Picton and Johanneshof

Over the weekend, Graham and Gill said to feel free and explore. We did the morning chores and then I headed to the local library for a skype interview with Pratt. I came back to the house and picked up Clare. There was the big annual Marlborough Wine Festival going on that day but we decided to do our own wine-tasting festival. We managed about 5 or 6 and split the tastings everywhere we went. We started at Cloudy Bay, the most bougie of the spots and we weren't impressed with their wines, except maybe for their bubbles. We also tasted at Fromm, a tiny German style winery. We bought a bottle of the off-dry Riesling because it was not so sour and we liked the packaging; it came in a skinny teal bottle.

We had a good time at Te Whare Ra and Nautilus but I think my favorite was Seresin. A biodynamic vineyard and winery. If you ever visit Bonny Doon Winery in Santa Cruz, they have a good explanation of biodynamics. It's a sustainable method of agriculture based on the interrelations of soil, plants, animals and the astronomical calendar. One practices involves burying a cow horn filled with compost in the winter and retrieving it in spring.

After the tasting room associate explained the details of wines and the philospohy of Seresin, I went over to the olive oil tasting area. They had four delicious kinds, lemon, orange, lime and regular. I couldn't decide so Clare helped me pick. The lemon won and I've been putting it on everything lately... I even cook scramble eggs with it, it's amazing.



Seresin vines

Later that evening we went out to town and everyone from the earlier wine festival that wanted to keep the party rolling was out and about. There was music trickling out of Cornerstone pub so we went in and had a cider. We serendipitously met our neighbors, Carolyn and Matt, there and because we hitch-hiked into town and we got a ride home with them. They were great and had two kids that we met the following day, Summer and Wade.

Sunday was a little bit of a slow start. We went to the local farmer's market, Clare bought some goat cheese and I got a dose of caffeine. Afterward we drove up to Picton for a hike. It's a beautiful harbor village. This is where one would take the ferry to the North Island. We found a market and had a picnic of smoked salmon with the goat cheese... yum. On the way back home, we stopped at Johanneshof winery. Another German style winery but so quaint and remote from the commercialism of the Marlborough region. The winemaker poured for us and we chatted with him for over an hour, about turquoise, wine, long hair and places to visit. We bought a bottle for Ruth to thank her (we were going through Christchurch again on our way to the Catlins) and one for ourselves.

Picton

Johanneshof vines

That night we walked over to Carolyn and Matt's to return the torch they lent us the previous evening. Their kids, Summer and Wade roped us into the grand trampoline and we were invited to stay for dinner: burgers! The kiwi burger tradition is close to my heart. It can involve a number of accoutrements, but the classic is beetroot and a fried egg.

Summer borrowing Clare's camera

Wade and Clare on the trampoline!