tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1749445687964496652024-02-19T15:25:54.895-08:00Around the World in 80 Vineyards!Around the world in 80 Vineyards - An account of our Southern Hemisphere, get away from the winter, round the world wine tour.
Jackie Marchanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12567038737470422449noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-174944568796449665.post-86291594421680244942013-03-18T15:12:00.000-07:002013-03-18T15:12:36.615-07:00MALBEC!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It’s fast becoming the most popular red wine in the UK. It’s what you think of when you say
‘Argentina’, along with gauchos and tango and plate-sized steaks. And it’s great.<br />
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Go into a wine shop in Argentina, and there will be a whole
section devoted to malbec. Ask for the
wine menu and there will be a page of them.
Malbec is big business here. They even have it in their fountains.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We decided that it was Malbec in the Mendoza fountains</td></tr>
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We didn’t hire a car in Argentina, so we took a tour of
Mendoza’s wineries. It was the first, and
only, tour of our trip – as you’ve probably gathered, we much prefer to go it
alone. But we thought it would be nice
to be picked up at the hotel and driven around for a change – it also meant we
could drink.</div>
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We hadn’t booked anything in advance, but had no problem
booking through the hotel for the next day.
We were picked up at 9.20am, spent an hour driving round Mendoza picking
up from other hotels, then went to our first vineyard,<a href="http://www.ncorreas.com/" target="_blank"> Navarro Correas</a>, a large
commercial one with massive steel tanks and rows and rows of French oak.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rows and rows of French oak in Navarro Correas</td></tr>
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Our second winery was a much smaller family affair, <a href="http://elcerno-wines.com.ar/" target="_blank">Vina elCerno</a>, where wine is fermented in concrete pools, something we’ve not come
across since a visit to France a few years ago (where we were taken up to the
top and invited to peer in, gave me dreams of drowning in wine . . .). This winery was very much a working one, no
fancy house or pretty forecourt here.
Well, when I say working . . .</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Repairs underway at Vina el Cerno</td></tr>
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We then visited the<a href="http://www.facebook.com/.../Cavas-de-Don-Arturo/1063275394040" target="_blank"> Cavas de Don Arturo</a>, which would be an
organic winery, but for the fact that, like all wineries in Mendoza, they
irrigate. Meltwater from the Andes comes
down into channels and keeps the grapes watered – without this there would be
no wine industry (and no tree lined avenues in Mendoza). It also means no wondering what the weather
is going to do around harvest time – irrigation is stopped a month before to
allow for better ripening.<br />
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We were then taken to a restaurant, where we’d been told to
expect a few samples of local meats and cheeses. Turned out to be a table full of meats and
cheeses, plus olives, pickles, dips, empanadas, a rice dish and spaghetti
bolognaise – followed by ice cream and dulce de leche. We decided we didn’t need to eat out that
night, so went to a wine tasting bar and drank three more malbecs, all good.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The rest of our tasting was done while eating huge and
delicious steaks, and after browsing in wine shops. Oh, and in the bath at the wonderful <a href="http://www.estancialospotreros.com/" target="_blank">Los Proteros</a> (just what you need after three
hours in the saddle) – and drunk mulled after a ride as well.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’ll write a separate blog about Los Protreros later. But for now I’ll just say that the malbec
certainly helped with the stiffness!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Jackie Marchanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12567038737470422449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-174944568796449665.post-43819800661419556602013-03-13T10:42:00.001-07:002013-03-14T06:47:40.393-07:00A trip over the Andes (by bus) via a winery (by car)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Eddie thought it would be great to travel by bus from
Santiago to Mendoza, a journey of just 266km that takes a good seven hours – owing
to the Andes being in the way, not to mention the border between Chile and
Argentina. But I agreed it would be an
adventure – and it was.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We left <a href="http://www.colchaguacamp.cl/" target="_blank">Colchagua Camp</a> (I’ll blog about that later) to a
gloriously sunny morning, taking our last view from the deck with us. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from the deck at Colchagua Camp - you can just see the Andes in the background</td></tr>
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We planned to stop somewhere for lunch and I happened to
spot a winery on the map, in the Maipu Valley, south of Santiago and only a short diversion. As it was the
only winery on a road map, I guessed that it must be pretty big and have a
restaurant – a hearty meal before our bus journey would do nicely. And that’s how we came to visit <a href="http://www.santarita.com/" target="_blank">Vina SantaRita</a>. Set in beautiful surroundings, in
old buildings with a medieval air, it’s an impressive place.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rear courtyard at Vina Santa Rita</td></tr>
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Wine tasting was by the glass, so we chose three wines at a
cost of $4000 Chilean dollars (about £5).
But the portions were huge – I’d say the size of a small glass in a pub
in the UK. We sat down with our wine (no
one-to-one service here) and, after our taste, still had three glasses of wine
left. So we picked them up and took them
to the restaurant, where we were lucky to get a table as it was a Saturday.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The menu suggested wine pairings, so we chose
accordingly. A fillet steak to go with
the Cabernet Sauvignon (excellent nose, smooth and soft, drinkable now, but
could keep for longer); turkey cooked in an almond sauce to go with the
carmenere (an interesting choice for turkey, but a lovely wine – blueberries on
the nose with a lovely smooth palette with a hint of vanilla) and an avocado
salad (which turned out to be a plate of avocado) to go with the sauvignon
blanc, which was fresh light and very good.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We enjoyed our last bit of luxury before the coach, the
bow-tied waiters and pleasant ambience.
Then we had a longer drive than anticipated to drop the car off at the
airport, which wasn't sign-posted after all.<o:p></o:p></div>
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When we arrived at Santiago bus station, our taxi driver
kindly told me to hang on to my handbag, pointed to the entrance and left us
there. It was heaving – and not easy to
guard our two large cases, two small cases, small rucksack and the dreaded
handbag. But we managed to change our
Chilean cash for Argentinian, buy some bottled water and pay a visit to the
ladies, which cost $200 (about 25p) for missing doors, missing seats, loo paper
that you had to tear off and take in with you, plus a queue. They must be making a fortune.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But the bus arrived, we watched our luggage go on board
(after a bit of misunderstanding about a tip) and we set off, bang on
time. We’d booked seats upstairs at the
front and decided not to notice the crack on the window, nor the dents in the
bus. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Due to roadworks, the Andes Pass is one way at the moment and you have
to time your journey. It meant that the earliest bus we could take left at 5pm, but we hoped to see the best before it got dark. And, despite an hour queuing over an accident
involving some lorries, we did.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Andes, just before the Andes Pass</td></tr>
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The scenery was stunning - and we watched it go by while the
TV showed The Hobbit in Spanish – maybe not New Zealand beyond our window, but the scenery out there and
the rolling, shaking bus definitely added something. We’d watched the film on Air New Zealand, so
we know what was going on, when we gave it the odd glance. But mostly we were looking out of the window. Then we reached the Andes Pass.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Andes Pass</td></tr>
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This is the iconic part, the twisting, hairpin bit that
snakes its way upwards, or downwards if you’re going the other way. Looking up at the traffic above us and then
slowly climbing until we were looking at it all below was an experience worthy
of this road being known as one of the top <a href="http://uk.s.weather.com/story/news/glsp-15-most-amazing-roads-20120816?pageno=11" target="_blank">most amazing roads in the world</a>. (click on the link and you'll see a better pic than the one I took from the bus as it went round another hairpin). And we managed to see it before the light faded.</div>
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Then there was the long wait at customs. We were given lemonade and a sandwich and
allowed off the bus to wander around. We
met a nice Canadian couple to chat to while we waited, before being marched
single file to the checkpoint.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The border here consists of a booth with two people sitting
in it – one Chilean and one Argentinian.
You hand your passport, plus form filled in quadruplet, over to the
Chilean. It is stamped and handed to the
Argentinian and you have to step across with it, before your passport is
handed back and you are in Argentina! <o:p></o:p></div>
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This is where the Canadian couple disappeared. For rather a long time. Turned out they were whisked away into an
office, where they had to pay their reciprocity fee, the rules of which had
changed while they were in Chile. But
they were returned to the coach in time to see all the luggage thrown off, given a
cursory check and thrown back on again.
Their case was dented by the time we reached Mendoza. At 1am – when the city was just getting
going.</div>
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Jackie Marchanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12567038737470422449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-174944568796449665.post-58770359574970014772013-03-10T15:58:00.000-07:002013-03-10T15:58:42.825-07:00A wine map? No – this is Chile!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i>Ah, no, this is Chile</i>.<br />
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We heard this a lot, almost as much as ‘you’re brave.’ And it always came with a friendly
laugh. That’s what’s Chile’s like –
people are willing to help and easy to laugh.
Like when we tried to find a windscreen wiper for our hire car.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It was the driver’s side that was missing. ‘Don’t worry, it won’t rain,’ I said. ‘This is a dry time of year.’ Hmm.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Well, it didn’t rain exactly. But we had a heavy dew and the clouds were
down when we woke up on our first morning.
When we tried to clear the windscreen, we created rivulets that weren’t
touched by the wiper - because it wasn’t there.
As we drove, with Eddie peering out like on a foggy UK morning, the mist
condensed on the windscreen – I could see, but Eddie couldn’t.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’d had an urgent message, emailed and hand delivered (no
internet access in the hotel) from my editor saying that my proofs were waiting
in my inbox and could I do them immediately.
So, we had to find a windscreen wiper and an internet café.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So the word for windscreen wiper (which I’ve forgotten) was
about the first Spanish word I used. ‘Ah
yes!’ came the reply. And we were given
a bottle of windscreen wash. Luckily
windscreen wipers are easy to mime – especially when you add the noise. Like I said, Chileans laugh easily.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We tried three auto repair shops before we found one that
came up with the goods. They were all
within about 100 m of each other, which made me wonder how they could
compete. Then I looked at the age of the
average Chilean car . . .<o:p></o:p></div>
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They couldn’t have been more helpful. Using sign language and Eddie’s loud but slow
English, plus my phrasebook Spanish (by the way, they speak a different Spanish
here), we had two lovely new windscreen wipers fitted. For a cost of £4. And we’d spotted an internet café on the way.<o:p></o:p></div>
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All we had to do was point at our laptop and say
‘WIFI?’ We were connected and left to
get on with it. It took about an hour to
do what was needed and it cost 90p. I
was beginning to like Chile.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We managed the rest of the day without a call for help –
although we did have a very interesting drive towards Valparaiso docks along
with a lot of fast moving lorries who meant to be on that road. So I navigated a right turn and we came into
Valparaiso the interesting way. We found
a restaurant by the square and had a meal of fish and seafood salad – one of
those surprises you get when you gesticulate for the recommendations from the
menu and see what arrives. Oh, and we
got two large beers as well – we know how to ask for beer in Spanish.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next time we had to use our broken Spanish was in a fine
wine shop in Vina del Mar. And we had a
very helpful shop assistant who pointed us in the direction of Casablanca reds.
We picked out a bottle of <a href="http://www.casasdelbosque.cl/english/vina/vina.php" target="_blank">Casas del Bosque</a> reserve pinot noir, as that was the place recommended by our knight in
shining armour who’d shown us the way when we were lost yesterday.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Wine tasting is different in Chile. I’ve heard it described as like South Africa
20 years ago, before wine tasting went commercial. But I’d go further than that. South Africa already had a tourist industry
then – Chile doesn’t. There is a tiny
amount of ‘wine tourism’ here in the shape of guided tours, but we’ve managed
to avoid those so far and do our own thing – as you’ll know from the hundreds
of blog posts you’ve been reading, we like to pop into wineries we fancy
popping into.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The first we tried was deserted, tasting room and all –
obviously not expecting a tour that day.
But the second was the recommended Casas del Bosque, which is very much
set up for visitors. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We were handed over to the English speaking cellar door
manager (how do they know we’re English when I speak Spanish?) and invited into
the tasting room. It was quite different
to what we’re used to.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1SVFInwxsfcfAyPDK7UafVEKd3otExXFYq_saX47M6YWJhBNk_hC3-BXiUefiD68H-0aXy0yjmZndE6kg2-F6AWIAQY_JaOzJV_4n0RgxVuqJ19GHuP0PLJA5zIuiuxSQlDTEBPbxXAw/s1600/DSCN2108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1SVFInwxsfcfAyPDK7UafVEKd3otExXFYq_saX47M6YWJhBNk_hC3-BXiUefiD68H-0aXy0yjmZndE6kg2-F6AWIAQY_JaOzJV_4n0RgxVuqJ19GHuP0PLJA5zIuiuxSQlDTEBPbxXAw/s320/DSCN2108.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The tasting room in Casas del Bosque - geared up for tours</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Tasting was expensive – just over £10 per person, to try
four wines. To be fair, they do fill
your glass (before telling you there is zero tolerance of drink driving – you
are not allowed any alcohol at all). But
we weren’t there to drain our glasses, but to taste. There is no waiving of the fee if you buy a
bottle either – even if you have lunch there as well (which we did, oysters and
all – and it was lovely)<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.williamcolevineyards.cl/" target="_blank">William Cole</a> was more traditional, with a counter and person
behind it to talk about the wines (in excellent English).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnoKIQxTeDoAfIgX2sjf3vQc9PKuRK60gN0NvRMIEBX0W1BrWF__Dif2a8cJx_Jiwm5Fb-9DMDmiCYchJzDQBiQUFXKNBooCxyEVtK8oiy_qdG9wtF7T6ycnxt74CIWA12uIxpYgLFh5g/s1600/DSCN2118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnoKIQxTeDoAfIgX2sjf3vQc9PKuRK60gN0NvRMIEBX0W1BrWF__Dif2a8cJx_Jiwm5Fb-9DMDmiCYchJzDQBiQUFXKNBooCxyEVtK8oiy_qdG9wtF7T6ycnxt74CIWA12uIxpYgLFh5g/s320/DSCN2118.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Over-the-counter tasting at William Cole</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then we tried <a href="http://www.vinamar.cl/" target="_blank">Vina Mar</a>.
An imposing building, lots of steps, grand entrance. We were invited to seat on plush chairs
overlooking the vineyard, given our four wines (plus two complementary glasses
of sparkling wine, a rose and a white – we didn’t like either) and just left to
get on with it. Afterwards we had to
find someone to pay.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn7z5BHHAUxyhNOw7kQmVYtskGEje44T8XJUBcpxUrHVPJUhE5I7hky-P2VG0yyKF_NWdYhKjzdbooKac6tgXUVtdrj_maN5F9WNWJCZO6pSMkVg0yrObnSKtq99zL55dAX9CoFGAUlCI/s1600/DSCN2123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn7z5BHHAUxyhNOw7kQmVYtskGEje44T8XJUBcpxUrHVPJUhE5I7hky-P2VG0yyKF_NWdYhKjzdbooKac6tgXUVtdrj_maN5F9WNWJCZO6pSMkVg0yrObnSKtq99zL55dAX9CoFGAUlCI/s320/DSCN2123.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">tasting at Vina Mar - with the splendid background view</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This was the Casablanca region, where wine tasting hasn’t
quite taken off, which is a shame as they make some lovely sauvignon blancs -
because this area is near the coast, cool winds blow in straight from
Antarctica, making this the only area in Chile that can grow it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In Calchagua, wine tasting is far more on the ball. Santa Cruz, the centre of the area, is a
thriving town with a wine festival (which we managed to miss by a day), a wine
shop and hotel that will set you up with a tour (but we did our own thing). They even sold winemaps for a couple of dollars, very pretty with pictures of vineyards, but not very easy to navigate by. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.estampa.com/estampa/index.php" target="_blank">Estampa Vineyard</a> was our first stop, where we met a cellar
manager who used to be a tour guide, spoke perfect English, loved his wines and
very helpfully recommended us some other vineyards (as well as some great advice about our impending trip over the Andes - more of that later).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFQWDOPPY_sT_bURk2jtyDZ5IzPqdEnPqwx3GVA3BKu4bLOIcKMTys8dCEKYBWRZKYfgcpHjBGe3uCN1IRgNJFMRXRH528_sp1nEwbRk0gcrcG45_M5f0A-F3cK2JbF5EBXWw4sAtGpJA/s1600/DSCN2147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFQWDOPPY_sT_bURk2jtyDZ5IzPqdEnPqwx3GVA3BKu4bLOIcKMTys8dCEKYBWRZKYfgcpHjBGe3uCN1IRgNJFMRXRH528_sp1nEwbRk0gcrcG45_M5f0A-F3cK2JbF5EBXWw4sAtGpJA/s320/DSCN2147.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Estampa Vineyard - over the counter tasting - plus lots of advice and recommendations</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He sent us to <a href="http://www.montgras.cl/php/english/home.php" target="_blank">Montgras</a>, a lovely vineyard close by, where the
cellar manager sat us down in a beautiful courtyard and spoke at length about
each wine – he was obviously passionate about his wines and we could see
why. They were all excellent, from the
Sauvignon blanc (using grapes from their vineyard south of San Antonio on the cooler
West coast), the cabernet sauvignon and the blend.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk9QRDINBrOmdhGZVEtbNJVdXJnAQGJm95U1N1hFZYrVHfZEN9C3VvwQUu7pR2bnChjw6sn2UN0526As8ahpJ-k6AGXPaAlF0U2rNCS1Ed8EXmig2__HPbo_XknL0E-k00fiAdVprzhi8/s1600/DSCN2151.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk9QRDINBrOmdhGZVEtbNJVdXJnAQGJm95U1N1hFZYrVHfZEN9C3VvwQUu7pR2bnChjw6sn2UN0526As8ahpJ-k6AGXPaAlF0U2rNCS1Ed8EXmig2__HPbo_XknL0E-k00fiAdVprzhi8/s320/DSCN2151.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Personal attention in Montgras</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We went to <a href="http://www.vinasantacruz.cl/" target="_blank">Santa Cruz</a> winery, where tastings came with tours, so we
ended up having a coffee on the terrace, admiring the spectacular view. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipTclCDE-Tr4mNXcDLmhcwIpnBIGZjGjlz9g15aDmRta5of4ubtzTL4CUtrQ2Na3okQKS5pSAEJCJImKNnveU9TNkjr3RYpa-7N2BNVcs12aB4KQHoRaRWqiKcx8vA2O1li7RmUYrIDiA/s1600/DSCN2152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipTclCDE-Tr4mNXcDLmhcwIpnBIGZjGjlz9g15aDmRta5of4ubtzTL4CUtrQ2Na3okQKS5pSAEJCJImKNnveU9TNkjr3RYpa-7N2BNVcs12aB4KQHoRaRWqiKcx8vA2O1li7RmUYrIDiA/s320/DSCN2152.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from the impressive verandah at Santa Cruz winery</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our final stop was <a href="http://www.lapostolle.com/" target="_blank">Lapostolle</a>, which is owned by the
granddaughter of the grand marnier family.
Production is entirely organic.
But tastings were only available with tours, so we bought a bottle of
sauvignon blanc without tasting it – and tried it in the hot tub at Calchagua
Camp. But that’s another story . . .<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
Jackie Marchanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12567038737470422449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-174944568796449665.post-31964062098048533152013-03-08T14:07:00.000-08:002013-03-08T14:07:37.706-08:00You’re brave! Our first day in Chile<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It must have been the longest Monday ever. After 10 hours of flying from Auckland, we
arrived in Santiago five hours before we left.
It was 11.00am and we still had the whole day left – in which to get
completely lost (twice) and set alarm bells ringing (once).<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We arrived in Chile with a desire to try the country and its wines, plus a splattering of
phrasebook Spanish. Not enough to
understand the instructions on the ATM, but enough to understand the word
‘invalid’ as our card was spewed back out.
‘We’ll find another ATM on the way,’ said Eddie, looking at the long
queue behind us.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He forgot – this is Chile.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We picked up our hire car no problem, paying extra for automatic
tolls, to make life easier if we found ourselves on a toll road. If only we’d known . . .<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After some mad navigation and spotting a sign between two
lorries, we did find ourselves on the right road. With no map (‘oh, we can pick one up there’ –
more famous last words from Eddie) and only Google instructions to guide us, it
was a piece of luck, rather than judgment (I was still trying to work out where
we were supposed to travel 8 meters before taking a left fork). <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Turned out to be a toll road. By the time we’d worked out which lanes were
for automatic payment, it was too late – we were in the cash only lanes. Without cash.
But, with broken Spanish, we managed to explain that we’d got into the
wrong lane and couldn’t pay. Supervisors
were called and after a lot of gesticulation and a few broken English words to
go with our broken Spanish, they let us through, waving to the right – we
assumed that was because that was the way the road went. Not so.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We found ourselves at another toll, but this time we went
through the automatic lane. ‘Funny how
no one uses these lanes,’ said Eddie as the barrier lifted. Then we approached the red light by a booth, assumed it would change to green as we went through, and carried on. The light stayed red, a barrier crashed
onto our windscreen as Eddie screeched to a halt, while a whole load of alarm
bells rang. By the time we’d reversed
away from the barrier, we were surrounded.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well, not quite. We
only had to try and explain ourselves to two attendants. They were very understanding, looked at our
hire car contract and pointed out that we did not have automatic payment, that
we still had to pay. ‘Ah, but we have no
money.’<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I think we said that in English. And they managed to tell us that we needed to
take the ‘free road.’ Fine, we thought,
we’d carry on and exit right – maybe that’s what they were trying to tell us at
the last toll. No. We had to go back the way we’d come, back
through the tunnel and take the road to Cuesta Hapita. By reversing back through the express toll
lane, waiting while some bollards were helpfully removed for us, then dashing
across during a gap in on coming traffic, through the central reservation and
back on our way. As I've mentioned - this is Chile.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We decided it would be a good idea not to miss our exit.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So we went back through the tunnel and took the wrong
exit. But we got the right one next time
– only to be faced with two options at the end of the slip road, left or right.
We chose left. It did take us in the right direction back
along the toll road, but the tar soon ran out and we were bouncing along a
gravel road at about 20kmph. This is
what comes of not having cash for the toll roads we thought, but the road ended
back at the toll road, the only option being a rough track up to what must be
private house.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That what when the pick-up stopped by, a window wound down
and a friendly voice asked if we needed help.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
‘Si!’ I said. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
‘Do you speak English?’ said Eddie.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Turned out he did.
And very well. Also turned out he
lived in the house up there through the entrance and had spotted us as he was
coming home. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
‘I recognized that look!’ he said. ‘It’s that <i>WHAT?</i> look I have in a
foreign country! Where are you from?’<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So we told him we were on a three month southern hemisphere
get away from the winter around the world wine tour. He said we were brave. (Funny how people in the UK kept saying that
as well.) He gave us details of a great
winery nearby with a good restaurant.
Then he explained that we should have gone right after coming off the
toll road and the free road had spectacular views. I’m glad he told us.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwcyXESigW83GC3hZBifVf1TJOHBsI1alvrt0siCNg6yFmOKgM5ZEMOwz3amwI3ex6zSjoZsbCK_mh_9WDIQI0fTH0KxmSMabPqVY4wgRwMudHue-SY2_jZX1g9KTEq3MDka_s7qqg1A4/s1600/DSCN2094.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwcyXESigW83GC3hZBifVf1TJOHBsI1alvrt0siCNg6yFmOKgM5ZEMOwz3amwI3ex6zSjoZsbCK_mh_9WDIQI0fTH0KxmSMabPqVY4wgRwMudHue-SY2_jZX1g9KTEq3MDka_s7qqg1A4/s320/DSCN2094.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what you get if you don't have cash for tolls in Chile</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The road wound its way upwards until we had a spectacular view of the valley with the toll road running straight through it below. (this is when I noticed that our hire car had a windscreen wiper missing, but that’s another story . . .) It took us ten minutes to get as far as the tunnel, about five before we’d reached the end of it and another five before we spotted the fateful toll booth far below. Luckily we had a full tank of petrol this time – and plenty of time. And very lucky that we’d met our knight in shiny pick-up or we’d never had thought we were on the right road.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsAKdBZYyZjdwbzk5eSkEzzSDzobOf4aA2EaWBwEjOZuKyaRrFPNM36EVY5cKGlpoTueCO9Y3kr7fCUVh3T4kYbYnodzaqmnoOJsv74MKkYzJCNndz80Wt-cBm0D3O153iQk65nT50zqY/s1600/DSCN2095.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsAKdBZYyZjdwbzk5eSkEzzSDzobOf4aA2EaWBwEjOZuKyaRrFPNM36EVY5cKGlpoTueCO9Y3kr7fCUVh3T4kYbYnodzaqmnoOJsv74MKkYzJCNndz80Wt-cBm0D3O153iQk65nT50zqY/s320/DSCN2095.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But you do get wonderful views from the Chilean non-toll roads</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But it took us on a lovely journey through vineyards (very tempting to stop for a taste) to Casablanca, where we found three banks with banks with defunct ATM’s. But the fourth one worked and this time we managed to press the right buttons (at the third attempt) and received a wad of notes. Just as well, as the road to Algarrobo, where our hotel was (or so we thought) was a toll road. How lovely to hand one of our notes over, receive a bundle of notes and be on our way.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A different way to the googlemap directions. But I knew our hotel was on a road into Algorrobo, so all we had to do was take the roads out and see if we could find it. There aren’t many roads out of Algorrobo, but our hotel wasn’t on any of them. So we stopped by a taxi and asked.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The driver couldn’t have been more helpful. After I’d used my limited Spanish to ask for directions and received a comprehensive but incomprehensible reply, he kindly drew us a map, with mucho explanation, but enough for me to get the gist. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The hotel was nowhere near Algarrobo. Just as well I understood that we had to go on roads that went up and down and round and round. </div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvLI-gpaf3Eclh6pV-vonIsKs6s9Ztav6VfvGf0ptau5BRBWg6Y53ZrVB47MDomGpBtCvXlWrDbWg8DIOwCjtjJ2p7uYt7NBN8KspH50kqEkaPUP1aAa2vOSZmq4QaJFmov7D1qcgcK50/s1600/DSCN2089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvLI-gpaf3Eclh6pV-vonIsKs6s9Ztav6VfvGf0ptau5BRBWg6Y53ZrVB47MDomGpBtCvXlWrDbWg8DIOwCjtjJ2p7uYt7NBN8KspH50kqEkaPUP1aAa2vOSZmq4QaJFmov7D1qcgcK50/s320/DSCN2089.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We were just wondering whether he’d misunderstood and sent
us to a different hotel with the same name.
Then we came across our hotel.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I booked it through <a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/cl/la-mirage.en.html" target="_blank">booking.com,</a> I hadn’t
realized that it was in the middle of nowhere.
And tiny. More of a large
house. And beautiful. And so peaceful. With spectacular views.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz25yD8wP-DhJvf5rSfuYddTssOMlyJfrgApmkeK8Y-x_L1pqUzMkUMRliKUiu68KZgCxXFg_99gZ3hCSP0osqVUMj4Y2IH-_nsn7ib4LUHc4b_WUoBdvM4WtF0C-3K8WVL7VNqp3gOPM/s1600/DSCN2098.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz25yD8wP-DhJvf5rSfuYddTssOMlyJfrgApmkeK8Y-x_L1pqUzMkUMRliKUiu68KZgCxXFg_99gZ3hCSP0osqVUMj4Y2IH-_nsn7ib4LUHc4b_WUoBdvM4WtF0C-3K8WVL7VNqp3gOPM/s320/DSCN2098.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view over the pool of Le Mirage Picador</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We managed to check in with our limited Spanish, into our
lovely room with duvets that, according to the bilingual hotel information, had
been designed for maximum guest comfort.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Eddie thought we should go back into Algarrobo, to try and
sort out the windscreen wiper, find an internet café . . .<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But I was already under the duvet. Woke up two ours later – and it was still only
5pm on Monday . . <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
But a few hours later we were in the restaurant, the only
customers, chatting to the wonderful cook and drinking a bottle of local
Tunquen sauvignon blanc. The windscreen wipers
could wait.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
</div>
Jackie Marchanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12567038737470422449noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-174944568796449665.post-36923715350309413582013-03-07T07:09:00.001-08:002013-03-07T07:09:43.193-08:00Would you like to try the banana bubbly? Wine tasting in The Cook Islands<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The Cook Islands was little detour, a chance for a bit of
rest and relaxation. And it was
everything we expected.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZQWvGzGKux92htC5EqgGe9fjUTiQcMdgI6zJxjofgdjW-rCWcyfIRIThHNGAyNzzXJuOoU_YbqLfzSRJ8tO9eMJaTktoHSB3b9VHHQfZ1dbbsOOFSdBBo6iZmDP-HDerNqSaCdzqJFh0/s1600/DSCN1999.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZQWvGzGKux92htC5EqgGe9fjUTiQcMdgI6zJxjofgdjW-rCWcyfIRIThHNGAyNzzXJuOoU_YbqLfzSRJ8tO9eMJaTktoHSB3b9VHHQfZ1dbbsOOFSdBBo6iZmDP-HDerNqSaCdzqJFh0/s320/DSCN1999.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Cook Islands</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY3ObbRxKnneb8XyspFFNH2YR8elvgkX_IYH53R_C9TqRMrxSHzMHWQFNEIhvSfD3aRy3Cop-LIaXHFIw1KpaJ014vkJzYo7m9PynSH2nmaQT7bJByKULnstJtQCvlu-OhKX6ClicqYpg/s1600/DSCN2031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY3ObbRxKnneb8XyspFFNH2YR8elvgkX_IYH53R_C9TqRMrxSHzMHWQFNEIhvSfD3aRy3Cop-LIaXHFIw1KpaJ014vkJzYo7m9PynSH2nmaQT7bJByKULnstJtQCvlu-OhKX6ClicqYpg/s320/DSCN2031.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Transport in the Cook Islands</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzZrW0lW9to8uSjbVblrk-J8zMg1zTbi9Uk0yNlQd9fei_Kmr3ARjsr3yLyt0B3gOjcLwfdShGsz76H2HVTjg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
And so much more . . .<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTS4Li6o5jJ-L1rYObep50hIVsNL0zHGQUVJ5v-7YJR9O1sYBSXs-sQ_fa070rOm7QKqGrdbY3uC7UrTOZRGp8JucK_5hLb7SkzcfOYvnINH7W672OW8V0rCcFZAicQEauoDh8FGPANX0/s1600/DSCN2041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTS4Li6o5jJ-L1rYObep50hIVsNL0zHGQUVJ5v-7YJR9O1sYBSXs-sQ_fa070rOm7QKqGrdbY3uC7UrTOZRGp8JucK_5hLb7SkzcfOYvnINH7W672OW8V0rCcFZAicQEauoDh8FGPANX0/s320/DSCN2041.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We came across Raratonga’s only winery while taking our
hired moped out around the island – and we couldn’t resist. But we decided to go back on foot, so we
could bring our empty bottles. Which was
a slight problem - on arrival we encountered a notice asking us to honk our horns three times for attention . . . </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We made honking noises as loud as our reserved
Britishness allowed. Nothing happened.
So we made some more. And then
the door burst open and out came third generation Cook Islander <a href="http://www.punanganuiculturalmarket.co.ck/" target="_blank">Mr Koteka</a>, who
welcomed us in to see his winemaking operation.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Which was unlike any other that we’ve seen on this trip.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy9SBQBHltf3buG_84ynfJH6HNzMIsSlhgYjHPfVDS7dP-qtKdWKMOKZ1TVofNDjo2DXlJNz_FbxOyFtF9IQsuyu46dAChe9r0DChYYxxxV99iv59G4duRHb3THAQTmLShRqyoBiHTOcc/s1600/DSCN2039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy9SBQBHltf3buG_84ynfJH6HNzMIsSlhgYjHPfVDS7dP-qtKdWKMOKZ1TVofNDjo2DXlJNz_FbxOyFtF9IQsuyu46dAChe9r0DChYYxxxV99iv59G4duRHb3THAQTmLShRqyoBiHTOcc/s320/DSCN2039.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mr Koteka explained how he makes his wines from bananas,
mashing them and fermenting them and, if necessary, topping up with coconut
juice. We were invited to taste the
result. Mr Koteka joined us with a
resounding cheers!<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFulfHN_bWwOuCnopqF5jtUzdn9_Vrk4wiQzc4dzXhGtolHl8eH-oIQflwswLS3L0ux3jLVGnvSk55ZiD8q5HtAgnBVYrXfovevX0DidVfPzMR3nrPh7Q4wdXeFIxFQs5_DRUGwFeGJJY/s1600/DSCN2037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFulfHN_bWwOuCnopqF5jtUzdn9_Vrk4wiQzc4dzXhGtolHl8eH-oIQflwswLS3L0ux3jLVGnvSk55ZiD8q5HtAgnBVYrXfovevX0DidVfPzMR3nrPh7Q4wdXeFIxFQs5_DRUGwFeGJJY/s320/DSCN2037.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Koteka's banana wine - in a recycled whiskey bottle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Everything produced here is bottled in recycled bottles. Any wine that doesn't make the grade goes on to be
fortified into vodka. We had a taste of
that as well. Then we tried the liquer,
which is infused with all sorts of things before being decanted into recycled
wine bottles. We tried some coconut chilli
liqueur from an Oyster Bay bottle – label removed and Koteka’s own label added. (We recognized the bottle from the lid.)<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTiyAKAaK0IFBLDd8ZEAPu9edRxtdv-i-6-CuomkHX2Rebp72fLTVOykQkoVGUsWGZssl3whqnZXaqz_wU6FSLIkSLKAzk8xis67dGVCwECScyfLvcOlDK2efAmwI5GUDiBVPpGI_R0cg/s1600/DSCN2036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTiyAKAaK0IFBLDd8ZEAPu9edRxtdv-i-6-CuomkHX2Rebp72fLTVOykQkoVGUsWGZssl3whqnZXaqz_wU6FSLIkSLKAzk8xis67dGVCwECScyfLvcOlDK2efAmwI5GUDiBVPpGI_R0cg/s320/DSCN2036.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr Koteka showing us how he infuses his banana vodka to make liqeur</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This must have been the smallest winery (bananary?) of our
trip. Yet Mr Kotaka was as enthusiastic
about his wine/vodka/liquer making as any winemaker that we’ve met. We might not have found notes of leather,
cedar and musk in his 2012 vintage, but Mr Koteka’s enthusiasm made up for
that. I thought his banana wine might go
well chilled with soda water – a sort of Cook Island spritzer, I thought the
vodka was suitably firey and the chilli and coconut liqueur would make an
interesting post dinner discussion point.
I did like it, Oyster Bay bottle and all, but we have to restrict
ourselves to keep within our weitght allowance, so we had to pass on buying
one. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mr Koteka didn’t mind – and we left him with some empty wine
bottles. And some beer bottles. ‘Oh
good,’ he said with a big grin. ‘I’m
going to make some banana beer!’ <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlWAHqUQjUspvAP4XOHHIJaUwuWzMCOp1lcO7FWdsMckm7WFfhXegObA5qxv7jt32vc_God1Cy_KTvXVm2EXfBLDTux6lc_EFuOBG66psI2pPplHbGcdJNUf3kmRKo60RfYdmrI6xVgkc/s1600/DSCN2035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlWAHqUQjUspvAP4XOHHIJaUwuWzMCOp1lcO7FWdsMckm7WFfhXegObA5qxv7jt32vc_God1Cy_KTvXVm2EXfBLDTux6lc_EFuOBG66psI2pPplHbGcdJNUf3kmRKo60RfYdmrI6xVgkc/s320/DSCN2035.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We drank a lovely bottle of Cloudy Bay that night – I wonder
how soon that will have banana liqeur in it?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
</blockquote>
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Jackie Marchanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12567038737470422449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-174944568796449665.post-6952311531601083982013-03-02T19:48:00.000-08:002013-03-02T19:48:27.800-08:00Vines on the lawn – friends of friends and Kiwi hospitality<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
More evidence of the passion of individual winemakers.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.gillmanvineyard.co.nz/" target="_blank">Gillmans</a> is the smallest winery in New Zealand – and it
produces some of the best (according to several accolades). It’s hard to imagine that it makes much of a
profit (I was too polite to ask), but it’s easy to see how passionate Toby
Gillman is about his winemaking.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We were very lucky to be introduced to Toby, who is the son
of a friend of a friend of a friend of mine back in the UK. Although, when I say lucky, we’ve found that
the Kiwis are very happy to welcome complete strangers with tenuous connections
to their friends and family into their homes. Toby and his parents couldn’t
have been more friendly and welcoming.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBQ6I8UCMWwraV_3RHB-RGualPqi-MIkCARumnoZtziyYbOiqgzAd9o37aJ9izEofJNBz3UjbaDakPs2vc3Og0nrpfTO0Nl-HuzPR6RnBg95bTQLOf6pWuFVgboE0Qg1K4qLYd44Yuwdw/s1600/DSCN1874.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBQ6I8UCMWwraV_3RHB-RGualPqi-MIkCARumnoZtziyYbOiqgzAd9o37aJ9izEofJNBz3UjbaDakPs2vc3Og0nrpfTO0Nl-HuzPR6RnBg95bTQLOf6pWuFVgboE0Qg1K4qLYd44Yuwdw/s320/DSCN1874.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
We sat round the dining table, eating delicious cheeses and
tasting Toby’s wines. He makes reds in
the Bordeaux style, including a clairet, which isn’t a misspelling but used to
be the standard wine of Bordeaux before they lost their grapes to a nasty
disease and had to replant, by which time the deeper Bordeaux wines were in
fashion. Clairet is a lighter wine – and
very drinkable.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As well as making wine, Toby is an accountant. He spent some time helping out on a nearby
winery as a favour, learnt how to make wine, went to Bordeaux to find out more and then he was hooked. Shortly after that, he started making his own
wine. <o:p></o:p>As we sat round the table, I imagined Toby broaching the subject – <i>er, do you mind if I plant some grapes on your lawn? </i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-taYMJIdh5wAAiwbOJB42-I3CvKzQsI6vfxMwHQAPyMVfjbp88YYO023SJQ4ac5DpqbQY-pzs8TmzcCsWxZaCUDQbfvGRHiwaAkKFWR-Qii0r5czXyhzxI_yQ7nJvmHYWK-CckFV8Ec0/s1600/DSCN1875.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-taYMJIdh5wAAiwbOJB42-I3CvKzQsI6vfxMwHQAPyMVfjbp88YYO023SJQ4ac5DpqbQY-pzs8TmzcCsWxZaCUDQbfvGRHiwaAkKFWR-Qii0r5czXyhzxI_yQ7nJvmHYWK-CckFV8Ec0/s320/DSCN1875.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We actually met
Toby on the back lawn, as he was trimming the vines in his tractor. He stopped work to greet us and changed
before he brought out his wines. We took
our glasses of clairet out to his winemaking room, to see where he works.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeaoD40HGoCcyPWqGfnoReeS7qTafrVqmIOPAAQEwScbHccBSKUM8G6tbr1aduhB2n_YNk42rXSdaRimJdH_M90gaEzJXfw0nlYfOQ6mI04b9m1R-kDTUy9Oo1vS_aD3HupFFBzz7XPLE/s1600/DSCN1872.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeaoD40HGoCcyPWqGfnoReeS7qTafrVqmIOPAAQEwScbHccBSKUM8G6tbr1aduhB2n_YNk42rXSdaRimJdH_M90gaEzJXfw0nlYfOQ6mI04b9m1R-kDTUy9Oo1vS_aD3HupFFBzz7XPLE/s320/DSCN1872.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
As I said, this is the smallest winemaker in New
Zealand. Apart from help with picking
and pruning (relying on willing volunteers from amongst family and friends ), everything
done by Toby, from winemaking to bottling.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We tried Gillman’s 2009 and compared it with the 2006. Both lovely and both only available
in restaurants and fine wine suppliers.
You do not get Gillmans in the supermarkets.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I mentioned how much I’d enloyed visiting Takake Okada at
the tiny <a href="http://www.folium.co.nz/" target="_blank">Folium</a> vineyard in Marlborough.
Turns out they have the same distributer, <a href="http://www.dnfinewine.com/dnfinewine/index.php" target="_blank">Puneet Dahl</a>, who introduced us
to Takake. Puneet is another friend of a
friend (OK, the uncle of a good friend of our daughter) who invited us two
complete strangers to have dinner with him in Auckland.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Strangers we may have been, but we already had two small
wineries in common when we met. And then
Puneet gave us some wine – in his office, which just happens to have a winebar in it. <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Puneet presented us with a bottle of from one of his clients, a Stoneridge Cab sav/Merlot. So I presented him with a copy of Dougal Trump. Which I signed for him.</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuOIU5J7dNyxDfzmop-UXrWDgT5strZw1PXtv8JBNbjG6iGMR1uYnOcnfJFjEZx_2tmkezvLbTDdSmCkSsQetaKWVNL1UgdTLJ1DJ87HlngMywDvZCgI0kjT5NdHZgd9krPpe4NmsYvzA/s1600/DSCN1980.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuOIU5J7dNyxDfzmop-UXrWDgT5strZw1PXtv8JBNbjG6iGMR1uYnOcnfJFjEZx_2tmkezvLbTDdSmCkSsQetaKWVNL1UgdTLJ1DJ87HlngMywDvZCgI0kjT5NdHZgd9krPpe4NmsYvzA/s320/DSCN1980.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Signing a copy of Dougal Trump for Puneet Dahl in his office</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We started with a delicious glass of Mersault and, while we drank that, Puneet thought about what we were eating that night and what would go with it. He has a vast choice from wines that are sent to him by his clients and potential clients – plus the bottle of Bordeaux we gave him (after much thought about bringing coals to Newcastle, we decided on something from outside New Zealand, as he has his own ready supply of those).<br />
<br />
I should mention that, as well as the winebar, Puneet does also have a desk – with
several bottles of wine on it.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrqavDu9ApiNYgZYsidMJI9YCM0mPgABxmjWVXISMVjxDU9v1g599C91fnbwAoCIGoqFR5A37u_NG120cUHY5O9EaAOD8PX-Zn3c_26i-VX9mlHaS3uOkzgDstJSHFpK-ZRWa7NNwOuNM/s1600/DSCN1981.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrqavDu9ApiNYgZYsidMJI9YCM0mPgABxmjWVXISMVjxDU9v1g599C91fnbwAoCIGoqFR5A37u_NG120cUHY5O9EaAOD8PX-Zn3c_26i-VX9mlHaS3uOkzgDstJSHFpK-ZRWa7NNwOuNM/s320/DSCN1981.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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He told us how he likes to represent small wineries where
the crop is grown organically. ‘Not
because I’m an advocate of organic vineyards,’ he explained. ‘But because the wine tastes better, and
that’s what I care about.’<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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Then he took us home for a barbeque and the most delicious
(and huge) New Zealand ribs. And
instructions to remember them when we’re in Argentina.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhflrwwwoczeS3dJmFMDGKQzgq4UK0Fo-F2_F24FXiEnSdxtuMtqt0QGMbr1fwJzaLc13l-rWXUmyY0uYSijABBX_bgpCaD0hs8R3HLVHCcj6f94jkZRV0zDTvYXZpOESep-21-v4PGh1s/s1600/DSCN1982.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhflrwwwoczeS3dJmFMDGKQzgq4UK0Fo-F2_F24FXiEnSdxtuMtqt0QGMbr1fwJzaLc13l-rWXUmyY0uYSijABBX_bgpCaD0hs8R3HLVHCcj6f94jkZRV0zDTvYXZpOESep-21-v4PGh1s/s320/DSCN1982.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Jackie Marchanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12567038737470422449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-174944568796449665.post-49566649784474913042013-02-19T23:46:00.000-08:002013-04-10T10:07:53.615-07:00Wine tasting in the living room – why wine-making is like writing<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
‘I like wine.'<br />
<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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That’s what Takaki Okada of <a href="http://www.folium.co.nz/" target="_blank">Folium Vineyard</a> says when I ask
him why he’s decided to start his own vineyard in Marlborough Country. Set amongst the vineyards of Brancott Estate
and Cloudy Bay, he’s been busy making 1200 cases of wine, while around him Brancott
produces thousands. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6NL3Udk8u7hQxoIqXbZoKF7hH4tEY-yFGhbRNauDjixp_ihmyrmhhbmgAuhUldDECo59tVIQ2V7XPtP3NbzA4Ns_IA1Oc1lRKKCGku5yQ3ihUJbVKU4H6Q9HxF_OC17kqTUlhDq53JoE/s1600/DSCN1636.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6NL3Udk8u7hQxoIqXbZoKF7hH4tEY-yFGhbRNauDjixp_ihmyrmhhbmgAuhUldDECo59tVIQ2V7XPtP3NbzA4Ns_IA1Oc1lRKKCGku5yQ3ihUJbVKU4H6Q9HxF_OC17kqTUlhDq53JoE/s320/DSCN1636.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tasting Folium wines - in Takaki Okada's living room</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Takaki confesses, with a smile, that he doesn’t like Marlborough
sauvignon blanc. To him the grassy,
fruity flavours that everyone knows mean the fruit is over-ripe. So he picks his earlier and makes it in the
French way. He’s made two, the 2011 and
the reserve.<o:p></o:p><br />
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We try the 2011 first – it’s delicious. We do love the grassy Sauvignon Blancs,
Brancott is our staple wine back home, but we also like the crisp dry French
style as well – Sancerre being a favourite.
This was lovely and crisp and dry.
We’d have bought a bottle, but Takaki doesn’t have a cellar door yet,
nor the facilities to sell wine – so he gave it to us.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmgrtZP0zjxs2jZ9KdDip82jsNMmAWeGz6EatduQ3dqapEW9BquIF14kINbjRJ3N3D6ZPyiLfUMtTChTYKn0QVfpUUd5v1YTaW6NAajD2B3TcX8UKlo0R_Wd03eJSbxHLR43BTO7KCa00/s1600/DSCN1638.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmgrtZP0zjxs2jZ9KdDip82jsNMmAWeGz6EatduQ3dqapEW9BquIF14kINbjRJ3N3D6ZPyiLfUMtTChTYKn0QVfpUUd5v1YTaW6NAajD2B3TcX8UKlo0R_Wd03eJSbxHLR43BTO7KCa00/s320/DSCN1638.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The full range of Folium Wines</td></tr>
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He also gives the reserve after we’d tasted it
(lovely!). And the pinot noir 2011 and
the pinot noir reserve. ‘I’m going away
for the weekend, so I can’t drink it,’ he says.
Then we go out and he shows us his grapes.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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He explains why he likes them planted closer together, why
he doesn’t irrigate, why he doesn’t cover them.
And then he shows us his tractor.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4HGnTMJgpDNvd0xJZnAqMrO13dlzPMWLIUBBhwRaVjVF2HsSGe439eEwDcFXazhjcGQztYcbwyvDfK23aXkjq6dJHcVvxlyByMSxrYqJnnLUoUWE7S5cQhpyZQeoh3kBWhMtDr5eSdxA/s1600/DSCN1640.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4HGnTMJgpDNvd0xJZnAqMrO13dlzPMWLIUBBhwRaVjVF2HsSGe439eEwDcFXazhjcGQztYcbwyvDfK23aXkjq6dJHcVvxlyByMSxrYqJnnLUoUWE7S5cQhpyZQeoh3kBWhMtDr5eSdxA/s320/DSCN1640.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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As soon as we leave, he’s off to trim his vines. He already has his working shoes on and his
gloves are ready – it’s obvious that he has work to do, and there is no one
else to do it.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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Takaki Okada is Folium Vineyard. He does everything himself, from tending his
fruit, to making the wine, using the facilities of the nearby Fromm vineyard. He does employ workers to pick grapes, but
everything else is down to him. But he
is obviously passionate about his wine and is doing something he loves.<o:p></o:p></div>
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‘Not all the time,’ he says with a smile. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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I know how he feels. I
feel the same about writing. And, as we’ve
been tasting and talking our way round wineries, I’ve seen a lot of
similarities between winemaking and writing.
Winemakers tend their fruit the way we build our characters, they craft
their wines the way we put our stories together but, most off all, they are
passionate about what they do.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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Then they have to find a distributor for their wines, by
sending samples off, just like we send our work to agents. Finding a distributor means your wines will
be shown to retailers, the way our agents show our books to publishers. It was Takaki’s distributer, Puneet Dhall,
who put us in touch and set up our meeting.
It was Puneet who told us that Takaki makes ‘one of the best savs,’ the
way an agent will enthuse about an author.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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In wine, you have the ‘big boys’ like the Brancotts, who
sell by the truck-load, or tanker-load, who are commercial and successful –
there are authors like that as well. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Winetasting at Brancott - no living rooms here</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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And there are winemakers like Takaki, who have small
vineyards and make wine because they love it.
In writing, these would be people who had to have a full time job as
well, so maybe it’s not all the same.<br />
<br /></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Or maybe I’m comparing the two, because I like nothing
better than to sit and write with a glass of wine (which is what I’m doing
right now . . .)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Jackie Marchanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12567038737470422449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-174944568796449665.post-30996882009947535822013-02-14T21:44:00.000-08:002013-02-14T21:44:13.683-08:00Bungy jumping gnomes, scary roads – and a bit of wine<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://www.queenstownnz.co.nz/" target="_blank">Queenstown, New Zealand</a>.<br />
<br />
It’s where you go if you want to be chucked out of a plane, thrown off a high bridge with a Velcro bandage round your ankles, hurtled down the rapids in a dingy, or anything else to boost your adrenalin.<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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It’s also a rather beautiful spot. Surrounded by craggy peaks, rolling hills and a dazzling lake, it’s a good place to take a scenic (and gentle) boat trip, or just go for a walk and gaze in wonder at the beauty of this land.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Or you can watch. <o:p></o:p></div>
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That’s what we did. We went to<a href="http://www.bungy.co.nz/kawarau-bungy-centre" target="_blank"> Kawarau Bridge </a>and watched people jumping off it – with their feet tied with Velcro.</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEdKgbWou8heoq9IAbOmVT4amOc091h-weBxOQ_EzpPAtx0c23HSR7t-8tm6JvhNsgy2dk9HSS3T3hNHHbOAhYazzRD6HhJJ010l8F6Xsa_PC7ey6nyP4I0ErTDcLJQjfVKfmsG5ZkP1I/s1600/DSCN1542.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEdKgbWou8heoq9IAbOmVT4amOc091h-weBxOQ_EzpPAtx0c23HSR7t-8tm6JvhNsgy2dk9HSS3T3hNHHbOAhYazzRD6HhJJ010l8F6Xsa_PC7ey6nyP4I0ErTDcLJQjfVKfmsG5ZkP1I/s320/DSCN1542.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kawarau Bridge - a scenic place to jump off a bridge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Here the scenery is entertaining as well as stunning – enhanced
by the sound of people screaming as they plunge towards the raging river below,
screaming as they’re jerked up again, screaming as they swing around. For me, there was enough thrill in that,
enough wonder at the parents who watched their daughter jump. Brave of them. And the poor girl who stood there 43m above the river on a tiny platform, screaming to the crowd that she couldn’t do it,
with nothing to stop her toppling off apart from the man persuading her to jump. But she did jump. And for all her bravery, she ended up being
hauled upside-down into a boat and then had to walk all the way back up
again. To heaps of applause.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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After that, we visited a winery that was recommended in the
information centre. ‘You have to drive
along a cliff to get there.’ Well, we
wouldn’t expect anything else. And,
after taking a wrong turn a few days ago and traversing <a href="http://www.centralotagonz.com/danseys-pass" target="_blank">Danseys Pass</a> while low
on fuel, we up for the challenge.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The road to <a href="http://www.chardfarm.co.nz/" target="_blank">Chard Farm </a>vineyard cuts high along the side of
the river, in sight of the bungy jumpers. It’s a narrow unmade track and it
twists and turns, giving views of the raging river far below. ‘Hey, we’re higher than the bunjee jumping
bridge!’ says Eddie, as I beg him to keep his eye on the road.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But it’s worth it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7fYVtRr4ayOsR8cqrP_G2kOR0rnqCV1M_JbHWm6y5A13llrp-zLcra3kQydD2Ed-q_M2HkQvSgSI8MLyGcdgkQ-Gw8bzJYlo7V7SjbsUATViualbwan66gNdt0YJfC9y68yKNAD8FDqw/s1600/DSCN1556.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7fYVtRr4ayOsR8cqrP_G2kOR0rnqCV1M_JbHWm6y5A13llrp-zLcra3kQydD2Ed-q_M2HkQvSgSI8MLyGcdgkQ-Gw8bzJYlo7V7SjbsUATViualbwan66gNdt0YJfC9y68yKNAD8FDqw/s320/DSCN1556.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Bungy Jumping Gnome at Chard Farm Vineyard</td></tr>
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This was our first New Zealand wine-tasting. We went through the range, whites to reds,
weren’t keen on the whites (chardonnay, reisling, gewurtzraminer, all too
sweet for our taste), but loved the pinot noirs. There
was no sauvignon blanc on offer because ‘that’s a Marlborough grape, and this
is Otaga – here we do pinot noir.’ And
very good it was too. So good, we were
reluctant to throw it away (we still had a long drive ahead). At least it didn’t go to waste.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOc0BU9spA7sINLvipFxvViaAwx5TId_GkEsTIRH7KXzqmlLM14JAXAV6qHoisT4hGpePkFh7hBNcAhIloXl6B40fjI67XUym9JmQR_orqr92QbSGHW9uaWYNEFyLJeZA9r7bP5UIWU48/s1600/DSCN1558.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOc0BU9spA7sINLvipFxvViaAwx5TId_GkEsTIRH7KXzqmlLM14JAXAV6qHoisT4hGpePkFh7hBNcAhIloXl6B40fjI67XUym9JmQR_orqr92QbSGHW9uaWYNEFyLJeZA9r7bP5UIWU48/s320/DSCN1558.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At Chard Farm the left-over pinot noir gets made into brandy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Distilling for your own use is perfectly legal,’ says the
cellar door manager, as he invites us to pour our left-overs into a large glass. ‘So I make brandy
from the left-over pinot. Want to try it?’ I have a sniff, which is enough to make my
eyes water. ‘Good stuff,’ squeaks Eddie.
</div>
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‘Want to try the vodka?’ offers the cellar manager. So we try the elderflower vodka – very
good.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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But we go away with a bottle of Chard Farm Pinot Noir.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLAWqNvDZhnIh8-BfxKxFo6epiJvwUIcBJZJnmEgruzNTB9G68t6LDQtrEPWEU29j8jDV3WmvXVNAd7CZJSNCCmXmNBzF-z2DpiI5VQD0wu_UP75pkXB3IWJg0nVGrkxNfFu8fAiZMUY/s1600/DSCN1573.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLAWqNvDZhnIh8-BfxKxFo6epiJvwUIcBJZJnmEgruzNTB9G68t6LDQtrEPWEU29j8jDV3WmvXVNAd7CZJSNCCmXmNBzF-z2DpiI5VQD0wu_UP75pkXB3IWJg0nVGrkxNfFu8fAiZMUY/s320/DSCN1573.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chard Farm and its cliff-top driveway</td></tr>
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Jackie Marchanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12567038737470422449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-174944568796449665.post-85241534591619046042013-02-09T00:22:00.000-08:002013-02-09T00:22:17.017-08:00You can go and see what’s left of the cathedral - a night in Christchurch<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
More serendipity.*<br />
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We arrived in Christchurch in the rush hour. That meant we had to wait behind at least one
car at the traffic lights and at the most – one car. Where was everyone? <o:p></o:p></div>
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It’s easy to forget that we are in a country that’s bigger
than the UK, but the population is about half that of London. We’d been told that visiting New Zealand is like visiting England in the
50’s and I can see why – there's hardly any traffic.<o:p></o:p></div>
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‘You must go to the open air concert tonight.' That’s what the lad said when we picked up
our hire car. ‘It’s near your
accommodation (he showed us on the map) and it ends in fireworks. You’re lucky because they postponed it due to
rain.'<o:p></o:p></div>
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‘You must go to the open air concert tonight.’ That’s what the man said when we checked into
our accommodation. ‘It’s only down the
road and there will be fireworks.’ We began to get the impression there wasn't much else to do.<o:p></o:p></div>
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He also made the quote about the cathedral. I remember the devastation of the earthquake
and really feeling for the people of Christchurch. But it happened two years ago and back in the UK,
it’s pretty much forgotten. But, here in
Christchurch, you can’t walk to the end of the road our accommodation was in,
because it’s in an area in the middle of town that’s pretty much blocked off
while the area is under reconstruction - two years after the event. ‘It’s going to look great in another year’s
time,’ said our host. I hope so.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So, we found a supermarket, picked up a bottle of Marlborough sav blanc and headed to the park, where 50,000 were gathered for the annual <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/8271092/Thousands-attend-Classical-Sparks-concert" target="_blank">Classical Sparks Concert</a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCD4B7U2Gne2g0zZUzzTooBNKoqfqi7N5pgDAefz9riaJNSWmSfYQ9JB_hH3crCyiShyDHdM17nUsoua9gWNl43uZVacHocYnPvcc-8TPPp1vE4OxrqUlBhXA0B4ObCKG27ccmv2EHVTw/s1600/DSCN1308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCD4B7U2Gne2g0zZUzzTooBNKoqfqi7N5pgDAefz9riaJNSWmSfYQ9JB_hH3crCyiShyDHdM17nUsoua9gWNl43uZVacHocYnPvcc-8TPPp1vE4OxrqUlBhXA0B4ObCKG27ccmv2EHVTw/s320/DSCN1308.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christchurch's annual Classical Sparks Concert</td></tr>
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We laid our blanket (aka our beach towel) on the ground and sat down with our wine as the night drew in. We listened to a piece called 'Estancia' by Ginastera, which was about gauchos on an Argentinian estancia, so we drank to our future time on an Argentinian estancia. As night closed in, Tchaikovsky's 1812 began and shortly after that, the fireworks.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj-Bre4KIeLjRd_3lVuqVgY4HVXOzUxn-3cCPFHvCEASr-6heCdUWiIIdjoHRLW-fQgOC9MDalIeIZzXGRyDS-VytRCrOCyCYl4T3Z81uGUC7qfK0ZPr8WofSDKVIhyphenhyphen2W6p7hRELY_Z5g/s1600/DSCN1319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj-Bre4KIeLjRd_3lVuqVgY4HVXOzUxn-3cCPFHvCEASr-6heCdUWiIIdjoHRLW-fQgOC9MDalIeIZzXGRyDS-VytRCrOCyCYl4T3Z81uGUC7qfK0ZPr8WofSDKVIhyphenhyphen2W6p7hRELY_Z5g/s320/DSCN1319.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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So much better than a tour of the devastation of Christchurch. I'm not kidding, there really are tours for this. I can't see the appeal. And it's not just me. We met a lovely couple on the <a href="http://www.taieri.co.nz/" target="_blank">Tairie Gorge Railway</a> who'd met in Christchurch, studied in Christchurch, married in Christchurch, who couldn't bear the thought of going back now, let alone something as ghoulish as a bus tour.</div>
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They also told us about several good wineries Marlborough - while we were drinking our favourite Marlborough sav blanc, which happened to be available in the buffet. And we told them about another bit of serendipity - the shortcut we accidentally took over <a href="http://www.centralotagonz.com/danseys-pass" target="_blank">Dansey's Pass</a>.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqr80YFnHvnWsaPrqbXHo-GK4mfWbKFAcqBuyzPXncsMRiBQSOoujHLhehpGXBJEqmgDvN-nBIN79rZzIx7xDcv27xxq9WeFuFKXjvi9Tm4t7zb_F4tTZGUb8eOnytW2FeZTE00aTUnG0/s1600/DSCN1366.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqr80YFnHvnWsaPrqbXHo-GK4mfWbKFAcqBuyzPXncsMRiBQSOoujHLhehpGXBJEqmgDvN-nBIN79rZzIx7xDcv27xxq9WeFuFKXjvi9Tm4t7zb_F4tTZGUb8eOnytW2FeZTE00aTUnG0/s320/DSCN1366.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dansey's pass </td></tr>
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This was a ninety minute hair-raising drive on a gravel road that hugged the sides of the hills in a series of hairpin bends and vertiginous drops. The scenery was breathtaking, the car got absolutely filthy, we arrived in Dunedin two hours after we thought we would and we nearly ran out of petrol. But it was worth it for the stupendous views that it was too dangerous to stop to take a photo. And next day, we saw similar scenery from the comfort of a train while discussing Marlborough wines with a very nice couple. </div>
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I call that serendipity - Eddie calls it getting lost.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9DozG13tLtmnZ94KCIA3T5hzUpE1DBDSIYsG1RS_OO8hPFBZgKrFHSRr1IYB7ElL1L2TrsyUX8CdNzb9Jcn7LRoHjD_OcU2PK-Vq7MdHiDIHZBRZm9GsMrhbFrPWb4L-OvC1WhjoI5CU/s1600/DSCN1404.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9DozG13tLtmnZ94KCIA3T5hzUpE1DBDSIYsG1RS_OO8hPFBZgKrFHSRr1IYB7ElL1L2TrsyUX8CdNzb9Jcn7LRoHjD_OcU2PK-Vq7MdHiDIHZBRZm9GsMrhbFrPWb4L-OvC1WhjoI5CU/s320/DSCN1404.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sort of road that took us over Dansey's Pass - but this time viewed from the comfort of a train</td></tr>
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Jackie Marchanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12567038737470422449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-174944568796449665.post-13313487310342059872013-02-03T22:31:00.000-08:002013-02-03T22:31:26.687-08:00There are 900 steps down – but you can take the cable car back up.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">More serendipity*.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We arrived in <a href="http://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/blue-mountains/katoomba-area/leura?gclid=CIvw0IqBnLUCFchXpQodqXoAXA" target="_blank">Leura </a>in a torrential downpour, so bad we were soaked as soon as we opened our car door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Visibility was about the same as a severely foggy English day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’d had a bit of a job finding our accommodation because we couldn't see it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We’d woken up to glorious sunshine and had breakfast by the pool of our b&b.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We took the journey to Leura slowly, stopping off to look at the fantastic views.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We took a trail that promised a viewpoint in 1km.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The clouds were coming down, but it was still fantastic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnYi6PaC2CNWsnsocWxyZ_LbidRtbdA-7EIFsSIKCxUk1ztUHGPdDqspbrqoqMtIcOJ08udFalX2DVunQ0gLWiStrhBMcLWTn98LxrKsLWjoW8RilIPAnqGb8cCJbLHHHiW3G_eV1xV3g/s1600/DSCN1178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnYi6PaC2CNWsnsocWxyZ_LbidRtbdA-7EIFsSIKCxUk1ztUHGPdDqspbrqoqMtIcOJ08udFalX2DVunQ0gLWiStrhBMcLWTn98LxrKsLWjoW8RilIPAnqGb8cCJbLHHHiW3G_eV1xV3g/s320/DSCN1178.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There are many views like this in the Blue Mountains</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We got a little lost on the way back, but managed to find the car just as we felt the first drop of rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then the clouds descended, visibility disappeared and we were very glad we hadn’t been left out on the unguarded clifftops in the fog.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">By the time we arrived in Leura, the rain was coming down like a power shower.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The temperature dropped and we had to dig out our few pieces of warm clothes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But we found a great Italian restaurant (recommended by the checkout guy in Aldi) that was BYO (bring your own) and enjoyed our bottle of McLeish estate cabernet sauvignon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The next day dawn grey and miserable as an English summer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We went to a couple of chilly lookouts, but couldn’t see a lot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgALmz7XWcrfaNcw_1nRPsasv3yp-Pv54WOztGhT5ALETJ2UDIyAEGlqRsD2lsMhAZC3qXzVQaZIcy7moJxxW-xTb5wXYF7D4iKoUvzPmE7NQoV8et817YqgbsIu5OOnoNcTooJZcIaZ_o/s1600/DSCN1192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgALmz7XWcrfaNcw_1nRPsasv3yp-Pv54WOztGhT5ALETJ2UDIyAEGlqRsD2lsMhAZC3qXzVQaZIcy7moJxxW-xTb5wXYF7D4iKoUvzPmE7NQoV8et817YqgbsIu5OOnoNcTooJZcIaZ_o/s320/DSCN1192.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Blue Mountains under the clouds</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The scenic route became a route. No scenery at all, not even the mountains under clouds. So, back to our accommodation for a rethink.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We found the <a href="http://www.scenicworld.com.au/" target="_blank">Scenic World</a> website, which offers various options of cable cars and stuff, plus a path down into the rainforest, which can be enjoyed whatever the weather.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So that’s what we did.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFoTIJ9tkDmhSE0R8QQJkxmJfL_lryIk7N-ofpzYGmBWA1YSng9-U4V0cQ8foYoyWfIu96ZpOYOzshrjO5TylJU5RHC6pMKZnyh4esf3O9d3fr6DBXfJ_cS9tmwsdhynxjOhjmp8x4SZs/s1600/DSCN1250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFoTIJ9tkDmhSE0R8QQJkxmJfL_lryIk7N-ofpzYGmBWA1YSng9-U4V0cQ8foYoyWfIu96ZpOYOzshrjO5TylJU5RHC6pMKZnyh4esf3O9d3fr6DBXfJ_cS9tmwsdhynxjOhjmp8x4SZs/s320/DSCN1250.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The walk down from the station at the top to the bottom - Scenic World, Leura</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span> <span style="font-family: Calibri;">The trail down took about an hour and involved 900 steps in various guises from log treads, steep stone steps to narrow metal stairwells.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then there were the straight bits under overhangs, where you had to duck under the dripping water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plus several stops where you could take in the breathtaking scenery.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPE2hfjSd2eik7YlgX4Y0CqcmbQrxQveMGfAgZDR7tL-1m66iI4vuaVeSnrd6vyxN0bqEQd50wUBe0O2ly7y_mwrWBy8N7IXNcAyDzX0d93XUwHYbyTmShQyjWd3yq1ArxAfQTAWfKRWg/s1600/DSCN1197.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPE2hfjSd2eik7YlgX4Y0CqcmbQrxQveMGfAgZDR7tL-1m66iI4vuaVeSnrd6vyxN0bqEQd50wUBe0O2ly7y_mwrWBy8N7IXNcAyDzX0d93XUwHYbyTmShQyjWd3yq1ArxAfQTAWfKRWg/s320/DSCN1197.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There were no clouds down here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was the most amazing walk I’ve ever been on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And when we got to bottom, we met all those who’d come down on the cable, who went on the walkways down there and got the cable back up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t think they have any idea what they missed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even though the walkways were great.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY2pLysXu0VKb2NfJWjvG_OU02Hhp3e7_wFzPdegFu1eHzREkkXFyEJ2OZqX2swiGJ3bzWmmZHxl-hOfh_fWZ5E1I4UFzc5BIe-wqb2KnX7zePPFMCFeMSiBPnz-BhqKlY6UNVO0a8a0w/s1600/DSCN1211.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY2pLysXu0VKb2NfJWjvG_OU02Hhp3e7_wFzPdegFu1eHzREkkXFyEJ2OZqX2swiGJ3bzWmmZHxl-hOfh_fWZ5E1I4UFzc5BIe-wqb2KnX7zePPFMCFeMSiBPnz-BhqKlY6UNVO0a8a0w/s320/DSCN1211.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So, we decided it would be fun to walk back up – another hour, another 900 steps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Funnily enough, we hadn’t met a single person coming up as we were going down, but we met a few going down a we came up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And when we got up, we weren’t feeling a bit cold, the weather had cleared and we managed a few more look-outs, before heading to a lovely independent wine shop, where we bought a bottle of Opportunist Semillon blanc, which was delicious with our smoked salmon salad, plus a bottle of Tamburlaine Malbec, which was lovely drunk on its own in Sydney’s Hyde Park.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">OK, the wine would have been bought anyway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the fabulous walk, with those gushing waterfalls, would not have happened without the inclement weather.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And it was clearer next morning, we got some more viewing in before we set off for Sydney, seeing what we’d missed under the clouds the previous day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNR2FUvXLanFYDhiY2tAEUigNKEPRXqWd64SNDOrgU6XmS5hf3TRoU17a301Yhddehd0HLl5Sh0FwxITwCx2GUOxM9tmyIeVywQQW5bmTMDeaLcIcE0LpOdjDkOEXIQf5S5nzm6Tr0MvU/s1600/DSCN1244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNR2FUvXLanFYDhiY2tAEUigNKEPRXqWd64SNDOrgU6XmS5hf3TRoU17a301Yhddehd0HLl5Sh0FwxITwCx2GUOxM9tmyIeVywQQW5bmTMDeaLcIcE0LpOdjDkOEXIQf5S5nzm6Tr0MvU/s320/DSCN1244.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The three sisters - one of the iconic images of the Blue Mountains </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">*see <a href="http://aroundtheworldin80vineyards.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/an-unexpected-surprise-and-some-more.html" target="_blank">previous serendipity blog<o:p></o:p></a></span><br />
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Jackie Marchanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12567038737470422449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-174944568796449665.post-92172639563840123382013-01-31T22:08:00.001-08:002013-01-31T22:08:44.752-08:00Today we’re picking our chardonnay – wine tasting in Hunter Valley<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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‘The thing about being a small boutique winery,’ says one
cellar manager. ‘Is that we choose when
to pick the grapes ourselves. No one
tells us when to do it.’ <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyQCYWXoIMg-MbQmVhhNXz0veeBGqWgKvqXEzZDLJRPOjETXLyBtCfXJmeflhYhCDiJBZtayK-d3Lxx2n-vJbksyYhaTUJ-OmLp-8qXwc8hb7nplK5FdDD-ixsK_8Lyhi8S6EOl4nwt-k/s1600/DSCN1153.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyQCYWXoIMg-MbQmVhhNXz0veeBGqWgKvqXEzZDLJRPOjETXLyBtCfXJmeflhYhCDiJBZtayK-d3Lxx2n-vJbksyYhaTUJ-OmLp-8qXwc8hb7nplK5FdDD-ixsK_8Lyhi8S6EOl4nwt-k/s320/DSCN1153.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peterson's - a boutique winery</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Hunter Valley is full of boutique wineries. These are small vineyards, where the crop is
lovingly grown and the wine is made according to the crop. It means that their wines vary from year to
year, depending on how the crop turns out.
And it can vary tremendously.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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‘You don’t normally associate Hunter Valley with cabernet
sauvignon,’ we were told at <a href="http://www.mcleishhunterwines.com.au/" target="_blank">McLeish Estate</a>. ‘But we had
perfect conditions in 2009 that we made some.’ We tried it, loved it, bought a bottle. $22, what we'd expect to pay for a good wine in the UK. <o:p></o:p></div>
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By making their wines according to crop, boutique wineries
offer something unique. Not the reliable
but same-old of the ‘industrial’ vineyards, which have no choice but to keep on
churning out the same wine year after year in order to satisfy the supermarkets,
or go bust. Boutique wineries invite you
to compare the 2010 semillon with the 2011 (‘we picked our crop early that
year, because of the weather – if we’d left it later, the wine would have been
too sweet’). They explain how their
blends differ from year to year (we called this the quartet because it has four
varieties – it’s unique). They tell of
how they spend hours swirling and spitting until they have the blend just right. More of this, less of that, different from
last year and the year before.<o:p></o:p></div>
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When you go into a boutique winery, you are asked what sort
of wine you like. ‘Ah, then try this,’
they say. ‘See what you think and I’ll
tell you what it is.’ Or, ‘You should
have this one with pasta, this one goes beautifully with lamb. Can you taste the smokey bacon in this one?
To me it’s like English breakfast.’<o:p></o:p></div>
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Actually, I got sausages with that one. So he took my glass, gave it a good sniff and
said, ‘Ah, yes, I see what you mean.’<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxsINF6QJTUsT60ejk9SLnEU-pgxqhcrV5tIFW7VRGLXYvgs6QuLXRRKPVKqkccMAlYaFx35GurYWL1LxqsaMqDoMmzb7NnaZvgW0LvACw7gTPNNYWLZ5KBFpkf70j23CsfBSxhyEtBnw/s1600/DSCN1164.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxsINF6QJTUsT60ejk9SLnEU-pgxqhcrV5tIFW7VRGLXYvgs6QuLXRRKPVKqkccMAlYaFx35GurYWL1LxqsaMqDoMmzb7NnaZvgW0LvACw7gTPNNYWLZ5KBFpkf70j23CsfBSxhyEtBnw/s320/DSCN1164.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kevin Sobels wines - only available at the cellar door</td></tr>
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Some boutique wineries are so small they only do cellar door
sales – you can’t even buy them at the local bottle shop. It was at one of these, <a href="http://www.sobelswines.com.au/html/s01_home/home.asp" target="_blank">Kevin Sobels</a> wines,
that we tried a rather lovely 2012 semillon (the one that was picked early) and
bought it. We drank it on it’s own that
night. Having been in the car all day,
it wasn’t quite as cool as we’d like, but it was still excellent (the sign of a good white, by the way, is
that it still tastes good when it’s warm).
And the thing about this Semillon, is that there was only so much of it
made and those exact conditions may never happen again, so we were drinking
something rather special. (It cost $22,
which is what we’d expect to pay for a good bottle back home).</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD0Em9BnV_dyTcv04Ge4zHptv6uswO3PTYv42G1NJmDPnefLXpQYgRXCEd8iIpvGgS6FYr8VJSY43Iti-QwiQi_OBTVQ_CaTy3iP6RMqZmi4RIg6_6CXaeJMpJKtRC9rsg62pJXmns1V8/s1600/DSCN1157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD0Em9BnV_dyTcv04Ge4zHptv6uswO3PTYv42G1NJmDPnefLXpQYgRXCEd8iIpvGgS6FYr8VJSY43Iti-QwiQi_OBTVQ_CaTy3iP6RMqZmi4RIg6_6CXaeJMpJKtRC9rsg62pJXmns1V8/s320/DSCN1157.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hunter Valley</td></tr>
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‘Ah, I see he’s spraying over there.’</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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This was said of the winery on the hill opposite <a href="http://www.petersonswines.com.au/" target="_blank">Peterson’s</a>
(where they hardly ever make a cabernet sauvignon, but when they do its damn
good). And he said it because it was a
humid day, there were still about 10 days before picking and the spray was to
prevent the mould that loves humid conditions.
‘He picks earlier than us,’ we were told. ‘Because he gets the morning sun.’ <o:p></o:p></div>
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It’s not just the picking time, but the end result that is
affected by where grapes are grown. You
can get a different flavour from two different areas in the same
vineyards. And this is what wine-makers
love – they check conditions, they know their grapes and then they craft the
best wine they can from them. And each
year is a new challenge.<o:p></o:p></div>
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And that bottle of Semillon was beautifully crafted.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Jackie Marchanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12567038737470422449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-174944568796449665.post-19455626572631311962013-01-29T18:56:00.000-08:002013-01-29T18:56:32.332-08:00Sunrise/Sunset – can you tell the difference?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I can’t.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I mean, I do know the difference – the sun goes down when it
sets, up when it rises. It rises in the
East and sets in the West. But, when you
take photos, unless you know the order in which they’re taken, it could be
either. Unless there are any experts out
there who can tell the difference?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy2jDzh7KCpd4nlAxNlrEQ1UZvrtn2rMV_ZOLspQj426n6aajZ5YaHSXQDQx14_ks3BvwOLF87HWtw_VNC6lmhHtBj1iPdA103AHqP3pE5DzF9-sm2Fm0FOomdYPiP6XZ8rxgUFhBKx7E/s1600/DSCN1149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy2jDzh7KCpd4nlAxNlrEQ1UZvrtn2rMV_ZOLspQj426n6aajZ5YaHSXQDQx14_ks3BvwOLF87HWtw_VNC6lmhHtBj1iPdA103AHqP3pE5DzF9-sm2Fm0FOomdYPiP6XZ8rxgUFhBKx7E/s320/DSCN1149.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunrise or sunset - can you tell the difference?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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We arrived in Australia on the West side. We stayed just outside of Perth and were
treated to a beautiful sunset (see <a href="http://aroundtheworldin80vineyards.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/an-unexpected-surprise-and-some-more.html" target="_blank">previous blog</a>). So, when we arrived on the East side, in <a href="http://www.portdouglasinfo.com/?gclid=CNW-ja2Hj7UCFQE5pgoddnoAkA" target="_blank">PortDouglas</a>, just north of Cairns, I went on the internet (when it was up – it was
down when we arrived, due to the previous day’s stormy weather). Sun rose at 6.06 am, the weather was forecast
to be clear (and 30°C, but I won’t go into that) so I decided we’d get up at 5.45.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Eddie has an app on his phone, which tells you time wherever
you are in the world. So, it was set to
Port Douglas time. This might not seem
an issue, but we’ve been caught out while travelling across Australia – they
keep changing their minds about what time it is and we’ve been moving our
watches back and forward like yo-yos.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXqBrtigxIZujAAhgbaQvP-nt80qyEGb2KjfRWoq7T4y4WRzEd1iwIV3_0pelYK8NkEJNpL-nhUzn5TqsW9xSh1HUR1-QAi6dfIP86PI7zWEdHBpXTcthoqvKzjPpQjMrJdusI5DadFwA/s1600/DSCN1144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXqBrtigxIZujAAhgbaQvP-nt80qyEGb2KjfRWoq7T4y4WRzEd1iwIV3_0pelYK8NkEJNpL-nhUzn5TqsW9xSh1HUR1-QAi6dfIP86PI7zWEdHBpXTcthoqvKzjPpQjMrJdusI5DadFwA/s320/DSCN1144.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I am not an early riser, but thought it would be worth it, to see my first ever sunrise. So, having spent a night of dreams about turning up at the beach at 8.15am to find the sun high in the sky, I managed to do the closest I’ve ever done to leaping out of bed when the alarm on Eddie’s phone went off. I even managed to get washed and dressed without going ‘bleurgghh’. Then I put my watch on.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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I put it on because I wanted to set my watch by the sunrise. Because that’s something else I’ve never done before. I reckoned I had about ten minutes before sun-up.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Wrong.<o:p></o:p></div>
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With a few blinks and a bit of head scratching, I worked out that Eddie’s blessed app was an hour out. It had woken us up at 4.45am instead of 5.45am. And I’d been blissfully fast asleep, dreaming of sunrises.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But it was still worth it. When we left an hour later for our fifty metre walk to the beach, it was already light, with that lovely soft, cool (relatively) light of first thing in the morning. There was a group of people exercising on Four Mile Beach, one or two early morning joggers, one other person facing the horizon with a camera – and that was all the company we had on this four mile stretch of beach.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyFINxS4CS4dgjoCAtGlewXpWi7sBjyokWwUWH0zFsCYA2TqI312bSLNaZWZUCuuRLb1YjkdVWRRAoirq5pWdRGjzIGPbi0BNfVQ61LF4vRY0GeYQZ_OWtc3qKx4NXWK3EqX0beML5EKc/s1600/DSCN1148.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyFINxS4CS4dgjoCAtGlewXpWi7sBjyokWwUWH0zFsCYA2TqI312bSLNaZWZUCuuRLb1YjkdVWRRAoirq5pWdRGjzIGPbi0BNfVQ61LF4vRY0GeYQZ_OWtc3qKx4NXWK3EqX0beML5EKc/s320/DSCN1148.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Now, here's a question. Are the above pics in the right order? And another question - where's the wine?</div>
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The pedantic (I mean experts) among you might have spotted that the first picture should have come last. If you look between the palm trees (sorry, couldn't help taking a pic of them, we don't get many back home) you'll see the sun is higher - because it's going up that is.</div>
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And as for the wine - this was the great barrier reef but there's no wine there! part of our trip. The reef was amazing. The wine came from a bottle shop. Two bottles of very nice sav blanc, one from Australia and one from - er - New Zealand.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Jackie Marchanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12567038737470422449noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-174944568796449665.post-90786493076865862372013-01-26T22:51:00.000-08:002013-01-26T22:51:42.519-08:00After a day’s wine tasting, what you need is – a beer!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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How do you choose which winery to visit?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Margaret River boasts 200 wineries, Barossa and McLaren Vale
have dozens, Coonawarra has 25 along a short stretch of road. We can manage 5 wineries in a day, fewer if
we’re visiting on passing. So, how
do we choose?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjCUwwOxFnIO1dMXWUMe36ctb63u1E7pzP59VHR5F_5m9kSIwrrjJuPZFuz4p0VBxn0cYbXVeYqfhjMl34WAgWA5LHOdr32cGLWzTNqGuyi2pZ1snI4cv4mSLPfwIGJcUfY9rZwIFJb2M/s1600/DSCN0929.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjCUwwOxFnIO1dMXWUMe36ctb63u1E7pzP59VHR5F_5m9kSIwrrjJuPZFuz4p0VBxn0cYbXVeYqfhjMl34WAgWA5LHOdr32cGLWzTNqGuyi2pZ1snI4cv4mSLPfwIGJcUfY9rZwIFJb2M/s320/DSCN0929.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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In Margaret River, we went to<a href="http://www.stellabella.com.au/" target="_blank"> Stella Bella</a>, because my mum’s
name is Stella. It turned out to be a
lovely boutique winery with an interesting Semillon Sauvignon Blanc called
Suckfizzle. We also went on
recommendations, chose wineries that fitted into a convenient route that took in scenic drives and even the odd cave (<a href="http://aroundtheworldin80vineyards.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/are-you-spitting-wine-tasting-aussie.html" target="_blank">see previous post</a>). As I’ve mentioned, cellar managers are very
generous about recommending other wineries.<o:p></o:p></div>
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When we were passing through <a href="http://www.mclarenvale.info/" target="_blank">McLaren Vale</a>, we stopped at the
information centre, picked up a winery map and spotted our first port of call
immediately – <a href="http://www.foxcreekwines.com/" target="_blank">Fox Creek</a> wines. That’s
because, a few months ago, we went to a live <a href="http://www.bidforwine.co.uk/" target="_blank">Bid for Wine</a> for wine auction in London. It was a lavish affair with champagne,
delicious canapés and a chance to taste some of the wines on offer. We bought a case of Fox and Hounds 2003 and
have been enjoying drinking it since.
So, Fox Creek was a must.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzgdJxG7LXCw3ffxO2pr7t3nvRVJPWHzDcOSt6Ng6jE9QVnGdqYkwitoTuSqfAuymiyMCALe81u_SAIKOtq2FzialJPmFsUn0fTVFubK_2Zzb3p8vpR5kXv0vSIXE07NISnN1OpsdF2PM/s1600/DSCN1048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzgdJxG7LXCw3ffxO2pr7t3nvRVJPWHzDcOSt6Ng6jE9QVnGdqYkwitoTuSqfAuymiyMCALe81u_SAIKOtq2FzialJPmFsUn0fTVFubK_2Zzb3p8vpR5kXv0vSIXE07NISnN1OpsdF2PM/s320/DSCN1048.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tasting the Fox Creek Wines</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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It turned out to be a typical boutique winery, where we had
a lovely long chat with cellar manager Amelia, who gave us advice about scenic
routes that took us to some recommended wineries. She also advised us to stop by the <a href="http://www.mountgambiertourism.com.au/visit_about_info.asp?subcat=27&cat=9" target="_blank">Blue Lake</a> as
we passed Mount Gambier on the way to the <a href="http://www.visitvictoria.com/Regions/Great-Ocean-Road.aspx" target="_blank">Great Ocean Road</a>.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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And she gave us a taste of their reserve 2010 cabernet
sauvignon ($40), which won the South Australian wine of the year. And deservedly so, it was delicious. She took a photo of the two of us (many cellar managers did this) and recommended our next winery,
<a href="http://www.oliverstaranga.com/" target="_blank">Olivers</a>, because they were mentioned in an article about the 20 wines that
defined Australia. Their Shiraz was
described in said article as ‘a big generous shiraz’. I know because their cellar manager showed me
the article and said they were extremely pleased about it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We were also advised to take the route through <a href="http://www.coonawarra.org/" target="_blank">Coonawarra</a> on our way to Beachport (our stop before the Great Ocean Road). Which we did. And visited two wineries in passing, by sticking a pin in the map! I have to admit that, without delving into my notes (which could be anywhere) I can't for the life of me remember what they were called. </div>
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Perhaps it's time for that beer. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEPjclUDrTRXjcw5jCsp5THTu5BTN9vU22dgtQLkZkv9TXid7h4-tm6_X1eUX0ho8acQQJb2JCqdnkiGCSGnZUtS_RvgkVuA8Fx8UOph7DmFkHaM7jI0T7yUe-H70tH6J4qQDiwOPDFZM/s1600/DSCN1080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEPjclUDrTRXjcw5jCsp5THTu5BTN9vU22dgtQLkZkv9TXid7h4-tm6_X1eUX0ho8acQQJb2JCqdnkiGCSGnZUtS_RvgkVuA8Fx8UOph7DmFkHaM7jI0T7yUe-H70tH6J4qQDiwOPDFZM/s320/DSCN1080.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Blue Lake at Mt Gambier - it's in a volcano and it really is blue!<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Jackie Marchanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12567038737470422449noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-174944568796449665.post-34948323826240772542013-01-25T02:18:00.000-08:002013-01-25T02:18:12.059-08:00Don’t drink it if the top’s bent! Wine tasting in Barossa<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Cork vs screw-top?<o:p></o:p></div>
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We asked this at <a href="http://www.torbreck.com/" target="_blank">Torbreck</a> winery (can highly recommend the
Woodcutter Shiraz $20 per bottle). ‘We’re
changing to screw-top, because cork isn’t so easy to get hold of in Australia.’<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlJgXrpBeBPXk8kemDtg4BhpC2lH2abKsVRyvQUbWM1_GzbG7BJV0io1mR1hTEywMSTpvI89_e5z8YyPYvmOOjzo6G_QTbWDeRqwvWx8FreOJsn4EvhyPq3tIvCETZ-9IvPf_Hcoztf4s/s1600/DSCN1021+Torbreck.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlJgXrpBeBPXk8kemDtg4BhpC2lH2abKsVRyvQUbWM1_GzbG7BJV0io1mR1hTEywMSTpvI89_e5z8YyPYvmOOjzo6G_QTbWDeRqwvWx8FreOJsn4EvhyPq3tIvCETZ-9IvPf_Hcoztf4s/s320/DSCN1021+Torbreck.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Torbreck cellar door - where you can taste some excellent Shiraz</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But that’s not the only reason. The problem with corks is that the wine can
become ‘<a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/what-is-corked-wine-what-does-corked-wine-taste-like-164148" target="_blank">corked’</a>. Which happens when the cork reacts with the wine and makes it (the wine) taste funny. This is why you are asked to try the wine at a restaurant – it’s not to
see if you like it, it’s to see if it’s corked.
And, if it is, you send it back.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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That’s why I thought it was interesting that, even with a
screw-top, you are asked to taste the wine.
To be honest, I thought it was because there is something about the
ritual of the man having to taste the wine before the woman’s wine is
poured. That’s always amused me. But, with the corks gone, does that mean this
little ritual is redundant?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Far from it. If air
gets into a screw-topped bottle, it will cause the wine to go off. So, if you’re checking wine at a restaurant
and think it’s off, ask to see the top. And, if you’re buying wine – make sure the top
isn’t dented!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlIaCfAorxCR8DkdQn5FJ5qb6XTJaJEw6IFTUjPD0TK7PbPNeVmN5zU2yO4AZvbzeGviEKVGkngBBpL3uxlY2Sqyeo6Ge4w5lXE55p6OmpuSCmWSd_5tjHfsInhPTkzsKJIT_efNKfDUU/s1600/DSCN1020+Torbreck.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlIaCfAorxCR8DkdQn5FJ5qb6XTJaJEw6IFTUjPD0TK7PbPNeVmN5zU2yO4AZvbzeGviEKVGkngBBpL3uxlY2Sqyeo6Ge4w5lXE55p6OmpuSCmWSd_5tjHfsInhPTkzsKJIT_efNKfDUU/s320/DSCN1020+Torbreck.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wine tasting in Torbreck</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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We had this conversation over the tasting of several wines
(I can highly recommend all the Torbreck Shiraz) in a lovely little ‘cellar
door’, just the way I like it. We came
away with a bottle of Woodcutter Shiraz, which is perfect for drinking now. Which means we have now dunk it.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Wine-tasting in Barossa is almost as laid-back as in
Margaret River, but without the cleaning. Everyone is very friendly, keen on their
wines, they have no problem with the fact you probably won’t buy any (‘it’s
cheaper for you in the UK, because of our taxes’). At <a href="http://www.gibsonwines.com.au/" target="_blank">Gibson</a> we talked about our travels and were
recommended other wineries and a great place for fish and chips, while we
picked up a bottle of very passable Semillon Sauvignon Blanc for $10 (went down
very well with the fish and chips).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhguO1OonDgXaNpyNKh1XiYcW91y3phsvcTrDOzm-PDUXp_xoYfq9Fx8nuK4PK3OkllzYM_IHH1nuFIpt_WJtG035Pf9LNrRrkO0crIJJ1OloNRf0MCr92yPZmm9O3vqeoC8Oui4_xJD44/s1600/DSCN1022+Gibson.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhguO1OonDgXaNpyNKh1XiYcW91y3phsvcTrDOzm-PDUXp_xoYfq9Fx8nuK4PK3OkllzYM_IHH1nuFIpt_WJtG035Pf9LNrRrkO0crIJJ1OloNRf0MCr92yPZmm9O3vqeoC8Oui4_xJD44/s320/DSCN1022+Gibson.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting recommendations from Summer at Gibson</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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At <a href="http://www.charlesmeltonwines.com.au/" target="_blank">Charles Melton</a> we sat round a table, which was even more
informal than the counter, chatting with fellow wine tasters. We’d been recommended this winery by someone
we met tasting wines in Margaret River, as well as Summer from Gibson (mentioned in my blog, as promised!), and it lived up to both
recommendations. We bought a bottle of ‘Father-in-Law’
Shiraz.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
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All the while, we enjoyed the scenery. A bit dry maybe, but still lovely – left us
wondering what it must be like in spring when the grass is green.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0-wFDB5S69ZqRXeARbptdOp87SJdf4pwI12qSxTgEidT4HW0PfZCSwc2c2kchpI3dlhCCiiMwCF-sOeLtXowl4tGb7kJyAVD4lMGpkifdb5fFwh4C39NUtxyr9e-zw-WuY5dY4QYp4eQ/s1600/DSCN1025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0-wFDB5S69ZqRXeARbptdOp87SJdf4pwI12qSxTgEidT4HW0PfZCSwc2c2kchpI3dlhCCiiMwCF-sOeLtXowl4tGb7kJyAVD4lMGpkifdb5fFwh4C39NUtxyr9e-zw-WuY5dY4QYp4eQ/s320/DSCN1025.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Jackie Marchanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12567038737470422449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-174944568796449665.post-90568684354464839902013-01-21T15:08:00.000-08:002013-01-25T02:22:27.685-08:00Are you the no Moo-Cow? A day tour Aussie style<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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‘I’m lactose intolerant.’<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Not me, thank goodness, I’ll tolerate anything (almost), but
someone on our one day tour from Alice Springs to Ayres Rock.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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‘Oh, so you’re the no moo-cow!’ replies one of our guides
(the one with the handlebar moustache that got a lot of stick from our
co-guide).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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To be fair, it is 6.00am and we're all a bit bleary-eyed
as we board the coach, clutching our breakfast pack (cereal bar, orange
juice, crackers and cheese, marmalade for the no moo-cow). And we all know that we won’t return until
1.00am. After losing 7 hours when we
flew from Jo’burg to Perth four days ago, we lost another hour and half when we
landed in Alice Springs – which meant we just had enough time to nip to the bar next
door for dinner, then back to The Airport Motel for the bottle of Merlot we
bought in Margaret River (see previous blog) and an early night.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Despite Eddie’s protestations (what do you want to look at a
rock for, there’s no wine there!) I
persuaded him that you can’t visit Australia and not go to <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/" target="_blank">Uluru</a>, which is the
traditional name for Ayres Rock. So we
went.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_-S0T8Bd1M7GQWONA33iUus7QV531CT7ubYhPHlfW4rsLl4Duv9JyHDVTT-VBWl_GXrXfmzP9yApEM5QLkvrgEH78pPls_Mx-XyWOKw8y5yz4COsfEaqGYgf2vfetlt8_g8sUcubgOLg/s1600/DSCN0981.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_-S0T8Bd1M7GQWONA33iUus7QV531CT7ubYhPHlfW4rsLl4Duv9JyHDVTT-VBWl_GXrXfmzP9yApEM5QLkvrgEH78pPls_Mx-XyWOKw8y5yz4COsfEaqGYgf2vfetlt8_g8sUcubgOLg/s320/DSCN0981.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's a long road from Alice Springs to Uluru</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The tour took all day and most of the night, we travelled
1100km and walked around in 42 degrees heat - and we were lucky. The weather cooled for us just before we came,
otherwise I’d have melted like tar in the coach park.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Why did we do this to ourselves? Because flying to Ayres Rock means going via Alice
Springs, staying at Ayres Rock means taking out another mortgage and using up
another day, so we decided to stay 2 nights in Alice and take the day tour. We chose <a href="http://www.emurun.com.au/" target="_blank">Emu Run Tours</a>, because they looked the friendliest. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Which turned out to be great fun, hugely interesting and
informative, with lots of add-on wow factor.
Exhausting, but absolutely worth it.
And once we were on that bus, we didn’t have to think about anything
other than getting off the bus to take snaps and have a comfort break when we
were told. (‘The bus does have a toilet,
but please only use it in emergencies and no number twos, they stink the whole
bus out.’)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The first walk was the longest, hottest and hardest – 45 minutes at <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au%20%E2%80%BA%20...%20%E2%80%BA%20national%20parks%20%E2%80%BA%20uluru%20-%20kata%20tjuta/" target="_blank">Kata Tjuta</a>, or the Olgas
as they were known before the area was handed back to its rightful owners. When our guides said
they were going to wait by the bus for us, we should have been warned – but at
least they kept the engine running and the air-con going. The walk was hot, but worth it, the scenery
spectacular.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBjt2ZLxUVOSsYEesSmMDRyntS5I3Ohn8YaauMv_La_JMPR8yS4BnqXU3cxdoItp1DcQdDYOOOjTwrQukKcbUk8QiDK-b7VfNZgjH3RPz6H_dIWoOhfGWb7jC96SNpujhWAMfvnfKR83Q/s1600/DSCN0984.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBjt2ZLxUVOSsYEesSmMDRyntS5I3Ohn8YaauMv_La_JMPR8yS4BnqXU3cxdoItp1DcQdDYOOOjTwrQukKcbUk8QiDK-b7VfNZgjH3RPz6H_dIWoOhfGWb7jC96SNpujhWAMfvnfKR83Q/s320/DSCN0984.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kata Tjuta - the Olgas</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When we got back, there was ice-cold water melon waiting
for us. Plus another chance (there were
a lot of these) to fill up our water bottles.
We had a visit to the cultural centre, where we were promised ice cream, but arrived to find they had none left. Still, it was nice to sit with a bottle of ice cold apple juice. There were two walks at the base of Ayres Rock, accompanied by one guide while
the other kept the air conditioning going.
Each time there was a cool treat waiting for us on our return. Each time we were grateful to get back
inside, then sat fanning ourselves as our poor bodies told us how
hot we were.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The thing about walking around in the heat, is that you
don’t notice that you are sweating. It
just evaporates away. But the moment
you’re back under the a/c, it decides to register – in a sort of glazed-eyed,
tongue-lollong, panting sort of way.
Then, just as you’re comfortable, off you get again.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But, it was worth it.
The place is stunning, atmospheric, like nothing else you’ll
experience. It’s the most photographed
rock in the world and it really does change colour depending on how the sun is
shining on it (it goes purple when the sun is behind a cloud – yes, we got clouds.) So, I’m not going to bore you
with hundreds of different coloured Ayes Rocks/Ulurus, but leave you with the
one of us just before our barbeque dinner was served, all taken out of the
bowels of the coach and cooked while we waited.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5YPCuirDpjCZgF1sfrWPwQHpx-AkPGGkdj-skL7bJn72nQcAj3fHFJSunGLFvoROiZVUc2D3jex9tPHtyAXJAnQng0si6arv4Pv5GXCsWkSoOCqWaviH-lgTmSGBdpDbuFbhhSSI4MpE/s1600/DSCN1013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5YPCuirDpjCZgF1sfrWPwQHpx-AkPGGkdj-skL7bJn72nQcAj3fHFJSunGLFvoROiZVUc2D3jex9tPHtyAXJAnQng0si6arv4Pv5GXCsWkSoOCqWaviH-lgTmSGBdpDbuFbhhSSI4MpE/s320/DSCN1013.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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And yes, that’s bubbly in those glasses – and we had wine
with our meal! (And a very interesting conversation about why the red wine was decanted into a bottle that was stained
an unusual shade of pink – but I won’t go into that, we drank it and
survived. And I’d better not tell you
about the conversation I had with a young Frenchman about Australian wine . .
.)</div>
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<br /></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Jackie Marchanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12567038737470422449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-174944568796449665.post-35904589090224069332013-01-19T01:41:00.000-08:002013-01-19T01:41:44.727-08:00Who's afraid of the big bad WET?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
‘We’re all afraid of the tax man.’</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The voice comes from somewhere under the counter, while our
wine seller does a bit of cleaning. ‘I’m
in cleaning mode at the moment.’ She
pops up again. ‘Would you like to try
the semillon? It’s my favourite, now
that I’m getting too old for the sharpness of sauvignon blanc.’<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is typical of the upfront honesty of your average
Australian wine seller. This particular
one was enjoying a coffee outside on the terrace when we arrived, having a
laugh with her companions, who waved us good morning as went in.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Turns out they were the actual wine makers on their morning
break. ‘That’s Linda* out there,’ says the
lady behind (and under) the counter. ‘She
makes the merlot. How do you like the Semillon?’<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We did like it. But
we didn’t mention that we had a bottle of Semillon from La Chataigne in South
Africa, the last of the four bottles that we brought over. But back to the taxes. I ask her what WET stands for.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
‘Wine something-or-other.’<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
‘Wine Equalisation Tax?’
I offer, remembering what I’d learned on another visit.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She nods. ‘That’s the
one.’<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
‘But what exactly does it mean?’ I ask.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
‘It means give us your money.’<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She goes on to explain that there is no subsidy for
Australian wine growers. In fact, they
have taxes instead, and the ‘wet’ tax isn’t the only one. ‘You have to pay 29% per bottle before you
even sell it,’ she says.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As I’ve mentioned before, this accounts for the fact that we
can buy Australian wine cheaper in the UK.
(‘We do send you the rubbish as well, and you know we don’t drink
Fosters?’ ‘Neither do we,’ I reply, with
a sense of déjà vu). Ah, but what about
our alcohol tax, I hear you asking?
Australians have that as well, on top of the wet tax. And every bottle that is kept in storage is
taxed – every year. It’s why you rarely
find a bottle of wine over 2008 here, it’s why they drink their vintages very
quickly – sometimes selling the lot within four hours.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
‘And we like to drink it.’ Our host pops up from her
cleaning again. ‘What’s the point of
keeping it?’<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She illustrates her point by offering us two merlots, 2011
and 2007. The 2011 is what you’d expect
from a young merlot – peppery, tanniny, with hints of fruit and a trace of
vanilla. Not bad with spag bol. But the 2007 is smooth and mellow, the
flavours combining to make a very pleasant drink.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM2vij2B_lw53bohTz3OzBL2YeuvAH7SF8Wg4njtH_F1z89YujkoesVPedioE2R4qlJRsEd1VxWibVxlA1oH2_5J8r_hfPpYOXg8vC-ixnfCBTKQQyzUNvIibWuOTNL7XMTljNM6C2_6w/s1600/DSCN0969.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM2vij2B_lw53bohTz3OzBL2YeuvAH7SF8Wg4njtH_F1z89YujkoesVPedioE2R4qlJRsEd1VxWibVxlA1oH2_5J8r_hfPpYOXg8vC-ixnfCBTKQQyzUNvIibWuOTNL7XMTljNM6C2_6w/s320/DSCN0969.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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‘It’s on offer at $10 a bottle,’ she says. ‘We want to get rid of it.’<o:p></o:p></div>
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I explain that ‘back home’ it’s the other way round. As a general rule, the longer a wine is kept,
the rarer it becomes and the more it costs, especially if it was a vintage year.<o:p></o:p></div>
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‘Nah, we just want to get rid of it.’<o:p></o:p></div>
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So we bought a bottle.
It’s a bargain even by our standards, the cheapest wine we’ve come
across in Australia by far. In fact, all
the wines at this winery (<a href="http://www.driftwoodwines.com.au/" target="_blank">Driftwood</a>, in case you’re wondering, and our favourite of all the wineries we've visited) were priced well
below any other’s we’d visited – and this was vineyard No 8 for Margaret River.<o:p></o:p></div>
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‘We make our wine to sell,’ she explains. ‘So we sell it at a fair price. Some may think that cheap wine means lesser
quality, but we’ve won a lot of awards with our wine. And, with 200 wineries in Margaret River now,
we have a wine war. Would you like to
try our sparkling red?’<o:p></o:p></div>
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This is a shiraz, and it sparkles, with a bit of help from
co2. It’s drunk chilled. It tastes – well, a bit odd.<o:p></o:p></div>
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‘What do you think of it?’<o:p></o:p></div>
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We tell her it’s a bit odd.<o:p></o:p></div>
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She sighs relief. ‘To
tell you the truth I don’t like it,’ she whispers. ‘But don’t tell Barry* that.’<o:p></o:p></div>
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*Names of winemakers have been changed, due to the fact that
I can’t actually remember them. But they
were all very friendly and very enthusiastic about their wines.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Jackie Marchanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12567038737470422449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-174944568796449665.post-4267667328157264652013-01-17T02:11:00.000-08:002013-01-17T05:00:32.721-08:00Are you spitting? Wine tasting Aussie style<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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So, how does wine tasting in Australia compare to South Africa?<br />
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Two differences. Firstly, wine tasting here is very much like it used to be in South Africa - it takes place over a counter and you chat with the person pouring your wines, someone who loves their work and loves wine, especially theirs. They chat about the weather (heatwave last week, it was 43 degrees, now it's a lovely cool 23 with a strong breeze - it's always breezy in Margaret River).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA4ttAGQlWcWm_3zI_0HHMfKJw8oLyOWUH_rGTUikSWwt0YxcL3kKKfmCvKAB5c7iLNHGXvbBwe8OnlFpZAxOAr9yr3tkl-gReRCfh1K-POtjxSYlzCOX1Y0l9uuvklS7ssE-LjY7UBAY/s1600/DSCN0930.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA4ttAGQlWcWm_3zI_0HHMfKJw8oLyOWUH_rGTUikSWwt0YxcL3kKKfmCvKAB5c7iLNHGXvbBwe8OnlFpZAxOAr9yr3tkl-gReRCfh1K-POtjxSYlzCOX1Y0l9uuvklS7ssE-LjY7UBAY/s320/DSCN0930.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chatting and tasting at Watershed Wines</td></tr>
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Then there was <a href="http://www.preveliwines.com.au/" target="_blank">Prevelly</a>, which we tasted in the general store, where the assistant had to rush over as soon he'd finished serving a customer, pour our wines, then dash behind the counter. All the while chatting about the wine. And at <a href="http://www.watershedwines.com.au/" target="_blank">Watershed</a>, we really were asked 'are you spitting?' before the bucket went on the counter. (We don't spit, but we do pour away).<br />
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The other difference is the price. It costs about four times more over here, for wines that are, at their best, on a par with South African. And they are way over the price you'd expect to pay in the UK. At one winery we were told it's because we're sent the rubbish, but we soon found out that isn't true (although we do get some rubbish, which the Australians don't drink over here. We were told they don't drink Fosters either. 'Neither do we', we replied). <br />
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The fact is, that wine growers are subject to high taxes, which are not levied on wines for export, which means that they are cheaper in the UK. Several wineries offer free shipping to the UK, at a cheaper price per bottle than you can purchase from the winery. This means there is no expectation that you are going to buy (we didn't mention the five bottles we brought over from South Africa!). In fact, many wineries just tell you where to buy their wine (cheaper) in the UK. Including Majestic and Waitrose, both round the corner from us. <br />
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But like in South Africa, you also get roses growing at the end of the vines (because roses pick up diseases first), although they grow them higher (to let the warm air circulate).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHB4QNCzbFRGfxtOUsrHuSVkOWVSINrYHSnvg3D9c2uKombzF-uMRdTIrxDPn9xC5N8tjb9gz090g9_dgy4YBwAOgRzMYL4fBerVKQt7Fd2glkM8PHzsOoRm1Kh6xK7XNMVMC3cUCZoFY/s1600/DSCN0935.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHB4QNCzbFRGfxtOUsrHuSVkOWVSINrYHSnvg3D9c2uKombzF-uMRdTIrxDPn9xC5N8tjb9gz090g9_dgy4YBwAOgRzMYL4fBerVKQt7Fd2glkM8PHzsOoRm1Kh6xK7XNMVMC3cUCZoFY/s320/DSCN0935.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vines are grown high in Margaret River, to let the warm air circulate</td></tr>
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Everything else is similar - the beautiful settings, the restaurants with the lovely views (compared to South Africa, where we ate like kings, these were priced out of our league, so we had packed lunches!). And there is other diversification too - you can have <a href="http://www.capementelle.com.au/Movies/Program-and-Tickets" target="_blank">Movies at Cape Mantelle</a> and open air <a href="http://leeuwinestate.com.au/concerts.html" target="_blank">concerts at Leeuwin</a>.<br />
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And there are caves. Like <a href="http://www.showcaves.com/english/au/showcaves/Calgardup.html" target="_blank">Calgardup</a>, where they give you a torch and a hard hat, ask you not to touch anything, especially with your hard hat when you have to duck, and then send you on your way. It was a refreshing experience not to have to follow a guide along an artifically lit path, making discoveries ourselves, albeit on a boardwalk (to protect the caves) appreciating the silence - and, when we turned our torches off, the absolute darkness. Oh, and the perfect conditions for storing wine.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglbRqIbMcCvozcLtxLMIPMT7MP1vGCzQA3ApdpGfsQHUV2vmhs1phH6HgWDGfvqa31UYbku0wAx90mKCWo-1_sUyw7dLVuYOwsG8HUx7EnjKbU86OxCnjCW0-Lf9tmDA9wUFD8LHTHQsc/s1600/DSCN0942.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglbRqIbMcCvozcLtxLMIPMT7MP1vGCzQA3ApdpGfsQHUV2vmhs1phH6HgWDGfvqa31UYbku0wAx90mKCWo-1_sUyw7dLVuYOwsG8HUx7EnjKbU86OxCnjCW0-Lf9tmDA9wUFD8LHTHQsc/s320/DSCN0942.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In Calgardup Caves, you are asked to mind your head - so you don't damage the cave<br />
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Jackie Marchanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12567038737470422449noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-174944568796449665.post-38858851483412145642013-01-16T06:05:00.001-08:002013-01-16T06:11:10.296-08:00An unexpected surprise - and some more wine<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I suppose you could call it serendipity. Which happens to be one of my favourite words.<br />
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But I love it when you go somewhere with certain expectations, to find something completely unexpected. This is what happened when we stayed over night in Perth. We only wanted somewhere near the airport to bed down for the night, to recover from our overnight flight from Jo'Burg (the seats went flat, but ended up digging into places I didn't know I had), to get over the jet lag and be on our way to Margaret River next morning.<br />
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What we found was a lovely <a href="http://www.goodlifebnb.com.au/" target="_blank">B&B</a> in a leafy suburb that looks straight out of neighbours. Our hostess couldn't have been more friendly and helpful, rushing out to great us with a big smile as soon as we arrived. She gave us a map of the area, on which I spotted a green area marked <a href="http://www.kalamunda.wa.gov.au/" target="_blank">Kalamunda Falls National Park</a>. So we bought a picnic of salmon fillets and salad from the supermarket (which cost the same as a meal out in South Africa), packed a bottle of wine and set off. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg17Pq5YqmgyK83XSfTq1a_j_DCYC6Bz3PsnGQseOUdkAeGU0aimZ4TklO0-7E0ldxiQYjBLr1P6WlpIFa6S4igJhD-Po07UWiCLeXXHuj55Z1urzguMRXb249bfybHiP1e5gH5ZotJvCg/s1600/DSCN0912.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg17Pq5YqmgyK83XSfTq1a_j_DCYC6Bz3PsnGQseOUdkAeGU0aimZ4TklO0-7E0ldxiQYjBLr1P6WlpIFa6S4igJhD-Po07UWiCLeXXHuj55Z1urzguMRXb249bfybHiP1e5gH5ZotJvCg/s320/DSCN0912.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Five minutes later, we were sitting in peace and tranquility, toasting our arrival down under with a lovely bottle of <a href="http://www.springfieldestate.com/wine_life.htm" target="_blank">LIFE FROM STONE SAUVIGNON BLANC</a>. This is one of South Africa's finest, which we'd picked up in a supermarket in Franschhoek for the princely sum of £8.00. It was one of five bottles that we bought over with us. Why? Well, a half-decent bottle of sauvignon blanc in Australia will set you back about £20.00.<br />
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After our picnic we followed a well marked trail to the waterfall. And what we found there was a spectacular view, from where we could see right into Perth - and the horizon beyond. Over which the sun was setting. So, we stayed and watched it set.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbzVCvZ-oMUPKDsMuOVp9HiFRI1dmkeTV66TyX89rKU_usu8PmHwCh-I1B36GU0i6oPaz5a7_cesRyZS-Bs2rVronGL6eZd-dqQx7-YcG9CYLGAUUIVkCrODTcfFQ0VnQ3c_IZh1JC50k/s1600/DSCN0918.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbzVCvZ-oMUPKDsMuOVp9HiFRI1dmkeTV66TyX89rKU_usu8PmHwCh-I1B36GU0i6oPaz5a7_cesRyZS-Bs2rVronGL6eZd-dqQx7-YcG9CYLGAUUIVkCrODTcfFQ0VnQ3c_IZh1JC50k/s320/DSCN0918.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I don't know what it is about the sun setting that makes it such a special experience. It's like watching paint dry, but in a spectacular fashion; it's about watching something fundamental about our existence, that has been happening since Earth began; it just looks beautiful; it's romantic; or maybe it was the lovely wine we had to go with it . . .<br />
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But most of all, it wasn't at all what we'd expected to do in our one night near Perth.<br />
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Jackie Marchanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12567038737470422449noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-174944568796449665.post-48238323367625210512013-01-12T00:01:00.000-08:002013-01-13T10:47:07.782-08:00Wildlife and Wine - and a bit of spectacular coast<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://www.gardenroute.co.za/" target="_blank">The Garden Route</a>. It's a stretch of road that hugs the South African coast and it's lovely to drive along, even the motorway. Traffic? Virtually none. And if you catch someone up, they move over so you can pass. No getting stuck behind a lorry here.<br />
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Then there are the national parks, where you can hike along trails, animal sanctuaries, adventure stuff like the <a href="http://www.faceadrenalin.com/" target="_blank">world's highest bungee jump</a> and a spectacular coast. Oh, and weather. Nice warm sunny weather. Most of the time. It does rain a bit as well, but it never lasts.<br />
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And don't forget the winery! <a href="http://www.bramonwines.co.za/restaurant.html" target="_blank">Bramon</a> is the area's first winery and it produces the only sparkling wine made from 100% sauvignon blanc. We tried some of course - crisp and dry as you'd expect and extremely drinkable at less than a tenner. I've already mentioned the range of wines at Moreson's named after their dog Molly, the Bramon winery was named after the owner's two kids, photos of whom are on display in the tasting room. I think that speaks volumes about how South Africans care about their wine.<br />
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Bramon's is also another example of an excellent gourmet experience. Here you can have a tapas style lunch amongst the vines, ticking the menu boxes and waiting to see what comes to the table. It was all delicious.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGOe4HOnIxmUqydEfe_LvWvNVbUGH8vGM3wkE2OL0R0KtlO3FwA-7BaRanza35J5nYWqiVhgA2PHQjdIlua3Lxdc5K4GFdciu3bstvizWlaE0auhnaQLgddl7d5FMfgkMRGofXIEn5I2c/s1600/DSCN0839.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGOe4HOnIxmUqydEfe_LvWvNVbUGH8vGM3wkE2OL0R0KtlO3FwA-7BaRanza35J5nYWqiVhgA2PHQjdIlua3Lxdc5K4GFdciu3bstvizWlaE0auhnaQLgddl7d5FMfgkMRGofXIEn5I2c/s320/DSCN0839.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">lunch amongst the vines at Bramon's</td></tr>
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But it wasn't just about the wine. We also visited the wonderful <a href="http://www.tenikwa.com/" target="_blank">Tenikwa Wildlife Awarenes Centre</a> where you can get up close and personal with South Africa's wild cats. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG95RYnUTUsQwlwNuUr45D4Dcw9mzwMD1YxAqPsl_xxIxC_nFfzElUDt0-rdNQmsMZijUU7GARKYMjrxtDdaXp1RSTln00FTaYuB5mihP2oEFNYVsl_KGale3aCPq2KZtr4UB8Mw0xjdo/s1600/DSCN0781.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG95RYnUTUsQwlwNuUr45D4Dcw9mzwMD1YxAqPsl_xxIxC_nFfzElUDt0-rdNQmsMZijUU7GARKYMjrxtDdaXp1RSTln00FTaYuB5mihP2oEFNYVsl_KGale3aCPq2KZtr4UB8Mw0xjdo/s320/DSCN0781.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cats that are captive bred, raised from young, or not suitable for return to the wild, are used to people at Tenikwa Wildlife Awarenes Centre</td></tr>
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And then there's the elephant sanctuary, where they have a very small herd of rive African elephants. These are young elephants, ie teenagers, who have only reached half their full-grown size. You wouldn't think it - they are huge. But they have been carefully trained, using only rewards, and are truly gentle giants. These are Savannah elephants, which are easier to train than forest elephants, but even so, it took about three years of careful patients to train these. The ultimate aim is to release them into the semi-wild, ie in a game park, but that will take about another eight years. In the meantime, you can go and see them, touch them, walk with them, feed them and ride them.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_hBFEq8YnCykDQEIyl2gTygkUgyJmcapnsWu6w-ogkn-fOzF2iKvNZbP7zOJNx_S65m4dxtRvMnBgU33jIulA4J67KuT-Y-xgg3F4JqpvMpLrVf9DccaTq5-vTofFdylXSYqN-xL5X8/s1600/DSCN0794.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_hBFEq8YnCykDQEIyl2gTygkUgyJmcapnsWu6w-ogkn-fOzF2iKvNZbP7zOJNx_S65m4dxtRvMnBgU33jIulA4J67KuT-Y-xgg3F4JqpvMpLrVf9DccaTq5-vTofFdylXSYqN-xL5X8/s320/DSCN0794.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Then there's the coast. And what a coast it is. At <a href="http://www.sanparks.org/parks/garden.../camps/storms_river/all.php" target="_blank">Storm's River Camp</a> you can stay right by the sea and sleep to the sound of crashing waves. Which is much needed after a day of activities, including traversing a suspension bridge, scrambling up a cliff path to see a spectacular view, or clambering over rocks marked with painted arrows while the water crashes around you feet. There are one or two sets of wooden steps here and there, but the trails are definitely not what you'd call easy strolls - we slept very well to the sound of crashing waves!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Bu_wYyXaI552SenqIwLzCTdDijm7lhPgJ1Yqv55FFYD31g2VrCZv2eOPtqarWeTSuLR9JHSwd7JzCadkXBgqk1D_19e7hwNmyfYme7PeHXkz_bAcxTIh0yzTn5Ux4SNuglhRZ2_5qEY/s1600/DSCN0891.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Bu_wYyXaI552SenqIwLzCTdDijm7lhPgJ1Yqv55FFYD31g2VrCZv2eOPtqarWeTSuLR9JHSwd7JzCadkXBgqk1D_19e7hwNmyfYme7PeHXkz_bAcxTIh0yzTn5Ux4SNuglhRZ2_5qEY/s320/DSCN0891.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Coastal Footpath at Storm's River - the rocks have arrows on , so you know you are going the right way<br />
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Jackie Marchanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12567038737470422449noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-174944568796449665.post-30593077810042803262013-01-10T08:17:00.000-08:002013-01-10T08:17:00.281-08:00The Cape Vineyards – Boekenhoutskloof and Antonij Rubert<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This area has changed a bit since we were here in 1988. Then there were a handful of wineries and you just turned up, knocked on the door if necessary and then stood behind the counter while the winemaker or his manager offered you various wines and you discussed them with him. If you liked one, then you bought it. One or two wineries offered bread and cheese. And that was it. Friendly, informal and fun. I think it was that day in the vineyards of the Southern Cape that awoke our love of wine. <o:p></o:p></div>
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And we also realized what a good wine is made in South Africa, and at what a good price. It’s still the case now – South African wines are amazing value for money. Sometimes I wonder whether their value gives the impression that they are not so good. In which case, they are a very well kept secret.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Wine tasting here is different now. Flashy flagged entrances, long paved driveways, stunning buildings and specially built decks to enjoy the spectacular views. Instead of leaning over a counter, you are invited to take a seat outside and someone will be along shortly. Someone arrives with a menu and explains the cost of the tasting, if any. This varies from vineyard to vineyard, but is normally about £2-4. Sometimes the menu is divided into ranges, with cheaper and more expensive options. This means that you can’t choose one of each, which can be annoying. But if you buy a bottle, then the cost of the tasting is deducted.<o:p></o:p></div>
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You sit outside as if you were in a restaurant, while a server brings your wines out, normally one by one (this can be quite a leisurely process!) You can have one tasting between two, which is advisable if you are driving – and you can pour the extra into the bucket provided.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Now to business. Here are some of the wines from two of the vineyards we’ve visited:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.boekenhoutskloof.co.za/" target="_blank">BOEKENHOUTSKLOOF</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.wineonaplatter.com/" target="_blank">Platters</a>* winery of the year 2012. Beautiful surroundings, complimentary tastings of their own range plus PORCUPINE RIDGE and THE WOLFTRAP. We were offered six, but could have had more if we wanted. This is what we had:<o:p></o:p></div>
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PORCUPINE RIDGE SAUVIGNON BLANC. A good grassy, fresh nose. Fresh on the palette with a hint of pair. Very good drinkable summer wine. Costs under £3 from the winery. We bought a bottle.<o:p></o:p></div>
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PORCUPINE RIDGE VOIGNER/GRENACHE BLANC oaked, unfortunately, which makes it sweet and sickly, but I know people do like this in a wine. But not us. Under £4.<o:p></o:p></div>
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PORCUPINE RIDGE CABERNET SAUVIGNON Spicey and rubbery nose with a lingering taste. Slightly smokey, which we don’t mind in a red wine. Under £4<o:p></o:p></div>
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BOEKENHOUSTSKLOOF CHOCOLATE BLOCK one of their well known reds, a blend with a complex smokey rubbery nose, with hints of blackberry. Nice on the palette. Have completely forgotten why it is called ‘chocolate block’, but it’s not because there is a hint of chocolate in it! About £12 per bottle.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.rupertwines.com/" target="_blank">ANTONIJ RUPERT WINES</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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This used to be one winery, but he’s bought two next door as
well. And a few up the road. ‘He’s going to end up owning the whole of
Franschhoek,’ I heard someone say. On
arrival you have to pass a security barrier and announce yourself to the
guard. It’s incredibly plush with green
lawns and sprinklers. More guards point
you to the parking area. You then have
to walk back over the road and into an imposing building flanked by two large
bronze lions. It’s all a bit
intimidating.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rather imposing Antonij Rupert tasting room</td></tr>
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The tasting menu has been divided up into sections, ranging
from under £1 to about £4. Each group is
called a flight, and you may have as many flights as you like. We went for the cheapest red flight, plus a
mid-range white flight between the two of us.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I have to say, that despite the imposing grandeur, you do
get to sit at the counter and can discuss the wine. This is what we thought:<o:p></o:p></div>
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VAN LILL AND VISSER CHENIN BLANC Smokey and not to our
taste, which is unusual, as we normally like chenin blanc. £8<o:p></o:p></div>
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LAING SEMILLON Herby and lemony on the nose, fresh and woody
on the palette. Not bad, but we
preferred the Semillon from La Chataigne.
£10<o:p></o:p></div>
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SERRURIA CHARDONNAY full nose, buttery and creamy, with a
fresh pallet fresh with a hint of lemon.
Unoaked and we liked this one. £10<o:p></o:p></div>
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MERLOT Pickled onion on the nose (another thing I often
get!) but also fruity and the vanilla came out on the palette. £4<o:p></o:p></div>
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CABERNET SAUVIGNON Definite blackcurrant in there, plus
rubber and a hint of instant coffee, quite tanniny on the palette and a little
sharp. £4<o:p></o:p></div>
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RESERVE BLEND Rose petals, rubber, straw. Fairly light bodied. Under £6<o:p></o:p></div>
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*<a href="http://www.wineonaplatter.com/" target="_blank">Platters</a> is the wine bible for South African wines. Very useful to have, but many vineyards have
one on the counter. To get a four star
rating in Platters is something to be proud of and is often mentioned on the
wine tasting ‘menu’.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Jackie Marchanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12567038737470422449noreply@blogger.com2Franschhoek, South Africa-33.9166667 19.133333300000004-34.0221002 18.971971800000002 -33.811233200000004 19.294694800000006tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-174944568796449665.post-14085768444164209472013-01-10T07:30:00.000-08:002013-01-10T09:45:08.228-08:00Eating in the Cape Winelands<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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‘Franschhoek is the foody capital of South Africa. You will have no problem finding excellent restaurants there.’<o:p></o:p></div>
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How true. We had so many recommendations we were spoilt for choice. We were warned that many places required booking, but we decided to take a chance because we didn’t know exactly where we’d be at ‘lunch time’. And we got lucky.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We’d arrived early at<a href="http://www.lachat.co.za/" target="_blank"> La Chataigne</a>, before the lovely Chestnut Cottage was ready, so we left our bags at the office and headed into Franschoek. Until recently this was a sleepy village, now it is a thriving street of restaurants, craft shops and other foody and drinky places. Then we headed to one of our host’s recommendations – <a href="http://www.dieudonnevineyards.com/" target="_blank">Dieu Donne</a>. And, being early, we managed to get a table, with a magnificent view.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from our table at Dieu Donne restaurant</td></tr>
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The service was friendly and excellent, the food heavenly and
the wine delicious. We had a glass of SAUVIGNON
BLANC 2012* to go with our starters (smoked salmon salad, pear and stilton
salad) and chose a glass of MERLOT 2010* to go with our mains (roast sirloin
and ostrich fillet, both delicious). We
finished by sharing a platter of three sorbets to cleanse our palettes before
the business of wine tasting.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our wines lined up for tasting at Dieu Donne</td></tr>
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*To add to the two we’d tasted over lunch, we tasted a
cabernet Sauvignon, shiraz and and voigner.
The voigner was a lot less sharp than one we’d tasted earlier in
Franschoek, but don’t think it’s one for us.
The shiraz and cab sav were both good mid-week chilli wines, but we’d
already fallen for the merlot – rich and fruity, I wrote down ‘Magnum ice-cream
and raspberry coulis’. We bought a
bottle, about £8. We also bought a
bottle of the sauvignon blanc for less than £6 – lovely grassy nose, crisp and
fresh.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Then we went next door to <a href="http://www.chamonix.co.za/" target="_blank">Chamonix</a>, which is Platter’s 2013
winery of the year. We sat in the shade
and waited for our choice of wines to be brought out. We loved the sauvignon blanc, liked the
Chamonix blanc, weren’t keen on the oaked chardonnay (but I heard someone at
the next table say it was ‘faboulous’),
found their Rouge 2010 perfectly drinkable and the cabernet sauvignon full and
rich. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wine tasting in Chamonix</td></tr>
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Next day, on the recommendation of our host, we tried a
picnic at <a href="http://www.warwickwine.com/" target="_blank">Warwick</a>. This is a fairly new
idea, where you choose a spot, either at a table in the shade, on the grassy
bank where they bring out cushions and rugs, or in a secluded ‘pod’, the option
we chose. We sat in the shade and ate
wonderful pates, breads, cheeses, meats etc while sipping an excellent
PROFESSOR BLACK SAUVIGNON BLANC, of which we bought a bottle. After we’d done the wine tasting.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The wine tasting was taken under the shad of a huge
spreading chestnut tree. It was very
busy and we had to wait quite a long time between wines. But each one came with its own story – of particular
interest was the ‘Three Cape Ladies’ named for the first female wine makers in
South Africa.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A picnic 'pod' at Warwick</td></tr>
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On the way home, we passed<a href="http://www.dalewood.co.za/" target="_blank"> Dalewood Fromage</a> and went in for
a bit of cheese taasting. Here they have their own herd of Jersey cows
described as ‘pampered’, who produce all the milk for the cheese. We came home with the cheese for our supper,
washed down with our bottle of Professor Black Sauvignon Blanc.<br />
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On our final day, we tried another recommendation –<a href="http://www.moreson.co.za/" target="_blank"> Moreson’s winery</a> and its restaurant <i>Bread and Wine.
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Although they had no tables, we were told to try again after
a bit of wine tasting. We tried six
wines and ended up buying two:<o:p></o:p></div>
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METHODE CAP CLASSIQUE CHARDONNAY PINOT NOIR. A sparkling white that we found drinkable and
refreshing, and cost less than £10.<o:p></o:p></div>
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DR REASON WHY UNWOODED CHARDONNAY. I’ve mentioned that we’re not fans of oaked
chardonnay, but drink a lot of Chablis.
We found this chardonnay had a lovely fresh nose with hints of butter
and lemon, plus excellent palette that left a hint of sweetness. It cost less than £6.<o:p></o:p></div>
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By the time we’d finished, we were told there were still no
tables, but we could sit on the comfy sofa used as a waiting area. And that is where we sat to enjoy yet another
excellent meal, washed down with a glass of the excellent IN MY BED SAUVIGNON
BLANC*.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bread and Wine at Moreson's winery</td></tr>
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And when we’d finished, we bought a loaf of their homemade
bread to go with the cheeses we’d bought the day before.<o:p></o:p></div>
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*As you may have guessed from the sign we passed on the way
in, Moreson’s winery is very fond of its dog, Molly. So fond that they have named a range of wine
after her, including the above mentioned IN MY BED SAUVIGNON BLANC. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxS7p_JMb3LO0ZeAtJ6jSwwbnPkGn9_7UpuWsOgLSlQC0zR6Q8DM98ebv1-kgeTuZ8qAW7ENj7m1kzdUZpRO0xAbjvMvDhWOfQzkJhUd32RR31brCK7ZhXAgh24hvbmSyDruGVCQGBTcw/s1600/DSCN0755.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxS7p_JMb3LO0ZeAtJ6jSwwbnPkGn9_7UpuWsOgLSlQC0zR6Q8DM98ebv1-kgeTuZ8qAW7ENj7m1kzdUZpRO0xAbjvMvDhWOfQzkJhUd32RR31brCK7ZhXAgh24hvbmSyDruGVCQGBTcw/s320/DSCN0755.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miss Molly Kitchen Thief Sauvignon Blanc from Moreson's </td></tr>
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Jackie Marchanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12567038737470422449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-174944568796449665.post-4476252531058277812013-01-09T08:39:00.000-08:002013-01-09T08:39:09.345-08:00La Chataigne Vineyard and Chestnut Cottage<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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For our three nights of wine-tasting in Franschhoek, we based ourselves in the middle of a vineyard, surrounded by vines on one side and a river on the other. Nothing else. We were all alone in the middle of nowhere, with nothing but vines and the mountains for company. And the cicadas, who joined us every evening at about the time of the second glass.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTZH2L7F5mTVaAX3jLPYk5AFxCnQpjyzKxoSN9AdeWvSTWMuYwYkiyMym2v1Y2LkgH85uRoPrm74yaNskh-1_eI8uWADlFUm4dyCXhvlSud_cv9ZmawG2PWK8db6BPmvKyO3KKFnzKjgs/s1600/DSCN0744.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTZH2L7F5mTVaAX3jLPYk5AFxCnQpjyzKxoSN9AdeWvSTWMuYwYkiyMym2v1Y2LkgH85uRoPrm74yaNskh-1_eI8uWADlFUm4dyCXhvlSud_cv9ZmawG2PWK8db6BPmvKyO3KKFnzKjgs/s320/DSCN0744.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Exit to the outside world' from La Chataigne vineyard<br /></td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.lachat.co.za/" target="_blank">La Chataigne </a>is a working winery, with three secluded
riverside cottages to let. We stayed in
the smallest, the one-bedroomed <a href="http://www.lachat.co.za/chestcottage.html" target="_blank">Chestnut Cottage</a>. You
check in at the winery (more of that later), where the friendly welcome includes
a big soppy golden retriever and just as soppy rottweiler demanding a fuss. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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We had to drive through rows of vines, to find Chestnut
cottage nestling under the shade of its trees.
The front overlooks the vineyards, the rear overlooks the river. Its setting is perfect and comes complete
with a supply of wine in the fridge.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chestnut Cottage at La Chataigne</td></tr>
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There is no internet in the cottage, so we made use of the
wifi in in the tasting room each morning before setting out – apart from the morning
we decided to start our tasting there.
This was the sort of tasting I’ve mentioned before, where you sit at the
counter and discuss the wines as they are poured. This is what we thought:</div>
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LA CHATAIGNE SAUVIGNON BLANC 2012 Fresh and grassy and very
nice on the palette. Under £4, we bought
a bottle.<o:p></o:p></div>
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LA CHATAIGNE 100% SEMILLON They have only just started
producing this and we were one of the first to taste. It was fresh and creamy and we both liked
it. A bargain at about £8.<o:p></o:p></div>
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LA CHATAIGNE ROSE 2012 Fresh and dry with only a slight
sweet aftertaste. We’re not big rose
drinkers, but we liked this one. Under £4<o:p></o:p></div>
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LA CHATAIGNE MARRON 2009 Berries and rubber (I often get
rubber on the nose, it normally bodes well), with pleasant smokiness. Under £6<o:p></o:p></div>
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LA CHATAIGNE MARRON 2008 Smoother and more mellow that the
above. £5 – we bought a bottle.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We also walked away with some great recommendations for
other wineries and restaurants, which will be blogged about separately!<o:p></o:p></div>
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None of the bottles have labels. Instead, each one is indivdually written by hand.</div>
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Jackie Marchanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12567038737470422449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-174944568796449665.post-60106538080708956552013-01-07T23:47:00.001-08:002013-01-07T23:47:55.335-08:00Wines don’t smell, they have noses – our guide to wine tasting<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It’s time to start
blogging about the wine. After all that
is what this trip is about. According to
Eddie, that is. Mine’s the get-away-from-the-winter bit. Which has been a massive success. A sort of blue skied, azured sea sort of
success.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chapman's Peak - Cape Town</td></tr>
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But back to the wine.
I should start by saying that we are NOT wine connoisseurs. But we like drinking it. Quite a lot.
We buy most of our wine half-price from supermarkets, six at a time to
get the extra 5% off. We buy a lot of
wine from Costco, six at a time, when it’s on special. We drink about four or five bottles a week,
Fridays and Saturdays, many Sundays and once or twice during the week. We seldom have more than a bottle between the
two of us. We very rarely leave wine in
the bottle overnight.</div>
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We belong to the <a href="http://www.thewinesociety.com/default.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1" target="_blank">Wine Society</a> (well, Eddie does, it was my
birthday present to him a couple of years ago).
We’ve been going to the <a href="http://www.tescowinefair.com/" target="_blank">Tesco Wine Fair</a> for the past ten years, firstly
on our own, but we’ve gradually picked up friends and relatives who like to
come with us, so now I always buy 8 tickets as soon as they go on sale, because
I know I’ll have no problem gathering together a group of 8 for it. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We drink a lot of wine with friends. This normally means pottering up the road to
our neighbour’s with a bottle of wine, or inviting them to join us. This is when we will have more than a bottle
between two, but all in the name of comparison.
Wine is good to share and discuss.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Our favourite white is sauvignon blanc, our favourite red is
probably malbec, but we enjoy a good merlot, shiraz and cabernet sauvignon as
well. We enjoy Bordeaux reds, detest
Australian chardonnays, and most ‘new world’ chardonnays, but we do like
Chablis (same grape, completely different taste. Sorry, palette.) We have ‘mid-week’ wines which go with chilli
or spag bog and we have smoother wines for drinking on their own. We drink a lot of Brancott Estate Sauvignon
Blanc from New Zealand, and have enjoyed many other NZ Sauvignon blancs. But, when we want something a bit more
special, we’ll go for a Sancerre. We
believe that you can’t get better than a good French wine, but that doesn't stop
us from drinking ‘new world’ wines and it certainly didn’t stop us from touring
the new world for wines.<o:p></o:p></div>
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That’s about it. We
are just two ordinary people who like wine.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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But – I do know how to taste it. And that’s because, when I was expecting
child No 2 some time ago, I wanted to go to an evening class. Anyone with young children will understand
why it’s important to get out of the house without them and do something adult
once in a while and evening classes are perfect. As I was expecting in February and Eddie was
a way often , but seldom on a Monday night, I had to choose a course that
lasted one term only and was on Monday evenings. I had two options – wine appreciation or knitting. </div>
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I know that knitting is getting quite popular, but it wasn’t a hard
decision to go for the wine.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We tasted six wines each week, spoke about them, decided
whether we liked them or not and, if we did, we went out and bought them – they
were all easily available. We learned
about grape varieties and why two of the same grape will make different tasting
wines. It’s all to do with the soil,
micro-climate of where they are grown etc.
And it’s why you can make any sparkling wine you like using chardonnay
grapes and the ‘methode champagnoise , but it will NEVER taste as good as the
ones that come from a small region in France called Champagne. Nothing else compares, even if it is
cheaper. Sorry.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So, how do you taste wine?
Here’s my simple guide:<o:p></o:p></div>
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Use a class that’s wider at the bottom than the top – this
keeps the nose in (not yours, the wine’s)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Use a clear glass, no fancy patterns and no colour – and
definitely not a red one, makes the wine look terrible.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.fine-wine-accessories.co.uk/productimages/WG_ISOglasses_500_WG2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="http://www.fine-wine-accessories.co.uk/productimages/WG_ISOglasses_500_WG2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Fill the glass no further than the top of the ‘bulge’. NEVER fill a glass to the top, the point of
all that extra space isn’t so you can drink more than anyone else, but to allow
the wine’s nose to be held in there for your nose only. If you use proper large wine glasses, you
will find it very uncomfortable to drink out of it if it’s full. And, it just looks – well, bad. And for tasting you really don’t need much in
there.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Swirl. Give it a good
swirl to get all the different flavours out.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Breath out, stick your nose right in, shut your eyes, and
take a great big inward breath – or long, large sniff.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Imagine what you can sense in there. It could be absolutely anything, from old
rubber tyres, cat’s pee to blackcurrents and freshly cut grass. A lot of people don’t understand this, but
those aromas don’t mean that is what the wine should taste like. And it doesn’t mean you should be able to
pick up ‘grape’ or ‘red wine’ in there.
Go on, give it a try and see what you can smell in there.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Now for the fun bit.
Put some in your mouth, but don’t swallow it. Open your mouth a tiny bit and breathe in,
through the wine. It will make a bubbly
sound, but don’t worry about it, it makes you sound professional. And the effect will be an explosion of all
those flavours you’d never think to find in a glass of wine. This is called the palette – did I mention
that wines have palettes as well as noses?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Now you can swallow it.
Now take another sip and decide whether or not you like it. <o:p></o:p></div>
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It’s as simple as that and anyone can do it. And, when you go wine tasting and are told
that your wine will have hints of this that and the other, it doesn’t matter if
you find something completely different in there. </div>
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That’s the whole point – and the fun of wine
tasting. <o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
The most important thing is whether or not you
like it. Cheers!</span><br />
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Jackie Marchanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12567038737470422449noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-174944568796449665.post-2433237348966132692013-01-07T00:12:00.002-08:002013-01-07T00:12:33.160-08:00Robben Island<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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‘For some reason, it was assumed that people like me didn’t
eat bread.’ <o:p></o:p></div>
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This is what our guide, a former inmate of <a href="http://www.robben-island.org.za/" target="_blank">Robben Island</a>
told us. By ‘people like me’, he meant
class ‘C’ prisoners, also knows as ‘Bantus’, no matter what tribe they belonged
to. It was basically the term used for
anyone who was black – and, according to the Apartheid system, Bantus didn’t
eat bread. It also appears from the
ration card we were shown that they ate less than their category ‘B’ (Asiatics)
counterparts.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We were told this while sitting in a barrack that was
supposed to house 30-40 prisoners in narrow bunks. But the normal number was generally well
above 60, sometimes even twice that. Our
former inmate also showed us the straw mat and rough blanket he was given to
sleep on the floor.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ration card, showing who got to eat what</td></tr>
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Eddie didn’t argue when I said I wanted to visit <a href="http://www.robben-island.org.za/" target="_blank">Robben Island</a>. ‘You’ve got to see it,’ he said
and he’s absolutely right. A visit to
Robben Island is much more than a wander around a nature reserve, a world
heritage centre, a chance to have a peek inside a high security prison, a
comparison with the ‘Alcatraz’ experience.
Visiting <a href="http://www.robben-island.org.za/" target="_blank">Robben Island</a> is about looking at a nasty piece of history and
being thankful that it’s over.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I lived in South Africa during apartheid. I was ten years old when I started three
years at a boarding school, but the first thing I remembered was the term
‘boy’. If you were eating dinner and wanted more food, you stuck your hand up
and said ‘boy!’ A black servant would
then rush over. <o:p></o:p></div>
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‘We class C prisoners had to wear shorts no matter how cold
it was,’ said our<a href="http://www.robben-island.org.za/" target="_blank"> Robben Island</a> guide.
‘Because that’s what boys wore.
And that’s what we were – boys. I
have no idea why the apartheid system didn’t allow us to grow up.’<o:p></o:p></div>
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He said we could ask
him any question we liked. And that’s
how we found out that he was 18 when he was arrested for trying to set fire to
the rent office, because his parents were too poor to pay their rent and he
didn’t want them evicted. This classed
him as a political prisoner and he was sentenced to 7 years for sabotage. But, thanks to Nelson Mandela, he was
released long before his sentence was up.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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He spoke of beatings and cruelty. But he also spoke of kindness and
compassion. Most of all he was at pains
to stress how many white people were against apartheid, how many of them too
became political prisoners (they went to Pretoria, black and white prisoners
were never held together). And he spoke
of Afrikaaners, known to the world as harbingers of apartheid, who stood up against the system. <o:p></o:p></div>
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His talk was not bitter, it was not about retaliation, but
reconciliation. He spoke of his
gratitude to the rest of the world for sticking up for him with sanctions
etc. He said that South Africa is a
beautiful country. It might be in a bit
of a mess in places, but it’s still a beautiful country. Some of his fellow inmates have struggled
with psychological problems as a result of their incarceration, but our guide uses
his experience to live on the island and tell everyone about it. ‘In any case,’ he grins. ‘My family all think I’m mad anyway.’<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN6qDPZMFaXTO833R22pB82WZon_xgaq_I_w_An37tcdqDAeJvY_VzRrGxOukhn8n1Lb9ZwgrX0MIZCFye_9NieCndEWhPBjxQJLz2rU5Qh33jommAIGYpXn-2w1etvGW4ADdNxtIJreo/s1600/DSCN0690.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN6qDPZMFaXTO833R22pB82WZon_xgaq_I_w_An37tcdqDAeJvY_VzRrGxOukhn8n1Lb9ZwgrX0MIZCFye_9NieCndEWhPBjxQJLz2rU5Qh33jommAIGYpXn-2w1etvGW4ADdNxtIJreo/s320/DSCN0690.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nelson Mandela's Cell</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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So, if you’re visiting Cape Town, you should go to <a href="http://www.robben-island.org.za/" target="_blank">RobbenIsland</a>. But remember to book if you’re
going in the busy summer season, which you can do online. Oh, and the 45 minute boat journey there can
be a bit choppy. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Jackie Marchanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12567038737470422449noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-174944568796449665.post-2417751118273093902013-01-05T23:17:00.002-08:002013-01-05T23:17:52.463-08:00Our first vineyard and Cape Town’s best kept secret <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">These
aren’t one and the same, but there is a connection. After visiting <a href="http://www.robben-island.org.za/" target="_blank">Robben Island</a> (well worth
doing and there will be a post about that shortly), we stayed around the dock
area to visit <a href="http://www.panamajacks.net/" target="_blank">Panama Jacks,</a> a restaurant Eddie had come across in his pre-trip
research. It’s a fish restaurant on Cape
Town’s docks and we were warned that you have to go through customs to reach
it. But we weren’t warned why it is
known as Cape Town’s best kept secret – because it is impossible to find.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">We’d
picked up a flyer in our b&b, which had a map on it, showing the customs
points and a big arrow pointing to Panama Jack’s. It even had a picture of the restaurant, so
you know what you are looking for. It
also tells you that Panama Jack’s is Cape Town’s best kept secret. Hmm.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
customs officer very kindly gave us directions as we went through. Something about a big red boat. When we passed the big red boat, we knew we
were heading in the right direction, which is some comfort when you are
surrounded by roads that seem to lead nowhere and massive containers everywhere. And some seriously big lorries. But no restaurant called Panama Jack’s.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">But
we did find the Yacht club. They weren’t
surprised that we were looking for Panama Jack’s and gave us directions that
sent us back the way we’d come – to the big red boat. And a load of roads that led nowhere. But we found another checkpoint and another
guard to kindly point us in the right direction. You can’t miss it, he said. But we did.
But at least we spotted it, tucked down a side road, so we could screech
to a halt, do a handbreak 360 turn and arrive in a squeal of tyres. Sort of.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">We
entered thinking this had better be worth it.
And were told it was fully booked.
But, we protested, it’s early and you’re empty! And some of your bookings might give up
because they can’t find it! We were told
we could have a table as long as they had it back by 8.30pm. (I should point out that we’d aimed to get
there at about 6pm, for an early dinner and flop, exhausted into bed – after
all, we had landed at the equivalent of 5am)
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.quovadis-southern-africa.co.za/attachments/4094/IMG_0747_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="http://www.quovadis-southern-africa.co.za/attachments/4094/IMG_0747_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
meal was wonderful. And we were out at
exactly 8.30, by which time Panama Jack’s was full and buzzing. We decided it was all locals enjoying the
pleasure of being amongst those who knew the secret of how to find it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bearing
in mind our pending visit to my good friend <a href="http://www.constantia-uitsig.com/pages/wine-estate.php" target="_blank">Nicky Schmidt,</a> who lives near the
Contantia wine area, we chose a bottle of <a href="http://www.steenberg-vineyards.co.za/" target="_blank">Steenberg Sauvignon Blanc</a> to go with
it. It’s a nice crisp one, we were told,
and that was spot on. It was a lovely
crisp, fresh, sauvignon, so we decided we’d visit their vineyard.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Nicky
decided to make it the first stop, which was just as well. Wine tasting has changed a bit since we were
last here in 1988. Then you just
wandered up to the counter and chose some wines to taste, while the proprietor
told you about the wine. You could
discuss it with him and then decide on which bottle to take home.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Not
so in <a href="http://www.steenberg-vineyards.co.za/" target="_blank">Steenberg</a>. First you are invited to sit by the infinity pools, under a
backdrop of beautiful Cape Town scenery.
There are a lot of places to sit and they are all full. Then a waitress
comes and offers the first taste – along with a commentary learnt by rote. This is a sparkling wine made from grapes
from x area and you will find hints of this, this and that (three per taste, no
more, no less) enjoy your wine goodbye.
And that was it, five times over -
because each tasting consists of five wines – no more no less. All very beautiful, but not exactly the
personal experience we had all those years ago.
<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4b_YU-WgtCKXr04Y3G3N1IzNyt3NkI7v8-_ZfESh3J0lz2qtc4zV6tFvcZ4_vdQko4GYfc2g7yWF3Z1EQBTu3nl8A7F71TDajC4Rc2-NoY0vMCt1dxXP0RWU_vW9TMS4Y6Ec4pj4DGF0/s1600/DSCN0706.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4b_YU-WgtCKXr04Y3G3N1IzNyt3NkI7v8-_ZfESh3J0lz2qtc4zV6tFvcZ4_vdQko4GYfc2g7yWF3Z1EQBTu3nl8A7F71TDajC4Rc2-NoY0vMCt1dxXP0RWU_vW9TMS4Y6Ec4pj4DGF0/s320/DSCN0706.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">And
it took a long time. Almost as long as
having a meal in a restaurant. To be
fair though, that could be because Nicky and I were catching up and talking
matters writerly, while our husbands looked on with glazed eyes (so lovely to
get one’s own back after all those tedious IT discussions he put me
through). It meant there wasn’t time to
visit any more, as we had a table booked at <a href="http://www.constantia-uitsig.com/pages/wine-estate.php" target="_blank">Uitsig</a> vineyard for dinner. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Uitsig
is another vineyard set in beautiful surroundings. The food is excellent and the wine list
includes several 250ml caraffes, so you can mix your wines. We chose their own sauvignon blanc and their
merlot, both lovely, the merlot with that vanilla smoothness you’d expect
(which was lacking in the Steenberg).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">To
be honest, the purpose of the afternoon was to catch up with Nicky and enjoy a
meal together. The wine tasting was a
bonus, because Nicky, knowing we'd called this a wine tour, kindly made sure we visited some. Tomorrow, we’re off to Franschhoek, where the
tasting begins in earnest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">But
Steenberg will go down as Vineyard No 1.
And Uitsig can be number two.
Only 78 more to go!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Jackie Marchanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12567038737470422449noreply@blogger.com0