Cullen Wines: Tasting at Bench Newtown

We stumbled across Bench WInebar while out for a Sunday afternoon walk in January. Since then we have been several times.Located on the southern end of King Street, Bench is owned by Robyn Thomas who also happens to be the owner of Pizza Picasso. Bench is located in what used to be the dining area of Pizza Picasso, and has an industrial chic look.

Cool tunes play quietly over the sound system and an illuminated colour changing wine rack in the shape of a bunch of grapes is the feature on the back wall. Bench Winebar has a great little wine list with some different and interesting wines, and price points that won’t break the budget. So far one of our favourites on the list has to be the Tar and Roses Miro Tempranillo from Spain.

As we are on the Bench Winebar newsletter list, we recently recived an invitation to a tasting of Cullen wines, so we just had to go. Vanya Cullen is the wine making genius currently in charge at Cullen and was on hand to tell us more about the wines and the biodynamic practices that they use. The Cullen winery is located in the Margaret River district in Western Australia. We used to steer clear of Margaret River wines, but over the past few years we have noticed that the limestone minerality that used to be quite predominant has become more subtle and the wines seem a lot fresher.

Cullen has two vineyards that they source grapes from, The Cullen Estate Vineyard and The Cullen Mangan Vineyard, which is across the road from Cullen Estate, but has its own unique terroir. The wines from the Mangan Vineyard used to be blended with the Cullen estate wines but now have their own identity within the Cullen range. On the night we tried Mangan Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2010, Cullen Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2011, Mangan Malbec Petit Verdot Merlot 2010 and Cullen Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2010. All were very nice and definitely on our list of wines to drink. On a recent Sunday we decided to try the Cullen Diana Madeline 2007. This is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon(60%), Merlot(30%) and Cabernet Franc(10%). This was a great drop, easy to drink and left us wishing we had another bottle. Still waiting to try the 2008 and the 2009 vintages, but there are so many great wines we are discovering lately that we just keep forgetting to buy either vintage.

We have also recently tried a bottle of their 2010 Cullen Cabernet Merlot. This is predominately cabernet with merlot and just a touch of petit verdot. This was a great drop and has room to develop with a few more years of aging. This is like a little Diana Madeline, much the same way that Penfolds 389 is considered the baby Grange.

The Joy of Going Independent

Two years ago when I first laid my eyes on my friends Kari Voutilainen Observatoire I vowed that it would be mine one day. This day has come and I simply cannot express the joy of finally owning this wonderful creative work. I’ve always felt that independent watches exude a magnetic presence that draw me to them. It is also a feeling that I get from vintage watches, but only from a very few modern watches (and it fades after a few months of ownership).

I’m equally not surprised why this watch won the 2007 the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève in the Men's Watch category. Out of a pre-selection of 9 watches submitted by major and minor brands for the men’s watches category of the Grand Prix de Genève, the Kari Voutilainen OBSERVATOIRE wristwatch was chosen as the ultimate laureate. It represented an extraordinary recognition of Kari Voutilainen’s independent workshop as well as his distinctive yet classic visual designs combined with a superlative attention to mechanical details. This prestigious achievement, voted upon by top Swiss watch industry insiders, is a public acknowledgement of horological mastery and a commitment to the creation of exceptional timekeepers.

Part of the appeal of owning an Independent watch is that you get to share and understand the values of the watchmaker. Kari Voutilainen has always appealed to me as he is a perfectionist and one of the true custodians of Haute Horologerie. Production is always limited and now with around 13 staff he aims to produce a maximum of 40 pieces per year.

Owning a vintage observatory grade chronometer is an added bonus. Kari has done a remarkable job on the 260 Peseux base calibers. He threw out the entire escapement and inserted a balance wheel, hairspring, and escape mechanism of his own making. Each movement has been technically adjusted and tested before being finished with hand anglage and perlage to bring it to the highest levels of visual finish possible.

In this particular case, it features a frosted finish instead of Geneva stripes.

Befitting such a exceptional timepiece is a very rare and unique system of balance spring has been used. The exterior of the spring uses a typical Breguet overcoil, whilst the internal curve uses the little known Grosmann curve. Grosmann was a teacher at the watchmaking school at Le Locle in the late early 20th century, and he codified a technique that gives the same amount of attention to the internal curve of the balance spring as the external overcoil. Virtually unknown and fallen into disuse, the OBSERVATOIRE wristwatch marks the first use of this curve in the 21st century, underlining the fact that many of the older watchmaking techniques still have their place of honour in the present day.

Observatoire Technical Characteristics :

• Observatory calibre 260 Peseux, created solely for observatory trials and never commercialized for the production. Hand finished with Geneva stripes, anglage and perlage.
• 30mm x 5mm movement.
• Ruby cap jewels for the escapement wheel.
• 21 jewels.
• Free sprung balance wheel with Platinum timing screws beating at 18,000 v.p.h.
• Balance diameter 13.3mm with Breguet/Grossmann balance spiral.
• 38mm x 10.5mm thick platinum case and 18-carat gold crown.
• Engine turned gold dial, with Roman applied numerals and gold hands.
• Hand sewn, crocodile strap with 18-carat gold buckle.
• Kari Voutilainen’s dials are not made by him for the Observatoire, but were outsourced at the time to Parmigiani-owned companies.
• The blued hands, however, are made in-house.

I love the fact that each watch Kari makes is statement in its own right. From my understanding around 40-50 Voutilainen Observatoires have been produced. However, this watch is probably more unique than most, and definitely one of the most significant. It features a platinum case (one of perhaps six Observatoires in this case metal), a salmon dial (one of perhaps two), and a frosted gold movement (one of perhaps three or four). No other Observatoire looks like this one. Also featured are a tourbillon-style balance bridge and a rare circular "Voutlinainen - Môtiers" movement inscription.

I’ve only had this watch for a few days and its certainly is one of my favourite wearers. The platinum case gives this 38mm Observatoire a feeling of substance and elegance.

This watch has taken me back to the passion and excitement of my early collecting days.

Welcoming My First Omega

Recently I had the opportunity to purchase an Omega Planet Ocean through Fredman SVW. The price was too good to pass on, so I grabbbed it. I have toyed with the idea of buying an Omega for some time, with my preference being a vintage Speedmaster from 1969/1970. But something about the Planet Ocean lured me in to it's depths. To celebrate the new addition we decided to go to ARIA for dinner.

Vikki and I haven't been to ARIA together for around a year, so it was about time to get back there. Part of the attraction of dining at Matt Moran's Aria is the incredible views overlooking both the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House, especially as the sunsets.


We booked for the pre theatre menu,which meant we had to be out by 8pm, but it allowed us plenty of time to enjoy a three course meal.
Drinks first: A glass of champagne to start and a bottle of Chateau des Graviers Cru Artisan, Margaux 2005 to enjoy with our meal.

For entrees, Vikki chose Kurobuta pork belly with pork croquette and caramelised apple, while I chose Peking duck consommé with duck dumplings, shaved abalone and mushrooms. Both were delicious.


For mains Vikki chose roasted ballotine of chicken with crushed peas, wilted cos lettuce and sorrel sauce and I decided to have the Bass Grouper steamed fillet with jamon, samphire, currant grapes and rosemary. Of course we couldn't pass up the fabulous truffled potato mash.



Desserts can not be missed when dining at Aria. Vikki selected Milk chocolate and passionfruit dumplings with yuzu curd and passionfruit sorbet, and as I had a little wine left I decided to opt for the cheese selection that comprised Australian and international cheeses.


Not long after we watched the sun set, the rain came down, adding another dimension to the view out the window. Conveniently for us, the taxi stand is right outside the front door of Aria. After another wonderful meal at Aria we headed home to relax.

Independents Day in Singapore

During our recent trip to Singapore, I had plenty of new places to show Vikki that I had discovered while I was in Singapore last year for a conference. Number one on the list being L’Atelier by The Hourglass in ION Orchard.

Our first few days in Singapore coincided with Lunar New Year celebrations and during this time most shops are closed for the first few days. This meant Vikki and I could have a couple of days of relaxation before hitting the shops in earnest. It also gave me the chance to call fellow watch collector Bernard and arrange to meet him at L'Atelier by the Hourglass when it reopened.

We met Bernard at L’Atelier by The Hourglass and watched the lion dance that was performed for the store. Having only seen the lion dances here in Sydney, it was a bit more exciting to see it performed in an Asian city. We were however a bit worried that the dancers could have gone over the railing with one little mis-step.




After the lion dance we settled down for a chat with Bernard and a look at some independent watch brands. Laurent Ferrier, De Bethune, Urwerk, Romain Gautier, Vianney Halter, MB&F all came out of the displays for a look.

Then Bernard mentioned his recent purchase of a DB 28(long lugs). So that came out from the safe, along with another DB28 (short lugs). The DB28s are quite amazing pieces. The blue/purple colour they managed to get on the titanium case is eye popping and the level of polish applied to the titanium was mind blowing. This watch is light! Even Vikki was impressed (I secretly think she will be buying some titanium wire for her jewellery making).


The dial while being only time with AM/PM indication is decorated with cote de Geneve striping, which gives a nice play of light both on the light dial and the dark dial. The spring loaded lugs mean that no matter what size wrist you have, the watch will always sit comfortably. Slight variations in colour application (bezel, dial, hands) make it a hard choice as to which I prefer.

The strap is very supple and has no padding between the two layers, the upper and lower leather pieces of the strap are the same leather (no normal lining leather here) and it feels really comfortable on. It is also good to know that each watch comes with a spare strap at time of purchase.



The two DB28’s with a DB15 and DBS:


We also had a look at a Romain Gauthier:



Two MB&F’s: HM4 Thunderbolt Double Trouble:



HM3 Frog and Starcruiser: Vikki and I had different opinions about the HM3’s. She preferred the Frog while I preferred the Starcruiser. We had a look at the Starcruiser, but I forgot to take a photo.


Still at the top of my wish list, Laurent Ferrier:




Vikki and I both really liked the decor of L’Atelier By The Hourglass, which features many antique watchmaking tools, benches, bits and pieces. The whole layout and styling is very elegant and relaxed, with lots of light to fully enjoy looking at the watches.


Our visit to L’Atelier by the Hourglass was great. Being able to see and handle all those independents that we don’t have access to here in Australia was a real pleasure. The difference between a photo and seeing a watch up close is huge often a photo will not capture the ‘soul’ and true beauty of a piece.

Thanks for dropping by!

Keyaki, Pan Pacific Hotel, Singapore

On our recent trip to Singapore, Vikki and I stayed at the Pan Pacific Hotel. I stayed there last year when I presented at a conference and found it to be a great location with easy access. I also discovered a gem of a Japanese restaurant called Keyaki.

Seeing as Vikki and I are rather fond of Japan and Japanese food we decided to head there for lunch on our first day in Singapore.

Located on the 4th floor, Keyaki is situated within a traditional Japanese styled garden. Think raked pebbles, ponds of koi and bonsai. Of course there is also the obligatory Tanuki statue, placed here and there in the garden. We were fortunate enough to spot a little tortoise in the pond on our second visit.


The interior is simple and elegant with lots of dark wood, large expanses of glass overlooking the gardens, a tea room in the gardens and several private rooms. A sushi and sashimi bar allows for a more casual dining.

Keyaki offers a la carte menu, set brunches/lunches and seasonal kaiseki dinners. The set brunches are around SGD$60 (plus taxes and surcharges) and we opted for this on our two visits. Starting with 3 appetisers, the courses include, sushi, sashimi, teppanyaki, tempura, Chawan mushi, Japanese style fried rice and dessert of green tea ice cream.








It felt like we were having a lunch in Tokyo or Kyoto rather than Singapore.
Stay tuned for my next post on some of the horological beauties we saw, including the DB28.

Dinner at Tetsuya’s: showing off the Sydney dining scene

After a great weekend away at Hamilton Island for P-Day 2011, I was able to organize to catch up with a couple of other Paneristi’s for dinner while they were visiting Sydney. So I set Vikki a mission of getting us in to Tetsuya’s. A quick phone call and we were in.

Our little group consisted of 5 and we were in for a great night of dining.
The evening started with a torrential down pour around five, which meant that Vikki had to wade through a stream (otherwise known as our street) to get to the bus stop. Thankfully it settled down to a drizzle by the time she got in to the city
We met our first dining companion Asi at Zeta Bar for a pre dinner drink. We discussed the great time we had at Hamilton Island and of course watches. Asi even popped the back of his vintage Panerai for a few quick shots. I wore my Patek Philippe 3971 on it's first outing since coming back from being serviced. Nothing like a bit of vintage.


We made our way over to Tetsuya’s and were joined by our other two dining companions Luke and Alex from New York.
Our waiter bought us over a complementary glass of Larmandier-Bernier Champagne to get the night rolling and explained the extras we might have if we so desired. The guys ordered the oysters as Asi and Luke hadn’t tried Pacific oysters which on this night happened to be from South Australia. Tetsuya’s serves a 9 course degustation menu which you can have with your own choice of wines or you can opt for the matched wines, which is what we decided to do.
The bread with truffle butter was so good we all had seconds:


Our courses were:
Corn soup with soy cream
Pacific Oysters with rice vinegar and ginger
Savoury custard with sea urchin
Sashimi of king fish with blackbean and orange
Confit of Petuna ocean trout with shaved fennel and unpasteurised ocean trout caviar


Steamed Queensland spanner crab with bean curd, foie gras and junsai
Braised veal shank with broad beans and smoked bone marrow
(Alternative: Olive oil poached Bonito with onion petals)
Breast of quail with paleta iberico and garlic puree
Seared fillet of Cape Grim beef with wasabi and braised mustard seeds
(Alternative: De-boned rack of lamb with eggplant, white miso and blue cheese)
Hay infused ice cream with sorrel granita and bread and butter pudding
Chocolate pave with cream cheese ice cream and cinnamon twigs

The wines we had were a great selection and included one sake:
Tamano Hikari Tokusen Junmai Ginjo Sake, Kyoto, Japan
2009 Grosset Springvale Riesling, Clare Valley, SA
2008 Pierro Chardonnay for Tetsuya’s, Margaret River, WA
2008 Felton Road Pinot Noir for Tetsuya’s, Central Otago, NZ
2006 Torbreck Mataro for Tetsuya’s, Barossa Valley, SA
2010 Heggies Botrytis Riesling, Eden Valley, SA
Seppeltsfield Cellar No. 6 Tokay, Rutherglen, Vic

Having two New Yorkers at dinner gave us the chance to grill them on where to eat in New York in preparation for our trip next year. Great to quiz the locals on what restaurants to go to, which to avoid and things to do and see, that we might not have thought of. After a fabulous dinner with great company we headed home as I unfortunately had a 6am flight to Perth.