Adina Pinot Grigio 2012

Oh! I forgot I had a wine blog!

How horrible of me. And since my last post I have been enjoying a lot of new wines, but always drinking in moderation. In fact, I think I’ve been drinking less. Towards the end of last year I’ve wanted to get healthier and fitter. As a result I’ve started drinking less. But drinking well at the same time.

I’m currently sipping on:

Adina Vineyard

Pinot Grigio 2012

Lovedale (Hunter Valley Region), New South Wales

Wine maker: Daniel Binet

Alc/Vol 12.5%

Approximately $22 a bottle

Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris wines are generally sweeter on the palate. This particular Pinot Grigio tastes like a mix of pineapple, strawberry with an end note of kiwi fruit to give it an acidic finish. It’s a pale straw yellow and as it slowly adjusts from fridge to room temperature it begins to have an ‘oily’ appearance.

It’s really quite a nice wine as an aperitif. I had dinner a few hours ago already but the touch of acidity is making my mouth water!

The nose is floral and sweet. I think it’s a good bottle to introduce to friends who are trying to escape the wave of cider blends and instead are looking for something more delicate.

I had it over several days and it went well with seafood, Asian dishes as well as yum cha.

I've finished the bottle. So obviously it was a good one!

Moorebank "Sheila" Black Sheep Shiraz 2009

Moorebank Private Vineyard

“Sheila” Black Sheep Shiraz 2009

Pokolbin (Hunter Valley), New South Wales

Wine maker: Gary Reed

Price: $30 a bottle

I like winemakers of the relaxed type. Gary Reed, you have done well. Sheila is a deep purple-red shiraz originating from Pokolbin in the Hunter Valley Wine Region of  New South Wales.

I drank this bottle over a few days and I have found it to be a versatile dinner-party-friendly wine. There’s been green chicken curry, roasted five spice chicken, stir-fry, chocolate, bruschetta, and steak (with a jus made from the Sheila Shiraz) The nose reminds me of warm cherry pie I once bought on a long drive from Sydney to Brisbane. It’s relatively sweet and the aromas continue into the mouth and develops depth that is added by the oak it is preserved in (only a slight sweek soft oak.. not like you’re drinking wood at all). The velvety tannins are a genius finish as the wine pulls away so as you swallow you’re left salivating and wanting another taste so that you can experience the journey all over again.

At $30 a bottle I would recommend you to keep 1 or 2 in your cellar to drink in the next year if you want to impress. It’s one of those bottles that will make you look like an avid wine critic as it seems quite hard to find now. Nevertheless, poke around the website and see what you can find :)

 

Mama's Cafe, Cessnock

Whenever I go travelling I like to go where the locals go to eat. This usually results in

a) good food

b) cheap food

 

It wasn’t until a sleepy breakfast on a Monday morning in Cessnock with the family when I learnt that I had inherited this understanding from my father. He had gone to the young man behind the bar at the local pub and had asked where was good around here. The young man then pointed us to Mama’s Café on the main stretch of road in Vincent Street. 

It was a bit windy that morning (there were heaters but they didn’t help much) so we opted to sit inside. It had a family friendly atmosphere with one wall covered with kids drawing as well as an old fire place with a fighting fish floating lazily in its glass home.

I wish i was a kid. pencils, crayons, colouring-in books, a toy corner...hours of entertainment here!

sleepy fish

Service was prompt and we ordered straight away. 

Piazza D'oro coffee. Not bad, just not amazing.

Coffee was ok. I ordered a skim cappuccino. It was standard and warmed me up. I felt that it was more so the coffee beans than the barista’s skill that made it slightly mundane.

Tea for two!

The origins of the tea for two was questionable- it came in a silver pot without any tea leaves or tea bags. Not a lot of fragrance so we concluded that the English Breakfast must have been brewed from a tea bag (quite possibly Lipton) which was then thrown out in embarrassment.

English Breakfast tea

However, we were quite impressed when the food arrived.

We didn’t have to wait too long and we were honestly still waking up.

I ordered the bacon, egg & cheese roll with BBQ sauce ($6.50). 

Giant egg and bacon roll. $6.50!

It was a decent feed for $6.50! Lots of rashes of bacon, bubbly grilled cheese and 2 runny eggs on a toasted burger bun. I love runny yolks. It was definitely a roll to be remembered. One that I would have again if I was driving through Cessnock.

There was also the Works Breakfast ordered that was made up of: bacon, eggs, sausage, grilled tomatoes, English spinach, hash browns and buttered toast for $15.90. This was shared between two adults and yet they could not finish it.

Works Breakfast $15.90

So when you’re in Cessnock on your way to/from the Hunter Valley Wineries, stop over for brekkie!

 

Cafe info:

Mama's

115 Vincent Street 

Cessnock NSW 2325

phone: 02 4990 2555

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