Booze cruise…
Lest you think I’m a wine soak, I really must say I’m not. I can barely manage two glasses of wine in a day before I get sleepy and of no use to anyone. But I do love wine as a drink with a meal or with friends. I love the science and art of wine-making and the ‘dirt and ditches’ science of grape-growing. Indeed, just ask my husband – I have always wanted to have a small wine-producing patch on our farm. Sadly the set-up and infrastructure costs are huge before one begins to have a decent enough harvest to make wine, let alone to make money.
So I live vicariously and today my husband and I did a tour of the east coast vineyards, culminating in a stay in Coles Bay (without my dogs and despite the smile, I’m bereft).
But the day itself was fab. The weather mild, if overcast.
We visited five wineries and got lost in the spring burst of viticulture, in chardonnays, rieslings, pinots and cab savs.
In views and tastes and flavours. In collections of corkscrews and combs for shearing hand pieces.
At Springvale, we were fascinated with the old convict built barn, now a tasting room.
We had lunch at Gala vineyard.
Its story is filled with earthy charm and I really urge you
to click on the link and read the wonderful story of the quirky tasting room.
We sat in Ted’s old vinyl chairs and ate salmon paté, farm cheese, olives and bread along with a red for him and a white for me.
We ate super walnuts toasted in eggwhite, cayenne pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg at Devil’s Corner while we stared at the view.
And…
We wandered amongst vines, dovecotes and Tom Samek artwork at Freycinet Vineyard.
At home, we have a small but discerning collection of wines. We added these today.
At a later stop for coffee, he had a blueberry muffin. I just missed my dogs…
And as I sit writing this, I am sipping a Devil’s Playground 2014 riesling. It’s zesty and was perfect with the smoked salmon we had for dinner.
But I’m still missing my dogs…
Well glad you had a good time. I am not much of a wine person, mostly just water with lemon for me. I too know about ‘missing the dogs’. Our female Irish Setter, Kerry won her class in the Dog show yesterday, which completed her requirements for her AKC Chanpionship, glad that is done, sort of a long haul to a lot of shows etc. So now she is ‘resting’ with the two ‘Irish Red and White Setters’. Threee setters is certianly a lot of action through the day, so when they are not with you the day can seem sort of empty. I have though our doing a minature book about the dogs and the mischief they can get into each day. Maybe something like ‘Red meets Brown’ maybe a story about how the red dogs steal the brown truck from the UPS man and drive about town chasing rabibits and cats, etc. maybe stopping at the schoold to visit with the children and then a trip to the diner for lunch. Oh well can’t let my imagination run with the dogs…..
Love the idea, Jim! Maybe one for Bo Press?
I’m always so fascinated when you post photos of places you go…one of my distant relatives was transported to “Van Diemen’s Land” in 1819 where he married twice whilst still committing further misdemeanours. He had five children and died there in 1866. I know some of his descendants live in Western Australia today…I assume there are some in Tasmania too.
When I have finished tobias and the book after that, I have a plan to write a fiction about Maria Island and a convict story – i am looking forward to the research, Kathryn. If you give me names, I might be able to check things out at some point.