Our first stop of the day was at Wollombi (most town names are taken from Aboriginal words) to sample Dr. Jurd's Jungle Juice and to enjoy lovely fresh-baked scones with Devonshire Cream and Jam together with coffee or tea.
lest you be fooled, Jungle Juice is not juice but port wine. Port wines are those created in the style of the Portuguese, and has since been shortened to port. It is typically sweet, and is usually served as a dessert wine.
I took a shot of Jungle Juice and made a bee-line towards the table with the scones, cream, and jam. It is a bit too strong for my taste, luckily. (I consider this a blessing as my preference for soda over alcohol anyday ensures that I will never become an alcoholic despite my seemingly easily-addicted propensities.)
for those more inclined to port, here are some of the things you can do to spice it up
Our next stop is the Lindemans vineyard, Australia's largest and most popular winery, where we sample around 6-8 different kinds of wine, all sold only in Australia (our sommelier tells us they keep the best kinds inside Australia - true! we tried very interesting and uncommon wines here). It is common for wineries such as these to also produce their own olive oil and balsamic vinegar mixes, and so we had cheese and crackers as well as a sampling of different olive oil varieties to go with our wines. We liked them so much we ended up buying 3 bottles: Sparkling Shiraz, Juliet (a moscato/dessert wine), and a sparkling white wine.
outside the Lindemans winery
inside the main tasting area
the truth from Lindeman himself
a lovely view from outside the winery, while i was trying to walk the alcohol off hehe
beautiful vineyards as far as the eye can see
Our next stop is at the Hunter Valley Wine School where we learn about the art of Wine Tasting. We are first taken outside to see the actual vineyards where we learn from our guide that Australia is just about the worst place to grow grapes - an interesting fact to discover since they have been growing grapes for wine for over a hundred years already! It is a testament to how sheer determination and the will to work it out can reap great benefits.
learning all about grape growing
Inside, we learn about how grapes are turned into wine by subjecting them to a series of processes (no, gone are the days where you just stomp on them and hope for the best hehehe) and then mix them with other varieties of grape to come up with interesting wines.
We are taught the subtleties of wine tasting and in my excitement to start tasting I almost drink from the first glass before everyone else does! my teacher calls me a dirty drunk. hehehe. if he wasnt such an old man i would have socked him. Not! he looks scary! but it was all in good fun.
our "class"
he called me a dirty drunk! (hahahahaha affected)
we are given a series of different wines which we are to smell, taste, and experience
the main wine-tasting area. see the spittoons? (spit buckets) - its not rude to spit the wine out - it is in fact expected - how are you going to stay sober while tasting all of them?
we have lunch at the San Marino restaurant right beside it, where we learn the art of wine pairing
I walked around the grounds to walk off the alcohol - everything is so pretty!
Our third stop was the Hunter Valley Cellar where they sample and sell a huge variety of local and imported wines exclusively. I liked this stop the most because we were able to sample nearly 15 different kinds of wines - all distinct and yummy! My favorites were the Pink Moscato (found only in Australia), the Botrytis (the noble rot - its actual a fermented form of fungus, but very yummy!), and the Chocolate Port - brandy infused with chocolate while in the barrel. We end up buying 3 more bottles of wine here. Big alcoholics we turned out to be huh?
the halls of Hunter Valley Cellars
our sommelier Stella
the cellars with barrels of aging wine
indeed life is dreary without it
upon our return to the city, we again have much difficulty looking for a place to eat at. We chance upon the Trinity bar along Crown street (a few blocks away from our hotel) and decide to stay there. I had the potato gnocchi with braised chicken and sweet potatoes.
if it looks greasy its because it is - but not bad for a neighborhood pub!
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