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Here we find people who are concerned about the impact that their practices have on people and the environment. They are passionate about what they do and patient in the process; they may wait for years to make an ancient type of wine, or take the time to grow healthy food without damaging chemicals, or make us stop to savour the real flavours of the food they cook, or the wine we drink.
Slowing down has benefits valuable far beyond the tangible. The dust and soil runs through our hands. The sun and rain receive special attention. We watch out for seasonal influences and begin to treat our food the way we should treat ourselves. QUOCo. asks you to slow down and consider your choices. After all, you and your choices at mealtime will decide what we will all eat in the future...
Click on the photo of our friends below to read their interview.
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| Gino Forlano with Salerno in the hearth. |
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| Andrew Phillpot, Made Establishment |
Marino Braccu, Bar Di Stasio |
Maurice Terzini, Icebergs Dining Room, Bondi. |
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| Melbourne's iconic Chris Broughton |
Banjo Harris Plane, Attica. 53rd best restaurant in the world. |
Ennio Di Marco, A Tavola's master wine taylor. |
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| Shane Delia, the mediterranean food revolutionare |
Rio Capurso, another Pugliese in the country |
Fabio & Flavio, proud southern Italian ambassadors |
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| Giovanni Paradiso, one part of the legendary Fratelli Paradiso |
Mario Di Ienno, the humble yet vital ingredient to the success of the iconic Gerald’s Bar in Rathdowne Street, Carlton. |
Rino Sambataro, masterminder of Sicilian Orange, in Prahran, Vic.
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Loris Sain, sommelier at MamaBaba, Melbourne
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Sean Kierce, pizza pioneer of Ladro's fame. |
Mauro Marcucci, the uncompromizable italian restauranteur |
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| Giovanni Patane and his Alfa Romeo Giulia Super , Supermaxi |
The effervescent Pia Tatjana Tukiainen, head sommelier at Church Street Enoteca |
Alistair Dobbs pioneering Hampton with his Os kitchen & wine bar |
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| Tony Nicolini and his Berkel at Carlton Espresso, Melbourne |
Jay Bessel, The Carlton Wine Room masterminder |
Lara Caraturo, the sommelier responsible for the 2011 Australia’s Wine List of the Year. |
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| The Hellenika's Beth Clarke |
Josh Elias tasting VINO. www.tastinggroup.com |
Emily Rice at the hot 400 Gradi Pizzeria |
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OUR FRIENDS IN AUSTRALIA
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Karen Martini. “My food is an expression of my heritage, a product of my curiosity and the result of my hunger.” The motivation behind her restaurants is to create vibrant places that serve rustic Italian food with an emphasis on excellent produce, complemented by regional Italian wines.
During the 2008 Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, Karen together with QUOCo. presented a Pugliese feast at her renowned restaurant, The Melbourne Wine Room. Keep an eye out for future collaborations!
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Ben Knight. Ben's career has developed over the years to include wine writing and managing extensive wine lists. In addition, he has traveled to various world wine regions to assist with the wine making process with some leading winemakers, creating an expansive frame of reference across the international wine industry. He believes that the right wines can have the most profound effect on you, an effect that will keep you hooked.
With Ben, we will be delighted to launch QUOCo.'s wine masterclasses, and offer you this unique experience to discover the elegance of Pugliese wines. To find out more, subscribe to our newsletter.
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Andrew Cibej. Chef at Surry Hills enoteca Vini, Andrew's roots are from Friuli in northern Italy, and spending two and a half years in his father's homeland was a culinary revelation to him. Returning to Australia in 2002, he was struck by the lack of venues in the Italian enoteca style - part wine bar, part restaurant, part deli - where patrons could "graze" on simple dishes, meats and cheeses, and try different wines. So he opened Vini.
Cibej is on deck from 9am to 1am five days a week and will be only too happy to pour you a glass of his favourite Pugliese wines from QUOCo.
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Marisa Travain. Born in Australia to Italian parents, Marisa’s love of cooking began at a very early age, when making salamis, bottling passata, and drying home grown figs were a way of life for her family.
Marisa brings her instinctive understanding of Italian food to the table at Va Bene Pizzeria, where traditional pizza and rustic Italian pasta dishes are becoming a favourite of Melburnians. And what better way to enjoy them than with a bottle of QUOCo.'s organic wine?
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OUR FRIENDS IN ITALY
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In the early 1900s, Giuseppe de Corato acquired the vast Rivera estate in Puglia, and planted it to vines, olives, and grain. Fifty years later, his son Sebastiano founded the Azienda Vinicola Rivera, inspired by his vision of realising the enormous viticultural potential of the Castel del Monte area. Widespread recognition quickly followed, and Rivera became the benchmark of Pugliese wine production and the force driving its rebirth. The entry of Sebastiano's son, Carlo, signalled a rededication to its values; to produce wines of significant quality and distinctiveness, wines that reflect the world of colours, scents and flavours that make up Puglia. QUOCo. is proud to be the exclusive Australian importer of these wines.
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