Now, we hear you ask…’how did they survive a night in the van with a +1?’
Well Ladies and Gents, we are pleased to report there were no casualties, and all parties slept well!
It was a fun hour putting the ‘penthouse suite’ together and getting a certain young lady up…but all credit to her, Tracy made it up in one piece! We, on the other hand slept in the bog standard double, nowhere near the scaling heights of the ‘penthouse’! (You can just see Ben’s feet in the picture with Tracy – bottom left hand corner).
A long and peaceful sleep, with nothing to disturb us apart from the lap of the waves on the beach and the melodious singing of the tui.
The next morning we had a leisurely brunch; a filling treat in preparation for our afternoon wine tour.
At 12:45 we were picked up by ‘Grape Escape’ wine tours, our guide Greg would be our personal tutor on everything ‘wine’ for the next couple of hours.
First stop was ‘Cross Roads’ a family run vineyard in the heart of the Hawkes Bay region, a great starting point to kick off our tour, and a perfect place to try and convert Tracy to the wonders of red wine! Several tastings later and she was not convinced.
We moved on to ‘Ngatarawa’, another family run vineyard set in a picturesque farmyard setting.
It was the first time we all actually agreed on a favourite, which we figured was a good sign for a purchase…so Sauvignon Blanc was the selection.
Third stop was ‘Sileni Estate’, one of our favourite vineyards of the day, possibly because of the great personality that was serving the tastings. Tracy found out why she is not compatible with ‘reds’ and we were all treated to a wine and cheese combo…delicious!!
As we left, with two purchases in hand we realised some of the group were slightly tipsy (not mentioning any names…Tracy)…but still 2 vineyards to visit!
Next was ‘Vidal Winery’, although it had some nice wines this was probably our least favourite, due to the un-enthusiastic host…needless to say we made no purchases.
Saving one of the best for last, we visited the small and perfectly formed ‘Black Burn Vineyards’. Where we were treated to a selection of whites and reds from their private collection.
What a fantastic afternoon! As we were dropped off at our campsite we said goodbye to Greg and hopped in the van. Dinner was a gourmet pasta bake, compliments of camp chef Ben, and enjoyed with a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc from today's purchases – delicious!
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