Since I was a little boy I have always wanted to see Sydney Harbour, the bridge and the Opera House. So, for 6 days I was entranced by this place and at the end of my stay I remained awed by the spectacle. We were lucky to stay in a room which afforded this view through the window and I would get up and simply look out of the window from time to time to make sure I was not dreaming it. As man made attractions go, it is as good as any.

I hadn’t realised just how much of Sydney is a collection of villages and suburbs dotted around the huge harbour. Darling Harbour, Potts Point, Rose Bay, Manly were all places dotted around the magnificent waters linked by ferries and, so, easy to get around. Manly Beach was especially good (better than Bondi in my humble opinion, but then I am not a beach person) and a thriving place of its own, 30 minutes from the Circular Quay ferry wharf.

Darling Harbour is the scene of new building, banks and museums sitting side by side, Chinatown and Paddy’s Market just around the corner. I can recommend the Powerhouse science museum, try to avoid school holidays though unlike us.

A terrific day at Randwick races was another highlight, facilities which would put any UK course to shame, free shuttle buses, cheap entry, well-priced food and drink of good quality and, top class racing. I combined my two passions by having a glass of Chandon sparkling wine ($8.50 or just uner £5) to celebrate winning on the first race and some decent Barossa Shiraz after winning on one of the big races.

Sydney is certainly cosmopolitan, Asian culture is a big part of the city’s appeal. The people were without exception friendly and helpful, more than once when we were looking lost passers-by stopped to help and even walked us in the right direction. Some even recognised the North East England accent, one man born in the next village to our home town. Beautiful gardens and green spaces, that stunning harbour – it is a lovely city.

Jeff Coutelou wines are imported to Sydney by Andrew Guard and he kindly recommended places to eat and drink. Sadly, we missed him by 10 minutes in one of those, he must have seen me coming and done a runner! It was good to meet one of his assistants, Andy Ainsworth, at 10 William Street in Paddington. This is a wine bar/restaurant recommended to us from other friends too and we walked there after visiting the Sydney Cricket Ground. Lovely food including a memorable Brussel sprout dish. Yes Brussel sprouts, I’d never have imagined them so tasty.

To drink, a Beaujolais from Karim Vionnet but mostly a bottle of Riesling from Adelaide Hills winemaker Travis Tausend. This was recommended to us by Andy who reckons this is one of the most up and coming producers. The Riesling was zesty, vibrant, fruity and had a lovely, Riesling finish. He reported that Tausend worked with Riffault in Sancerre and borrowed the idea of picking 3 times to get a mix of early higher acidity grapes, the main pick and then others just showing the merest hint of botrytis. The result was excellent. No SO2 either.

The other restaurant of note was Fratelli Paradiso in Potts Point. The pasta with langoustine I had there was certainly the best pasta I have eaten outside of Italy. To accompany a Vineyard Blend from Basket Range, yes another Adelaide Hills wine. Basket Range is made by Sholto and Louis Broderick whose wines I praised in my post on Melbourne. This blend included Petit Verdot, Merlot and whole bunch Saperavi, a Georgian grape I had only ever had once before. The result was fresh, sappy, fruity and terrific with the pasta, I liked this a lot. And no SO2.

Elsewhere I tried a number of wines from fairly familiar names from Hunter, Barossa and Mclaren Vale. They were fine in a typical Australian wine way, they just seemed a bit heavy, perhaps the heat didn’t help them. Instead I turned to the many craft beers for refreshment, Pale Ale is very much on trend and to my taste. For me though this was further evidence that Adelaide Hills is the exciting region to explore, I urge you to do so. Meanwhile the people and those views will long live in my memory as the absolute stars of Sydney.