Feb 11
Day 3 of the Yarra Valley - rain cleaned our car for us, 200 yr old doors, Napoleon the moose, and ozzie mozzie bitten legs!!!
Days blur into each other when you're on the road like this! I wanted to write an update of yesterday's adventures but I got a chance to go and have a few drinkies with an ex work mate of mine which was really lovely! I definitely never expected to keep so well in touch with fellow interns from around the world. I guess you never really expect your paths to cross again but they do, and it is so exciting when they do! So much can happen in a year!
We started yesterday not sure of the Seville Hill area of Yarra Valley because I'd never been down there myself. I was a little anxious and unsure that there would be any decent doors down that way. Little did I realise that this would be our best day for doors! We came across a brilliant pair of 200 year old chinese antique doors at Wild Cattle Creek winery. WOW! And the owner Heather was wonderfully receptive and excited about our product! She was the first to actually do the math and work out that by selling this product, you make more than 100% profit!! We also visited the beautiful venue & winery Elmswood Estate who were very excited by the poster along with a lovely Canadian named Wally who owns a beautiful winery called Five Oaks. Everyone along the route from Seville Hill towards Warburton were fantastic and there were some magical doors along the way.
We also got to meet another canadian - Napoleon, who towers over you at Train Traks' tasting room. Napoleon was a 950kg Moose and was 6ft high from shoulder to the ground!! GIANT! Imagine running into that at 100km/hr? Not fun! After that we headed west towards Yarra Glen and Lilydale stopping at Sticks winery who were really friendly, Bianchet's beautiful door and Billanook estate where we had to interrupt Henry, the lovely owner from mowing his lawns! It is weird for a budding young winemaker to associate wineries with their doors but that's how it is for me!
Every day this week has ended on a good note and yesterdays was no exception! We found ourselves at the end of our route at a gorgeous old winery called Kellybrook Winery. What a fantastic little facility! With a gorgeous little restaurant on site and about a 60 Tonnes capacity winery, we just had to stop and have a tasting. They also make their own cider! Their Shiraz was wonderful and was more of a cool climate, french style Syrah. But their magic was in their Pinot Brut sparkling wine. Hand riddled! This winery has a touch of history to it too and was started in the 70s. It had that feel of a go-getting entrepreneurial-type hard working, down to earth, family winery. Love it! I can really connect with people like that - they're my kinda people!!
