For those far removed from the SATs, that is an analogy. As an early 21st birthday present (and a rather fitting one at that), my parents funded a day of wine, chocolate, and cheese tasting. I've been selling wine at The Tombs for over a year now, but I can't say I ever understood the wine jargon. Thus, part of my mission was to learn what the hell I was talking about. The Hunter Valley is located about one hour Northwest of Sydney. The tour visited two boutique wineries - self-contained, small, family run wineries - and up to two other more commercial ones.
Our first stop was Iron Gate Estate. It was a gorgeous day and the Hunter Valley is a really pretty area of Sydney. The first tasting was at 10am (a great time for wine I think) and Roger, the owner, was amusing and informative. The Hunter Valley is known for two particular white wines: Semeillions and Verdehlos (from Portugeuse grapes). I really liked most of the Semeillions, though I wasn't a big fan of the Verdehlos. Unsurprisingly, I enjoyed all of the sweet wines I tried. In the end, I bought a somewhat aged Oaked Semeillion from Iron State. I also really enjoyed the Sweet Shiraz (it was designed to go with chocolate) and almost bought chocolates infused with it, but decided against it.
Rodger
Iron Gate vinyards; wine barrels
The next stop was lunch, chocolates, cheese, and up to two tastings - quite a lot to cover in an hour and a half. After lunch I headed to the chocolates, but restrained myself and only bought a little fudge. Then I headed off the the cheese shop; I really had no idea where to start. After tasting everything available, I bought a marinated fromage bleu (which was fabulous and gone in three days) and an Irish cheddar that was protected by green wax. I ended up having a little extra time, so I did the closer of the two tastings; this one was a pick and taste, i.e. here's a list - pick what you want to try. I tried a couple of unrelated wines, but settled on a Riesling.
McGuigan Cellars near the cheese shop
Our final stop was another boutique winery, Ernest Hill Winery. They name many of their wines after one of two things: location in the vinyard (e.g. "Chicken Shack" Chardonnay) or after a dead relative. My favorites were the two "girly" wines; I bought the Sparkling Semeillion (Luna Spark) and only barely resisted the Sweet Semeillion (Silver Moon).
Ernest Hill Winery
I also bought an authentic, Aboriginal-made boomerang. I really wanted a didgeridoo because it seems like an exotic, typically "Australian" souvenir. I changed my mind though because boomerangs are native to New South Wales (the state in which Sydney is located), while didgeridoos are native to the Northern Territory. Were I to buy a didgeridoo outside of the Northern Territory, it would be imported culture; after having spent the semester learning about Indigenous cultures, I appreciate the authenticity and meaning of the boomerang more than I would appreciate the didgeridoo. I will have a great story and explanation, even if the boomerang is a little cliche.
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