March 14 - Blenheim Vineyards

Today we walked into town via the riverbank (we found it last night) to cash some travellers' cheques. The very nice lady in one bank warned us of a $15 fee their bank charges, and pointed us up the street, discretely, to a bank that does not charge a fee (actually, it is a $0.15 transaction fee, go figure!). Effectively the same exchange rate.

We booked a wine tour from 11 to 5 - very nice lady driving (Colleen of Highlight Wine Tours) - she and her partner do customized and informal tours. The early group started before us, and we went to two wineries before lunch. We had lunch at Waipara River - the menu had a number of light choices, each with their matching wine. I had a spicy chicken salad - Asian style - which was very well matched with their dry Riesling. Eric had lamb kofta, but he was sticking with whites, so he had the Gewurz (his current favourite). We stopped at another two wineries, one in a little 'village' area with a shop that sold award winning gin, and any number of dips, salad dressings - enough to make "The Pres." jealous. There was another shop with olive oils that are also grown locally (the olives, that is).

The area is sunny, dry, and between two lines of mountains - one side wooded and green, the other covered with sere grass, and looking very dry. They have to irrigate the sheep pastures, as well as the vines. There is also a persistent wind, that does a fabulous job of drying laundry! You see symmetrical rows of green vines, backed by purple mountains on one side, and by dusky brown ones on the other.

We learned that the area (and NZ) is best know for its Sauvignon Blanc grapes and wine. One of the wineries, in the early days of this region, planted Pinot Gris(by the owners' hands). She told us that this is a grape that increases in complexity with the age of the vines, and certainly their Pinot Gris was very nice! They can't grow the big reds here, not hot enough, so they stick with mostly Pinot Noir in the red range.

The wineries themselves are very well landscaped - a lot of English formal garden in evidence - trimmed box, parterres, balanced formal plantings. And red roses appear to be a popular regional statement - many of the fields have a row of red rose bushes along the road. Beautiful.

We had fish and salad and jacket potatoes back at the hostel, and fell into conversation with a young Briton who is on a cycling holiday, and two Scots girls, one of whom works in Auckland, and the other of whom is visiting on on extended holiday. A very pleasant evening.

Tomorrow, back to Picton and Buccaneer Lodge for the night. I'm hoping to catch a ride for the local yacht racing - they'd posted an invitation at the Lodge that I noticed last time.