Q&A WITH ATTICA SOMMELIER JANE LOPES
The Ghan, one of the longest passenger-train journeys in the world, fascinates Australians. When SBS
featured a three-hour “slow TV” documentary about the Adelaide-Darwin train service last year, it was
the network’s highest rating program in 12 months, prompting a full 17-hour cut of the show to screen soon
after. The Ghan’s 90th birthday made the news in August, with Christine Anu and Joe Camilleri performing
for the 235 guests who boarded the Anniversary Train. Today, the ultimate way to experience the 2979km
journey through the Outback is to book in for a four-day trip on The Ghan Expedition, leaving from Darwin
through March to October. Passengers will retrace a route that has a multicultural history (it’s named after
camel drivers from India, Iran and Afghanistan who, in the mid-19th century, took their animals up north and
helped establish transport routes) and enjoy well-catered stopovers in Coober Pedy (go underground
for a special Greek lunch in the opal-mining town) and Alice Springs (settle in for a barbecue dinner
under the stars at The Telegraph Station). From $2949 in a Gold Twin cabin, journeybeyondrail.com.au
The historic
Ghan route
turned 90
on 4 August.You don’t need to ski
to enjoy the Cornucopia
food and drink festival
in Whistler, British
Columbia. This year’s
program, from 7 to 17
November, includes
multiple off-piste
events, including a
Warhol-inspired Factory
Party at the Audain
Art Museum, the
Sashay, Fillet! Whistler
evening of food and
drag, and a Bloody
Caesar cocktail battle.
whistlercornucopia.comGhan with the wind
In your memoir Vignette, you say green
chartreuse is “intensely celebratory or
consoling, reserved for only the best and
worst of nights”. Did it help you with writing
the tougher passages? Perhaps I should have
qualified that. Green chartreuse is intensely
celebratory or consoling – when you’re 23
years old. When you’re 33, it is plain hazardous!
Your book unfolds across many bars, homes
and vineyards. Is there a bottle that vividly
sums up a place for you? My husband, Jon,
started making his own wine in 2018. He bought
shiraz from the Bannockburn estate vineyard in
Geelong, rented some space in their cellar, and
just did it. To me, drinking that wine embodies
the spirit of Australia and why it has been such
an amazing place for the two of us.
Even though you’re open to a wide range
of drinks, you don’t drink coffee, tea or tequilafor personal and health reasons. Is there
something you wish you could get into?
All of it! For me, the world of beverages is
all about ritual: a visit to a Highlands tequila
distillery and a sampling of its products;
scooping the foam off a warm cappuccino;
tasting the second steeping of a special
oolong; or clanking celebratory beers. It’s
not really about the booze or caffeine;
it’s about being able to participate.
Which wine memoirs would you recommend,
and what should people drink with them?
Adventures on the Wine Route, by Kermit Lynch:
you can follow along wine-wise, drinking the
producers from his import portfolio, though
this will be an expensive exercise. I’m excited
to read my friend Victoria James’s new memoir
called Wine Girl. She’s previously written a
book on rosé, so a glass of the pink stuff
would be an appropriate accompaniment.
Vignette: Stories of Life and Wine in 100 Bottles,
Jane Lopes (Hardie Grant, $40, hbk).GOURMET TRAVELLER 25