Chilli Wine and Filmstars

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Late start, wandering around the property and gallery before commencing a tour of the local wineries for Ellie's birthday. We had to visit the local vineyards as this is one of the reasons why the Margaret River is so famous. We were taken to four small wineries in the local region (including Treeton Estate, Bettanay's vineyard & Churchview), sampling a mixture of both white and red wines and ports all grown & bottled locally at each winery. We even tried some chilli Rose which was very nice! We were also given a cheese and olive platter at two of the vineyards to help dilute the alcohol content!

Most of the vineyards came complete with their own vineyard dog in charge of the wine tasting activity. At one of the wineries 'Churchview' we were suddenly informed that we would be starring in a winery DVD sampling their wines, & as a reward for our efforts we were given a gift each. They informed us the Australians are the world leaders in grape taste and aroma analysis, and they all seemed to have good quality chardonnay's. The climate tends to dictate the type of grape that can thrive within an area, and this region is not suited to Pinot Noir growing.

Then the final highlight of the trip was the chocolate factory - which Nick took full opportunity to sample all the chocolate variations! We also bought some delicious chocolate brownies and truffles to celebrate later. Then we headed back to Matan's gallery and spent most of the evening chatting to the lodgers and getting travel tips for Nz. One of the lodgers made Ellie some earrings for her b.d.!

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