Australia Archives - Dr. Liz Thach, MW

One Day Wine Tasting in the Barossa Valley, Australia

(Feb. 19, 2016) At the end of our 3 day conference, we signed up to attend the one-day private wine tasting tour in the Barossa Valley. Just like the McClaren Vale, I had visited Barossa several times previously, but this time there were some new wineries on the agenda. Previous Evening Dinner at Hill of Grace Restaurant Given the fact that we had enjoyed a 5-course dinner paired with wine at the Hill of Grace Restaurant in the Adelaide Oval Stadium the evening before, the 8am departure was a bit challenging. Especially since our dinner had started at 7:30pm with [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T14:14:52-08:00March 9, 2016|

Three Delightful Days in McClaren Vale, Australia

Reunited with my Australian Relatives in McClaren Vale (February 14 – 16, 2016) Our plane touched down in Adelaide around noon, but it only took a short time to pick up our rental car at Hertz and drive the 45 minutes to McClaren Vale. We reached our private cottage around 1:30pm and after a shower and power nap, went to visit Hugh Hamilton Winery (see other post), before driving up Marshall Road to visit my relatives who live on top of the hill. As usual on this remote road, we passed at least 8 kangaroos jumping in the yellow grass. [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T14:15:13-08:00March 9, 2016|

A Visit to the Cartoon Decorated Molly Dooker Winery

(Feb. 15, 2016) I must admit that I’ve never been a fan of cartoon wine labels, but at the same time recognize that they have helped Molly Dooker to differentiate itself on the global wine scene. However, given the fame of their wines now, I’m not sure that the cartoon labels are still necessary. And indeed, they have dispensed with this custom on their high-end Black Velvet wine, which comes in a simple black bottle. On the other hand, the cartoons are part of what attracts many of my Millennial wine students to this winery. We arrived around 11:30 in [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T14:15:36-08:00February 25, 2016|

Visiting the Black Sheep Winery of Hugh Hamilton in McClaren Vale, Australia

(Feb. 14, 2016) The entrance to Hugh Hamilton Wineryis stunning, with a curved gray wall at the beginning and then a long driveway lined with tall green cypress trees. Along the drive, there are four “sheep dips”, which are upside down speed bumps, each marked with a cute sign with a sheep.” At the far end of the driveway is a tall circular building set on a hilltop and surrounded by vineyards. An imposing flight of steps leads to the building, and sitting in the center of the staircase is a statue of a sheep. The whole effect is both [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T14:15:56-08:00February 24, 2016|

Wine Judging Trip to Blue Mountains of Australia and Lillianfels Resort

October 2012 - During the second week of October, I was honored to be invited to participate in the Sydney International Wine Competition in Australia with 12 other wine judges from around the world. Two of us arrived on the non-stop flight from San Francisco to Sydney on Sunday morning at 7:30am and took a taxi ($15 with tip) to the Mercure Airport Hotel where they had reserved a day room so we could shower before meeting the rest of our group at 10am. We then boarded a small bus and drove the 1.5 hours into the Blue Mountains and [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T15:57:50-08:00November 14, 2012|

Visiting in the Wineries of Rutherglen Australia

Emily provided excellent driving directions from Jasper Hill to Rutherglen, and I therefore took the backroads of Victoria and rarely passed another car. However, I did pass two dead kangaroos – one in the very center of the road – that had been hit my cars. Ugh. I guess they are like deer here – very plentiful. There were many signs saying to watch out for both kangaroos and koala bears, though I did not see any of the latter. Regardless, it was still a long drive and I arrived in Rutherglen around 3:30 and stopped at the Visitor’s Center. [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2020-12-25T06:24:26-08:00February 29, 2008|