a girl and a glass

Back in January we purchased a new car.  Back in January there was a public holiday that week.  Back in January it was raining.  What do to you do when you have a new car, the weather is average, and you have a public holiday?  Road trip!  We decided to take a day trip with some friends up to the Hunter Valley.  Despite it being so close to Sydney we really don't spend much time there, and tend to spend our long weekends on wine buying trips around Adelaide.  Never the less, with a list of different wineries to visit, and a new car to break in, we headed up for the day. Our first stop was a winery called RidgeView.  We arrived a little early, in fact we arrived very early just as the staff were opening up.  We had the place to ourselves and had a great time trying their wines.  I particularly enjoyed the sparkling Pinot Noir (pictured below), and the gorgeous setting they have for the vineyard.  After we tasted all they had on of...

I can't remember the first time I tried a Langmeil wine.  In fact I'd be hard pressed to even name my favourite of what they produce.  I am however very partial to this Eden Valley Dry Riesling.  Crisp acidity with a hint of fruit, I thoroughly enjoyed drinking it.  In fact.  I drank it all.  By myself.  Over a few nights. Nope I didn't share.  Not even a drop.  And I'm not ashamed of it. Cheers Sally

After a long day on the road I'm about to open a bottle of De Iuliis 2010 Show Reserve Chardonnay.   "Subtle aromas of vanillin oak and melon, with a hint of green pear" - hear I come..... I'd like to write more and tell you an awesome story about this wine but I think I need to drink some of it first.  It was one of the wines we picked up in January on our day trip to the Hunter .  It was just a little bit successful.... More about that in another post :-) Cheers Sally

There's a little place I know down in the Barossa Valley which I hold dear to my heart.  It's a place that is not only beautiful in both location & spirit, but is at the heart of some of my most memorable meals.  It's a vineyard I visit every trip.  It produces wines I introduce to every visitor.  It's something I treasure and love to share, given the opportunity.  It's Rockford Winery . Now I'm not going to share about all their wines today.  They have so many that I love.... don't get me started on signing the joys of their sparkling shiraz or I'll be talking all day!  Today I'm sharing with you the wine I was drinking at home a few weeks ago.  No special occasion as such - just hubby and I.  But life is too short to wait for special occasions to drink wine you enjoy.  Sure save the Hill of Grace for a special birthday or milestone event.  But wine is made to be drunk and enjoyed, and there is no better time than today ...

On Wednesday night I had a surprise.  Hubby and I carpool and drive in to work.  We start pretty early in the morning so we can leave before the worst of peak hour really takes hold.  On Wednesday afternoon he arrived at my office and informed me that the traffic was 'banked up for miles' due to the rain.  (Don't get me started on the driving habits of Sydney-siders in the rain... Unless you have a bottle of wine for the rant!!!)  Making the most of the opportunity we decided to grab a quick bite to eat in the city and wait out the worst of the traffic. This lead to a delightful dinner with another colleague, a delightful steak, and a lovely surprise bottle of wine.  I must admit I've had this one before, but the thing that made it so nice was that I wasn't expecting dinner out.  In fact I was expecting to have to cook.  I wasn't expecting to have wine.  In fact I was expecting to go for a run.  I wasn't expecting delightful company -...

I love love.  I love the feeling you get when you are falling in love and you know it has the potential to be something special, you just don't know how special.  I remember when I first started falling in love with my husband.  The butterflies in my stomach.  The excitement from every phone call and text message.  I knew it was going to be big, but I didn't know how big. That's how I feel when I first discover a new wine that I love.  Especially when I'm not expecting it.  When I'm not looking for it.  When it just appears, as if by magic, or fate.  Destiny perhaps.  That's how I feel about my latest discovery.  It wasn't something I picked.  It wasn't something I expected to like.  But I think I might have fallen in love. On Friday I had the opportunity to take a seaplane to Berrowra Waters Inn for lunch. Pics from the flight up and arriving at Berrowra Waters Inn There we were treated to a fantastic degust...

As I mentioned in my first post, this is a blog about wines I try and the story of their discovery - not a blog about tasting notes.  As we're making our way through one of our wine racks at the home I'm finding that each bottle we open has great memories attached to it.  Memories that are about more that the wine.  Memories that involve people and experiences that I've enjoyed, and in some cases cherished.  My discovery of this Jenke Chardonnay is one of those stories, and it wasn't really my discovery at all. We'd headed down for a long weekend in the Barossa Valley and were taking some friends of ours along for their first time.  We spent our first day at a long lunch at one of my favourite wineries in the world ( Rockford Wines ), followed by a slow and lazy dinner at our cottage (with more wine of course!).  The next day after visiting the Barossa Farmer's Markets for coffee and pastries we set off to visit our usual destinations - Ch...