Quick Facts:
From Adelaide, South Australia to Melbourne, Victoria.
The People: One American, one Italian, and one Frenchman – All Winos.
The Cars: 1985 Nissan Pulsar and a 1980 Holden Cruiser Van.
The Arsenal: 60 bottles of wine from Margarette River, Langhorne Creek and Coonawarra.
Just over 24 hours into the road trip to Melbourne, and nestled into tonight’s hotsel in the Grampians National Park. Yesterday’s adventure included wine tasting in Langhorne Creek, a night in the pub in Robe, South Australia that ended up with a late night dinner at the home of an Austrlian-Italian chef with some homemade wine. After eating some muscles with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc for lunch today, we pushed west through wine country and into Grampiens National Park.
And the highlight of today’s drive (aside from almost hitting a kangaroo) was most certainly the Coonawarra wine region. Coonawarra is cool climate wine region in South Australia, and is regarded as one of the top growing regions for Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. It is the home to just over 20 wineries, all settled along the Riddoch highway, giving it a minature Napa Valley feel – Without the pretentiousness.
The highlight of the trip was tasting at Patrick T Wines, a producer of premium reds at not so premium prices. Their 2004 Shiraz is the best Shiraz I have tasted in Australia thus far, and is only $18 a bottle. Unfortunately they do not export to the US yet, but between what I tasted today I will go as far as to strongly suggest picking up a Coonawarra Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon if you happen to see one in the liquor store. The wines I have tasted here show a character and complexity that I have yet to see in Australian wine until today, but at very reasonable prices.
