Best-selling author and American spiritual teacher, Marianne Williamson, is coming to Australia this June/ July to conduct special one-day workshops exploring the deep connection between our relationships and our spirituality. The #1 New York Times best-selling author has been a pioneer of the spiritual movement for more than thirty years, influencing millions of people around the world to lead ‘happier and more fulfilled lives’.

‘Spiritual’ is a term that is bandied about a lot these days as many psychotherapies and methods often neglect the spiritual potential that can underpin and influence our relationships. But spirituality has its place and can offer a different kind of energy and enlightenment in a fast paced, technologically-driven and often selfish world. Author, John Amodeo, in the Huffington Post, offers three descriptions of what spirituality means to him.

1. Connecting with life’s sacredness
2. Surrendering to something beyond our limited self
3. Seeing things clearly

Like Amodeo, the personable Williamson believes that spirituality is about connecting with life rather than being detached from it. She holds that we are all interconnected; all our minds are joined. There is a pivotal focus on relationships, particularly forgiveness, through mindfulness (vissapana) – seeing others as they really are. Seeing their fears and hurt, as well as their hopes.

Having published 10 books and appeared as a special guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Larry King Live and Good Morning America (amongst others). American-born Williamson was named one of the fifty most influential baby boomers in 2006 and is well-versed in delivering relatable content and teaching tools designed to lift your life and relationships to the ‘highest level of creative possibility’. The workshops include a series of teaching sessions, exercises and insights designed to encourage emotional growth and maturity. Her teachings are based on a set of books called ‘A Course in Miracles’, a self-study program based on universal spiritual themes by clinical and research psychologist and author, Helen Schucman.

Marianne Williamson will be conducting workshops in Brisbane (June 28), Melbourne (July 4) and Sydney (July 5). Course costs are between $185-$200 with the option of a ‘kindness scholarship’ for people who are financially challenged.

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Well, it’s actually twelve royal families – all ruling their fiefdoms in peaceful accord. This is the story of what it takes to join their exalted ranks.

The royal families I am speaking of are: Brown Brothers, Campbells, Taylors, DeBortoli, McWilliams, Tahbilk, Tyrells, Yalumba, D’Arenberg, Jim Barry, Henschke and Howard Park. These are Australia’s foremost wine growing families. Together they make up Australia’s First Families of Wine (AFFW), a collective of twelve multi-generational family-owned wine producers – royalty in the wine growing world.

To be admitted to this prestigious group is almost impossible. A family must have at least 20 years of vertical tasting experience, a history of wine growing of at least two generations, vineyard ownership exceeding 50 years (having a distinguished or heritage listed site wouldn’t hurt either), a well-documented commitment to environmental best practice, extensive marketing and cellar door experience, and membership to the exclusive Winemakers Federation of Australia.

But all these things are easy to accomplish compared to the one last stipulation: In addition to all the above, hopeful wine producing families must also create a signature wine; one that is as distinctly recognizable for its flavor as it is for its quality. And this is judged by the incumbent royal families.

If you think the judges on Masterchef can be cruel, if you think Gordon Ramsey can be vicious then you haven’t seen or heard anything until you’ve witnessed wine tasting at this level. The families know that admitting inferior quality wine (and inferior wine producers) reflects badly on them all. And loss of status is most certainly accompanied by loss of income – though the former hurts infinitely more than the latter.

When Howard Park, of Burch Family Wines, was interviewing for a place at this High Table, the Burch Family took a great deal of time choosing their signature wine. Each of the seventeen wine growing districts in Australia produces wines of distinctive flavours. What they wanted was something representative of their region without being predictable.

They eventually chose the 2010 Howard Park Abercrombie Cabernet Saubignon. This wine had been carefully blended with the grapes from five separate regions around the West Australian Margaret River area. Blending such distinctive fruits gave the wine a structural complexity and elegance. It softened and complimented the strong individual tones suggesting flavours of dusty earth and a rich, fruity, chocolaty palette.

The assemble families savoured the tannins with lingering French oak flavours. They caught  the subtle aromas blackcurrant  and found themselves lost in the tantalising tastes of an indisputably fine wine.