Cycling to the next glass of wine

May 25
We enjoyed a lie in, then some free toast and homemade jam.
We hired a bike each (James had a pannier on the back of his, where he put his cycle helmet!) Our first stop was about 5 minutes cycle from the backpackers and a small winery called Mayi. We tasted 4 wines here and James actually liked the Sav Blanc more than the Pinot Noir. I liked the Pinot noir, as it was fruitier than most I've tried - check out the connoisseurs!

This is just like Tour de France

Another short cycle to a winery that was closed for the winter - not fair! So on to the next one - Grove Mill. The lady serving us explained all of the awards they have won for their wines ("enough already just pour the wine"). We tried 2 wines here (and bougha bottle of Sav Blanc). Another taster came in whilst we were there, she took a long time to smell the wine and swirl, then after sipping she spat it out - what a waste!
Another short cycle we got to Seresin Estate. Here we tried 4 wines and 2 types of their organic Olive Oil. We bought a bottle of Pinot Noir, some Lemon Olive Oil and Honey.
We stopped off on the side of the road and snacked on some cake, then set off again to Framingham Estate. It was a bit posher than the others and had a cellar to look round. We tried another 4 wines here and Bought a bottle of red (Tracey's choice!).
We decided at this stage we had had enough (Trace of cycling) and if we carried on to the other 14 wineries may not physically be able to stay on the bikes, so we headed back to the camp for some fish and chips.

May 26
After a slow start having breakfast and waiting for the winery to open to pick up Tracey's choice of wine from yesterdays tasting, we packed the van up and were ready to go.....Except the van wasn't! The battery was flat. We tried jump leads, but wasn't powerful enough, so had to ring for assistance. We were asked if it was urgent - Yes, as we had to catch the ferry in 2 hours!!
We managed it with half an hour to spare.

written by

James & Tracey on May 25, 2007 from Renwick, New Zealand

from the travel blog: James & Tracey World Tour

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