qualia Resort Celebrates World Champagne Day in Gatsby Style 14 October 2013 On Friday 25 October a Gatsby-themed World Champagne Day dinner, styled by Megan Morton, will be fittingly held at qualia Resort on Hamilton Island where the movie’s leading cast Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire and Carey Mulligan have all stayed. Australia is one of the first countries to toast World Champagne Day, even before the Champagne region itself, with no better way to celebrate than at Australia’s foremost luxury resort. A yearly social media event, 2013 marks the fourth annual World Champagne Day, uniting effervescent enthusiasts from around the globe who collectively raise a flute to this quintessential wine of celebration. In conjunction with The Champagne Bureau, an exclusive Champagne Dinner will be held by the water’s edge on the sands of qualia’s Pebble Beach. Executive Chef Alastair Waddell will treat guests to a bespoke, four-course menu with matching wines straight from the finest Champagne houses in France, including Charles Heidsieck Brut Millésime 2000 and Bollinger La Grande Année 2004. Elisabeth Drysdale, Director of the Australian Champagne Bureau, said: ‘Celebrating World Champagne Day at qualia Resort is the perfect way to raise a glass in honour of one of the world’s most iconic wines. The Day encourages the enjoyment of Champagne not just for special occasions, but at any time of year including with fine food, as each wine boasts such varied characteristics, tastes and styles produced only from the Champagne region in France.’ An intimate affair, eminent stylist Megan Morton explained that the design cues have been taken from one of Australia's most epic styling productions, The Great Gatsby. ‘Our celebration has its styling hat tipped to our appreciation of Champagne as well as nods to the kind of feverish good times Jay Gatsby encouraged. Expect large grand Gatsby-esque gestures as well as the minuet styling hidden treasures we adore creating, super styled using the mixed creative talent of Heidi Moore Gill and paper artist James Gordon,’ Morton said. The three lead cast members from Baz Luhrmann’s adaption of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel, The Great Gatsby, have all previously stayed on Hamilton Island, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire and Carey Mulligan. The Champagne Dinner at qualia is part of a series of dinners presented by The Champagne Bureau, Australia, Vogue Living and Riedel Australia, to celebrate Australia’s ongoing love affair with Champagne. The Champagne Bureau represents the Comité Champagne (CIVC), a semi-public body set up under the aegis of the French Government to co-ordinate the common interests of wine growers and producers in Champagne. To see the celebration unfold at qualia’s Champagne Dinner and other events around the globe, or to share your own Champagne moments, search for and use the hash tag #ChampagneDay. - ENDS - Notes to editors: qualia, Australia's world class luxury resort on the Great Barrier Reef, is located on the secluded and breathtakingly beautiful northern-most point of Hamilton Island. qualia has 60 elegant one-bedroom pavilions and a Beach House, each set among eucalyptus trees with postcard views of the idyllic blue and green waters of the Whitsundays. Two superb restaurants and Spa qualia cater exclusively to guests of the resort. Hamilton Island can be accessed directly from all east coast international gateway cities in less than three hours. qualia is a member of Relais & Châteaux and welcomes guests 16 years and over.www.qualia.com.au 'qualia' is deliberately spelled with a lower case 'q' as it is a reflection of the relaxed, understated nature of this property. The Oatley family, owners of qualia Resort, distribute Charles Heidsieck and Piper Heidsieck Champagne’s through their Robert Oatley Vineyards business. Media contacts and image library: www.hamiltonisland.com.au/media-centre/ Sophie Baker, Senior Communications Manager e: sbaker@hamiltonisland.com.au t: +61 (0)427 109 503 Katie Cahill, Regional Communications Manager e: kcahill@hamiltonisland.com.au t: +61 (0)439 775 656 Instagram: Connect with us: @hamiltonisland and @qualiaresort, Mention us: #hamiltonisland and #qualia Facebook: www.facebook.com/hamiltonisland and www.facebook.com/qualia Twitter: @hamiltonisland and @qualia Pinterest: Hamilton Island Tencent Weibo: Hamilton Island