Day 3 in Adelaide.....Monday is Wine Tour day!!

Well hello again from a rather windy South Australia! Plenty of toupe tape needed last night and a thermal blanket would not have gone amiss.....

But I get ahead of myself, let me get onto the shenanigans of Monday, which saw the introduction of V to a wine tour (and a rather early hangover!!)

As I mentioned the day started with the dinging of the level crossing bells, the rumble of the train, some bedbound blogging and V commenting that this blog must have had more hits than the others as there was now a handsome man in the pictures to look at.  May have a point.....

There followed the naked surprise for the commuters,  and before we knew it there was a knock on the door and the gorgeous Carrie and Tracey arrived to whisk us off into the McClaren vale to sample some of its wares.... namely wine.  I have to say it was rather nice opening the door of a house in this distant land and inviting guests inside to look around.  Could get used to it.....

Tracey had drawn the short straw this time round and was designated driver, something which I have to say I would find excruciatingly difficult given the fact we would be visiting places giving out free wine all day, but as she commented she has had her fair share of partaking and rolling down hills (please reference previous blogs for evidence!!) and now it was Carries turn to sit in the back seat giggling and shoving crisps down her neck with me (more on that later.....).

V took his place in the front seat and we headed out into the beautiful countryside as the vines appeared and headed for our first stop, the visitor centre.  Now there are visitor centres and there are visitor centres, and the best visitor centres are those that not only give you a map to tell you where the wines are grown, but also give you the wine.....result.

So 4 wines tasted and one bought it was time to head out to our first (but now technically our second) stop which was closed. as was the second (that was technically the third) so the third (the forth if you get what I mean) was an unscheduled stop in the middle of a housing estate at the wonderful Scarpetonysomething (I can never remember how to spell it and can't be bothered to google it) to pick up a bottle of bargain sparkling red for Theresa.  And it would have been rude not to try some too.

The onto number 4/5 Dog Ridge where we sampled even more gorgeous fermented squashed grapes along with the customary wine and oily dip before departing a little wobbly onwards and upwards to our lunch stop, the beautiful Beach Road.

It was amazing in March and it was just amazing in October, if not a little more chilly but over more wine and rather a yummy sharing platter (yes you did read that right, I SHARED A PLATTER) and pizza all round we soaked up the view and swapped stories and laughter before being told the chef had given up and gone home so we were left with ice cream for pudding and a giggly wobbly walk back to the car. This is where the crisp-shoving-in-face then occured,

By now it was kicking out time at the cellar doors so we meandered back to Seacliff with V nodding off in the front seat and Tracey responding to our requests to take the bends just a little more sharply so that we could laugh at his head wobbling perilously close to the windows.  Direct hit at least once.....thank you Tracey for your skillful driving abilities.

Goodbyes said and wine retrieved from the boot I nagged V into not falling into a wine enduced slumber on the sofa and we headed out to our local for the sunset and a game of pool.

Now nothing screams pommy tourist more that sitting on a veranda in a force ten gale watching the sun slip stunningly down behind the clouds,  but watch it we did whilst our fingers stuck to our icy pints of ale before giving in to the need to thaw out and heading back inside.

After purchasing 2 portions of wedges that would have fed at least 8 people and eating less than half, we slipped the remainder into several serviettes and headed for home to sleep off the wine.

And sleep it off we finally did and now I sit here at the end of day 4 (well actually the early hours of day 5) with another 24 hours of capers to report on.  But that has to wait as all good things come to those that do, so wait you shall.  Until then my constant and faithful followers....

TTFN xx