Wine, Wine, and more Wine

August 20th, 2018

I want to start off by saying HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my beautiful Mama. Hope you had the best day! Missing you tons.

This week was probably the best week I have had since I got to Australia. Monday and Tuesday were kind of boring days full of class and homework. However, Wednesday got so much better because it was SHWEDNESDAY!!! For those who are not currently in Australia and don’t know, there is a bar here called the Sheaf. On Wednesdays, it is free entry and $5 spirits, so you can only guess where you can find all of Goldstein on a Wednesday. Most people go every week, however this week it was considered an event so everyone went. We even had a party bus that brought us to the bar. Surprisingly they played really good music, and we all had a blast. They even played some music from the movie Grease, so you know I was doing the grease lightening dance in the middle of the dancefloor. Overall, a great night full of drinks, friends, and lots of dancing!

Thursday was my recovery day and homework day because I had a paper due Friday, so I spent most of the day writing that.

Friday, I had a class and then my friends and I went on a date to dominos because dino always serves fish on Friday and I am kind of a seafood snob. I tried the fried fish once, and it was disgusting!! I think we all decided that Friday’s will be our pizza night from now on.

Saturday was a fun day because my dorm is across the street from a horse track where they hold horse races. There was an event going on all day Saturday, so my friends and I brought our homework to the balcony to watch the horse races and be productive. We really weren’t sure what was going on because the horses started running one way and then another?? I am not totally sure that is how you do it but what do I know? Overall, a really fun relaxed day!

Sunday was by far the best day because….my friends and I spent all day wine tasting! If you know anything about me, you know that I have a deep love for wine. It is definitely my drink of choice, so I was a happy girl. We started our day bright and early at 7am. Luckily, we had a nice 2 hour bus ride to our first location to catch a few more z’s. Our first stop was to a wildlife sanctuary. We quickly learned that this is not the same thing as a zoo. Some of the animals here were in pens, but some were free to roam (the kangaroos and emu). We started by petting a koala and holding snakes. Then we spotted the kangaroos and got tons of pictures. We saw lots of different Australian animals, but I think my favorite animal was the kangaroos. It is amazing how they come right up to you!

After our animal walkabout, we got back on the bus and drove to our first winery of the day. We were visiting a place called Hunter Valley which was about 2 ½ hours inland from Sydney. Within the Hunter Valley, there are many different wineries because it is the wine country of Australia. Our plan was to visit two of these wineries.

We arrived at the first winery and they took us to the cellar so we could start our tasting. They had the counter set up with a list of all the wines we would be tasting. We tasted four white wines, three red, and two dinner wines. I think I have concluded that I am a white wine kind of gal. According to the staff, the way you start to like red wine is by maturing your palate. The only way to do this is by drinking more and more wine. I liked that answer.

After the tasting, we went next door for a cheese tasting. It was 12ish at this point and none of us had breakfast since we left so early, which meant we were drinking on an empty stomach, so food was a must at this point. There was a platter of five different cheeses and some crackers to go with it. We took our seats and listened to the staff member present the different cheeses. It was then time to dig in. We started with fresh goat cheese which was served in a garlic sauce. It tasted just like garlic bread which was amazing. The next cheese was a brie, followed by a washed rind. These two were soft and creamy, so the texture was a little weird but when in Australia you must have an open mind. Our next cheese was cheddar, and let me tell you, it was the best cheddar cheese I have ever tasted. Brooke, you would have been in heaven! Our final cheese was blue cheese, and come to find out, no one in my group likes blue cheese. This was the best news of the day, because I LOVE BLUE CHEESE!!! I ended up eating the entire block while my friends made fun of me the whole time.

After cheese tasting, we went to a little park on the property for lunch. Our tour guides brought sandwich meat and stuff to make wraps (they really are the best).

When everyone was full, we got on the bus and drove to the second winery of the day. This one was kind of lame compared to the first because we only got to taste 4 different wines. But, we got some really good pictures on the couch outside overlooking the vineyards.

After the second vineyard, we went to a chocolate factory where we got to taste different samples (as if this day couldn’t get better). I had the spiciest piece of chocolate at this tasting. We all know I am a baby when it comes to spicy things, but never did I think spicy chocolate was a thing. Apparently it is, and it is called chili chocolate. We finished the tasting, made our purchases (because how can you come to a chocolate factory and not get a little souvenir?) We got on the bus and headed to our last location of the day.

Our tour guides surprised us with a bottle of champagne to finish the day off. We sat at a lookout over all the vineyards and enjoyed our glass of champagne before heading back on the bus for the trip home.

Overall, this trip was amazing, and I am so happy I got to experience this with my girls. I can’t believe how fast time is going here (please slow down). I can’t wait to see what this next week brings. That’s all for now!

XOXO Jor