Today was our second
wine tasting adventure. We travelled north and investigated two wineries near St Helena.
First-up was at a castle. The owner, like other crazy, imaginative wine makers, imported all the stones and techniques to create his 107 room castle from Italy. It took him a number of years to import and build this castle with a moat, chapel and dining room etc. He even imported that famous Italian bird the emu, to play in the garden. I found it interesting and pretty but preferred the crazy ideas of the cube building in the Barossa.
The wines were nice but not outstanding. Samuel had a chocolate tasting which he enjoyed. His took considerably less time that our tasting of five wines.
As Eric mentioned, we are enjoying the whites and today we learned that they make them in vats which have electronically controlled temperature systems, cooling them and protecting them from the heat of the area.
After the castle we went to another winery with a deli attached. It specialised in selling quality picnic supplies to consume with your bottle of wine. Our pick was a hard cheese, soaked in shiraz.
I’m amazed at how similar this area appears compared to Australia. There is the haze of fires in the air, the eucalypts growing all round, the dry parched feel to everything. And the people are more similar. People seem to have more similar sensibilities. Unlike other places we travelled in the states, you also have to pay for plastic bags and there is biodegradable everything.
First-up was at a castle. The owner, like other crazy, imaginative wine makers, imported all the stones and techniques to create his 107 room castle from Italy. It took him a number of years to import and build this castle with a moat, chapel and dining room etc. He even imported that famous Italian bird the emu, to play in the garden. I found it interesting and pretty but preferred the crazy ideas of the cube building in the Barossa.
The wines were nice but not outstanding. Samuel had a chocolate tasting which he enjoyed. His took considerably less time that our tasting of five wines.
As Eric mentioned, we are enjoying the whites and today we learned that they make them in vats which have electronically controlled temperature systems, cooling them and protecting them from the heat of the area.
After the castle we went to another winery with a deli attached. It specialised in selling quality picnic supplies to consume with your bottle of wine. Our pick was a hard cheese, soaked in shiraz.
I’m amazed at how similar this area appears compared to Australia. There is the haze of fires in the air, the eucalypts growing all round, the dry parched feel to everything. And the people are more similar. People seem to have more similar sensibilities. Unlike other places we travelled in the states, you also have to pay for plastic bags and there is biodegradable everything.
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