This will be my third try posting this entry...we've been having Blackberry/gmail problems the past two days. Bugger! We spent our first day in New Zealand on Waiheke Island with a winetasting tour. First stop was Stony Ridge (named after the Stony Ridge mountain ridge it sits on) vineyards, where we sampled a great Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough and some of their signature wines while taking in the expansive vistas overlooking meadows and farmland. From there we headed over to Mudbrick (named after the bricks made from mud the winery is made from), where we tasted their unique 06 Reserve Chardonnay which bursted with a butterscotch finish and sampled their yummy marinated olives. The last winery of the day was Kennedy Point, owned and run by Susan - a native New Yorker - who made us feel at home, the winery having a very similar feel to many of our favorites in Sonoma County. We enjoyed the 05 Syrah, her olive and avocado oils, a very delicious dukkah (some nut/seed mixture thing) and home made honey. The tour ended at Te Whau (pronounced "tee foe") Restaurant where we had some incredibly fresh local seafood and produce before heading back to our B&B, Te Whau Lodge. After an afternoon spent resting, we joined our hosts, Gene and Liz, and another couple from Canada, Brian and Catherine for dinner. Liz brought out pre-dinner canapes - chicken/veal pate, olive tapanade bruschetta, goat cheese and caramelized onion pastries - with a great bottle of Chardonnay to whet our appetites. Dinner was no less amazing, where Gene suggested a perfectly paired local 05 Syrah to go with the lamb and rosemary potato entry. We lingered at the table after dinner over dessert (ricotta mascarpone with fresh berries) and tea to chat with Gene, Liz, Brian and Catherine until it got late and time to turn in for the night. It now being Monday night here, we're certainly looking forward to sleeping in a bed for the first time since Friday night!
Monday, November 27, 2006
Waiheke Island
This will be my third try posting this entry...we've been having Blackberry/gmail problems the past two days. Bugger! We spent our first day in New Zealand on Waiheke Island with a winetasting tour. First stop was Stony Ridge (named after the Stony Ridge mountain ridge it sits on) vineyards, where we sampled a great Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough and some of their signature wines while taking in the expansive vistas overlooking meadows and farmland. From there we headed over to Mudbrick (named after the bricks made from mud the winery is made from), where we tasted their unique 06 Reserve Chardonnay which bursted with a butterscotch finish and sampled their yummy marinated olives. The last winery of the day was Kennedy Point, owned and run by Susan - a native New Yorker - who made us feel at home, the winery having a very similar feel to many of our favorites in Sonoma County. We enjoyed the 05 Syrah, her olive and avocado oils, a very delicious dukkah (some nut/seed mixture thing) and home made honey. The tour ended at Te Whau (pronounced "tee foe") Restaurant where we had some incredibly fresh local seafood and produce before heading back to our B&B, Te Whau Lodge. After an afternoon spent resting, we joined our hosts, Gene and Liz, and another couple from Canada, Brian and Catherine for dinner. Liz brought out pre-dinner canapes - chicken/veal pate, olive tapanade bruschetta, goat cheese and caramelized onion pastries - with a great bottle of Chardonnay to whet our appetites. Dinner was no less amazing, where Gene suggested a perfectly paired local 05 Syrah to go with the lamb and rosemary potato entry. We lingered at the table after dinner over dessert (ricotta mascarpone with fresh berries) and tea to chat with Gene, Liz, Brian and Catherine until it got late and time to turn in for the night. It now being Monday night here, we're certainly looking forward to sleeping in a bed for the first time since Friday night!
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3 comments:
Notre Dame laid down for USC on Saturday - sorry John. Looks like ND vs Michigan in the Rose Bowl.
Shout out to to Charlie Brown and friends. Thx for the ND update, we actually flew over the game at the Colliseum on our connection in LAX and saw some of the action live. This isn't a bad thing, ND is almost as much as powderpuff team as Rutgers, which I was hoping for Michigan to meet. We'll be happy to lay down another smacking.
Yeah, ND seems undeserving of going to a BCS bowl. They don't have a quality win all year. Michigan could get the shaft. I hope UCLA provides a miracle on grass this weekend and lays it to SC so Michigan can get a re-match in against OSU. Otherwise, tehy play some stiff in the Rose Bowl and it means nothing.
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