Greetings readers, from The Travelling Sommelier!
I am writing this from the Island Princess on its World Cruise 2025. I am taking two segments (54 days) from Sydney, Australia, to Rome, Italy. We are docked now for two days in Athens, Greece, and before I can go out for a traditional Greek supper feast with traditional costumed dancers, drinking ouzo and a variety of Greek wines, and breaking plates to the cry, ‘Oopa’, I must get this article in before the deadline!
In Sydney, we enjoyed a variety of dining venues, including the revolving restaurant atop the Sydney Eye tower. I had a lovely Stone & Wood Pacific beer done in the American Pale Ale style. It was distinctly hopped but not strong with too much Cascade hops and others that Pacific beers in the USA can sometimes be. I don’t like pine splinters in my cheeks! This one was a great accompaniment to the delicate Australian barramundi fish and the lightly curried chicken and rice dish.
When we sailed to Perth in Western Australia, I took a wine tour of Swan Valley River, stopping at several wineries and a gin distillery! The second oldest winery in Australia, Olive Farm Estates, served several lovely whites and reds. Their family was of Italian origin, as several vineyard owners are in the valley. We were particularly impressed with Nikola Estate Winery, where we dined al fresca overlooking their vineyards, enjoying a wine tasting and lovely 3 course lunch in the shade. It was in the high 20s with relatively high humidity—a far cry from the crazy Canadian winter we are having this year! They had several exceptional wines including a killer Chenin Blanc, famous in South Africa, which I will visit next and write about next month. It tasted of fresh yellow tree fruit with tropical notes and finished clean and fruity. A perfect accompaniment to the fruit wine/olive oil infused Greek salad with feta cheese—no vinegar to conflict with the wines! With the main course, their Italian-blend red wine was perfect with the lamb. I tried a sample and bought a bottle of their single-varietal Negroamaro. On board it was great with several meals. This grape variety has lovely, light reddish hues on the edge of the glass and looks like a Barbaresco. But the aromas of earthy red fruit and plums gave way to soft tannins with a smooth, mouth-filling texture and a full, rich replay of ripe red fruit and dark berries. Very well made and tasty!
Next on our tour we stopped for fudge and chocolate at Perth Chocolate Factory, and then made a final stop at Sin Gin Distillery set in a market mall. Fabulous ambiance with vendors selling all manner of really local (less touristy junk). The distiller must be part chemist as there are over 12 flavours of infused gin, most made in the dry gin style. Some were sweeter and could be served with a light fruit dessert! I sampled about eight small versions, ranging from traditional dry gin with about five botanicals to a wild 12 botanical version of strawberry gin that was more like a wine as you discovered the layers of different flavours each lent to the concoction. I told you the distiller was a chemist! Too bad we don’t get some of these in Canada.
Well, I better wrap up this story and get ready to provide a further travelogue as I taste my way around half the world. After all, I am not referred to as The Travelling Sommelier for nothing, right?
I do have a request for you, my readers. Please let me know if you like this variation on the usual columns describing local and LCBO offerings. I am assuming that you like a little variety, and rest assured that upon my return, I will be revisiting some of the local regional wineries, breweries and distilleries of Eastern Ontario to keep you updated on what they are producing. Please drop me a note or, better yet, a letter to the editor, so that I can meet your expectations in this column, or even to answer any questions you may have. My email is at the top banner.
Cheers!
Brian Preston – The Travelling Sommelier
brianpreston@hotmail.com
613.272.3129
The Travelling Sommelier column is a regular feature in our print/digital edition.
