delicious. Gold Medallist That’s Amore cheese has just launched a two-day cheese event in Melbourne CBD this Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd August. Known for their silky, plaited mozzarella, That’s Amore has 65 different cheeses in their range and all are available to taste at the festival, The Collection. Also on the agenda are 30 minute masterclasses with cheese experts Anthony Femia, Helen Ritchie, Anthony Nania and Giorgio Linguanti. General admission tickets are just $35 and include guided tastings of all the cheeses, a glass of wine or beer and a mini cannoli. Masterclass tickets are $70 and include general admin. Grab yours now here.

Pepe’s Italian & Liquor is bringing the mountains to Melbourne this winter, with the launch of Pepe’s Winter Chalet. An escapist’s daydream, the chalet is designed to transport guests to the Italian Alps – Après Lounge, snow machine, and all. Inside, the Pepe’s “lodge” is brought to life with custom alpine flags, authentic timber skis, and deer heads mounted on the walls, while the smell of cinnamon and warm winter spices waft throughout. Celebrating all that the Dolomites have the offer, the special winter menu is laden with delicious handmade pasta and winter cocktails – apple strudel hot toddy anyone? Standout dishes include späztle tirolesi, handmade spinach pasta with a mouth-watering rabbit ragu, and casunsei all’ampezzana, a traditional crescent moon pasta local to the Dolomites.The restaurant’s heritage-listed, faded red-brick facade is the perfect destination for a postcard-worthy winter paradise, book your lift pass now here.

If you’re keen to escape the city, look no further than the Morning Peninsula wine region, just an hour’s drive from Melbourne’s CBD. Located in Willow Creek Vineyard, Jackalope Hotel is the jewel of the province and raises the bar for regional holidays far and wide. Go classic at cellar-door bistro Rare Hare, which dishes up some of the best food and wine in the region, then let go of the reins at Flagerdoot, an Alice in Wonderland-meets Bladerunner cocktail bar that you’d never know was just meters from the vines. In the mood for a little (a lot of) luxury? You can now buy out Jackalope hotel for the night. For the eyewatering price of $20,000 a night, you can have the run of the place’s 44 rooms, restaurants, bars, conferencing spaces and the spa. Perfect for your next birthday milestone, corporate retreat or an upmarket elopment – book in now for one of three available dates in late July. Reach out to reservations@jackalopehotel.com for all the details.

Tempus Two has launched their new range of lower alcohol wines, perfect for cold winter nights in lockdown. Entitled Lighten Up, the range includes a Prosecco, Rosé and Pinot Noir all with an ABV of 6.8%, so you can drink sensibily all night long. As Australians continue to eat and drink healthier than ever, low- or non-alcoholic wines are all the rage, and it’s worth celebrating when a range as convinving as Lighten Up is introduced. The secret? The latest spinning cone technology that removes alcohol at a lower temperature, meaning a gentler alcohol extraction process and more varietal fruit character retained – cheers to that! Lighten Up is now available nationally in Dan Murphy’s, selected independents and online, grab yours now for $20 each.

While Sydney is in lockdown, Re, the world’s first no-waste bar, is transforming into the Re Up Bottle Shop. Having only launched in June, losing dine-in access to Matt Whiley’s South Eveleigh showstopper is practically criminal, so we’re surely not the only ones celebrating the take-home options. Everything on the menu is deliciously sustainable, with drnsk made from excess, salvaged or foraged ingredients. On the bottle shop menu are the infamous Melon Negroni and refreshing Yuzu Margarita, plus bottles of upcycled coffee liqueur and spirits, available in a variety of sizes. What’s more? This is the first time those outside Sydney can experience the indulgent cocktails, with their express delivery service. Don’t wait, order now here.

After the success of their alcoholic seltzers range FIZZER, Moon Dog Brewing is launcing mixed packs of their most popular flavours. Available in quantities of 10 or 30 cans, the packs include Coco Mango, Raspberry Sorbet, Lemon Squeezy, Tropical Crush, and Piney Limey – FIZZER favourites from the original and newer range. Moon Dog’s creations contain less than 1 gram of sugar per can, are created with all natural fruit flavours, and are vegan friendly. We’re calling it, these summery mixed cases might just be the ultimate antidote to lockdown blues. Get your hands on a pack now at independent botte shops or here.

After making a splash overseas, Sheepdog’s PB whisky has finally landed in Australia and we’re sure as hell not mad about it. Produced in the USA, this flavoured whisky is bursting with natural peanut butter flavours, notes of vanilla and caramel popcorn. Sweet and salty yet still dripping with that classic whisky flavour, Sheepdog can be wolfed down solo, poured over ice, or added to an espresso martini or old fashioned for a nutty, buttery twist. Grab yours now from BWS, Dan Murphy’s and First Choice for $55 a pop.

As the Australian hospitality industry is again hit with unimaginable hardship, Australian Venue Co (AVC) is doing its bit to help by dishing up free meals to hospo workers. As one of the largest hospitality groups in the country (venues include The Winery, Untied, The Albion Hotel), AVC weren’t content to sit still. Instead, they’re diverting their team’s efforts to dishing up 2000 free meals for any of its employees or hospo mates who need them. Each person can collect a Mates Bag of 7 meals (plus one dessert) from Bungalow 8 until Wednesday 14 July. The Bag will include a beef Shepherd’s Pie; Sri Lankan vegetable and lentil coconut curry with rice; marinated grilled chicken thigh with mixed grain salad; rigatoni pasta with tomato, mushroom, basil and eggplant; Thai pumpkin soup with roti bread; tomato and fennel soup with garlic croutons and double chocolate brownies. Claim yours now by submitting this form on the AVC website.