Travis Tausend | amarchinthevines

It was always going to be the trip of a lifetime but, my word, it lived up to that billing. There are so many positives to Australia and New Zealand. I couldn’t help thinking that these young nations are energetic, vibrant and forward thinking in comparison to so much of Europe. Links with Pacific and Asian countries are to the fore and that will be their future though they retain a tremendous affection for their European links. The many people who were more than keen to talk with us were rightly proud of their countries, eager to find out about our trip and delighted to hear our enthusiasm. Positivity abounds.

The people themselves were such a highlight, as I have said before, they are helpful, polite and know how to enjoy themselves. The climate is obviously helpful in encouraging outdoor lifestyles, admittedly we were very lucky with the weather on our trip.

The wildlife was a constant joy, seeing kangaroos, koalas and kiwis in real life was just marvellous. Birds, fish and shark were stunning. Please look after them.

Above all though it was the joy of their natural landscapes which will live longest in the memory. These are jaw droppingly beautiful countries with such variety from coastlines, mountains, equatorial forest to the wonders of the Barrier Reef. Add on man made wonders such as Sydney Harbour’s Bridge and Opera House, I find myself smiling just thinking about them all.

Regarding wine. To be honest overall I was a trifle disappointed with so many wines and wine lists. The safe, conventional and commercial are everywhere. Perfectly drinkable wines but lacking excitement. However, dig a little and quality emerges. From Kalleske in the Barossa to Hans Herzog in Marlborough and Domaine Road in Otago I found conventional wines that were very good to drink. The highlights though were from the emergence of a natural wine scene in both countries. Kindeli, Cambridge Road and The Hermitage Ram in New Zealand were certainly highlights. Shobbrook, Sullivan, Tausend are names to look up in Australia.

In a way though I was spoiled early on. The Adelaide Hills was the source of so many of my favourite wines of the trip. There is a lively community of producers, supporting each other, who are making exciting, vibrant clean wines. Gentle Folk, Jauma, Manon, Basket Range, The Other Right are just some of the names to seek out. Add to that list the excellent bottles of my friend James Madden of Little Things wines. I am biased but his wines were amongst the best I tasted during this trip. The brilliant Chardonnay, refreshing PetNat, complex Field Blend were all in my top wines.

Australia and New Zealand have young winemakers looking to break with traditional methods. Behind the wave of producers in Europe perhaps but starting to create an impression and proving to my mind that there will be some wonderful wines to savour in coming years. It is no coincidence that most of these producers have worked in Europe, for example James at Jeff Coutelou’s. They will use that learning, adapt it to their local conditions to make their interpretation of Australian and New Zealand wines. I buy into their vision wholeheartedly.

Thanks to everyone we met for making the trip so special. Above all thanks to James, Sam, Flo and Pat for sharing their home with us and being so generous. And to Howard, a great chef, host and friend.

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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.

The view from the room window

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.

Sprouts stir fried with mint and candied almonds

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.

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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.