Golden opportunity

I was window shopping in Avalon a few weeks ago when I found myself strangely drawn to a pair of pants with a creased golden finish.

I went inside and asked what sizes they came in. The shop assistant said “they’re one size fits all”. I was intrigued.

I tried them on and felt fabulous. They were so weird, but so comfy. The shop assistant tried to talk me into buying a matching top with a creased gold finish, but my commonsense kicked in and said nooooo, keep it simple.

I bought the pants and have been wearing the hell out of them, matched with very plain black everything else.

Last night I teamed them with knee-high Nine West black boots, a black long-sleeved t-shirt from Decjuba and an oversized black suit jacket I got on sale at Witchery.

I was very happy with the combo, which I wore to a Château Tanunda event in the city – the exclusive unveiling of its 2024 Collection release.

The release, in the winery’s words, “celebrates Château Tanunda’s pinnacle wines and includes the latest vintages of its finest wines crafted from some of the Barossa Valley’s oldest vines”.

The festivities included dinner at Luna Lu restaurant in Campbells Cove, Circular Quay, which has a fabulous view of the Sydney Opera House.

Senior Winemaker Jeremy Ottawa was supposed to guide attendees through the latest releases, but he was crook as Rookwood in a hotel room, so owner Michelle Geber had to step in.

Michelle told the story of her dad cycling through the Barossa Valley one day when he saw a chateau through the trees.

There was a for sale sign in the window. He called the agent and discovered it was the site of the Barossa’s first winery.

He pretty much decided on the spot to buy it.

Established in 1890, Château Tanunda is the surrounded some of the Barossa Valley’s oldest vines.

The new owners have produced wines that have gone on to win some of the world’s most prestigious awards.

I went along solo to the dinner, as the invitation didn’t offer a plus one option. I wasn’t too bothered as I’ve discovered my ability to talk under water to perfect strangers means I manage pretty well without a support person.

As it turns out I was seated across from my old Mamamia workmate Kahla, who I hadn’t seen for a decade. She didn’t look a day older, damn her, and we chatted up a storm while sipping fabulous wines.

It was such a fun night, which included tasting wines from 50, 100 and 150-year-old vines. The final, very special tasting was a wine from a small batch of just 900 bottles.

Fancy! Though I felt a bit worn out when I finally caught the bus home at 10pm – waaaaaay past my bedtime.

But it was great to meet new people and try new things and I felt very lucky to be invited to such a lovely event.

Fortunately tonight’s PR event has been postponed as I am getting too old to back up for two late nights in a row.

Song of the day: Spandau Ballet “Gold”