Jane Read -mother, wife, sister, daughter, friend, foodie, wino, cook, shopper, gardener, reader, writer and general dogsbody!
Loves- family friends food wine Italy books horses roses Limoges coffee gardenias sun babies fashion movies
For those that know me this blog may come as no great surprise! After an extensive internship at the institution Harbourside in Auckland and several years at Catalina, Rose Bay, Sydney, I then moved to pursue a more directional career path with Tucker Seabrook Fine Wine Merchants. From Tucker Seabrook I decided on a break from it all and left to concentrate my efforts on family.
My obsession with food and wine wasn’t ready for a break and seemed to take on a personality of its own, once spare time permitted. Hundreds of dinner parties, house parties, various functions, christenings, birthdays and plenty of travel just fueled me to delve even deeper into this obsession.
I am well-known as someone who discovers a gem and tells the world, discovers a dud and tells the world, so why not put it in print? I love a ‘find’ and being in the know before anyone else, now I have that chance to share it.
I love food, I love to cook but preparing and savoring my own and others masterpieces has never been enough. My mission is to sell my passion for food to anyone who will listen! My plan is to combine 3 of my most favourite passions food, wine and friends, so here I am.
Second great surprise I love wine… oh yes I do! This is an opportunity for me to expand on my own knowledge and share the vast and wonderful all-encompassing world of wine with our readers. For all that technical gab I have Liz, all I can offer you is an unbiased palate, a real passion for wine and an eagerness to learn and share.
thank you to Liz and Terroso for letting me harness this great love affair and do something productive with it and thank you for reading!
Wine- 1975 Château d’Yquem (the year after my birth year as in 1974 the entire crop was deemed unworthy of bearing the Château’s name; this happened 9 times in the 20th century -1910, 1915, 1930, 1951, 1952, 1964, 1972, 1992, trust it to be my year of birth!!!!). This was drunk with Nicholas in Vegas, Picasso at Bellagio. Still trying to find (and afford) something comparable!
Food- very best meal ever was at the fishermen’s market in a little local cafe in Istanbul, Turkey. Watermelon, local feta, olives, homemade bread and dips, mint tea, turkish delight and turkish coffee- stunning.
Place- Taormina, Sicily, quite possibly the most beautiful place I have ever seen. About 1 1/2 hours from Sicily, south along the coast, this tiny little spot is a mecca for beautiful food, people,scenery heaven on earth- I am going back there one day!
People- possibly (apart from my husband and children of course!) my very favourite person would have to have been my Grannie- ultimate housekeeper, cook, organiser, style master, mother, grandmother, an avid reader and a very active, somewhat political mind. She relished the fact that she was ‘self educated’ delighting in immersing herself in current affairs, literature, scrabble and family. She was not only my soul mate and mentor but a wonderful companion and friend.
Liz ben-Arieh- mother, sister, daughter, lover, friend, mediator, cook, wine tragic, researcher, communicator, advisor.
Loves – Eva, freshly baked bread, artisan cheeses, music with a soul (Herbie Hancock Paul Kelly), running, wine, Champagne Salon, cooking for friends, dinner parties, exploring
My discovery and subsequent passion for all things wine was ignited while living in Japan in the mid nineties.
When I returned home I realized that if I wanted a career in the industry I needed to train my palate. Or better still, ask someone with a much better palate to help me do it, so I brazenly contacted Peter Scudamore Smith MW asking him to tutor me in wine tasting and get my palate up to scratch.
This was the start of a career spanning more than 18 years across 3 states that I have immensely enjoyed and learned from. The culmination though has been the opportunity to work alongside some of the industry’s greats, the people who’ve shaped the industry so far and will continue to influence it for years to come. It’s really been a privilege and blast!
Wine and food for me are all about the table: the sharing of favourite dishes, seasonal gems, wines and great stories with friends and family. No where else was this more appreciated than when I lived in the Barossa Valley. Living in this region for five years was such an experience that it would take a book to do it justice! It’s taught me a lot and will continue to influence my life for years to come….
I made the very difficult decision 3 years ago, to focus on my family and hone my skills further in media and communications. I realized early on just how spoiled I had been when it came to being in the know and understanding what was authentic and what was basically just over rated or pumped up on hype.
The wine retail scene these days is very homogenized and discounted to the wazoo, which is dangerous if you’re passionate about wines being representative of its location.
By keeping in touch with my industry contacts I still have access to wines that are not only savvy and interesting but offer great value and never disappoint. This is what prompted me to start Terroso – so much wine, not enough time and still so much to taste and explore.
