had 4 nationally acclaimed graffiti artists creating spectacular works of art on massive canvases, for us to vote on and for Longview to use as a wine label.

There were some party inducing DJs on the decks, and the odd spell of breakdancing to keep the mood light.

There was plenty of shade (or shelter if the pending storm hit, which it didn't... phew), a good selection of food (including something for the vegos) and lots of Longview's best wines.

One thing I didn't know about & wish I did, was the fact that Longview now have a B&B set up. I'll definitely be booking in to stay for a night/weekend sometime soon but missed out on that opportunity over Crush. Not to worry, I had a beautiful baby I had to take back from my lovely parents who had babysat for the day. There's always a silver lining!

A 10 For The Ten Tenors

Always a fan of food, wine and music events, my parents, Steve and I made the trek Tomich Wines (in the Adelaide Hills) on Saturday night for The Ten Tenors.

What a great event.

The food and wine and the fact that it was held amongst vineyards was enough to get me to go along, but the fact that The Ten Tenors are a world class act, made the night a memorable one.

As the first big vineyard event that Tomich Wines have held (given that most of their events happen at the cellar door on King William Road), I think they need a big round of applause.

The food offerings were first rate. The wine was spectacular. The toilets remained clean and toilet paper stocked throughout the evening. The staging was first rate - something I would have expected to see at a major concert, rather than at a winery event. The location was beautiful - nestled next to some vines and magnificent gumtrees, on a nice flat piece of paddock with room for future events to grow. There was plenty of room for parking and you didn't have to walk for miles to get to the venue. The only thing that could have been improved upon was the signage - a few of us stopped at the winery gates, only to realise the actual concert was being held further down the road in a back paddock. It was easy enough to figure out though.

As for the entertainment. Well. Let me tell you. It was entertaining. The Ten Tenors are an incredibly talented bunch of guys. Mostly young, dashing, suited up fellows with a sense of humour, their show kept the audience riveted throughout the night, despite the threatening rainclouds which threatened to spoil the evening.

The guys started with some traditional opera numbers, of which I don't know any of the names, and then moved on to an 80s medley which the crowd adored. We heard a wide range of songs and genres, which ensured that there was something for everyone. And those voices. Wow.

I have to say though, the masses of middle aged women, swooning over men their son's ages, was a little amusing. The line for autographs at the end didn't move, as each woman tried her charms on the Tenors while they politely tolerated the slightly wine-fuelled adoration.

If Tomich Wines put on another event at their vineyards, do yourself a favour and go.