Australia Road Trip: Margaret River, Day 23-24

Feb 23-24

Hi All,

Another excellent day in wine country. This is our 4th wine region and it is probably the most scenic!! The wineries are all beautifully landscaped set in forested rolling hills. Most of the wineries are 10-20 miles from the ocean and the region is a cool climate marine influenced area known for it’s chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon. In 1981 Leeuwin winery won the London best chardonnay shocking the French…..and that was after Chateau Motlelena (Napa) won in 1976!!!

We went to 6 wineries….the say there are over 150….yes, a very full day of tasting…..Leeuwin, our favorite, Voyager (just for Les & Rose), Vasse Felix (the oldest vines at around 50 years old), Cullen (where we had lunch), Brockland, and Cape Mentelle!!! We were told the region produces 3% of the wine in Australia but 20% of the premium wines and we would agree. But, we did find some wines we did not like, unlike Coonawarra where I seemed to like almost every red!!

Odds & Ends:
When I had my haircut the other day I got talking to the barber: Yes, he says, America and Australia are much the same….how is that….well, we both have very good roads, houses have front and back yards, we both have lot’s of shopping malls and we all love sports….and now you have it straight from the barber!! Actually Kathy and I agree…..this is the most first world country we have visited besides the USA!!!

Rental Cars: why do car manufacturers/rental car companies like to mess with you. I am just now getting used to the blinker being on the left side and the wiper controls on the right side of the steering wheel on the Renault SUV….opposite of most USA cars….now, this rental, a GM Storm, has it like USA…..arghhhhhh….we have a very clean windshield now but no wiper blades left:))

Time Zones: In Adelaide we gained 30 min….why do “they” do 30 min changes…really messes with you trying to figure out what time it is in other zones. Perth we gained 2.5 hours….so now we are 3 hours behind Sydney, same time zone as Singapore and 16 hours ahead of California….a good brain workout to remember all this…or just use the world clock app:))))

Tomorrow we are off to a place called Denmark on the southern coast….another lighthouse, some forests and ocean landscapes!!

Stats:
Traveled:
Car miles: 175 miles to Margaret River; 2300 miles total
Air miles: 1325 miles from Adelaide to Perth
Total traveled miles: 3625 miles
Wrong turns: 0 today; 2 total
Kangaroo/”Roos”/Skippy count: 5 this leg; ~209 total!!!
Skippy roadside warning signs: 4 this leg, 111 total
Koala count: 0 this leg; 34 total
One Way bridges: 0 today; 19 total
Speeding Tickets: 0 today; 1 total
Hotels: Heritage Trail Lodge; very nice, 2 seat spa, great bed
Food: Settler’s tavern: went in for pub food and found American style BBQ
Kathy: Pork Belly (like a very tender rib, but the fat top was not crackled), macaroni and cheese (some of the best we have had in a long time, homemade pasta and creamy cheesy flavor!!!!), cole slaw
John: 70-day grain fed WA Black Angus scotch filet (excellent but still give USA the lead in flavor!!), herb and garlic butter, rich red wine jus, garden salad, chips
Cullen Winery: another great meal in wine country!!
Kathy: Poussin, tromboncino, nectarine, rapini, almonds, pineapple sage, mulberry vinegar…just outstanding…the blending of the flavors was a wow!
John: Gnoccchi, squash, rocket, black garlic (this was excellent…will have to try and get some…almost like a mole), mizuma, chips……one of the best gnocchi dishes I have had!!
Entrèe: Peberton Marron (a freshwater crayfish), tomato water, baby tomatoes, preserved lemon, green olive….wow, the combination was exotic!!