Gotta Love Cox Bay

As tempting as it might have been to just stay in bed and waste the day away, we did manage a mid-morning beach walk to see what low tide might reveal. When the tide is down, it's easy to work your away around to neighbouring Chesterman Bay. We didn't wander that far along but we did take a peak into Chesterman because there was a neat little viewpoint on the rocks for watching the surfers try to catch the right wave.

There was also a short trail to follow in the woods on the way back to the Lodge.

The plan was to actually wander into the town of Tofino proper. We've only made it to this neck of the woods a couple of times before and it's always been a quick and tasty trip. Neither of those trips allowed for an afternoon wandering the streets of town though. This time around, we made some time to check out the surf shops and native art galleries.

Between the Co-op, the Common Loaf Bake Shop and a little organic grocer, we picked up some picnic supplies and wandered closer to the waterfront. We'd been pointed in the direction of a little park that looked over Clayquot Sound and had a set of picnic tables waiting for us.

Despite the fact that, October isn't usually picnic weather in the Great White North, this was an unseasonal pleasure.

219. 2004 De Bortoli Gulf Stream Pinot Noir (Yarra Valley - Australia)

De Bortoli is one of Australia's largest family owned wine companies and this year, 2009, it was asked to join "Australia's First Families of Wine." This is a group with a concerted effort to try and change the global perception of Australia being primarily a nation of cheap industrial wines. I haven't actually heard much about this particular group. I'll have to look into it a little further down the road.

This wine isn't De Bortoli's top of the line brand as they have about a dozen labels included in their portfolio. Although De Bortoli's have been in business since the 1920's, the family bought their Yarra Valley vineyards, which is the region just outside of Melbourne, in 1987 and have been concentrating more on building the reputation of the area. Gulf Stream is a newer label that centres on good value Yarra Valley production.

If I remember correctly, this bottle was a gift from a visiting Aussie bud and we've been waiting for a bit of an occasion to open it. Australia isn't exactly known as a Pinot Noir stronghold, but the Yarra is proving to be a decent base for the varietal. No one will confuse this bottle for a Burgundy Pinot, but it still showed some restraint in its fruit. In fact, I think we needed the picnic fare to fully appreciate the nod to the Old World take on the varietal.

This idea of a bottle of wine in the early afternoon is a welcome one, but we were going to have to carry on again come evening. So, we thought it best to move on for a little internet coffee and maybe a bit of a nap. Aaaah, vacation.