Once we get out of bed and open the very efficient blockout blinds we are greeted with an overcast morning, but with spots of clear skies. It is meant to get to 22 degrees with the chance of showers, but given we are going to winery-hop in the Tamar Valley today, we are not at all concerned.
We are still preparing our own breakfasts - me for one will never tire of these amazing raspberries (almost finished ðŸ˜) to add to our fruit toast. Not only does it save money, it also saves time - which is our main priority. There are a number of people in the carpark below us eating delicacies from the Rosevears bakery. We can vouch for the freshness and tastiness!
The days left are gallopping by. There is still so much to see and do, and so little time to do it in. Breakfast underway, I grab the Wine Trail booklet to decide on 2 - 4 wineries to visit. Now, Gen is no a big win drinker and to date has restricted her choices to very sweet varieties such as Moscato. So today might be a bit testing for her. For the last few years, my driving restrictions have meant that I have been able to continue to imbibe as now, there is always someone else doing the driving! But on this trip, I am feeling a little sorry for Gen as she is doing all the driving. On previous holidays, I have always enjoyed being the one behind the wheel as I am sure some of my past travelling compatriots can attest! Not mentioning anyone Helen and Donna!!
Anyway, this morning we leave Rosevears and are heading towards the south. As we join the highway a few kilometres from the hotel, the first thing that we see on the road is the signage advising that there are cyclists in the area. We know first hand, having followed a number of cyclists for kilometres in areas where passing visibiity is poor. The yellow road sign shows two cyclists riding abreast. And that is exactly how they ride. Too bad the powers that be did not think to depict those same two cyclists RIDING IN SINGLE FILE! But for every storm there is a silver lining and the silver lining to being trapped behind cyclists driving at about 20 kph, is that you have more time to be observant of the little things that you pass. Like the tired agapanthus, drooping along the borders of garden beds, bereft of their colour and vim , tired and spent. Or the way that the clouds part momentarily to allow the sunlight to dance across the waters of the body of water that is the Tamar River, and not some bay. Like the extra detail that the man cleaning the exterior of his truck is doing. Instead of just using his gerni to water blast the behemoth that no doubt provides his living, he is up on a step ladder, hose in one hand, rag in the other, polishing the chrome around the edge of the windscreen - that's dedication. Like the passion and power of the footy players on the field that we hurry past (once we're passed the cyclist!)
This morning I took the last of my Panadol Osteo. This is probably the gentlest of the drugs I take daily and is useful as it allows me to limit the stronger pain-killers to an as-need basis. Now, given the problems that we had trying to fill my Qld written prescriptions, we are not sure whether we will be able to buy them over the counter, or whether we will need to get another script written here in Tasmania. Turns out, this is an easy one. You can buy them over the counter, with no record taken, AND for about 2/3 the cost of supply in Queensland where a record is kept of supply and questions asked if you need them more frequently than what a pharmacist might think you should. Go figure, there is no rhyme or reason to the lack of consistency. We decide that before we leave Launceston that we will buy a couple of extra boxes as spares.
So we are now through the City Centre. We are heading south on the Tamar Valley Wine Trail. Last night I had a quick look through the Wine Trails Tasmania 2022 booklet that we picked up a few days ago. The booklet divides the state into four major wine regions. For each region, it explores the region geographically, climatically and soil typing and the impact these have on the fruit and resultant wines, as well as supporting producers and non-wine things to see and do. The Tamar Valley includes the Tamar Valley, Pipers River and Launceston. There are 17 wineries listed in the Tamar Valley region, and we do not have enough time to do them all, so I have selected:
1. Josef Chromy Wines in Relbia (most southerly and because I really enjoyed the glass I had at Stillwater Restaurant last night;
2. Clover Hill Wines in Lebrina in the north east of the region as they specialise in sparkling wines;
3. Pipers Brook Vineyard north of Clover Hill and the one i had heard of before visiting the region; and finally
4. Jansz Tasmania which is adjacent to Pipers Brook.
A number of the unvisited wineries are open by appointment only and we do not have the time to commit. I am just glad to get to these ones!
At Josef Chromy, you must book a tasting, which we have not. The only vacancy they have is for 2:15pm today, and so a little dejectedly, I turn to leave. But once a salesman, always a salesman and the lady who we had been speaking with had another alternative (of course!). While a tasting was not possible, we could sit on the terrace and have a glass of wine with a cheese plate. I am so glad we did. I convinced Gen to swap out her Moscato for a Reisling and I had a Chardonnay. The cheese plate was amazing - a Brie, a blue and a cheddar from the region along with some of the amazing leatherwood honey (we are on the hunt for some to bring home) fruits fresh and dried, candied nuts, home-made crispbread and dried fruit-bread. The wine was truly delicious and Gen conceded that perhaps with a bit of training, her palate might be able to be trained to enjoy other wines! Watching the tastings underway, I can understand the need for bookings. They are held for no more than 4 people per wine advisor who sits with them in conversation rather than just presenting wines by a glass. They walk the grounds, explaining the varietals and the outcomes. As well as wine and cheeses, Tasmania also grows a wide variety of nuts and just beside us, beyond the path is a beautiful hazelnut tree. Like many quality producers, the grounds are just beautiful. Manicured lawns are dotted with flower beds and named mature trees. The aerator pond is home to a black swan pair and any number of ducks. There is a clutch of native hens (Turbo chooks as Gen calls them) scratching away around the base of the vines for any wriggly tasty morsels.
On to Clover Hill, a 45 minute drive away. We skirt the forests on the drive and can smell the leatherwood on the air. It is such a dominating scent and explains the abundance of bees that we see everywhere we stop the car. The Cellar Door for Clover Hill comes in to view after you turn a corner and pass a huge tree. Architecturally speaking, it is stunning! I would not be surprise to find the architect was the same as the one used at MONA. Stark and striking, it is still sympathetic to its environment. The hard materials - sandstone, weathered steel and timber are softened by crushed sandstone paths, lawns filled (I assume deliberately) with clover, and trees and shrubs in the grey tones of sage and olive groves. We walk through HUGE automatic glass doors to find a tasting room cum lunch room - they do a shared cheese plate or a six course degustation menu only - that looks out over the vines down into the valley beyond. The autumn afternoon light glows gold over the changing colours of the trees and vines - Gen comments often how she loves the changing colours of nature here in autumn, as do I. There are also a number of beautiful bronze statues - a farmer and his dog just inside the front gate and next to the cellar door is a stunning large wedge-tail eagle landing, talons extended as she reaches her perch.
Tastings here do not require a booking, and are presented as a more 'traditionl' tasting. As Gen is driving we decide that we will share a tasting as the full six-sample tasting is equivalent to 1.6 standard drinks (and she has already had one glass). To compensate, she also orders a pot of French Earl Grey Tea - her favourite that she has not had since we left home. The shared cheese plate is very different to the one we finished only a little while ago. There is a french baked brie with shaved pumpkin curls, a creamy blue and an aged Bay of Fires cheddar.
Clover Hills specialise in sparkling wines and the standard tasting is 6 wines. We begin with a non-vintage Rose and finished with a Cuvee Exceptionnelle that was splendid. There were two other wines not included in the tasting in the sparkling range plus a rage of still wines. But it is sparkling wines that are their speciality. I just can't pass up the chance to taste their not-included Exceptionnelle Blanc de Blancs so purchase a glass. Great move! Now I may have (or may not have, asif!!) joined their Cellar Door Club for a minimum of two deliveries per annum. The first delivery is timed to reach home about the same time we will, so remember, keep Saturday 23 April free!!!! I'm having a celebration of all things Tasmanian.
Our next stop was at Pipers Brook Vineyard - the only Tamar Valley winery that I had heard about before arriving in the region. Their cellar door sits dead in the centre of the vineyard. You weave in and out of the rows of un-named vines following small timber signage. As we pull in to the carpark, there are a couple of families. Gen comments that she can't understand why people would bring children to such a venue - and really, I have to agree with her. There is little to keep a child interested and occupied, and we all know what bored kids are like!
By now we have had our fill of cheeses for the day and are actually craving something sweet. The kitchen at Nadines at Pipers Restaurant is closing, but they do offer a Brownie with berries, cream and ice-cream. It was just what we were looking for! This cellar door is much more casual and they offer a bit of everything. You self select the wines you wish to try which are listed under red, white and then sparkling, which to me seems back to front! Again, given that Gen is driving, we opt to share one wine-tasting. I select the Ninth Island Rose sparkling, then the Ninth Island Reisling and Pipers Tasmania Pinot Grigio to be followed by the New Certan Pinot Noir. That in particular was a very nice drop. I bought a bottle to share with Andrew and Meredith when they arrive at the end of next week, and a bottle of the Pinot Grigio. Hope that they are in a tasting mood - lol!
We could have also visited Jansz Tasmania as they share the land with Pipers Brook, but the cellar doors are closing, so we miss out.
Still, I am comfortably mellowed and am happy to head back into Launceston and Rosevears. We have not yet eaten at the restaurant here and have decided that we will do so tonight. The trip back seems longer than the same one out, and Gen is tiring of the driving (and being in and out of the car repetedly). While we were at Pipers Brook, we phoned and booked dinner for tomorrow night at Alina at Penny Royal. We are doing a Tamar River Cruise and will explore a little of the Cataract Gorge site after the cruise. Our time here is fast coming to an end. Off to the Bay of Fires on Tuesday before Freycinet on Wednesday and then back to Hobart.
Just after 6pm we head down to the Rosevears Hotel, below the units, and walk through to the restaurant. We did not book, as we didn't want to have to cancel a booking a second time if we couldn't fit dinner in! There are a few cars in the car-park, but nothing like that of Friday or last night. Still, the waiter explains that they are almost fully booked and that he can only offer us a table in the rear and up a couple of steps. No problem - we can make that work. The menu is a mix of restaurant and pub food. I choose to have a steak, my first since I have arrived in tasmania. Knowing that I won't be able to finish it, Gen chooses a Marguerite Pizza. Just as well she did, because I could not finish all my meal. The steak, pan-fried field mushrooms with mash and wilted spinach was delicious. Gen enjoyed what was left of the steak. Desserts looked too good to pass up and I had a Turkish Delight Pavlova with cream and persian fairy floss (a tiny amount) and Gen chose the Salted Caramel Popcorn Sundae. Both were deliciously sickly.
Its off to bed now, we have an earlier start tomorrow!
