It’s been a busy week or so for us, stuffed with sporting occasions, journeys to the Hunter Valley (I do know, robust life, proper) and hobnobbing with celebrities.
But from all of this, we’ve received some glorious suggestions for you on Hunter Valley cellar door experiences to strive, the right way to discover locations to remain within the area and even the place to rent a go well with of chainmail armour!
Jim & Christina x
Tonight, we’re out at our native to look at the semifinal of the Women’s World Cup–the a lot anticipated Australia vs England recreation.
With me coming from England and Christina being Australian, it’s going to be attention-grabbing for us, regardless of who wins. I’m on the bar, so I’m smiling. Will I nonetheless be smiling by the tip of the 90?
Things aren’t trying good for the Matildas with England dominating a lot of the possession. The temper within the pub continues to be good although, particularly after Sam Kerr’s miracle purpose.
It hasn’t turned out properly for the Aussies with the Lionesses taking the opposite spot within the ultimate towards Spain.
To make herself really feel higher, Christina turns her consideration to the native superstar within the pub. This is Pixel Osbourne Morningstar. How good is he?!
This little nugget hasn’t received an Instagram account (but), however what do you anticipate from one thing that’s the dimensions of an EFTPOS machine?
I’m at Snog the Frog costume store in Surry Hills gathering my outfit for the weekend, and this little fella’s serving to me with my reserving.
What’s the outfit for? Well, let me present you!
Yup. That’s me. We’re within the Hunter Valley for a Medieval banquet that our pal Lisa McGuigan is throwing at her cellar door, Vamp.
Check out our evaluate of this distinctive vineyard right here.
Vamp is superb–decked out with all types of Medieval artefacts, helmets, armour and even curtains of actual chainmail that part off the VIP cubicles.
The theme of this fancy gown celebration makes good sense.
There’s a photograph sales space on the celebration too, so in fact, we hop in with our new pals that we shared a cab with to get to the vineyard.
And clearly we’ve to have a few shot on our personal.
Halfway by the feast, we’re entertained by two knights hacking lumps out of one another in a formidable show.
I’m fortunate sufficient to be sat subsequent to the superstar VIP for the celebration and one in every of Lisa’s private pals: Kemahl!
He’s an enchanting man with unimaginable tales and I get to talk with him for the entire night. Even after dinner, after we transfer to the bar, Kemahl and I simply hang around sharing a yarn and a glass of Lisa’s glorious Spartacus Shiraz.
And after a formidable rendition for the entire celebration of Old Man River, Kemahl sits again down to talk to talk with simply me and Christina.
It’s been an superior night time, however that’s precisely what we anticipated from Lisa. I don’t assume she is aware of the right way to throw a foul celebration.
This afternoon, we’re enjoyable over a glass of wine in our villa at Ironbark Hill Estate.
Booked by Weekenda, an lodging web site particularly for the Hunter area. It’s a good way to seek out locations to remain within the space which might be higher than most belongings you’ll discover on AirBnB and is regionally owned too.
This pretty, non-public cottage has a full kitchen-diner and lounge, in addition to a again veranda that faces out over a dam. The acreage right here is so fairly, and as spring is making its manner into the yr, the cherry blossoms are out too.
But even higher than that, not far up the drive is the Ironbark Hill Brewery, making its personal glorious beers and serving scrumptious meals too.
As properly because the brewery, Peter Drayton Wines have their cellar door onsite too!
Of course, it will be impolite to not, so we’ve a beer paddle every to style a few of Ironbark Hill’s brews, then do a fast wine tasting as properly!
If you haven’t tried Ironbark Hill’s beers or Peter Drayton Wines, you’re lacking out.
Our recommendation: ebook a cottage right here, then spend a day having fun with the meals, beer and wine on provide right here. The added bonus is you don’t have to fret about driving to get dwelling!
When in wine nation, you drink wine. It is sensible, doesn’t it.
But earlier than we get caught into just a few wineries, we determine to comply with our pals’ advice and pop into Jimmy Joans.
It’s a surprisingly huge and really busy eatery in Lovedale. It’s received an excellent native vibe with plenty of households having fun with the solar right here. The meals menu is full of tempting choices (I’ve received my eye on the scotch egg) and a few good beers on faucet too.
Definitely price testing subsequent time you’re within the Hunter.
Our first vineyard cease, we’re excited to go to John Wallace Wines, not removed from Jimmy Joans. We’ve been wanting to come back right here because it opened final yr.
It’s the child of our pal Richard Done, who’s the pinnacle winemaker at Bimbadgen Estate in Pokolbin. Somehow, Rich can be making his personal wine on the identical time and has created this stunning house to promote it.
Rich takes us by his full assortment of critically good wine (his Sisters Chardonnay and BPD Shiraz are spectacular) and we sit and chew the fats for some time. I really like speaking to him about how he makes wine. He’s so trustworthy and sensible, but additionally extremely humble too.
Soon sufficient, Richard’s fiancee Beth, their two pretty little daughters and the household canine Tilly arrive, we get to see the entire household unit – warms the center.
If you’re in search of a small, family-owned vineyard with a cellar door that appears like dwelling and whose wine will make you wish to take up consuming professionally, you’ve received to move to John Wallace Wines on Palmers Lane in Rothbury simply north of Pokolbin and Lovedale.
Next cease is to Brokenwood – dwelling of the famed Graveyard Shiraz, a perennial contender for the perfect wine in Australia.
We’ve been that means to come back right here for ages because the multi-million greenback refurb to the cellar door, however by no means fairly made it.
The tasting we do is superb – attention-grabbing and scrumptious. But it’s nowhere close to as private as John Wallace Wines. The tasting room is a sequence of hoop bars, every of which has a member of employees within the center. You ebook in your tasting time on the entrance desk after which are ceremoniously taken by to your seat at a bar.
The fundamental tasting is $25 per particular person, none of which doesn’t come off any purchases, and also you strive seven wines. It’s a fantastic cellar door, and it is an excellent expertise, however a bit impersonal and costlier than most.
Our final wine cease for the day is simply subsequent door to McGuigan Wines.
This Hunter Valley icon has been going for many years and is a straightforward should – particularly for those who’re new to the Hunter or to wine-tasting basically.
The wines listed here are approachable however nonetheless win main awards. They have a variety of tasting experiences right here starting from a free 30-minute tasting on the bar to extra in-depth, non-public ones.
We’ve gone for the the Hunter Through The Ages vertical tasting, which is an hour-long expertise that reveals you the way wine ages and features a little bit of native cheese and crackers too.
We’re taken by to the spectacular non-public tasting room the place we style a number of classic of McGuigan Semillon, which does loopy issues (flavour clever) the older it will get, and their Personal Reserve Shiraz.
It’s an enchanting expertise and Steve, the cellar door supervisor, takes us by the wines in such an attention-grabbing but pleasant manner. He even provided to take a photograph for us! Highly suggest this tasting.
This weekend, my brother Steve’s down from Brisbane, so we’re heading to Allianz Stadium in Sydney to catch the final NRL recreation of the season. And with us is our glorious mate Anton.
It’s an area derby too – our workforce the Wests Tigers are enjoying the Easts Roosters. Tough recreation, with the Roosters on a successful streak and the Wests have simply come off a 10-game run of losses, plus that is the Easts’ dwelling floor.
Let’s see the way it goes.
It’s the tip of the sport and sadly Balmain succumbed to the Roosters’ efforts, however it was good recreation nonetheless.
And at after the match, the group’s invited onto the grass to ‘Take The Turf’. I don’t understand how many individuals actually are taking items of the pitch dwelling with them, however it’s cool to see so many individuals operating across the floor.
Match day half 2!
Today, we’re on the hallowed grounds of the SCG for the final recreation of the common AFL season for Sydney Swans.
They’re up towards the Melbourne Demons, who’re increased within the league than them, however there’s a lot at stake to encourage them. Winning will take the Swans properly and really into the finals.
We’re fairly proud of our seats by the way in which. Not solely are they solely about 20 rows again from the grass, and within the row proper behind us are a few of our most interesting pals!
Sydney won’t have received at present, however it’s nonetheless been a number of enjoyable coming to a capability SCG and spending the day with Steve.
Here’s to a lot extra.