Monday, October 25, 2010

Wobbly start for bike scheme



NEWS

Wet weather has made it difficult to gauge the early success of Brisbane’s new CityCycle bike hire scheme but it has not prevented both sides of City Hall from continuing their snipping over the multi-million dollar project.


Lord Mayor Campbell Newman’s administration declared itself “reasonably pleased” with the early support despite the weather, while Opposition Leader Shane Sutton blamed the scheme’s early teething problems on the Lord Mayor’s “failure to implement it properly”.
Launched last Friday week amid much fanfare, the scheme struck some teething problems other than the inclement weather, with reports of some users mistakingly returning their bikes to stations not yet commissioned, some other docking problems and some malfunctioning of the scheme’s subscriber card system.
But Lord Mayor Campbell Newman’s administration said it was happy that more than 1000 subscribers – the bulk taking year-long commitments – had joined the scheme by the end of the first week. City Council is hoping for 12,000 devotees within 12 months.
The CityCycle scheme started with 500 bikes in some 50 stations throughout the CBD, Fortitude Valley, New Farm and West End, and operator JC Decaux is expected to have bikes at 78 stations by Christmas and 2000 bikes at 150 stations once the scheme is in full swing.
“This scheme was always going to have teething problems because Campbell Newman failed to implement it properly,” Labor leader Shayne Sutton said.
“We know people have had trouble unlocking and re-locking bikes from the CityCycle stations. We’ve also heard many people have been frustrated to find that some CityCycle stations aren’t up and running – even though council is promoting them.
“This scheme has been plagued by safety concerns, community opposition, budget blowouts, delays in delivery and a shoddy implementation, and many of these concerns still remain. “Campbell Newman has set the bar for success so low that if anyone actually used these bikes they could ride straight over it.
“Campbell Newman has a lot more work to do if this scheme is going to be safe and successful.” Cr Sutton said.

Above: This bike station besie the Fortitude Valley Post Office is one of a number of Stage One CityCycle spots that are yet to come on line.

Agi scoops phorgraphic pool



Agi Davis of Toowong has taken home $10,000 in prizemoney for this work, Freedom of our Children at Galleries of Brisbane, which has won the open category in the 2010 Lord Mayor’s Photographic Awards.

The work was inspired by Brisbane’s vibrant cultural landscape and the welcoming atmosphere of the city’s galleries and art museums.
Lord Mayor Cr Newman said the entrants this year captured some clever depictions of Brisbane’s unique culture, community and lifestyle.
The youth category (for photographers 30 years and under) was won by 16-year-old Maddison O’Brien from Kelvin Grove for her work, Brisbane Delight, which expressed her feelings about the city.
Maddison won $2500 along with professional development opportunities for her photographic skills. The two winning entries along with the works of other finalists, in now on display in King George Square, hanging in ‘The Verandah’ area until October 31.
“I urge all Brisbane residents to come down, show their support and have a look at how talented our emerging photographers are,” Cr Newman said.

Homeless need helping hand

NEWS

The City Council wants the community to help it reach out to the city’s homeless through next month’s Homeless Connect event at the RNA Showgrounds from 9am to 2pm on November 3, with breakfast from 8am.


Homeless Connect has aided 5000 since its inception in 2006 and aims to ease the uncertainties and isolation suffered by disadvantaged groups in Brisbane. People can enjoy a meal, access medical and optical care, accommodation referral advice, haircuts and clothing.
Lord Mayor Campbell Newman said council was proud to present the important community event and urged the wider community to help where possible. “Donations of clothing, shoes, blankets, towels, toiletries and canned goods can be made at any St Vincent de Paul store, or your local councillor’s ward office,” he said.
“While these goods may not seem like much to us, they will mean the world to those in need.” Cr Newman said it was pleasing to see Brisbane business, community groups and residents unite in support of the Homeless Connect event in May.
“I invite anyone in Brisbane who is experiencing homelessness or is at risk of becoming homeless to come along on the day to access services and support,” he said.
Free bus services will commence at 7.30am on the northside on November 3, stopping at New Farm Neighbourhood Centre, Footprints, 139 Club, Pindari Hostel and Roma House. On the southside the free service will stop at West End Community House, Brisbane Homeless Service Centre, OzCare and Bowman Johnson Hostel.
Council is partnering with Volunteering Queensland and St Vincent de Paul to deliver the event, with support from the Queensland Government’s Department of Communities and Drug-Arm Australasia.
To volunteer, contact Volunteering Queensland at www.volunteeringqld.org.au.

• For further information about Homeless Connect, visit www.brisbane.qld.qov.au or phone council on 3403 8888.

Help Nicole fulfil Athens dream

NEWS

Brisbane lass Nicole Groth has already tasted double gold as a special athlete, and now she needs our help to achieve her dream of representing Australia at the Special Olympics in Athens next year.


Grace Grace, MP State member for Brisbane Central, is calling on government and local businesses to support Nicole achieve her dream.
“Nicole showed what she is capable of by winning two gold and two silver medals in the athletic events at the national games in April,” Ms Grace said.
Nicole was among the dozens of athletes from south-east Queensland who travelled to Adelaide for the Special Olympics IX National Games in April this year. The National Games featured 850 athletes from all states and territories vying for gold in 12 sports.
“We are very proud that Nicole was among the Queenslanders selected to represent Australia in Athens next year,” Ms Grace said.
“To guarantee her position at the games, Nicole needs to raise $7000 and I am calling on individuals and businesses in our community to get behind Nicole and the other athletes and make a donation and help make their Athen’s dream a reality.”
Ms Grace has also added her voice to the other members of Parliament who have called on Sport Minister Phil Reeves to consider State Government funding to help all Queensland athletes selected to represent Australia at next year’s Special Olympics Summer Games.
“Queenslanders selected to compete at the Olympics, Paralympics or Commonwealth Games currently receive a grant from the Bligh Government, but those selected for the Special Olympics do not,” Ms Grace said. The minister had undertaken to look urgently into the funding arrangements.
“To make a donation, you can go to my website at www.gracegracemp.com and follow the “Special Olympics” link, email me at brisbane.central@parliament.qld.gov.au or by post at unit 2, Hill House, 541 Boundary Street, Spring Hill, Q, 4000. Cheques should be made out to “Special Olympics Australia” and donations of $2 or over are tax deductible.
“It is important that we encourage our young athletes to excel and support them when they do,” Ms Grace said.
“The Bligh Government is committed to making Queenslanders Australia’s healthiest people by 2020 and Nicole is setting a great example for other young people with a disability. “Nicole’s success demonstrates that there are no barriers when it comes to sport and we are very lucky to have such a talented sportswomen in our midst.”




Grace Grace helps Nicole Groth show off her golden haul.

It’s time to go batty once again



One of Brisbane’s most inspiring natural events – the great flying-fox flyout on the Brisbane River – is on show again with the return of the Batty Boat Cruise Summer Season for 2010-2011.


Wildlife Queensland’s Brisbane Branch is taking bookings for the 2010-2011 season of Batty Boat Cruises, Brisbane’s own perennial wildlife treat. As the sun sets, a spectacular sight awaits passengers on board our motor cruiser as thousands of flying-foxes (aka fruit bats) take to the skies above the gleaming river from Indooroopilly Island.
Cruises run for nearly four hours and are a popular family outing. The Batty Boat for 2010-2011 is the M V Neptune and with bat enthusiasts such as Tim Low (prize-winning wildlife author and naturalist) or Greg Miller (well-known wildlife expert) giving a commentary on the river’s sights and the flying-foxes, the cruise is a natural history adventure.
And all proceeds go to Queensland flying-fox welfare and research.
Batty Boat Cruise Sundays for this summer are on Sundays, 24 October, 21 November and 5 December. Ticket prices are $30 for adults, $22 for concession, $15 for a child (3-15 years) and $80 for a family of two adults and two children).
Gift certificates are available. Book and pay online at www.wildlife.org.au or email inquiries to batty@wildlife.org.au or book and pay over the phone on 3221 0194.

Rough diamonds still out there

PROPERTY News

It’s a well-known property investment philosophy – buy the worst house in the best possible street. And across Queensland plenty of rough diamonds still remain to choose from, but buyers need to be realistic and be able to afford to invest the time, and the money, usually required to restore the sparkle to these hidden gems.

The Real Estate Institute of Queensland (REIQ) has researched the top house sales across the state over the past financial year to discover the suburbs where bargain buys among prestige property can still be found.
“While median house prices are a general indication of overall property prices in a suburb, the types of properties that are available for sale at both ends of the market can often go by unnoticed,” REIQ managing director Dan Molloy said.
“And in prestige suburbs where the median is well above what many people can afford, bargain buys can still to be found, if you have your finger on the pulse.
“But, buyers need to be realistic, getting your foot in the door via the bottom end of the price range usually comes with some sacrifices on space and actual location within the suburb or some serious work required on the property itself.”
In Brisbane, top sales over the last financial year were recorded in the city’s well-known prestige suburb of Hamilton as well as in Hawthorne and Yeronga. Each of these suburbs recorded top sales in excess of $6 million – with the top sale recorded in Hamilton for $8.72 million in Hillside Crescent. At the other end of the scale, a buyer in Hamilton picked up a home for $530,000; in Hawthorne one sold for $495,000; and one buyer bought a property in Yeronga for $390,000.
While the top sales all had large blocks with river frontage, the bargain buys were still three-bedroom houses, albeit on smaller sized blocks and located on busier roads. Redland City took out the top three sales for Brisbane surrounds – with sales over $2.3 million in Cleveland, Ormiston and Wellington Point – but all three suburbs also recorded bargain buys priced under $400,000.
A dream buy was achieved in Ormiston where a renovated three-bedroom cottage sold for $375,000, with the only downside to this property being the boundary aligning with a few extra neighbours.
Moreton Bay Regional’s top sale was $2.2 million recorded in Banksia Beach, where one fortunate buyer paid just $247,000 for a house in Alpinia Avenue.
In Logan City, Shailer Park topped the list with a house selling for $893,000 in Ronald Avenue. The most affordable price paid in Shailer Park was a home for $307,000 in Teak Street.
While Sadliers Crossing, in Ipswich City, recorded a top sale of $1.1 million for a historic home in Burnett St, the most affordable house sold for $196,000 – a two-bedroom house close to the rail line.

House guests from hell


PROPERTY Residential

Damp conditions from all the recent rains are boosting termite activity, and some homeowners could be literally being eaten out of house and home by these silent and hungry pests, Archicentre, the building advisory service of the Australian Institute of Architects, warns.

he termites leave Australian home owners with an estimated bill of $1 billion a year. And Archicentre says the drought and floods, resulting in unusually wet and warm weather, are likely to cause a significant increase in damage to houses by termites and timber rot.
Widespread flooding and heavy rains have left many homes, especially those with poor drainage and poor ventilation in the sub-floor area, damp and vulnerable.
Ian Agnew, Archicentre’s Queensland state manager said: “Pre-purchase home inspection statistics compiled by Archicentre have found that 35 per cent of all homes sold have some form of borer, termite, dry rot, or timber fungus problem.
“Borers can be a silent destroyer with the first indication of a problem being when the vacuum cleaner head hits the skirting board which turns into dust.
“Termites and timber rot, which is actually a fungus, both flourish in warm moist conditions.
“Home buyers should be particularly wary of termite problems and timber rot to structural elements and windows. Any property purchases should be subject to an independent inspection as termites do not distinguish between the type or value of homes.”
Mr Agnew said that Archicentre’s pest inspectors had seen homes with up to $100,000 in damage that would not be evident without a comprehensive inspection.
“It is critical that home buyers and home owners seek independent professional advice.”
Mr Agnew said that home owners should take action to dry out sub-floors by increasing ventilation, removing debris and generally allowing more air to circulate.
“Termite activity slows down in the winter, but new nests may be being established now which will lead to problems during late spring and summer.
“Inspect timber framing and floors generally for rot, mould and evidence of borers. Borer attack in some species of pine may be due to Anobiid borers. These will eventually destroy the timber and should be treated immediately.
“Check to see that the earth is not excessively wet. Dampness problems accompanied by inadequate ventilation encourage rot, borer and termite attack. Look carefully for termite 'shelter tubes'.
“Termites build mud shelter tubes, between 5mm and 50mm up stumps or piers and brick walls to connect their nests in the ground to the timber on which they are feeding. If you are in any way unsure about borers or termites, the house should be checked by an independent expert.
“Home owners with concrete floor slabs should now be looking for early signs of termite attack such as mud tubes on the edges of concrete slabs and damaged skirtings and architraves.”

Regional handout not working, says LNP

PROPERTY Residential

The State Government’s $4000 offer to regional first-home owners has been labelled “paltry” and has failed to attract people to settle outside Queensland’s congested southeast, according to the LNP Opposition.

LNP Shadow Minister for Community Services and Housing Rosemary Menkens said the low take-up rate on the $4000 Regional First Home Owner grant proved the long-term Bligh and Labor government put tokenism ahead of real solutions.
“Convincing people to move to regional Queensland requires more than a meagre handout to assist them buy a home,” Mrs Menkens said.
“Yet again this lazy, long-term Bligh and Labor government has engaged in tokenism rather than attempting to find out the real issues confronting regional Queensland.
“Instead of consulting with people in regional communities, Anna Bligh prefers to work as a checkout chick in Brisbane or carry out the charade of running her government from Townsville.”
Mrs Menkens said the long-term Bligh and Labor government had so starved regional Queensland of funds and essential services, many people were driven to consider leaving rather than attracting others to settle there.
“This long-term Bligh government has an appalling record in providing services throughout the state, but the situation in regional Queensland is particularly acute,” she said.
“As I travel about regional Queensland, people constantly complain about the lack of essential services required to sustain and grow their communities.
“When regional communities lack adequate access to schools, hospitals, police and other essential services, a paltry $4000 first-home owner grant is unlikely to be sufficient incentive to convince people to move from an area where they have access to such services to one where they don’t.”

No end in sight for building plight

PROPERTY News

The latest lending figures bring more bad news for the plight of housing in Queensland, says Master Builders, Queensland’s peak body for housing and construction.


Finance commitments for houses in Queensland (seasonally adjusted) fell by 1.2 per cent from 9171 in July to 9063 in August. Nationally there was a 1 per cent increase. Master Builder director of housing policy Paul Bidwell said the drop in demand was right across the board, including the construction and purchase of new dwellings as well as the purchase of established dwellings. The proportion of first-home buyers also fell again in August, and is now at just 13.7 per cent compared with the long-term average of around 20 per cent/
“Lending figures are an important indicator for the sector. We had hoped that the slide in finance commitments had bottomed in June/July and that things would improve as the year draws to a close, but despite all the wishing in the world this is more bad news for the housing construction sector,” he said.
“The figures clearly demonstrate that the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) made the right decision on interest rates last week. “Construction is a major contributor to Australia’s economy. It is responsible for more full time jobs than any other sector in Queensland.
“We have seen how six ‘quick fire’ rate rises from October 2009 to May 2010 dampened demand in the construction industry. Currently mortgage rates are close to the long-term average and all of the talk about further hikes is spooking home buyers.
“The RBA should not be looking to lift the cash rate until we see strong signs of improvement in the housing construction sector.”
The weak state of the industry is highlighted in the results of the latest Master Builders survey of industry conditions, which will be released in a report later this month. The report shows that the residential sector fell further in the September quarter with over half of the businesses surveyed reporting softer trading conditions, with turnover and profitability both down.
“Conditions in Queensland’s residential and commercial sectors are still well below satisfactory levels and are forecast to remain weak in the short-term,” Mr Bidwell said.

Going to water over a really hard decision

POLITICS ... with Mungo MacCallum

It is now more than three and a half years since John Howard and his newly appointed minister for Water and the Environment, Malcolm Turnbull, promised to fix up the Murray-Darling Basin with a great big $10 billion dollar splash. The figure, and indeed the plan, were apparently plucked out of the air; they came as a complete surprise to Treasury, the Finance Department and even to Howard’s cabinet, but they produced spectacular headlines at the start of an election year.

Unfortunately that was about all they produced; the state premiers in Queensland and Victoria simply refused to sign up to a scheme which, they correctly foresaw, would involve their own irrigators losing out.
And in its first term Kevin Rudd’s government, beset by the Global Financial Crisis and the wider issue of climate change, didn’t do much better. Penny Wong did manage to spend one and a half billion dollars buying back some 700 gigalitres from willing sellers, but until the recent rains came the health of the rivers continued to worsen.
The problem was obvious; human activity was taking too much water out of them. The solution, therefore, was to curtail the human activity, but this involved political pain which none of the six governments concerned – one federal, four state and one territory – was prepared to suffer. T
hus it was left to the Murray Darling Basin Authority to come up with a hard science-based analysis of just what the options were. Business as usual was not one of them; if the rivers continued to deteriorate at the present rate, within a couple of decades the local environment would break down altogether and human activity would not only be curtailed but would become altogether unviable. But going back to the pristine natural state wasn’t on either; this would require the return of some 7000 extra gigalitres at a current cost of $2.3 million each.
At present just $3.1 billion is budgeted for the next three years. And quite apart from the money, taking back that quantity would wreck most of the agricultural industries which are the basin’s economic raison d’etre.
Clearly a compromise had to be found, but even so it was always going to be a controversial one: thus the authority’s report was not released until after the election. And even now, the report makes it clear that it is only floating ideas for consideration by all the interested parties: the final decision will have to be made by governments after extensive consultation and explanation.
Its conclusions are clear however: to get the system working to the extent that the Murray flows through to the sea for a reasonable amount of the time, an absolute minimum of 3000 extra gigalitres will be needed.
This would involve cutting existing allocations across the entire area of the catchment by about 27 percent on average at a cost of around $7 billion, which would be spent on buying back water and improving infrastructure. A much better result would be achieved by a cut of 37 per cent at a cost of over $9 billion, but this would involve more dislocation and would therefore be harder to sell.
Even the lower figure would result in the loss of about $800 million a year in production and about 800 jobs. The irrigators claim these latter figures are a drastic underestimate: the National Farmers Federation put the job losses at ten times as high. And obviously the high water users like rice and cotton growers would be hit hard. It could, of course, be argued that such crops should never have been grown in Australian conditions in the first place, but there are still a lot of workers – and votes – involved.
The redoubtable Barnaby Joyce came to a predictable conclusion: “It’s not going out on a limb to say that if you take 45 per cent from an area, the area for all intents and purposes is decimated.” Well actually it’s worse than that; decimation would mean a loss of just ten per cent.
But Barnaby was never very good at arithmetic. The electoral arithmetic is actually quite straightforward; almost the whole basin is Liberal or National Party territory, so in purely political terms a federal Labor government has little to lose by going in fast and hard.
But in a broader social context the choices are more complex. Obviously the environment is a precious and irreplaceable resource. But the rural lifestyle of some of the small farmers and irrigators, especially in the horticultural areas, is also a valuable national asset.
The economic rationalists may deride it as wasteful and uncompetitive, and no doubt in the cold hard terms of the global economy they are right. But that does not mean that it is not worth preserving. Faced with a similar dilemma many years ago, France made what it usually seen as the irrational choice: it used high tariffs and subsidies to prop up the regional lifestyle of its small farmers.
The free traders screamed with indignation, but the fact is that the French countryside remains one of the most desirable destinations in the world: the same well-paid economists who insist that they loathe the very basis of its existence queue to sample the delights of its local cuisine and culture.
The Murray Darling basin is not just Australia’s major food bowl, and an important economic resource in its own right; it is also one of the most varied and interesting parts of the country. Restoring it to the environmental paradise of the years before white settlement might be the preferred solution of the extreme greens, but it would involve losses well beyond the immediate disruption of the present generation.
Julia Gillard has promised that she will not shrink from the hard decisions. They won’t come much harder than the one she will have to make on the Murray Darling Basin.

An indicator of arrogance

FROM MY CORNER ... with Ann Brunswick

It is so easy for the good name of a major company, utility or other big organisation to be trashed by the thoughtlessness or arrogance of just one of its staff. It is just a pity those particular staff members never seem to comprehend that simple truth.

This thought popped into my mind the other morning on my way to work when stopped at a set of traffic lights behind an Energex truck. My trusty Land Rover was in the inside lane of a two-lane near-city street behind the truck which had another car in front of it at the head of a line-up of cars.
We were all waiting patiently at the intersection for the lights to change and head towards the CBD. When they did turn green what do you think the driver of the Energex truck did? Of course, he or she decided at that moment to turn on their right indicator and hold up me and those behind me while oncoming traffic cleared sufficiently for the turn to be made.
I had chosen my particular lane at that intersection that morning precisely because on approach it was clear neither the Energex truck nor the car in front of it had their indicators signalling a right turn.
The intersection in question can be quite busy so the Energex driver no doubt made a big impression on more than just me.

***

An invitation was extended to me by one of my gal pals to join her for breakfast at the Holiday Inn in Roma Street last Sunday.

The buffet breakfast was one of the best in the city, and quite reasonably priced. But despite the hotel’s positive impression it should be a long time before I venture back.
You see it was impossible to find a nearby street park for my Land Rover. Sunday was a gloomy and wet day and the mood was not made any better by the fact the Roma Street precinct seems to be full of bus stops, bays marked for police parking only, and loading zones that operate all hours and all days of the week.
So after the first few minutes trying to find a spare street car-park pace, my Land Rover headed towards Mackerston Street.
“There’s always a few spots there,” I reasoned with myself. But on arrival what did my eyes spy? Several of the former car spaces had been consumed by one of the new City Cycle stations. So back to scouring the streets, but again to no avail.
Given the rain at the time there was nothing left for it but to head to the privately operated car park attached to the hotel. All well and good.
I consumed a pleasant brekky and stayed dry going to and from my car. But the problem for me was that the car parking cost $32 for slightly more than 90 minutes –almost twice the price of the brekky buffet.
To make matters worse, on Sundays the car park does not employ a gate attendant. So to pay you must trot around the the Transit Centre car park and make use of its automated payment machines.
o while I can heartily recommend the hotel’s brekky, be warned that you should only attempt to go there if you can strike street parking, arrive by public transport, walk, hang glide, or fax or email yourself there.

***
Speaking of the City Cycle scheme, have you noticed – as if you can avoid it – the huge new signs that have sprung up at strategic entry points to the inner-city.
They have been erected by outdoor advertising firm JC Decaux, the company behind the cycle rental scheme. Like the one pictured below at Spring Hill, the new signs are in locations and of a size that to my mind are somewhat intrusive.
One wonders if they would have been approved if any other outdoor advertising group wanted to install them.

Roaming holiday

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Savagnin on a roll

WINE ... with David Bray

Savagnin. Unless you are well into the business of Australian wine you quite likely haven’t even heard the name. I think you will hear plenty, quite soon. And it’s an interesting story. There about 30 places making wine in Australia from savagnin. Most, if not all, of them were caught up in the plant naming mix-up that rocked the CSIRO last year.

They thought they had planted the popular white Spanish varietal albarino, sourced from the CSIRO grape vine collection through various vine improvement associations. But DNA testing revealed the planting material was actually a clone of savagnin blanc, or traminer, originating from the Jura region of eastern France.
CSIRO had imported the ‘albarino’ clones from the Spanish National Vine Collection in 1989. When the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation directed last year that all albarino would have to be DNA tested to prove its identity before labelling, grape growers decided to go with the name savagnin. The mix-up held up the bottling of last year’s vintage and even forced some growers to relabel their wine.
There are now about 160 hectares of the grape stretching across Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania and Queensland.
Some of the new wines have scored good reviews and won medals on the Australian wine show circuit.
Three that shone at the Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show in Mildura last year are Alba Toro Savagnin from Allinda, the Coolangatta Estate Savagnin 2009 and Crittenden Estate’s Los Hermanos Tributo a Galicia (Savagnin).
I like one writer’s view that “it seems most growers are taking the positive approach that they are spearheading a new trend among Australia wine appreciators, presenting a Spanish style white from a grape that is traditionally treated as an unfortified sherry – vin jaune (yellow wine) – in France”.
Your reporter first came upon wine made from the savagnin grape at a trade tasting a few weeks ago. It carried the Pindarie label, was nicely named La Femme and I liked it a lot: fruity, floral and very drinkable. Pindarie is a family owned and operated business on the western ridge of the Barossa Valley.
Tony Brooks and Wendy Allen are the couple concerned. After jackarooing on properties around Australia, Tony graduated from Roseworthy in 1985 then managed sheep feedlots in Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Jordan.
He believes the land should be looked after in a sustainable manner and has planted thousands of native trees and shrubs. New Zealand-born Wendy met Tony at Roseworthy, worked for 12 years with Penfolds, finishing up a senior viticulturist. She completed a graduate diploma in wine business in 2001.
The winery notes tell us La femme is designed for early drinking and is a perfect summer wine, well suited to spicy Asian dishes and simple seafood delights. As well as this little lovely, Pindarie specialises in “premium red wine, tempranilllo, sangiovese and shiraz”. I hope to see them soon.