v-know’s first event for 2008 took place amongst the stylish surrounds of the Carousel. The former nightclub, now function venue, looks nothing like it did in its former life, with its new elegant white design lending itself well to Wine By Design.

The venue’s style complemented that exhibited by those in attendance, with a full room of well dressed professionals enjoying not only the wine, but the excellent hors d’ouvres on offer from the Food&Desire team.

The inspiration behind the night was to bring a fresh approach to wine packaging design. This saw the best talent from creative disciplines other than graphic design brought together to each design a label for wines that those in attendance on the night could sample – and that’s what the crowd did, enjoying them immensely as well!
Wine label designs were presented by renowned garden designer Paul Bangay, Press Club chef George Calombaris, fashion deisgners Akira Isogawa and Alanna Hill, and architects Six Degrees, amongst the dozen on offer on the night.

The wines showcased included those from Phi, Kiltynane Estate, William Downie, Punt Road, McHenry Hohnen, Brookland Valley, Shadowfax Wines, Yalumba, Taylors, Katnook Estate, Yarra Burn and De Bortoli.

If the Wine By Design event is anything to go by, v-know in 2008 looks to be headed for new heights of success, exhibiting all the superb wine, good food, and great people to make for some nights that should not be missed.

All proceeds of the sales from Wine By Design will be donated to Make Poverty History to help in its ongoing efforts to advocate for the world’s poor.

Make Poverty History is a coalition of more than 60 aid agencies, community groups and religious organisations who work to make sure the Australian Government honours its commitments made to the Millennium Development Goals, a global plan to halve poverty by 2015.

This includes things like more and better aid, and helping poor communities combat the effects of climate change.

Thanks must go to the inspired wine and designer pairings. They are:
Phi by Paul Bangay, Kiltynane by Joost Bakker, William Downie by Ben Frost, Punt Road by Chris Connell, McHenry Hohnen by George Calombaris, Brookland Valley by Florence Broadhurst, Shadowfax by David Band, Yalumba by Lightly, Taylors by Akira Isogawa, Katnook by Matthew Sleeth, Yarra Burn by Alannah Hill, and De Bortoli by Six Degrees.

Thanks also to Spicers Paper and Graphix Labels for undertaking the production of these designer labels.

v-know are raising $25,000 for Make Poverty History through the sale of these limited edition bottles. There are only 20 of each available, and these can be purchased from select Vintage Cellars stores nationally located at:

481 Toorak Road, Toorak, VIC
34 Coonan Street, Indooroopilly, QLD
95 Nicholson Road, Shenton Park, WA
396 New South Head Road, Double Bay, NSW

Individually numbered and featuring a back label note from the artist about their creation, they are all available for $100 per bottle with the exception of the Katnook Odyssey which is priced at $150. They represent exceptional value and Make Poverty History receives the entire proceeds.

The Young Gun of
Wine Awards

Thursday July 10 from 6:30pm
at BMW Edge, Federation Square, Melbourne

The Young Gun of Wine Awards were created to recognise the work of the best young winemakers in the industry, and at the same time allow these ‘mavericks’ to connect with us, the wine consumer.

Whilst many awards present a top ten, in true v-know style we’ll go one better with our finalists comprising the top eleven young winemakers in the country. They’ll each be in attendance to chat with members and guests while presenting a wine that will be available to be sampled on the night.

The awards are based on a number of criteria including what that young individual represents to wine consumers, how they represent the wine industry, their vision, originality and leadership, and naturally the quality of wine they put in the glass. One award is chosen by a judging panel consisting of Nick Stock, Max Allan, Philip Rich, Rory Kent and Matt Gant – the inaugural Young Gun of Wine – whilst the “people’s choice” award is voted for by those in attendance on the night.

Please note that all v-know events are “invitation only” and limited tickets are sold on a presale basis only until sold out. For enquiries feel free to contact us directly info@v-know.com.au.

Wine, Women & Song

Thursday September 4 from 6:30pm
at BMW Edge, Federation Square, Melbourne

Hosted by a panel of female wine commentators, Wine, Women & Song gathers the best female winemakers from around Australia and showcases the wines they’re producing.

In a first of its kind, v-know and the Victorian Opera will collaborate, with this event showcasing a performance from stunning sopranos Melanie Adams, Jessica Aszodi and Danielle Calder.  These vocalising vixens will ravish your eyes and ears as they invoke the delights of drinking to the divine sounds of an operatic ensemble.

Taking place “water’s edge” at the spectacular BMW Edge venue, don’t miss out on the presentation of this trio of the best things in life – Wine, Women & Song!

Champagnes at Circa

Thursday October 16 from 6:30pm
Circa Pool Deck at The Prince, cnr Fitzroy & Acland Streets, St Kilda

In the final event for 2008, v-know will present an evening to coincide with the excitement of the Spring Racing Carnival. Gathered around the luxurious surroundings of the Circa Pool Deck at The Prince, it will be an experience that celebrates an intriguing selection of some of the best known Champagne houses as well as the boutique artisans of this particular French appellation.

Some of Australia’s best sparkling wines made in the traditional Champagne method will also be featured, and it’s sure to be the form guide for the best Champagnes and sparkling wines for the Spring Racing Carnival.

Always a favourite v-know event for the fillies, Champagnes at Circa will keep with the racing flavour at that time of year and also feature an exhibition from some of Australia’s top milliners.

Other news

v-know Website Coming Soon

Our new website will be online around August and until then we’re processing all ticketing to our events “offline” so please continue to spread the word about our events and refer good people our way. Should you have any enquiries, or thoughts to share, feel free to contact us directly info@v-know.com.au.

Winner!

Congratulations to James Redman of Macquarie Bank. He’s the lucky winner of our door prize from the recent event, with a limited edition complete set of last year’s Wine By Design 2007 collection coming his way.