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Want a wine matching with a twist? Meet Jake!
What’s your name (can include nicknames)
Jake.
What sorts of tours and experiences do you run?
Wine tours, with a twist. Check out Junk Food and Wine matching or iWine (matching music with wine).
What lead you to run these experiences?
I have been to so many boring, earnest wine tastings over the years that take themselves too seriously and in the process exclude everyone from the enjoyment of wine.
I wanted to create wine tastings that were about the enjoyment of wine and make them accessible to all wine drinkers.
What’s your idea of a fun night out?
Braiding my friends hair in my pyjamas, talking about cute boys and watching the notebook…
No wait, having a few beers watching the footy (AFL Dockers & The Giants) then heading out to a great restaurant drinking some great wines.
What’s the coolest travel experience you’ve ever had?
Travelling through Burgundy, The Rhone Valley and Chianti was a great experience.
Why do you want to meet people through experiences and activities?
I love meeting new people and get inspired by other peoples experiences and knowledge. Meeting people through activities and experiences helps break down any hesitancies and get to know people on a different level.
Describe your ideal tour participant
Those that really get into what we are trying to do and embrace the experience whole heartedly. You can make our events as enjoyable as you want them to be.
When someone sings in front of the group in our Music & Wine tasting I know have a group of ideal participants.
What do you love about Sydney?
Its a cliche to say the beaches, but living two minutes from the beach in Tamarama is pretty special.
If you could hang out with 3 people for a day, who would they be and why?
Derren Brown – I want to learn all his tricks and techniques.
Christopher Hitchens – Even though he’s passed away now, I could listen to him talk for hours (when he was alive that is).
Tony Clifton – Although a created character and his creator has also passed away, but he would be excruciating hilariously to hang out with.
What’s currently on your playlist?
Billy Bragg and Wilco Mermaid Avenue III
If you could go anywhere in the world and do anything, what would it be and why?
Travel to all the wine regions of the world I am yet to visit: Agrentina, Germany and any others I can fit in.
Why? ‘Cos I love wine!!
Anything else we should know about you?
I have spent the last 15 years as a professional actor alongside my wine career. Most notably probably playing Matt Jennings in Packed to the Rafters.
You can find out more about Jake and join his wine tours on his eXpertLocal profile.
Discover the magic of Asia with Wee Lyn’s food tours
1. What’s your name (can include nicknames)
Call me “Lynn” or “Wee Lynn”. But please, not “Wee”.
2. What sorts of tours and experiences do you run?
My tours are food tours in authentic food hotspots of Sydney, with a dash of cultural immersion. You’ll learn or taste something new, and you won’t leave hungry…I promise!
You’ll also learn handy tips for easily making delicious food at home. You can have a holiday for your tastebuds without getting on a plane!
3. What lead you to run these experiences?
I love my food! I relish making new food discoveries and sharing them with people.
Sydney is such a diverse place. Many people want to be adventurous and go outside their usual haunts, but it’s daunting. After you’ve decided which eatery to enter, how do you decide which of the 63 menu items the kitchen excels at?
That’s where it’s useful to be taken around by someone who personally frequents these places!
Never feel compelled to order sweet and sour pork for the umpteenth time at the usual takeaway joint again. Come eat with me instead.
4. What’s your idea of a fun night out?
A barbecue with lots of good friends and happy kids, on an autumn evening when the final remnants of warmth still linger. There’ll be an array of meats, like chilli chicken wings, bulgogi sausages, Sichuan lamb skewers in chilli, cumin and beer sauce, Malaysian satay with the proper peanut sauce. Plus an array of salads made with dewy fresh produce from the Sydney Markets at Flemington. Topped off by a gelato scoop cake from my local gelataria, Feed. YUM!
5. What’s the coolest travel experience you’ve ever had?
It’d have to be backpacking in Japan on a skin flint budget. Every single day for 10 days, I encountered something so new that it blew my mind, be it tall Japanese girls dressed like Barbie dolls, or freshly caught tuna so large the fishmonger wielded a samurai-looking sword to cut it.
6. Why do you want to meet people through experiences and activities?
I get a kick out of satisfying the curiosity of adventurous people. It is gratifying to show off the delightful food that Sydney has to offer, and its great exchanging tips on making life in the kitchen tastier and easier.7. Describe your ideal tour participant
Someone even vaguely interested in food is bound to have fun. It’s great taking around a group of people who know each other – they bond and have enjoy themselves. My tours cater to all types of people.
People with dietary or mobility requirements are also very welcome – just let me know in advance so I can make arrangements.
I’ve had guests from both ends of the spectrum when it comes to levels of culinary and cultural knowledge, but luckily the professional chef said he’d learnt something new and had fun too.
8. What do you love about Sydney?
How you can visit a suburb and be transported into a different country, complete with sights, smells and authentic food. And it’s all at our doorstep, waiting to be discovered.
9. If you could go anywhere in the world and do anything, what would it be and why?
Turkey, getting lost in a souk. I’ll be surrounded by ingredients to discover, foods to taste, and rugs and many other things of beauty. Heaven!Like the sound of Wee Lyn and her love of food? You can enjoy it, too! Simply send her a message and book her Asian thrills food tour.
Say no to a boring St Valentine’s Day with eXpertLocal
Oh Sydney, it’s that time of year again when Cupid puts on a funny little outfit and does something super special. And by super special, we mean definitely not the same old, same old. So say no to boring bits and say yes to seriously good loving with the eXpertLocal selection of things to do this St Valentine’s Day.
Run around in your undies
What could be more romantic than running with thousands of other Sydneysiders who are wearing nothing but their undies, a charitable heart and a very cheeky smile? Now you can with the Cupid Undie Run! Giving you the opportunity to get some exercise, support a children’s tumour prevention charity and not have to go through the pain of deciding what to wear on St Valentine’s Day is what this event is all about! So show some love for fitness, health and err…letting a few things hang out at the Cupid Undie Run on Feb 9th. Register your participation here.
Stretching the limits of love
What do dressing in bright yet comfy clothes, visual displays, neon lighting and yoga got in common? Why St Valentine’s Day at Sukha Mukha Yoga of course! A home for all kinds of yoga classes and monthly community documentaries, Sukha Mukha yoga is holding “Glow with the Flow” on February 14th, where you and your partner can dress in vibrant colours and be immersed in music, lighting, gentle stretching, deep relaxation and a whole lot of fun. Singles are also welcome (great place to meet someone open minded perhaps?). What a great way to get limber for love! Book your spot now.
Four pawed friendship assured
Who says romance has to be all about the people? Here’s an event where it’s well and truly gone to the dogs! The gang from pet friendly App Doggible are holding a doggy love in party for pooches at 10am to 1pm on Sunday 16th February. Meet at Federation Valley Centennial Park (near Loch Avenue and Grand Drive) and you and your four paws can mingle with dogs and people. Games, tricks, prizes and a chance to meet the tallest dog in the world abound. This is a great event for families, couples who want to include their fur babies in St Valentine’s Day celebrations, or singles who would like to meet like minded people while spending time doing something you love. Find out more on the Doggible Facebook page.
Did someone say singing pub minstrels?
Popping to the pub for a decent 3 course meal is a Sydney favourite, but the gang at the Unicorn Hotel in Paddington have included a delightfully devilish twist. You and your beau will be serenaded by roving minstrels at the Unicorn throughout the evening. With a glass of bubbles in hand and a rendition of your favourite cheesy love song, The Unicorn is bound to be a place for awkward blushing and romance giggles this February 14th! More details available here.
I’d like a light red with a dash of Prince, thanks
Have you ever tasted a wine and thought “Hmmm, tastes a little like Madonna with a touch of P!nk?” – Well, now you can with the iWine matching music with wine experience. Jake is a masterful wine maker who loves a good wine tasting – with the tunes pumping of course! Find out if you prefer your Alicante with Aerosmith or your Barolo with Beethoven at this very interesting event held Monday 17th February. Wow your date with your innovative take on the winsome wine and wonder of St Valentine’s Day! Book now.
Honey, how about a pub crawl?
Newtown has a lot of romance. From the street art to the gentle hum of traffic on King st, Newtown is the place to go if you want to meet people of all kinds. That’s why eXpertLocal are running a special edition of the Newtown “Search for the perfect beer” crawl! This February 14th, you and your date (or singles you can be matched with), will be taken on a romantic discovery of Newtown and the beery haunts. Search for love, or search for the meaning of perfect love, as you undertake a Newtown pub crawl that’s all heart. Book now to avoid disappointment!
Mixing business with pleasure and social responsibility
For the thinking man’s bit of crumpet, we have our very own marketing manager Rebekah speaking at WeCo on February 20th on “why social responsibility needs to be a part of business”. Joining her are Brook McCarthy from Yoga Reach, Joel Hauer from WeCo and a bunch of passionate social responsibility and business minded people. So if you want to romance your mind a little, this is the event for you. It’s free and refreshments are supplied. Talk about romance for your career! RSVP here.
See? Not a single long stemmed rose or Hallmark card in sight! So what are you waiting for? Choose your version of a love in this St Valentine ’s Day, Sydney!
Your guide to getting started on eXpertLocal
Looking for a summary of how to get started on eXpertLocal? Check out our guide.
Think about what you love
Yes, it really is that simple. What kinds of things do you love sharing with your friends? What’s something you know a lot about? What’s a topic that really excites you? What are the things you really love doing? Sharing those moments, ideas and adventures with other people are what eXpertLocal is all about.
Write it down
From your favourite kind of Saturday picnic through to knowing all the cool little places to go in a particular suburb, your experience really needs to have a little form to it so other people can understand. So break down your idea and think about:
- Why do you love doing this particular activity?
- Who are the kinds of people you’d love to share it with?
- What tools do you need to make your experience happen?
- Where would you stage your experience?
- Why would people really enjoy your experience?
- When would you be able to conduct your experience?
Enjoy the freedom
One of the best things about eXpertLocal is there isn’t a boss telling you how to run your experience. What you want to do is what you write down. We can certainly help you write your tour, but everything from the length of the tour to the subject matter, through to how many people can go and what it entails is entirely up to you. AND you can try out your experience, and change it when you want to. This is your opportunity to design your ideal job with support!
Check out the info that matches your situation
We know it can be a little daunting when you first consider running your own tour. That’s why we’ve written inspirational blogs that give you ideas on the types of tours you may want to host on eXpertLocal. And you can take advantage of our profile tips and advice on writing a cool experience.
You can find tips on writing a really cool experience as an individual or get the lowdown on running tours for your business. You can promote your community ideas and free experiences, too.
Follow the prompts (and ask for help)
A great way to check out what kinds of experiences may work on eXpertLocal is to check out the other tours. You can also register for our Meetups and come and meet other hosts, ask questions and get to know the team behind eXpertLocal. And if you need an extra hand getting your tour into shape, you can email us directly via rebekah@expertlocal.com to workshop your idea or even have your idea written up!
eXpertLocal is as simple (or as complicated) as you want it to be. So why not take that long held dream of the kind of experience you’d love to share from idea stage to the next level?
If you have any questions, feel free to leave them below.
What’s on in Sydney in October
- Fetching Dogs Trivia – photo credit to Ruthless Photos http://www.ruthlessphotos.com
The weather is glorious, the smiles are wide, and October is bringing us fun, frivolity and a seemingly endless parade of amazing things!
Let’s get into it, shall we?
Food Glorious Food
Would you like some bagels, beers and beats? Head on down to the Helm Bar October 5th.
Have a marvellous excuse to drink wine on the Monday of the long weekend and enjoy a love affair with Pinot at Pinotpalooza at Carriageworks on October 7th.
Talk about the future of food and discover some awesome foodies and food events in the process when Think Act Change presents ‘The Future of Food’ on October 8th.
And Good Food Month is on in Sydney and it is absolutely unreal. Choose form chef events, family friendly, classes and a whole lot more. It has to be the best way to taste your way around Sydney in spring.
Unmissable creativity
The genius of the Siren Theatre Company is distilled in the amazing tale of Penelope by Enda Walsh. Held at the Tapp Gallery in Darlinghurst, this work by director Kate Gaul gained rave reviews from both fans of theatre and the very hard to impress theatre making public. It’s in its last week. Go now before you miss out.
Climb inside the atmosphere of Sydney post rockers Marosi di Buriana as they draw you into a world made for the darkest cinema of the mind. This 4 piece outfit has an amazing following for the little curious kittens in online worlds such as Stereomood for their haunted dreamscapes, inky violet sounds with over 2000 fans in Europe and USA. Join them for a rare show at the Agincourt Hotel, Broadway, October 23rd.
Love music? Remember sneaking a few drinks in the 90′s? Relive the sound you grew up with when you see Screamfeeder, Smudge and the BREEDERS(!) at the Annandale Hotel! Yep- the bands that everyone had a crush on are back playing with The Majestic Horses and Sounds Like Sunset. We’ve got our gym boots on and ironed our flannies, have you?
Oh, and for creative bar happiness, head to Newtown and check out the Japanese themed Tokyo Sing Song. It’s designed to make you feel like your turning Japanese. Opens mid October on King st.
You can see photo exhibition Boys with Guns at Gallery 2010 and ponder why so much of young male play is tied up in one of the scariest tools in the world.
And if you are a maker, why not register to be in the first ever Sydney Mini Makers Faire in November? Applications close October 18th.
Get your clever clogs on
Need some events and happenings to make your brain sparkle?
Join the gang from the Sustainability Drinks on October 16th for a night of green conversation.
Be inspired by TedX Macquarie Uni on October 19th.
Celebrate, participate and feel great at Australia’s first Better Block kicks off another day of happiness at the Clovelly Better Block event on October 27th.
Lunch and Learn with the gang from Hub Sydney every Tuesday.
Or check out an entire month’s worth of learning, workshops and conversations about living green presented by Sydney Sustainable Markets.
Trick and Trivia
Put your best paw forward and your thinking cap on as Fetching Dogs puts together a night of trivia and fun with Halloween themed ‘Trick and Trivia’ on October 26th in Concord. Fetching Dogs is a not for profit that re-homes and fosters dogs and puppies. Get spooky for a great four paw cause when you book via the main Fetching Dogs site.
eXpertLocal presents:
Our fine range of activities is growing, including a coffee tasting any Wednesday in October with Caffe Migliore, shopping tours in Surry Hills, sampling Asian cuisine with Wee Lynn, touring the pubs in the Historic Rocks district 3 times a week, photographing the beauty of Circular Quay with Time Cole, and fresh air and sunshine as you sing and strum by the sea.
We also have a whole range of fitness, pub crawl and dining experiences waiting for you at eXpertLocal.
Upcoming eXpertLocal events to put in your diary
In November, we’re also running an info night for anyone wanting to find out how to be an eXpertLocal host. You can join the official group and RSVP via the eXpertLocal Meetup. Find out how you can make a little side cash over the summer with us!
And we’re sponsoring the amazing Creatives Uncovered event in November. You can meet other creative people for your projects and ideas in a very cool and friendly environment. We suggest you RSVP ASAP to avoid missing out on your spot.
Ah Spring, you sure are fun, aren’t you!
If we were any more excited, we’d burst!
The eXpertLocal launch party is just 6 days away and we’ve got bigger grins than Guy Smiley!
Make sure you RSVP via Facebook or direct to jervis@expertlocal.com so we can cater for you.
On the menu we have bushtucker and some tasty beverages as well as two super duper experiences for you involving street art and fermented beverages.
Curious? We’ll you’ll just have to turn up and found out what the deal is!
So far we’ve got freelancers, foodies, artists, collaborative consumption lovers and doers, startup peeps, creative people, lovely locals and a whole host of other people coming along. We’re all united by the chance to experience new things and meet new people- so if that’s your kind of thing, make sure you RSVP via Facebook so you don’t miss out!See you there!
eXpertLocal is launching- and you’re invited!
Put your party pants on Sydney- the team from eXpertLocal is having their launch party and YOU ARE INVITED!
As someone who has shown an interest in eXpertLocal and/or the amazing collaborative consumption scene in Sydney, we really want to have you as our guest for the evening as we launch.
We’re keen as mustard to show a little bit about eXpertLocal, taste our way through some awesome food and drinks, and share amazing talks on micro-brewing, graffiti art creation and how you can use eXpertLocal to discover and display the things you love about Sydney.Details:
Date: 27th June, 2013
Time: 7pm onwards
Venue: Hustle and Flow, 105 Regent st, Redfern (2 mins walk from Redfern station)
RSVP: 17th June, 2013 via this link eXpertLocal (or Facebook)
Bring: Yourself, and maybe some business cards or anything you would usually give to a new friend you’d meet that you’d want to see again! Oh, and you can bring a friend if you like.
Cost: Entry is free. Food and drinks will be provided at the beginning of the evening until it runs out.
We look forward to sharing the evening with you!To find out more about eXpertLocal, head to www.expertlocal.com
If you have any questions, contact Jervis via: jervis [at] expertlocal.com
What’s on in Sydney in June
Jack Frost certainly isn’t keeping enthusiasm at bay in Sydney. Let’s check out the amazing things to do in June!
Vivid
Vivid is in full swing and boy, does it look amazing. Light shows, inspirational talks, art, music and culture all combine to make Sydney simply magical. To catch the programme, head to Vivid Sydney’s website.World Music at the Basement
One of Sydney’s most iconic jazz venues and one that kept the closure wolves at bay in a tenacious fight is now presenting World Music Wednesdays. Kicking off in June, the same awesome venue coupled with a choice of music that is bound to show the highest of quality combines with a $5 door price (only sold on door) to create what has to be a sensational midweek music choice.Dinner by the Water
The amazing Berowra Waters Inn is running their historic menu from May until June 9th. You’ll get canapés, four courses and a pre-dessert for $120. Plus you can partake of a wine selection for an extra $50. The menu is based on finding one in the attic of the pub dated 75 years ago. How’s that for cool?Sydney Film Festival
The magic of Sydney Film festival comes to life from 5th June to the 16th of June with films and events bound to impress even the most fussy filmy.
June Long Weekend
Sydney loves a long weekend and June is no exception.
Vic on the Park, Enmore, are encouraging music, people, kids (with parents), and dogs to come together for fun and frivolity to see Custard.
Feeling clubby? Chinese Laundry brings you Birthdaypalooza. You’ll need the rest of the weekend to recover.
TripleJ + Luna Park + all ages = Come Together Festival happiness.
Musical Highlights
Darlings of Sydney indie music, Found at Sea, have a Sydney show to warm the cockles of your story telling heart during their Coloured Heart EP with a show at the Vanguard on 16th June.The amazing sleepmakeswaves kick off their “…and so we played everything” tour in June/July with a Sydney show at the Annandale Hotel on June 28th.
Markets, markets, markets
Get your om, nom, nom on people and let’s get to market, to market to buy a big hen (and several other awesome items not covered in nursery rhymes) – with a twist!Filled mainly with ear candy, the Sydney Rock n Roll Market blows the ears off the Manning House, Sydney Uni on Sunday 2nd June.
King’s Cross Organic Food Markets kick off in June.
Bondi brings the produce to you via the Farmer’s Market every Saturday morning.
Homemade, vintage and organic is the name of the game at Redwater Markets, every 3rd Saturday in Redfern.
Re-use, recycle and get right into organics at Marrickville Market every Sunday.
Activities on eXpertLocal
More Sydney music tours, more Freelance Jungle, more walking trails, dog’s day outs and more.Plus we’ve got our own LAUNCH PARTY- and you’re invited! Yes, we’re late. No, we don’t mind. Do you? Party time!
Feel free to share your June activities and events below, too.
