Scavenger Hunt

I had the pleasure of tasting the food for the California Wine Fair this week. The Shaw Convention Centre held the tasting, and it was paired with 4 California Wines. It was a delightful way to spend a Thursday lunch - loving this corporate world malarkey!!

I've been experimenting with textures in Photoshop thanks to Kim Klassen's Cafe tutorials (see button below).  I'm really enjoying playing with her free textures and I have found a great online site that gives them away for free.

Enjoy, and have a wonderful week! Can you believe it is the last week of February already?

1. Chocolate

2. Numbers

3. Canned Food

4. Music

5. Stack

Is it Wine Time?

WINE TIME! In the Barossa Valley...

OH MY GOSH, the Barossa Valley makes me happy!

Barossa Valley

The Barossa is located about 45 minutes north of Adelaide city. Lucky for me, my mum now lives in Gawler so it is almost stumbling distance away. We make an annual trek to visit some key wineries in this region. However, this year we chose New Years Day to meander the valley and met with many closures. So we decided to hit up a nice lunch at Saltram's and instead of guzzling gallons of booze, we sipped delicate brews and fine wines. Very adult and over-30 of us!


Saltram Wines
This winery has a 150 year old history of wine making. They have also started a micro-brew called Pepperjack Ale. This is an aromatic and fruit-foward ale that is so very refreshing and cleansing - loved it!


The ones we went home with:

No.1 Shiraz 2006
We began with a tasting of the whites and reds, and found that our palate was enjoying the heavy full-bodied reds. We purchased a 2006 No. 1 Shiraz which was, in our opinion, every that an Aussie Shiraz should be: loud, and bold when it needs to be soft and velvety when it wants to get it's own way...kind of like an Aussie woman. Aromas of mulberry, dark chocolate, blood plum and and blackberry. We can cellar this for 10 - 15 years.

Winemakers Selection Shiraz Tempranillo 2008
2008 was a tough year for the wine makers of the Barossa and most Adelaide regions. Typically, Chad and I found that we didn't enjoy the 2008 reds at all; they were flavorless and lacking in the fruity depth that we were used to. However, this wine had a hint of spicy pepper and blueberries. 

Mrs Pickwick's Tawny
Port is such a lovely way to end a nice dinner with friends. It is port drinking time in Canada and this was just devine. Not too sweet, warming and calming, like an old familiar friend.

FOOD
The pictures say it all...Dukkah tasting plate with antipasto and a wood-oven fired pizza with prosciutto, rocket (arugula) and pecorino cheese. YUMM-O. Saltrams has many areas for fuctions a private wine cellar that can be rented out and a fine-dining restaurant. Be sure to visit when you are in the neighborhood.

 

Related articles

• These fertile hills are a foodie's dream (independent.co.uk)
• Shana Ting Lipton: Vineyards of South Australia's Barossa Valley (PHOTOS) (huffingtonpost.com)