Thursday 22 November 2018
After very little sleep last night due to the wind gusts up to 90kmh we woke to another not so great day weather wise. It was still overcast and very windy. The first day of surf competition for the Youth was cancelled today.
Our agenda for the day was a wine tour of the Barossa Valley. So off we headed to the Barossa at about 9am. It was about an hours drive to the Valley but took a bit longer due to the traffic delays. Our first winery was the Grant Burge Winery. This was a very professional outfit and we sampled many types of wine – Chardonnay, Semillon, Savignon Blanc, Rosé, Moscato, Merlot, Shiraz and Tawny Port. My preferred would be the Moscato and Tawny Port, but I can’t see myself starting drinking any time soon. They still don’t taste that great. Everyone was surprised that David and I tried so many wines. We did only get a splash in our glass and it was shared between DB, Smithy and myself, as opposed to the amount they all consumed. Mind you if we kept trying all varieties at the 3 wineries we went to, by the 3rd winery we would have been tipsy for sure.
The 2nd winery was the Lou Miranda which was Anita’s daughter-in-law’s uncles winery. This was a beautiful building and I really like the ambience here. As for the wine I only tried a couple and it was the moscato again that I preferred. I think it was because it was a little like lolly water. DB was the same, they tasted a bit more like the fruit. David and Smithy agreed that we would all prefer to try sample the actual fruit instead of the wine.
We then headed to Chateau 1847 Yaldara for lunch and our third tasting. We had a lovely Ploughman’s Platter. It was delicious and I was given my own which was gluten free and very yummy! The 3rd tasting I only tried the Moscato and Port, and really only liked the Moscato, sort of. The girl here was a bright, bubbly character and was very good at making it an enjoyable experience. We bought some really nice cacao with blueberries, strawberries and coconut.
Then we headed to a gin or craft beer tasting, but we headed to a café and had a hot white chocolate on almond milk with gluten free brownie. A fitting end to my day. Yum yum yum.
This was followed by a visit to the Maggie Beer shop. This had many samples to taste. My favourite would be the Salted Brandy Caramel and the Pomegranate & Raspberry Jam. She had so many things to sample and they were all very nice, if we weren’t travelling for a few weeks I would have bought a few things there for sure.
Maggie Beer’s Philosophy
“My food philosophy will always remain; to cook from the heart, making the most of each and every ingredient I have to hand. Taste and quality are paramount in the creation of my range. My aim is to make the very best products available to everyone, regardless of cooking skills or the time restrictions of a busy lifestyle. I hope I can share my love of a good food life with you all.”
It was a lovely day. We then headed back to Glenelg for our last meal with the team as we are all going our separate ways tomorrow. Some head home, some to the Flinders Ranges, others to family and we still don’t know our plans so we will stay another day to sort this out and do some washing as we should have a fine albeit windy day tomorrow. Hopefully DB will get a chance to do some reading and decide on our next adventure.
We had a lovely Mexican meal tonight. That’s 5 restaurants in 5 nights, each with a different cuisine. Italian, Burgers, Greek, Thai and Mexican. We will be happy to do some shopping tomorrow and have some home cooked vegetables.
Anyway. Nighty night.
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Grant Burge Winery..
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A very informative and well presented wine tasting.
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View out to the vineyards at Grant Burge Winery
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Lou Miranda Estate..
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..was a lovely family owned boutique winery..
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..I loved the ambience here.
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Nigel and Bec Ball sample the wine with Doggy and Santa..
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Grape vine above rustic doors.
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The almost teetotallers have a cuppa.
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The wine barrels out the back..
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..Dave would have preferred to look at this side of the business..
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..a nativity scene..
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..this wine carafe looks a little like a male urine bottle from the hospital..
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..the restaurant had a lovely Italian Menu with matching wines.
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Steve with his purchase at Lou Miranda estate
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Chateau 1847 Yaldara.
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My devastation that they hang a loo sign on a magnificent tree.
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The Restaurant at Chateau 1847 Yaldara
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Our team..including Bec, Anne, Megan, Steve, Anita, Doggy, Me, Smithy and Nigel
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..this time with David in the picture.
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Ploughman’s Platter – YUM YUM
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Rose garden out the window..
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Cellar Door at Chateau 1847 Yaldara
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Walking up to the Cellar Door
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Wine tasting..
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..an interesting tasting.
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Maggie Beer Shop..
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..Restaurant..
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..and demonstrations.
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On the way home we checked in at the compound to see how the craft faired last night’s winds..
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..unfortunately David’s ski had blown from the centre of the compound to the outside edge..
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..sustaining some fateful injuries along the way..
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..looks like it is time for it to be sent to ski heaven. The end of an era. DB has had this ski for over 25 years. Time for a new one.
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Mexican for dinner tonight at Gringo’s