HUNTER VALLEY

Trip to the Hunter Valley and a plan to stay overnight so we can enjoy sampling some of the wine.  We were booked into Pokolbin Village which turned out to be very convenient for most of the Vineyards.  We had dinner in an award winning Italian restaurant.  It really was first class - food and wine! We went for breakfast to a little cafe recommended by the hotel and it turned out to be in the Pepper Creek vineyard where Neill and Ally got married last time I was here.  That was a nice trip down Memory Lane.  When we walked round Pepper Creek I did notice that the ground was very dry despite the fact that it was drizzling a bit at the the time. On to the real purpose of the day and  a Vineyard Tour. We got the works from a view of the vines and an explanation of types of grape, soil, climate etc.  We picked some black grapes which were a Shiraz variety. The region is most famous for Semillion or Pinot Noir because of the climate but they do experiment with other varieties. I was fascinated to see that they grow roses at the end of the rows or other plants between the vines to attract the insects and to avoid unnecessary spraying. We then had a tour of the fermentation vats and saw the whole process from crushing grapes through to storing in the barrels. The large oak casks cost as much as $3000.   There was only one drawback to the tour, it started at 10.30 and that is just a tad too early for wine tasting but I did my best. My Merlot will never be glugged down again! We had a detour on the way home to visit the Central Coast where quite a few people live and commute to Sydney.  We had a walk round The Entrance. so called because there is an inlet from the sea which feeds the large salt water Tuggerah lakes.  The famous attraction there is the colony of pelicans which they feed every afternoon at 3pm. Unfortunately we were too late to see it but you can have a look. http://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/central-coast/wyong-area/the-entrance/attractions/pelican-feeding-at-the-entrance

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