Sage wins Tripadvisor's best fine dining restaurant in Australia award

As the world's largest travel site, Tripadvisor's annual awards recognise the destinations, beaches, hotels, restaurants, attractions, experiences and airlines most popular with its users.

Every year, Tripadvisor pull together all the reviews, ratings, and saves that travellers share from across the globe - and uses that info to spotlight the very best. Sage Dining Rooms among them awarded the highest honour - Travellers' Choice Best of the Best Winner, ranking as the best fine dining restaurant in Australia and South Pacific and among the top one per cent of restaurants worldwide.

Over the years, Sage has been awarded a haul of accolades across Gourmet Traveller, Australian Good Food, Qantas magazine, Tripadvisor and locally in Canberra at the Restaurant and Catering Awards and Savour Awards. This year however carries greater accomplishment after the devastation that hit the hospitality industry.

"I'm incredibly proud of the amazing staff at all of our restaurants", said co-owner Pete Harrington. "Their commitment to providing the best hospitality experiences are second to none and receiving an award of this magnitude is an honour that acknowledges the care, hard work, passion and long hours put in."

If there's one thing I hope we take away from all of this mess it's that we all keep supporting local producers - whether they be farmers, winemakers, or in this case, brewers. And it seems as though the BWS retail chain of bottle shops feels the same way.

Earlier in the year, BWS (and Dan Murphy's as part of an initiative of its parent company Endeavour Group) fast-tracked more than 350 new suppliers and thousands of products to stores to support suppliers struggling due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Now they've launched a multi-million dollar "Local Luvva" campaign and starring in Canberra in BentSpoke.

"We love seeing our BentSpoke BWS ads displayed all over Canberra," said Richard Watkins, co-owner and head brewer at BentSpoke Brewing. "2020 has been a difficult time for many small producers, first with the bushfires and then COVID-19. We hope this campaign reminds people to buy and support local brands."

Have a special event coming up soon? How cool are these DIY wine labels from Fowles Wine's. There's an online design platform and you can customise with your own photos or designs. Who doesn't want to see your own mug on a nice shiraz? Fowles Wine's Matt Fowles said the concept was created as an alternative income stream to keep staff in jobs due to the effects of COVID-19.

"We knew we had a professional labelling system and with our in-house design capabilities, it was a no-brainer," Fowles says.

Situated in the Strathbogie Ranges, Fowles Wine is owned and operated by Fowles and his young family. Show them some support and head to fowlesdiy.com.au

A growing number of Canberrans are living in homes with smaller outdoor spaces such as balconies or courtyards. While not following the traditional blueprint of the vast Australian backyard, homes such as these can have great gardens, and small can also be beautiful. The Canberra Environment Centre's upcoming online workshop: Green Gardens in Small Spaces will show participants how to grow a lush green space in a courtyard or balcony. The workshop will focus on growing in pots, so will also be suitable for people wanting to garden while renting. The workshop will explore the ways to create an outdoor space that will stay cool during Canberra's hot and dry summers and be welcoming throughout the year.

Tuesday, August 18, from 6-7pm. $15 plus booking fee. Location: online via zoom, register to receive meeting link. Details and tickets via Eventbrite