Wine-ing

Last week the Banff Mountain Film Festival came to Dunedin so Craig and I made our annual pilgrimmage to the movie theater for some outdoor action. The 3 hours of films included one about backcountry and heli-skiers in Jackson Hole which was cool because we've skied there, although not down a nearly vertical cliff after dropping from a helicopter. There were also a few about free solo climbers and base jumpers, both populations of crazy people. The 50 minute featured film induced the most audience anxiety. It was about 3 base jumpers from 3 different countries who went to China to jump into the world's largest, deepest vertical cave. In order to do so, the had to shimmy out over the cave on a cable connected only by a carabiner, unhook the biner, and then let go, falling into a giganitic, seemingly bottomless pit, to try to land in the only safe area which was a rocky, planty area about a meter square near the bottom. All three jumpers were concerned about death and serious injury after previously claiming to only jump when they knew it was safe. Unbelievably, all three hit the landing spot and remained intact. All in all the movies re-affirmed my love of the outdoors and my desire to remain firmly planted on solid ground whenever possible. Click here to see the trailer.

For the weekend, we had planned to escape to Hanmer Springs for a couple days of hot pools and spa relaxation, for my birthday fun. To our disappointment, we were unable to get reservations so Friday found us racking our brains for something else to do. We preferred to get out of Dunedin if possible to avoid the predicted freezing temps and snow. So, we ended up booking a last minute wine tour with our friends Dan and Emily, and all headed to Christchurch after work on Friday. We got to our hotel at about 10.30 pm, got some sleep and woke up ready for a fun day. We went to breakfast at Sticky Fingers where Dan had some uncooked pancakes and bad coffee before heading over to the week(end)ly artisans market. There we bought a hundred dollars' worth of german bratwurst from our favorite sausage man. Then we stopped by Bivouac outlet where I got a great bargain on an Icebreakers merino wool jacket. By then it was noon and time for our wine tour guide to pick us up at the hotel, and the fun began.

The tour took us by bus to four wineries: Waipara Springs, Torlesse, Mt Cass, and Mud House. There were 6 others on the tour including a very nice, newly engaged couple from Brisbane, and winery student from Germany, and three others from Australia, all very nice. The first winery served us lunch including fresh bread, soup, smoked salmon, crackers, salami, fruit (including grapes of course), and some other tasties. The food and wine were great starters. The second winery consisted of a small bar in a gift shop type room. Here we bought a bottle of merlot, completely out of character for us. The third, Mt Cass, was in a tiny tented area so it was a bit chilly but they had the coolest dog!


Dan with the cool dog

The fourth and last was by far the most flash and was housed in a humongous building, originally built by a radiologist from California. It was a beautiful wood and stone building but he had apparently not impressed the locals when he imported all of the stone from the US instead of using local goods. Either way, the place (Mud House) was amazing and the wine was the best we tasted that day. The tour ended there with some hot coffee/tea.


Mud House Winery


The Happy Winers

On the way back to the hotel, the driver made quick stop for us Americans to see a monument to the Twin Towers. Some local firefighters had travelled to help with the rescue/cleanup after 9/11. In return, they were given several of the twisted, mangled steel beams from the towers. The city had placed the beams next to a river alongside a main road with a few plaques explaining their significance. It was really amazing and gave us goosebumps to see it. We should be thankful that so many people are so willing to help any way they can when tragedy occurs.

It was only about 6.30pm when we got back to our hotel so we headed over to Dux de Lux for an okay beer and then wandered around the city trying to find an affordable place to eat. We ended up (after about an hour) at Wagamama, a noodle house and then moved on to Ferment for the best desserts ever. I had some tasty apple crumple with vanilla ice cream and fruit. Craig had chocolate mint cheesecake, and we helped Emily and Dan with their chocolate mousse with the yummiest sorbet I've ever had and creme brulee. By the time we finished off every last bite, we were all pretty stuffed and sleepy so we called it a night. Sunday morning we ate at our new favorite, Drexels and were back in Dunners about four hours later. Great weekend and even though we didn't get to heat up in the spa pools, we got to sleep in a nice warm hotel room, a nice break from our chilly house!

wine pics