21 Jan: Rutherglen (VIC) --> Melbourne (VIC).

Outside of Jasper Hill, where we had a private tasting scheduled

"Chuckin' in a sickie". Non-Aussies/Kiwis: What does that mean? I know... now. 

Yeah, someone in our crew may have done that on Monday. I can't name names, but let's just say that the person is currently employed so that eliminates at least 2 of the 4 of us. Ahem. Anyway +Marc opted just to have some breakfast at the hotel and then head south to one of the smaller appellations closer to Melbourne on the way back into the city.

We were recommended to check out a place in Heathcote called Jasper Hill by our great friend, +Erik. It was appointment only, and Ron, the owner, graciously made time for us to taste the wines and learn about Jasper Hill. They were the first ones to make wine in the region and have been outstanding producers ever since. Ron actually still uses corks, which is rare in Australia, because he believes he has superior quality control with his cork producers in Portugal.

Ron, the owner and the winemaker, of Jasper Hill

We tasted some whites and then moved on to the reds. Ron has been to the States a number of times and we talked about Paso Robles, Rhone Rangers, etc. Then he started talking about how he had a bottle of '89 (not a transpo error) Argyle Riesling the previous night and he loved it. We told him that it must be time for him to come to the Pacific NW to get some more. He was passionate about his wine and the region. Very small producer compared to many, but quality comes first, which is great. And Chris and Shelly had their first ever barrel tasting, which I think they enjoyed!

Overall, just a great reco from Erik. Not that we were surprised. :-)

Then we went down to Heathcote Estate because they are part of Yabby Lake, a winery on the Mornington Peninsula, where we will be later in the week. The wines were decent, but I was a little bummed that they didn't want to open some of the Yabby Lake Pinots even though they had them to sell. This group of wine labels is owned by an entertainment mogul in Australia (guess like Coppola or something). 

After Heathcote, we headed back into Melbourne where we got to eat at the infamous "local" of Shelly and Chris - the Railway Hotel. Good, solid food and a couple of blocks from the house, which was perfect!! We got back to watch some tennis and prepare for our next day's activities and fun, which was going to start early.... very early.