Not the standard backpacker day: Gourmet wine tour day

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Tuesday was one of these days we don't do much (which doesn't happen so often). We started the day with a pancake breakfast, with chocolate sirup and banana... (and thanks again Sheli for the recipe!), and spent a few hours at Angie and Gordon's to read about the North island and plan ahead.
Then we went to the "Gardens of the World" in Hope, a town near Nelson. We found it in the Lonely Planet but it seems that nobody heard of this place, even in the info in Nelson they didn't know what we were talking about... Anyway it was a lovely garden with trees and plants from different areas in the world.
We had big expectations from dinner in the "mussel boys" in Havelock, after having eaten the chowder there a few days ago. But it seems that the chowder is the best thing there. Or maybe green mussels and not as good as the black ones we have at home. And desert was REALLY dissapointing.
At least on Wednesday all that was forgotten with a great yummie day, our wine tour. We booked the best wine tour, that includes also a gourmet lunch in a place called "Cellier Le Brun" - with a name like that they must be good! Luckily, we had a private tour as nobody else booked that day. A good start, isn't it?
In the first winery we got a tour in their Pinot Noir facility, with interesting explanation about their wine making, and some good tasting. Their Pinot Noir reserve was the highlight of the wines in the tour. In the 2nd place we got to see also the grapes - first time I see the difference between wine grapes to the grapes we normally eat, and also different types of wine grapes - they had more than 10 and we were allowed to try them. We also did some tasting there, with some explanations about the relation between food and wine - for example we tasted a Chardonai, then had some feta cheese and then the wine again - it does taste differently. You're welcome to try at home!
The next place was the Cellier Le Brun. We tasted some "methode traditionelle" (they were sued for calling it Champagne, so that's the name of their sparkling wine), and had a great lunch.
The last place was a German winery with the first underground cellar in NZ, and there we got interesting explanation of the making of a "champagne" in the traditional way. We also tasted their desert wine, and even though I don't like sweet wines so much, I found this one so excellenet that I decided to spend 33.5 NZ$ (~100 Shekels) on a half bottle!

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Photos

In the rose garden
I told Erez right at the beginning that I don't like pictures of me and since then he is doing his best to change my mind!

Posing for the camera...
Again as a part of the same effort. And just because we were waiting for the tour guys to pick us up

Fisrt undergroud cellar in NZ
In Johanneshof winery

Comments

[anonymous]

Have fun
It seems you have a great time. Don't forget to think about us, Gilad - Gilad

[Anat]

To Gilad
You are right, I do! And I don't forget to think about all of you...