Southward bound
Port Macquirie was a bit disapointing at first. The town was not nearly as quaint as I imagined, very built up and touristy. Also, the "sailing club" raced dinghies in the river, not yachts on the ocean--- no thanks.
Nonetheless, I spent a pleasant afternoon on the shore doing some writing and practicing my Cyrillic. Met up with German bloke Adrian, we got on and cooked dinner together. After, it was a bottle of wine and a walk down to the beach with lovelies Mimi and Regina. Happy times after all.
Yesteday was an easy drive south a bit, headed towards the Blue Mountains just outside of Sydney. I wound up in Cessnock, gateway to the Hunter Valley wine region, just in time for a sunset wine tasting at the stunning Tallavera Grove vinyard. Joined by an Australian couple, Shane and Matthew (visiting from their home in Beijing), our host, John, poured several tastes along with sharing some great vintner info. The 2003 reserve Semillon was excellent: crisp, acidic, but not harsh. I also liked the 2005 Semillon/Verdelho blend, similar to the Semillon but with a bit more body. The 2005 Chardonnay was too buttery, but the 2005 Joker's Peak Sauv Blanc was very nice with a burst of passionfruit in the middle. A lovely way to spend the late afternoon.
After the tasting, I drove up to find the Blue Tongue Brewery for dinner and a tasting. I tried the Blue Tongue alcoholic ginger beer in Mission Beach and really liked it, so I was keen on visiting the brewery. Their different beers were very good, the natural taste of the ingredients was very prominent in each one. The food was a bit over-priced and just so-so in flavor, and the ambiance didn't really suit a brewery... and the beer was expensive, too! I'd suggest skipping the brewery and picking up a six pack at the bottle shop instead.
This morning, I got up early and attended to some more consular matters. I'm going to hit the road now and try to make it to the Blueys!
Nonetheless, I spent a pleasant afternoon on the shore doing some writing and practicing my Cyrillic. Met up with German bloke Adrian, we got on and cooked dinner together. After, it was a bottle of wine and a walk down to the beach with lovelies Mimi and Regina. Happy times after all.
Yesteday was an easy drive south a bit, headed towards the Blue Mountains just outside of Sydney. I wound up in Cessnock, gateway to the Hunter Valley wine region, just in time for a sunset wine tasting at the stunning Tallavera Grove vinyard. Joined by an Australian couple, Shane and Matthew (visiting from their home in Beijing), our host, John, poured several tastes along with sharing some great vintner info. The 2003 reserve Semillon was excellent: crisp, acidic, but not harsh. I also liked the 2005 Semillon/Verdelho blend, similar to the Semillon but with a bit more body. The 2005 Chardonnay was too buttery, but the 2005 Joker's Peak Sauv Blanc was very nice with a burst of passionfruit in the middle. A lovely way to spend the late afternoon.
After the tasting, I drove up to find the Blue Tongue Brewery for dinner and a tasting. I tried the Blue Tongue alcoholic ginger beer in Mission Beach and really liked it, so I was keen on visiting the brewery. Their different beers were very good, the natural taste of the ingredients was very prominent in each one. The food was a bit over-priced and just so-so in flavor, and the ambiance didn't really suit a brewery... and the beer was expensive, too! I'd suggest skipping the brewery and picking up a six pack at the bottle shop instead.
This morning, I got up early and attended to some more consular matters. I'm going to hit the road now and try to make it to the Blueys!
posted by Scottley at 5:20 PM
2 Comments:
Hey now -
Don't be dissing the sailing club for racing dinghies. Any "real" sailor (ask the yachters) will tell you that the best sailors are small boat sailors - or at least learned on small boats. Any idiot can make a big boat go, but the dinghies separate the boys from the men, so to speak :)
http://www.phespirit.info/montypython/australian_table_wines.htm
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