I’m settling back into the swing of things, first I want to tell you about my holiday! Kevin came from Washington DC and we met up in Melbourne. We stayed there a couple of days and off we were to Christchurch, NZ. We spent a week zooming around in a campervan around the South Island of New Zealand. Then, it was back to Adelaide for a week, followed by renting a car to drive back to Melbourne along the Great Ocean Road. After a night in Melbourne, we said our goodbyes and Kevin flew back to the states, while I flew back to Adelaide. It definitely was a trip of a lifetime and I can’t believe all the things we experienced.
In terms of wine adventures in New Zealand, we spent a day tasting in the Central Otago. In the Central Otago, we were mainly interested in trying the pinot noir, since it is Kevin’s favorite. My mental tasting notes aren’t the greatest, but hey, I was on holiday!
While driving to Queenstown to spend the night before wine tasting, we drove past so many tempting wineries. A winery that wasn’t on the list, but soon was added was Chard Farm. It is hard to miss as you drive along Gibbston Highway (SH6) because the vineyard is situated across the Kawarau river gorge, with sheer cliffs to the rushing blue water. Needless to say, it was the first winery we visited the next day. The winding unpaved road gave us breathtaking views, and we had high hopes for the wines. There were several selections of whites, including a Riesling, Pinot Gris, and Gewurtztraminer. The staff was very welcoming and informative. Unfortunately, the whites weren’t all balanced, but we were mostly interested in trying the pinot noir. The wines were all well made, but pinot was a touch thin for my taste. Perhaps my expectations were just lifted too high from the beauty of the scenery.
The second winery we visited was Gibbston Valley, which turned out to be a huge complex that attracted busload after busload of tourists. There were masses of people and the wine tastings did not appear to be free, so we decided not to battle the crowds and continue on our journey.
The next winery was Peregrine Wines. The cellar door was inside very stylish modern building which stood next to a very old, perhaps historic building which apparently was sometimes used for events. The tasting room had large glass windows that looked onto wine maturing in oak. A member of the staff was obviously a cellarhand and was able to tell us quite a bit about the wines on offer. The 2010 Sauvignon Blanc was a more serious, less overly fruity take on Sauvignon Blanc. It was a it too serious for me, there was some phenolic character that was very pronounced, which indicated too heavy a hand with skin contact. But I very much respect the winemaker’s attempt to break the mold on New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. We very much enjoyed the Riesling which was made in a dry style, and showcased loads of fruit flavors. The 2008 Pinot Noir had good fruit concentration, but was still very much a pinot in weight and style. We were also able to have a sneak peek of the 2009 Pinot Noir which was more bold, fruit driven, and a bit over the top for pinot for my taste. Apparently, even numbered years tend to be more reserved years, while odd numbered years tend to be more upfront and powerful. The Karearea Pinot Noir was equally delicious, but obviously was built for aging. We opted to buy the 2008, because it was quite a good value — $39 NZD!
We had time for one last winery before they all close, so we decided to go to the most renowned Otago pinot winery Felton Road, which was located in the Bannockburn subregion. The cellardoor was staffed by a charming French woman from Champagne. She apparently came to Felton Road for the last vintage, and was asked to stay on. The vineyards are biodynamic, and the wines did not disappoint. We were able to taste a Riesling, which was off-dry, but delightful in its fruit flavors and ease of drinking. All of the pinots were definitely the most serious and complex wines we had tasted that day. The single vineyard bottlings were distinct wines with their own personalities. While my student budget wouldn’t allow me to buy these wines, I will definitely remember these wines to enjoy on special occasions in the future.
The fun did not stop there though! While we were hiking in Fiordlands National Park, Kevin popped the question. We toasted our engagement over a bottle of Peregrine 2008 Pinot Noir. Two days later, while we were passing through, we returned to Peregrine so that we could take more of the wines home with us. Of course a good amount of it was also consumed back in Adelaide, too!
While in Adelaide, I took Kevin to the Penfolds Magill Estate just outside of the city. You can literally take a bus to the winery, which we did, so that both of us could enjoy ourselves. One of my classmates was working in the cellar door and was able to take us on a tour of the historic winery, where about 2% of Penfolds’ wines are made, including some of the Grange fruit sourced from McLaren Vale. The tour also showcased an complete collection of Penfolds Grange, which is great to see, but I’d rather drink wine than look at it! So, back to the tasting room, we tasted several whites and reds, including the high end and very scrumptious RWT Shiraz. I did not take notes because I was still on holiday, but all of the wines we tasted were sound, tasty and some of it was appropriately priced.
Overall, this holiday couldn’t have been more jam packed. I can’t believe what we’ve done in only three weeks. It was a great time and Kevin and I are so excited about our future together. It was difficult to say goodbye again, but we know that we will have many more great wines and adventures like this.
