Our first stop of the day was Harry’s Tap Room for a fortifying breakfast to see us through the day. Harry’s is a bar/restaurant in Clarendon that I’ve not been to before that I liked very much. The food was delicious and the mimosa was excellent.
Our departure time of 11 o’clock came and went with no sign of our ride and by 11.45 most of us were starting to think we would have to wine taste out of a local liquor store. Typically we were half way through our drinks back in Harry’s when the car arrived.
Kudos to Dan and Pete for organizing the limo - but remind me never to use that firm again – 50 minutes late and impossible to contact.The interior of the limo was top class though the volume of tissues and the provision of towels had us slightly worried. Unfortunately transport seemed to be our downfall on the day as we hit extensive road works on our way out to the first winery that meant our outbound journey took over two hours and we realized we had nothing to drink with us.
Following a torturous journey with bad jokes, questionable music, but excellent company we arrived at our first winery and stepped out of the limo into a sun drenched world with rows of vines heavy with grapes all around us.
Our first winery was the Mediterranean Cellars and after desperate restroom breaks we were ready to get to the serious business of wine tasting. Chardonnays, Romances,
Cabernets and Merlots flowed as we each tried each of their wines. The lady who served the wine was chatty and friendly and while not especially knowledgeable about the processes involved in making the wine did share some interesting anecdotes about the winery and its history.
To be honest I was not especially fond of any of their wines as almost all of them had very high tannin contents, but not allowing this to ruin what looked like turning into an excellent day we took a glass or two out on the front porch and enjoyed the sunshine while discussing the virtues of various politicians.
Realizing that our time was flying, we quickly took the precaution of purchasing a few bottles of wine for the road and headed off to our second winery of the day.
Unicorn Winery was by far my favourite, not just for the wine (though their Traminette proved to be the wine I liked best on the day), but also the location as it was nestled in a quiet spot away from traffic with a river running by and a deck that looked out over a tranquil pond. Their service was friendly and entertaining and by then the wine had begun to flow and everyone was in a merry mood.
Gray Ghost was our final winery of the day and as the day was running out we were a little rushed. That said the staff were exceptionally friendly and the lady who served us kept up a steady banter that was entertaining. Seeming more commercial than the other two they none the less make some very nice wines, the Victorian White was particularly pleasant.
The journey back was swift and direct, though by that point I believe we were tipsy enough not to mind how long it took. Arriving back in Clarendon Aly and Joshua were kind enough to open their home to the half drink winos we had become and provide an excellent meal with delicious kebabs - my heartfelt thanks to them (are they still running the marathon?).
It was an excellent day, though next time I think it would be good to plan in a stop for lunch. Thanks again to Pete and Dan for organizing and everyone who came along you helped make it an excellent day.
In addition the photos included in this blog my other snapshots of the day can be located here.
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