Yarra Valley Wine Tour

If July was like an action movie full of crazy travel adventures, late nights with friends, and the typical drama family can provide, August was like a David Attenborough documentary on mammals. We were spent after our trip home! August was recovery. The weather in Melbourne during August is miserable. Think gray, drizzle, cold, windy... the opposite of the warm, sunny, humid summer weather we had just been teased with in the US. The first weekend back was the typical catch up. The second weekend, Melissa started to get antsy. By the end of the month, I had been put to the task to find something for us to do on the weekend, "or else."

I had eyed a guided wine tour of the neighboring Yarra Valley when we first moved here. Melissa feigned interest... drinking wine all day, good; confined to a tour bus with total Aussie strangers, not good. With Melissa in Sydney all week, I made the bold move and scheduled us on the tour departing from Federation Square at 9:30 Saturday morning. We decided that we needed to practice prior to the tour so Friday night we made sure to indulge in a mix of good beer, wine, and food. Although we were warmed up for the wine tour, the early wake-up to was a draw back. We rallied, made the bus on time - thanks to a timely taxi - and were immediately entertained (=annoyed) by a birthday party excursion on our bus.

I was rewarded for this bold move with sun and warmth. Probably the nicest weekend weather since Autumn. [Good work Sean!] The tour was great! And that's not just me talking, Melissa will agree. Our guide Orson was extremely wine-literate and in a typical Aussie way was more than happy to give guidance and answer questions. Most on the tour - including Orson - were interested in our story. Surprisingly enough, people are very interested in what brings American's to Melbourne. We've got 'the story' down so we can rattle it off in little time. We started at Yering Station where we were encouraged to 'spit' liberally. Try to aim for the spittoon, but no worries if you miss! We picked up a couple of bottles. We then moved onto Rochford for a tasting lesson and a great lunch. Rochford also has fudge tasting. These guys are smart! Get 'em liquored, feed them a good meal, and then introduce fresh made fudge... why didn't I think of that. We picked up a couple peices. We moved onto a smaller winery Yering Farm. We finished at Domain Chandon - the opposite of Yering Farm. This mega-winery focuses on the bubbley - a new favorite of Melissa's. Needless to say, we walked out of there with a few bottles.

The ride home was not without its adventure. Midway through the hour-long drive, the girls in the birthday party all announced they needed a pit stop - they were not going to be able to make it back to the city. Orson, the nice guy that he is, found a respectable gas station along the way and the girls were happy. The entertainment value of these girls made the trip all that more enjoyable. We were returned to the city, full of wine, happy to have challenged our comfort zone and amazed by the great experience. [this trip was also a scouting mission for the upcoming Bailey's trip to Oz... more to come soon!]