A Final Stroll in The Pearl of the Orient

Not much time left before we have to head out to the airport for the flight home but the flight's not until later in the day; so we actually have the morning and early part of the afternoon to run around.

Keeping it fairly local seemed like the way to go and both the Flower Market and the Fish Market were only a subway stop from our hotel. We hadn't been to either and they seemed like a good way to start our final hours. The Flower market was bright and beautiful - with exotic plants and colours galore. The Fish Market, on the other hand, was certainly a bit different than what I would expect to find at home it I was going to the fish market. This wasn't a series of stores to buy seafood. I suppose that, in a way, it was but these fish weren't destined for the dinner plate. They were displayed in order to catch your eye so that you'd take them home for your aquarium.

A relaxing coffee was next in line and we decided to live a little and sit back in the grand lobby of The Peninsula Hotel. There's no doubt we were paying for the location because they were easily among the most expensive cups of java that Boo or I have ever had. And they weren't anything special. The machine at my office isn't far off on the quality and Boo could easily have whipped up a tastier cup at home. If nothing else, we can say that we took in the atmosphere that is The Peninsula.

Our next stop was a plaza just off the waterfront to have a little picnic - and finish off a bottle of wine so that we'd have one less bottle to take through Customs.

1140. 2009 Bowen Estate Shiraz (Coonawarra - Australia)

Bowen Estate was one of our stops during our afternoon in the Coonawarra. It wasn't a winery that I'd known anything about but a couple of the tasting room staff we'd run across mentioned it as a small, good producer. Family owned and operated, Bowen Estate only produces around 10,000 cases a year and only offers a Chardonnay, Cab Sauv and Shiraz, with the bulk of production being the Cab. Considering that the Coonawarra is best known for its Cab, it was somewhat surprising that both Boo and I gravitated towards the Shiraz after our tasting at the winery.

The winery's vineyard is located on Coonawarra's famous red, terra rossa soil and it did feature more red fruit on the palate that the Barossa Shiraz we tend to see in Vancouver. That's not to say, however, that there still wasn't some big fruit and plenty of spice there. We might have opened it earlier than we would have normally. The winery suggested holding it for 5-7 years - but that wasn't really an option with Canada Customs looming. We needed to pick one of purchased wines to be sacrificed and this was one of the more economical of our purchases.

I'm not sure that picnicking is all that common in urban Hong Kong. We didn't have much luck in finding shops that sold the treats that we usually pick up back home. We also felt that we needed to be as circumspect as we could with the wine - hoping that no one of authority came by to question us. I'd be surprised if drinking a bottle in public is permitted - tourist or not. Luckily, we didn't run into a problem at all though.

The end of lunch left us with one last stop and that was the Hong Kong Museum of Art. The Museum was featuring a show of Fantastic Animals in the Arts of China and there were plenty of magical creatures, legends and historically interesting pieces on display. This crown was only one small piece and it featured dragons, pheasants, butterflies, carp and kingfisher. It seemed like a good half of the museum was closed as new shows were being set up but it was still an interesting way to spend our final hour or so.

Hard to believe to everything was coming to a close on the vacation and that all that was left was for the long flight home.

And to see how Canada Customs was going to treat us when we reported that we had a dozen bottles with us - eight more than we were technically allowed. Fingers crossed.

The Margarita River Road Trip

With the Carlton Blues winning the footy game last night, everyone was in fine spirits this morning - and we hadn't even had a drink yet.

We were hoping to remedy that situation sooner than later but first we needed to hit the road again. Visiting the Margaret River wine region has been on my Bucket List for some time now. With Merlot Boy and Margarita in tow, hopes were high for a bang-up weekend.

Indeed, as soon as we knew that Margarita would be joining us, Margaret River morphed into Margarita River and I may never think of the region by its original name again. It might be best, however, even if for blog purposes only, I still refer to Margaret River by its actual name. Can't be confusing the readers now, can I?

For me, Margaret River has just been a name that conjures romance and fine wine - two things that I'm rather fond of. Funny thing is that I've never really known a whole lot about the region. I think my fascination with it all stems from one bottle that I tried on my first visit to Australia in 1996. I've no memory of what the wine was or where I had it but, boy, did the name "Margaret River" ever stick in my mind. We don't see many wines from the region in our market, but I've generally found that the wines I do find generally hit the mark - and that certainly helps to keep the infatuation going.

Margaret River is about a three hour drive south of Perth and it's likely the best known - and likely the best regarded - wine region in Western Australia. It only accounts for 3% of Australia's total wine production but it certainly accounts for more than its share of highly sought wines. Although the region right around Perth has produced wine since 1829, that wasn't the case in M.R. - and, previously, Western Australia had never really been a powerhouse in Aussie wine as the Swan River region is noted as being one of the hottest viticultural regions in the world and, accordingly, not the best for growing premium wine grapes.

Margaret River, on the other hand, has been doing its best to make a mark in the wine world. It is able to rely on the cooling influence of breezes coming off the Indian Ocean and its prominence on the wine scene has continued to increase ever since the first significant vine plantings in 1967. Whereas the Swan Valley region around Perth accounted for 90% of all production in the state in the 1970's, it only accounts for 10% of it now. Margaret River has definitely taken the lead with over 120 producers now located in the region.

We'd teed up another intriguing spot to stay. Like Wroxton Grange, Boo's and my fuel stop in the Barossa Valley, we opted to stay at a working farm and winery in Margaret River. Lara and Jamie McCall have been operating Burnside Organic Farm since 1997 and it didn't take much of a perusal of their website to decide that the Burnside Bungalows looked very inviting. They lived up to all expectations - no, actually, they exceeded them. Our bungalow was marvellous; the grounds were exciting and the ability to wander freely and enjoy fresh produce from the garden made it all that more special.

After a quick check-in with Lara to take in the lay of the land, we jumped at the opportunity to hit a winery or two before all the cellar doors shut down for the day.

Lara pointed us in the direction of McHenry Hohnen - a boutique, family owned winery within hailing distance of Burnside Farm. Like most M.R. producers, I'd never heard of the winery. Once there, however, it was quickly apparent that there was a strong pedigree behind the wine. McHenry Hohnen was only established in 2004 but David Hohnen, Murray McHenry and their respective families had long histories in grape growing, winemaking and the selling of the finished product. Hohnen played an instrumental role in establishing Cape Mentelle (one of the few Margaret River wineries that I did know about in advance) and Cloudy Bay in New Zealand - and who hasn't heard of them?

The winery generally produces between 7000 and 9000 cases; however, they do have a fairly large option in deciding what to make. The extended family's three vineyards grow twelve different varietals, allowing plenty of choice - from Bordeaux, to Chardy, to Rhône varietals through others like Graciano and Tempranillo.

1122. 2011 HcHenry Hohnen Semillon Sauvignon Blanc (Margaret River - Australia)

We hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast - if you don't count the footy-themed jujubes that Margarita served up in the car - and the winery had a small kitchen and patio. They were just closing up, but they graciously agreed to put something together for some hungry Canucks. Naturally, we needed a bottle of wine to go with.

The wine was a great little, easy sipper for the patio and our grilled cheese - I can't recall what Aussie name they gave the sandwich but it was basically a case of a grilled cheese by any other name will taste as good. One of our favourite Aussie foods is passionfruit and there was a good little dose of it in our glass - on the nose and palate. There was a nice little bit of body on it as well that may have been "tweaked" by ageing a small portion of the wine in new oak and leaving it on its lees (spent yeast) for five months. The blend was almost equal - 56% Sem, 44% Sauv - and the bottle went down quickly.

It was a grand start to the weekend. I could easily see myself heading back to the winery if I were a local - particularly after seeing the incredible looking meat and olive oils that they grow and produce on top of the wines.

We stayed a tad longer than expected at McHenry Hohnen; so, we only had time to make one more winery visit. When I asked our hostess, Freya, for a suggestion out on the patio, she said that she probably had no choice but to recommend Cape Mentelle since one of their winemakers was sitting at the table next to us and could hear every word that was being said. As mentioned, Cape Mentelle was one of the wineries that I'd tried previously and had actually played a part in perpetuating my love-on for the region. Indeed, I've added two of their wines to The List since starting the blog. So, I guess they deserved a visit.

Cape Mentelle has been around since 1970 and, as such, is one of the pioneering wineries in Margaret River. The winery, while still under the direction of David Hohnen, played a major role in bringing attention to the quality of wine that Margaret River was capable of producing. The winery won the Jimmy Watson Trophy - the most prestigious wine award in Oz - for its 1982 Cab Sauv and then repeated the task in 1984 for the '83 vintage. If the wine world knew little of the region before, it was certainly taking notice now. Cape Mentelle was purchased by the Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy conglomerate in in 2000 and it is still noted as one of the premium producers around.

We had a thorough tasting in the snazzy tasting room but I think poor Merlot Boy and Margarita were wondering what they'd gotten themselves into. Both are excellent drinkers - among the best we know - but any talk of phylloxera, battonage or limited drip irrigation and their eyes glaze over. Actually, Boo's probably did as well.

And as resident wine nerd, I had to accede to a sense that it was time to move on. I'm just going to have to keep an eye open for some of their wines when I get home - especially that Cab.

We had reservations for dinner that night at one of the premium winery restaurants anywhere - Leeuwin Estates - but that wasn't until 8.00. So, how do we pass the time? Duh. We go back to Burnside and break open a bottle of wine to enjoy on our patio overlooking the vineyard. Nothing rough about it IMHO.

1123. 2009 Release Non-Vintage Balnaves of Coonawarra Sparkling Cabernet Sauvignon (Coonawarra - Australia)

With only a couple of days left to our sojourn Down Under, Boo and I had to put some serious thought to lightening our stash of bottles that we'd picked up along the way. The Balnaves was first to go. The Aussies have had great success with Sparkling Shiraz, but this bottle we nabbed in Coonawarra was the first I can recall seeing where the bubbles were added to Cab Sauv.

Although the bottle is labelled as 2009, it is not a vintage wine. Rather, the Sparkling Cab is a blend of reserve wines from nine different vintages that are matured in a solera system. When the aged bottles are prepped for their final corking, they are topped up with a little something extra - in this case, the dosage was a vintage port with a touch of Shiraz juice concentrate to supplement the flavours.

Dark and concentrated are not descriptors I generally use with sparkling wines, but you surely can with this bubble. Granted, there might not have been tons of actual bubbles noticeable in the glass of the mouth but we all thought it was a nice wine to sit back and relax on the deck with.

That is, until it was time to start moving on to the much anticipated visit to Leeuwin Estate.

Rooting On the Blues

Merlot Boy and Margarita were flying into Perth early this evening but they weren't scheduled to arrive until just before the start of the Aussie Rules football game that we were going to take in. So, Boo and I planned to spend a leisurely day downtown and to enjoy a picnic in the Botanical Garden.

All I can say is that it was a good thing that we stopped to have a coffee before hitting the Garden. On the map, reaching Kings Park looked like a piece of cake. What the map didn't show was that there are limited entrances into the park and, wouldn't you know it, but we were walking and we had to pick the longest possible route - which also happened to be the path that required you to climb Jacob's Ladder, a well known series of steps up the cliff side that takes you past various historical markers. After cursing my chosen path, Boo enunciated his new catch phrase for every hill we encountered from thereon - "God must hate me."

Luckily, the Botanical Garden itself was worth the effort and featured some brilliant flora and fauna - and views. By the time, we'd reached the top of Jacob's Ladder, we found the first grassy field that might suit our picnic and we put our tired old feet to rest. Kings Park might be home to thousands of Western Australian and national plant species but all those eucalypts, boabs and banksia would just have to wait until we'd finished our lunch and taken a bit of a nap.

1121. 2009 Punters Corner Single Vineyard Chardonnay (Coonawarra - Australia)

Granted, the nap might have been a little more of a necessity due to the picnic featuring one of the bottles we'd picked up back in Coonawarra. We'd come to the realization that we definitely had to drink up some of the bottles we'd collected along the way. We still had Margaret River to go and we were already well over the number that we might get past Canada Customs without paying duty.

The Chardy just seemed to say take me first. We'd already opened a bottle of Punters Corner Shiraz back in Coonawarra. So, this was our last bottle from the little boutique winery and it's not too likely that we'll ever see it back home in Vancouver. The winery only makes about 7000 cases of wine in total, but they only made 350 cases of this Chardonnay. Regular readers will know that I get a bit of kick when trying something that is limited and unique.

Chardonnay may not be my favourite white wine but, when made well with limited interference and an even-handed use of oak, I can be swayed. Our bottle was anything but chilled by the time we opened it, but that just made the body and fullness stand out. The lack of chill might have diminished the fruit on the palate a bit but it didn't seem to put a crimp in our polishing off the bottle. It would have been interesting to try this bottle side by side with the Chapel Hill Chardy that we tried the other night.

After a brief nap in the park, we made our way back through the garden to the various war memorials and the panoramic city view. But, even amongst all the intriguing plants and views, the real highlight of our little jaunt was seeing a kookaburra up close and personal. We couldn't get the little guy to laugh but it was a treat all the same. He could be a drinking buddy of our's anytime.

After a quick freshening up back at the B&B, we made our way to the local stadium where, hopefully, Merlot Boy and Margarita would meet up with us. Unfortunately for me, the game was between the Freemantle Dockers and Carlton Blues but the Blues are Margarita's team and she scored us some incredible seats - about 8 rows up, immediately behind one of the goals. Talk about being up close and personal!

Me, I barrack for the West Coast Eagles - Perth's other team - but they were playing out of town this weekend. I have learned over the years, however, that I "barrack" for the Eagles and I don't "root" for them - at least not in Australia. Down Under, "rooting" apparently means to have sex. It does make for a bit of hoot when one of the biggest national brands back home is called "Roots" though. Wearing a Roots tee or sweatshirt is kind of de riguer for Canadians while abroad. I think most Aussies are aware of the cultural difference at this time, but I still like to root for my boys.

The kids' flight arrived a tad ahead of schedule and they made good time to the Stadium, arriving just before the start of the game. There was even time to hit the beer concession before the opening toss. Margarita didn't have to miss a single minute of her boys in Blue. And, indeed, she had plenty to cheer about tonight in that the Blues made easy work of the home town Dockers.

Merlot Boy's plan, following the game, was to try and meet up some old friends of his - Bluey and Rosie - who now lived in Perth. Both of them happened to be Blues' fans, like Margarita. Plus, it was Bluey's birthday to boot. As such, there was some hefty toasting and celebrating to be had amongst the gang, but being the old farts that we are, Boo and I only lasted one shout at the bar before we begged off to head home and get a little shut eye before heading down to Margaret River in the morning. Listening to Merlot Boy's tales the next morning, we might have been sorry that we left as early as we did, but it was easy for him to say though; he doesn't drive and could, therefore, sleep away as we drove the three hours south of Perth.

But it was great to have our little gang back together again after New Orleans - half way around the world and six months later. There was no doubt that there'd be some stories to tell after the weekend to come.

Coonawarra Calls

With Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road behind us, it was time to dedicate ourselves to the new task at hand - taking in as much Australian wine country as we could in our remaining time.

We hoisted our Canucks car flag and left the coastal roads for a whole new series of landscapes. We figured we'd fly the team colours for as long as the boys remained in the playoffs. We were hoping to log a lot of miles with that flag flying high. Our first stop on the long-awaited Down Under Wine Tour was Coonawarra. We'd toyed with the idea of driving straight through to the Barossa Valley from Warrnambool but the thought of two eight-hour days of driving in a row seemed a bit much. Coonawarra wasn't only a good stop along the way, it was a chance to get in a little first hand experience in one of Australia most iconic wine regions.

Located almost halfway between Adelaide and Melbourne, the Coonawarra is found about 60 kms in from the coast and is thought to have weather patterns that are quite similar to those of Bordeaux. Although the first vines were planted in the region in 1890, there was only one producer of table wines from 1900 to 1950. The arrival of the 1950's saw the advent of investment and the expansion of local vineyards. By this time, the Coonawarra's famous terra rossa soils were discovered as being ideal for growing premium grapes. The underlying limestone may not have been so good for conventional farming, but the combination was sure ideal for grapes, particularly Cabernet Sauvignon - the varietal that has pretty much become synonymous with Coonawarra. The rest is history.

With more than 30 wineries in the region now, we had to hustle because we only had a couple of hours to explore. Realizing we couldn't really manage any extensive tours or tastings, we simply set out to visit and briefly taste our way through an assortment of known and previously undiscovered wineries. Having met the charming Brian and Ros Lynn at this spring's Vancouver Playhouse Wine Festival, Majella was the pre-determined starting point. Unfortunately, I knew that the Lynn's were going to be out of the country when we were passing through, but I also knew we'd be in good hands and, sure enough, we were offered the opportunity to try the entire line-up of wines. Good thing our hotel was just down the road.

Coonawarra's terra rossa soils now comprise one of the world's most famous terroirs, but those shallow soils are only found on a narrow limestone ridge that's about 15 kms by 2 kms. Swampy, poorly draining lands are found on either side of the ridge. I was surprised at how small the region actually was and, indeed, we were a bit confused when we found a block of barren dirt, with sheep on it, just outside of the Majella winery. We were told that the change in soil can be so abrupt that certain sections of the vineyard are just not worth planting. You might be able to pull off a decent crop over an ideal season - but encounter a wetter than normal weather pattern and your entire crop is more than likely shot.

Knowing that a good selection Majella's wines are available back home, we managed to forestall any purchases. We knew that the toughest part of this trip was going to be trying to cope with Canada Customs' ridiculous limit of two bottles per person when returning home. That and the luggage limits we were going to face flying home.

Majella led to Brand's Laira, which, in turn, led to Punter's Corner to Bowen Estate and, finally, Balnaves - each winery was quite different from the other despite the close proximity. Brand's Laira is part of the McWilliam's juggernaut and its 700 some odd acres are home to 99 year old Shiraz vines and old vine Cab Sauv, but just down the road, we ran across family-owned, small producer Bowen Estate. Balnaves also merited a visit since we'd tried one of its wines at dinner the other night at Bruce and Shelia's home.

We were fortunate that it was a Thursday afternoon, the Australian vintage was pretty much over and we were visiting after all of the kids had been called back to school. It meant we were often the only visitors at the cellar door and it allowed for some interesting - and definitely more extensive - visits. At Brand's Laira, our hostess called out winemaker, Peter Weinberg, and we toured the adjacent wine shed where 91 year old past owner, Eric Brand, has been storing wine for decades. More of a museum than a cellar, we couldn't help but offer our assistance in helping them drink through some of those endless bottles. After all, at 91, Mr. Brand is going to have to do some pretty decent quaffing in the days and months to come if he's got any desire to put a dent in all that wine. We couldn't convince of the merit to our offer, but Peter did tell us that he's only had two days off in the last two months; so, we were thrilled that he took a nice chunk of his day to chat us up.

Ultimately, our window of opportunity to visit came to an end and we had to make our way back to our room. Our return did allow us to pop the cork on one of our buys from the afternoon. Knowing fully well that we had another three wine regions to go and that we couldn't take much wine home with us, we still grabbed a good six bottles or so - with the understanding and hope that we were could drink some along the way.

1114. 2006 Punter's Corner Shiraz (Coonawarra - Australia)

It's always a goal of mine to visit wineries who's wines I likely won't encounter back home in Vancouver. I certainly don't think that I've ever run across Punter's Corner previously -understandable, given the fact that they only produce a total of around 7000 cases a year. Despite the limited production and Canadian profile, the winery has been awarded five stars by Aussie wine writer, James Halliday, the highest ranking Halliday gives out.

Established in 1988, the winery shares much of its day-to-day operations with Balnaves. They share the same winemaker and Balnaves is involved with the management of Punter's Corner's vineyards. I guess it just goes to show how intertwined and closely knit the wine fraternity really is and can be. Punter's Corner certainly saw its day in the sun though when its 1999 Spartacus Reserve Shiraz won the 2000 Jimmy Watson Trophy for the most outstanding one-year-old red wine in Australia.

Our Shiraz wasn't the premium Spartacus bottle but it was still well received. Indeed, Boo and I were both surprised to find that we preferred the Shiraz to the Cab we tried at the winery. To some degree, we found this Shiraz closer in profile to the Shiraz we get from the Okanagan than we would have expected. Not as big as many of the Barossa Shiraz wines that make their way to our market, the tannins weren't as prominent whereas the acidity was clearly noticeable and helped tame some of the fruit.

Knowing how closely associated Coonawarra is with Cab Sauv, I was intrigued to hear that Shiraz vines now comprise half of Coonawarra's plantings. Our visit to Punter's Corner - and its stylish cellar door - was also where we first heard about the glut of fruit Australia currently faces. We were advised that the folks behind Wine Australia are urging the country's wineries uproot a quarter of their vines. No one seems to be buying into the concept however.

An interesting start to the Wine Tour, I'd say. I wish we had more time to explore the Coonawarra but the Barossa beckons and I suppose the sooner we hit the road the better.

Arguably, the best news from the day though was that the Canucks managed to pull off a 3-1 win over the LA Kings. Our boys are still down three games to one, but our car flag will be in full flight through South Australia come the morning. Gotta love that as much as the wine to come.

Melbourne Walkabout -In Search of Hockey

By the time Boo and I had pushed forth into our day's journey, it had become all too apparent that our little Aussie walkabout was going to fly by far too quickly. Here we were, just kicking into our second full day in Melbourne, and it was already half-way through our stay in one of our favourite cities in the world.

And then, if time wasn't flying by fast enough already, there was a small added pressure of trying to fit in some playoff hockey. The NHL playoffs had started just as Boo and I boarded the plane to make our way Down Under - and, despite having finished first overall in the league's seasonal play, the Canucks were down two games to none to the LA Kings. Today's was a do-or-die game for our boys and I badly wanted to try and find a way to watch the game.

Despite the fact that your average Aussie - as sports mad as they might be - knows as much about ice hockey as I do about raising kangaroos, I thought I had a lead on a pub that regularly shows NHL games. I worked out that, with all the time differences, the game was starting around noon. After traipsing city streets throughout the morning, we arrived at the pub - only to find out that our game wasn't to be found on any of the cable or satellite stations. We ran into some other ex-pat Vancouverites, in Canucks gear, on the street as well but they'd had no better luck than us in coming up with a place to catch the game. Bugger.

We gave it the old college try by finding a pub with WiFi in the hope that we might pick something up on the iPad. We managed a whole minute of action before the app we were using gave up the ghost. Despite our most valiant efforts, we couldn't come up with any way to find a live feed. So, we finished off our fish and chips, while it was still 0-0 in the 2nd period, and went back to touring the streets. In retrospect, it might be best that we missed the game's feed. The boys lost 1-0 and following it live would have just made the result all the tougher to take. This was some deep hole the old Canucks now found themselves in. They'd have to win four straight games, having already lost three. Double bugger.

Having learned the final score, Boo and I were fully primed to drown a few sorrows when we joined up with Merlot Boy and made our way out to Sheila and Bruce's for dinner. I'd figured we might get a little consolation from Sheila since she's an old Vancouver girl herself. Good luck with that. She pointed out that she's lived in Oz as long as she ever had in Canada and, nowadays, hockey's just another "s"-word (read "sports related"). No magic for her. No stirrings at the thought of a Stanley Cup. She simply pointed out that being a "footy widow" is about all she's capable of putting up with when it comes to men and their sports.

It took no time for Sheila to offer up a glass of wine though as we settled in to find out what she and Bruce had been up to since we last visited - in addition to bringing up Bruce Jr. and Bruce III that is.

1108. 2009 Eden Road - The Seedling Shiraz (Canberra/Hilltops - Australia)

This is the first wine that I can recall having that featured fruit from the Canberra region. It's not an area that we (read, "I") hear about in Vancouver. A relatively new wine region, Canberra's first vineyards were only planted in the early 1970's. This vintage saw a blend of the Canberra fruit with Hilltops grapes. I'm not familiar with the Hilltops region either but it's located 160km NorthWest of Canberra and it appears to have a more storied past with grape growing but much of that history relates to the provision of "grog to diggers on the surrounding goldfields" in the 1860's.

Eden Road, itself, was only established in 2006, but it's quickly putting its name and that of Canberra on the wine map. It has already garnered a five-star rating from James Halliday - the highest rating given by perhaps Australia's pre-eminent wine scribe - and I just learned that one of this wine's big brothers, the 2008 The Long Road Hilltops Shiraz, won the 2009 Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy for the best one year old red wine in Australia.

We certainly didn't know any of this while dining on Sheila's lamb and quinoa. Nor did I know anything of note about the next winery when I grabbed this bottle on the way over for dinner.

1109. 2009 Balnaves - The Blend (Coonawarra - Australia)

Turns out that Balnaves has made quite a name for itself in its twenty years of operation. The previously mentioned James Halliday named Balnaves Winery of the Year in 2008. I simply grabbed the bottle because Boo and I would be passing through Coonawarra in a couple of days and I thought a blend might be nice. A classic Bordeaux or Meritage blend, the wine was Cab Sauv dominant (72%) with Merlot and Cab Franc making up the balance (with 22% and 6% respectively).

The wine might have been a tad big for Sheila's trademark Pavlova (hasn't she become the true blue Aussie, serving lamb and Pavlova?) but we'd done most of the damage back during the lamb - and by the time we'd retired to the living room, it didn't matter much. Indeed, tasting notes were far from the forefront of tonight's escapades.

1110. 2009 Argyle Cabernet Sauvignon (Coonawarra - Australia)

I can't recall whether it was Merlot Boy or Sheila and Bruce that provided the third wine of the night, but it was yet another new discovery for me. I know that Coonawarra is probably best known for its Cab Sauv but Argyle isn't a brand that I've heard of before - and I haven't been able to find about the wine since. It might be a secondary label or a virtual winery but I can't find any reference to the winery online. There's an Argyle Estate in Adelaide Hills and an Argyle in Oregon but neither of them appear to have anything to do with this bottle.

All I know is that this was such a rare opportunity to share an evening - on the other side of the world - with marvellous friends that it wouldn't have mattered what we had to quaff back. I don't even think the Canucks' woes came up or crossed my mind after the first glass or two. Discussions of Aussie Rules - and the merits of Bruce's Collingwood Magpies vs. Merlot Boy's Hawthorn Hawks - however, were legion. Not that Merlot Boy had much of a chance - what with all three Bruce's being solid Pies men.

When in Oz....

The evening came to an end so much earlier than desired. I think we barely scratched the surface. Something tells me this is becoming a bit of theme.

Footy at the MCG - Swords Aloft

OK, I realize that this is going to be a lot of pictures for one bottle of wine. What can I say, Boo and I are a couple of camera queens, but I think we manage to capture the odd decent shot when we're doing the whole tourist thing.

It's our first full day in Melbourne and we're hitting high gear already with one of our most anticipated activities on the trip - Aussie Rules Football and the Melbourne Cricket Club! We're rather ecstatic about the fact that Merlot Boy's beloved Hawthorn Hawks are playing the Sunday afternoon game and he's finagled us some spot-on tix in the Past Players' Section.

The game wasn't until the mid-afternoon; so, we decided to hit one of the local markets and pick ourselves up a picnic. One of the most intriguing wine memories I have from my first visit to Oz, almost 16 years ago, was that a wine producer had a fill-up your bottle operation going on at the spectacular Queen Victoria Market. I'd never seen anything like it before. You could just bring your old re-sealable bottle and fill it with your wine of choice for next to nothing. Turns out that Swords Select is still operating out of the Queen Vic (and three other locations) - however, you are no longer able to bring along your old bottle to fill. Health concerns have now dictated that Swords has to sell bottles that are already washed and filled by the time they hit the market - but the special 1-litre returnable bottles are still a big part of Swords' "3-R" motto - "Return. Re-use. Reduce."

Grabbing a bottle of Swords' wine was a critical component of the picnic.

Seemingly in contradiction with Swords' environmental outlook - but entirely in sync with Aussies and their love of a touch of the booze - the shop also had individual take-away glasses of wine for sale. You buy a sealed glass of either red or white and, voilà, you're set for a quick lunch or afternoon break. Now, that's taking convenience to a new level - although I have no idea what the wine tasted like. I originally thought they were cute, wine-themed candles. I only cottoned on after Boo pointed out the reality of the display. I can think of more than a couple occasions when a glass like this might have come in handy.

With our shopping done, the three of us wandered through Melbourne's Royal Botanical Garden as it was a perfect route on our way to the MCG. The initial shot in this post is from a newly opened section of the Garden - the interestingly named Guilfoyle's Volcano. The installation has been in place since 1876 and was used, historically to store water for the Gardens. Having laid idle for the past 60 years, it has been restored to form a critical component of the Garden's water management strategy - not to mention a stunning display of cacti, succulents and aloes, all with a grand view of the city skyline.

After a bit of a tour, we finally decided to settle down for our picnic on another corner of the Garden. With a quiet, grassy lounging area and 240° view in hand, we broke into our Kangaroo prosciutto (which even Merlot Boy had never seen before), cheeses, dips and, naturally, wine.

1106. 2008 Swords Select Cabernet Sauvignon (Coonawarra - Australia)

As mentioned, Swords specializes in selling 1-litre, returnable bottles and it's a family run operation that has now been around for 20 years. They don't actually own vineyards, grow grapes or produce the wine. Rather, they purchase excess wine from other wineries and re-brand it. We were told that many of those wines actually come from some big name producers that just had too much product. As such, Swords isn't allowed to advertise which wineries provided the wine.

They currently offer eleven different varietal wines and they ranged from our Coonawarra Cab to a Margaret River Chardonnay, a Yarra Valley Pinot Noir and a Victorian Highlands Riesling. An all-encompassing assortment that can't really be matched by a traditional winery.

Our's wasn't the most substantial of Cabs but an easy-drinker was really what we needed - given the circumstances. We needed to finish off our litre prior to the game since we wouldn't have been able to bring along a half-finished bottle. Seems even the Aussies have this thing about bringing your own booze into sports stadiums. We also wanted to be able to make it through the game without becoming too drunk or obnoxious. After all, I'd decided to wear some Canucks clothing to the game and didn't want to draw too much attention to myself. I'd wanted to wear my jersey but it was just too hot to sport a full hockey jersey.

I'd asked Merlot Boy, in advance, if he foresaw any problem with wearing another team's colours to the game. I figured I didn't need to be showered in beer. He advised that there'd be no problem. No one would know what a Canuck was - plus, he surmised that stadium beer would be far too expensive to waste on giving some bloke a shower anyhow. He did point out, however, that wearing rival colours of some of the other Melbourne footy teams might have curried an entirely different result.

I'm happy to say that we proudly finished off the wine and an assortment of many beer at the game. The Mighty Fighting Hawks of Hawthorn were playing the Adelaide Crows, but it was hardly a barnburner of a game. Everyone was pretty happy though once the Hawks built up a pretty substantial lead - although we were sitting in an area that seemed to have a substantial number of Crows fans. The MCG is massive and is capable of holding just shy of 100,000 screaming fans for the big games - and we met a couple real characters among the day's fans, particularly in the Ex-Players' Lounge. Oh yeah, that was just another little perk that Merlot Boy had been able to fit into the itinerary. While we weren't in a luxury box per se, incredibly, we were on the same level and had access to some pretty special seats.

I don't think I'll get into the story here, but should you run into me, do ask about the old cracker and the interest he had in my wine glass.

We'd been looking forward to this outing for months and we were pretty much pleased as punch as the game came to a close and we joined the throngs of happy Hawks fans. I don't think they run into too many Canadians that know the basics and intricacies of Aussie Rules and I think we might have even kept up with the Aussies drink for drink.

Where we go from here, who knows?

Miss Jaq Returns

What a surprise! I got a call from the lovely and talented Miss Jaq saying that she was back from Abu Dhabi and, this time, it's for the foreseeable future. Nice surprise for us. Not so sure what surprises are going to be in store for her. She'd decided that the politics of work in the Emirates was proving to be a bit much and that, after ten years of tax-free living, it might be time to give Vancouver another try. As I say, great for us but this might prove interesting for her.

Over the last decade, we've been lucky to see her a couple of times a year. She's always made it home for a bit of a vay-cay in the summer - after all, if you're given some time off in 50+°C weather, who wouldn't come back for a bit of Vancouver summer? - but that short time doesn't allow for more than a couple of dinners and the annual Miss Jaq Wine Picnic.

The girl obviously had some new stories to tell; so, we invited her over here for dinner as soon as she could make it.

1081. 2005 Majella Sparkling Shiraz (Coonawarra - Australia)

Seeing Miss Jaq is always a celebration; so, a little bubble was an appropriate start. With Boo's and my trip to Oz just around the corner, I thought "Why not pop the cork from a winery that we hope to fit into our travels?" I met Brian and Ros Lynn, two of Majella's principals at the recent Vancouver Playhouse Wine Festival and they were among the most pleasant and interesting folk I met through the final weekend of tastings. I loved the Sparkling Shiraz at the Playhouse and I picked up a bottle (since Boo let me off the "No Buy Leash" for the Festival) but it turns out I had an earlier vintage at home and that's where we started.

A bit of an Aussie tradition, this sparkling red is still make in the traditional champenoise method - with bottle fermentation (on the wine's lees - or spent yeast) for close to four years. It is then disgorged and an interesting dosage of vintage Port is added as a bit of a sweetener to the wine. Although not nearly as bubbly as more traditional sparklers, there's a lightness to the big Shiraz that is a wonderful way to a start the evening with appies or to accompany a brunch.

Something tells me I'll be looking for an opportunity to pop a cork on a sparkling shiraz while Down Under.

Despite the new movie, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, neither Mis Jaq nor Boo & I have ventured there. Yemen may be in the same region as the U.A.E., but, quaint movies or not, it's not the safest places to visit. We had to settle for an evening of Eating Salmon on The Drive. Ewen McGregor may not have featured prominently but we did introduce Miss Jaq to an episode of RuPaul's Drag Race afterwards.

1082. 2006 Howling Bluff Pinot Noir (Naramata Bench - Okanagan Valley)

I've been looking forward to opening this bottle of Luke Smith's Pinot for some time now. We've tried Luke's wines at a number of tastings over the years but the only full bottles we've enjoyed have been his Meritage blend, Sin Cera. That's partially because it's generally easier to find the blend in the stores. Indeed, the 2006 vintage was Howling Bluff's first and there were only 120 cases of this Pinot Noir made - and it was next to impossible to find any since it was awarded one of the 2009 Lieutenant-Governor's Award for Excellence in BC Wine.

Luke is quick to tell the story of how he started the winery with a goal of eventually making a world-renowned Bordeaux blend. Having now produced a handful of vintages, he seems agreeably resigned to the fact that Mother Nature appears insistent on pointing him in a completely different direction. Having planted the majority of his Summa Quies vineyard in Bordeaux varietals, Luke is naturally finding that it is his Pinot Noir that is gaining him the most notoriety. Our bottle of the 2006 won him his first L-G's Award, but that was quickly followed up with another in 2011 for the 2009 vintage. To top that off a bit, the 2008 vintage won Wine Access magazine's 2010 Red Wine of the Year award - the first Pinot to ever do so.

Luke has reluctantly reached the conclusion that he needs to wake up and smell the Pinot. That probably won't be that difficult or painful because our wine had a beautiful nose on it - a nose that opened up even more with a second glass, as did the flavour profile. Grafting over or replanting all of his Bordeaux varietals may prove somewhat agonizing, but it's going to result in even more Pinot Noir and different options for Luke - and that can't be a bad thing for the rest of us.

Boo made us a blackberry pie for dessert (perhaps one of his best ever) and I figured the pie called for an accompanying sip of its own.

1083. N.V. Salt Spring Blackberry Port (Gulf Islands - BC)

Surprisingly, I couldn't find out much about the Blackberry Port - other than that it's made from organic blackberries, grown on the Gulf Island, and that it's one of the most popular products that the winery makes. The winery's entire production of wine is limited to about 2000 cases; so, not unlike the Howling Bluff Pinot, I doubt there's much of this to be found. As full of flavour as Boo's blackberry pie, I'm glad we nabbed the bottle that we did.

With Miss Jaq back in Vancouver, we'll hopefully fit in more and more little visits. You just know there'll be some good wines involved. However, with her no longer in Abu Dhabi, I don't know that we'll be heading back to the Emirates any time soon. Guess Boo won't get much opportunity to address his silk carpet jones. That means we'll just have to settle for trips - like Australia - in the mean time. I know. It's tough; but somebody's got to do it.