wines
my feelings while in Melbourne have been overall positive but there is turbulence as well...some days are just 'blah'. but okay so maybe thats normal. overall im good, i have my rhythm, getting up around 9, working more or less (being part time, usually less...). watching a bit of tv on my computer - i tried the tv in our room but the reruns of Frasier and Friends get tiring and the rest is shopping channels and other horrible shit. when doctor and melis get off work we either cook at home and eat hang out in the common area, or go out for dinner & drinks, not all together all the time though, maybe 60/40 me and doctor spending more time together.
on monday we went to a vineyard tour in Yarra Valley which is known for producing most of the premium wines in the area, i learned. the area is focused on chardonnay and pinot noir, which are still just words for me... but it was an educating day, i took it all in and smelling and tasting wines side by side or one right after another really made their differences obvious.
tasting bars were nice, just point at things in the menu and have a sip. i smainly ampled the sweeter white wines of the 4 wineries we visited.
i was quite excited abut the sparkling wines of Chandon winery since its a company under Moët & Chandon. certainly tasty stuff and great views from the property.
rose bushes are planted in front of rows of vines to indicate if there are problems like fungus or something - cos they hit the roses first.
actual grapes. not the same u buy from the supermarket...
it was a very cool experience, i could certainly smell, and even taste, differences. but its not stuff that i can remember and refer to, nor do i need to. at one of the boutique wineries the owner went on to a long speech about how properly aged wine develops in the grape, oak barrel (MUST be french oak) and the bottle, and how a 15 dollar (10 eur) wine has certainly not seen a real oak barrell nor aged naturally - and thats an atrocity. made me think of the 4 liter 9 dollar (6 eur) box wine i had waiting at home in the fridge. to be honest, coming home it still tasted just as delicious. i guess it didnt have that oaky smell but i dont really mind... its really fruity & easy!
i did ask what would happen if the oak came from the belgian side of the border, they must have some of the same oak breeds over there. but our wine expert could not say. so i remain a little bit skeptical about this 'special french oak'. and overall, us humans have made probably all of our guilty pleasures into an art form, from cigars to whiskeys to wine... sure, things can be developed and varieties tweaked, buuuut... i mean, yeah wines taste different, but it is known that even sommeliers can mix a cheap wine to an expensive one, and peoples image of a wines taste if affected by the bran/price/label and whatever else. i think its just important that you find what u like and go with that. and if all the options seem bad or you cannot tell the difference, then picking the cheapest is good option...
great sceneries no question.
wagyu beef cheek lunch at a winery restaurant. huge piece of meat. huge. i dont know what this 'wagyu' is, but it seems popular here.
Queen Victoria market also has wineries selling their products. u can try and test and there ar liqueurs and whatnot. in finland it would never be allowed because RULES. and omg what would happen? u know, something terrible could happen, so, lets just not, u know, allow anything. hehe.
anyway we go a small bottle of honey vodka, it was really tasty :D
Moomba festival last sunday by the Yarra river.
the bar under the bridg is cool. and packed on sunny days.
love locks on the bridge!
its been a month now since we arrived. another one to go...and we still have quite a few things on the to do list. we better utilize the weekends to the fullest especially. i think some of the things will be left out but ideally this is the to do list:
-beach trip somewhere
-great ocean road
-Ararat
-Melbourne museum
-state library
today is my birthday and we r planning to go to an outdoor cinema in the evening, there is one that is showing one of my all time favorites; Breakfast Club. hopefully it wont rain...
on monday we went to a vineyard tour in Yarra Valley which is known for producing most of the premium wines in the area, i learned. the area is focused on chardonnay and pinot noir, which are still just words for me... but it was an educating day, i took it all in and smelling and tasting wines side by side or one right after another really made their differences obvious.
tasting bars were nice, just point at things in the menu and have a sip. i smainly ampled the sweeter white wines of the 4 wineries we visited.
i was quite excited abut the sparkling wines of Chandon winery since its a company under Moët & Chandon. certainly tasty stuff and great views from the property.
rose bushes are planted in front of rows of vines to indicate if there are problems like fungus or something - cos they hit the roses first.
it was a very cool experience, i could certainly smell, and even taste, differences. but its not stuff that i can remember and refer to, nor do i need to. at one of the boutique wineries the owner went on to a long speech about how properly aged wine develops in the grape, oak barrel (MUST be french oak) and the bottle, and how a 15 dollar (10 eur) wine has certainly not seen a real oak barrell nor aged naturally - and thats an atrocity. made me think of the 4 liter 9 dollar (6 eur) box wine i had waiting at home in the fridge. to be honest, coming home it still tasted just as delicious. i guess it didnt have that oaky smell but i dont really mind... its really fruity & easy!
i did ask what would happen if the oak came from the belgian side of the border, they must have some of the same oak breeds over there. but our wine expert could not say. so i remain a little bit skeptical about this 'special french oak'. and overall, us humans have made probably all of our guilty pleasures into an art form, from cigars to whiskeys to wine... sure, things can be developed and varieties tweaked, buuuut... i mean, yeah wines taste different, but it is known that even sommeliers can mix a cheap wine to an expensive one, and peoples image of a wines taste if affected by the bran/price/label and whatever else. i think its just important that you find what u like and go with that. and if all the options seem bad or you cannot tell the difference, then picking the cheapest is good option...
great sceneries no question.
wagyu beef cheek lunch at a winery restaurant. huge piece of meat. huge. i dont know what this 'wagyu' is, but it seems popular here.
Queen Victoria market also has wineries selling their products. u can try and test and there ar liqueurs and whatnot. in finland it would never be allowed because RULES. and omg what would happen? u know, something terrible could happen, so, lets just not, u know, allow anything. hehe.
anyway we go a small bottle of honey vodka, it was really tasty :D
love locks on the bridge!
its been a month now since we arrived. another one to go...and we still have quite a few things on the to do list. we better utilize the weekends to the fullest especially. i think some of the things will be left out but ideally this is the to do list:
-beach trip somewhere
-great ocean road
-Ararat
-Melbourne museum
-state library
today is my birthday and we r planning to go to an outdoor cinema in the evening, there is one that is showing one of my all time favorites; Breakfast Club. hopefully it wont rain...
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