We left our bed and breakfast at Knophill late yesterday morning with a view to catching Wicked Cheese just outside of Richmond when they opened at 10am. The tasting started with three soft cheeses (double cream brie, goat blue, and camembert) then six or eight hard cheeses, and finally three yogurt cheeses marinated in olive oil and various seasonings. We came away with a supply to do us for a few days, which is good because where we are now there is absolutely no good food...
Except at the wineries, which are plentiful. The first is just after Richmond where we spent a few hours browsing the shops, drinking coffee and tasting whiskey...not necessarily in that order. But we held off on wine until we arrived in Swansea and checked in to our room at Redcliffe House. The bottleshop was still open so we picked up wine and sat in the charming guest lounge and indulged in both the wine and several cheeses.
Today we earned our wine tasting by first climbing up the trail to overlook Wineglass Bay. In the pictures it's crystal clear, but today it was covered in white caps which explains why our boat tour was cancelled and we had to walk up to the viewpoint instead. We stretched out our aching knees on a short (flat) walk (not to be confused with a short flat white which is what you order at the espresso bar if you want a latte without foam) along the coast to a lighthouse, then checked out of Freycinet National Park and headed for the wineries. We stopped at two on the way back to Swansea. The first was Devil's Corner, a casual winery/ cafe/ coffee bar combo with spectacular views over their vineyards and Oyster Bay. We tasted three whites (all good) and thai coconut mussels, and downed an espresso before heading to Milton Winery just a few kms up from here. The tasting room and cafe are in an old house, well decked out with wood furnishings, overlooking the lake and vineyard. No pretense here and the wines are delicious. Soft and mellow on the finish, smooth to the end. There's no bitterness or acidity--just long soft fruit. And I finally got a pinot noir with some muskiness. They've been pretty lame until this one. Given the cool evenings and hot sun during the day they grow lots of pinot noir and lots of riesling, two of my favourites, so it was a good day of tasting.
Dinner was forgettable-- pretty much awful. To start, it was totally self serve. You order at the counter, pick up when you are paged. Which would be fine if it hadn't been at premium prices. Next they'll be asking us to clear our own tables too.
Tomorrow we head north then west to a small town near Cradle Mountain. I'd like to stop and see the glow worms at Mole Creek. I asked Margaret if she had ever seen them and she said not, "but I've been one". And then she started singing, along with the Mills Brothers. Have a listen. I can only say that this had to be before I was born but I'm sure someone out there will remember her little black pantaloons...
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