The Hunter up in New South Wales was a marvellous (drunk) trip! After spotting a fabulous deal on GroupOn - $58 for an all-inclusive day trip, I couldn’t refuse. With a coach there and back in late April, a gourmet lunch, 84932849 stop-offs for 328294 tastes of wine, it was a steal! What was more, I got to meet some cool people on the tour- particularly a nice couple that had relocated from London to get jobs. As we got progressively drunker during the day us three seemed to stay close and share some chuckles.
The day was clear, fresh, cool and the weather held out. It took just over 2 hours to arrive after a few pick-ups, leaving at 7.15am from central and returning about 7pm. I now know my Semillons, from my Pinot Noirs, oak base flavours from my metal-matured casks.
In conclusion Verdello whites are AWESOME. They are a beautifully jolly, fruity white; not too dry, not too sweet, always proudly displayed in the middle section of the wine lists. Semillon’s are EW- really young white wines that taste a bit ‘off,’ with a distinct after-tang and I really have to be in the mood for reds… Nonetheless I did enjoy all the tasting experiences. Cabernet Sauvignon are a good red to start as a (fairly new) newcomer, but no thanks Shiraz. See you in a few years I suppose.
Moscato wines are TO DIE FOR, but I feel a bit immature selecting the sweetest, pinkest wine on the block as a favourite, so as they’re high in sugar content and don’t go so easily with savoury foods, I’ve decided it’s a guilty pleasure choice. Fortified wines (ports) are bloody dreamy! I never would have seen myself happily indulging in these bad boys. They have a (substantial donkey) kick to the back of the throat, after greeting you with a very thick, unique, caramel first-taste. A dark chocolate varietal was one to note- if you get to go- ask to try it!
Tasting notes: swirl in the glass for two seconds, admire the ‘tears’ that fall down the side of it (the longer they take, the better the wine), big sniff, slowly pour a little into your mouth but DO NOT SWALLOW immediately. The trick is to drink it down with air, like breathing-in swallowing, allowing the scents to hit the nose at the back, so very connected to the tasting experience. Our presenter stated that three tastes are required to fully conclude. The first is an initial palette shock, the second is accustoming to flavours and the last is the decider. The REAL good wines reached around a 100 bucks, but to be honest they're all exquisite in standard compared to bottle shop options, so you could spend as little as $20 and be winning.
Mid-way we stopped off at a little commercial village where there was a Rock shop, a live acoustic performance, gourmet chocolate, various tourist treats and home-made cookie packs. I parted $6 for a bag of white choc and fudge, and they weren't great...bit dry and nothing spesh, BUT you win some, you lose some, eh!
The landscape was as perfect as ever, just as all Australian planes are. Plentiful vast open green fields, trees proudly sprayed everywhere, intermittently broken up sparse, long winding roads. Bright blue skies galore. I spy a great camping spot! Ps. take a windbreaker jacket because MY it’s windy, but MY after a few stops do you not even care as you’re merrily on your way with that internal furnace burning! I SAY VALUE FOR MONEY.COM- well done Groupon!
