Day#2: Fitzroy

After a much needed good nights sleep, Carolyn and I ventured out into Melbourne's Fitzroy district to pick up our car we had bought off eBay.
Despite the rolling eyes of close friends, buying a car of eBay in another country wasn't such a bad idea. Got ourselves a nice little '93 Audi 100 that suits its purpose perfectly.
So our first stop was the gas station, which was lesson numero uno of the day. This is what I learned: pump first, then pay. Gasoline is referred to as petrol, if you say ask for $50 worth of gas... they think you mean propane. After the confusion, we got on our way and headed to an eatery called Little Creatures. Carolyn's friend, Pat Johnson said it was a must, and over the years I have learned to take people recommendations seriously. The neighborhood outside little creatures was similar to say, haight Ashbury on an unusually warm SF day. Trendy boutiques, and thrift stores alike, hipsters EVERYWHERE, and so many coffee shops that even Seattle would be jealous. Well needless to say, Little Creatures fit right in to the mix. The inside looked as if the someone bought an old rundown warehouse, threw in a bunch of eclectic furniture, and opened shop; An industrial feel, but not "made to look". The seating was reminiscent of a cafeteria, but a bit more comfortable...OK, so on to why I'm writing this! The beetroot/feta dip with warm house made flat bread! Such a simple dish, it really fit with the time and the place. A dish that no doubt will show up at my house plenty this next spring! The sweetness of the beets, and the savoriness of the feta, with the warmth of the flatbred, made me realize that often times where there are great wines being produced, there are incredible dishes being served up as well.
After filling up on gas, and the local fare, we drove down to Fitzroy Gardens, and took a tour of St Patrick Cathedral. Built in the early part of the 19th century, this church had an almost medieval feel to it. Really cool to see considering that Melbourne was not even a city before 1830, and most of the architectural stylings seem very modern.
We spent the better part of the afternoon lying on the welcoming grass of the Fitzroy Gardens.
So, now that we are back at our lovely hotel in the Brighton neighborhood of Melbourne, I have noticed the emanating glow coming from my arms..Gasp!... That's where lesson number two reared its ugly head... Sunburn like you wouldn't believe! Damn UV index here is off the charts!

Melbourne day #1

A 15 hour flight finds me in Melbourne. Its midday here, and despite being exhausted, its Australia Day. Just like 4th of July in the states, its the Aussie's independence day, and that means warm weather, BBQ's and beer! So it's time to rally. I have 5 days to experience all that Melbourne has to offer before heading out into the "bush". I expect Carolyn and I to take advantage of our hotels proximity to the beach and start showing our appreciation for this great country's independence, and drink a couple cold ones!
Cheers!

Been a while!

OK, it's been a long time since the blog has been updated, I know. But things are most definitely moving along at steady pace with Carlotta!
Dave and myself have been enjoying the down time since the end of crush. It turned into a benchmark vintage after the past few years of less than perfect ones in Mendocino. We are very excited, not only about the new vineyards we are working with, but also the quality of the wines we have in barrel and the direction that Carlotta is currently heading in.
Currently, most of our time is devoted to preparing for our first big bottling, which is scheduled for May 3rd. We are proud to be working with Santa Cruz neo-pop designer, Janet Allinger, who is helping put our ideas on paper. I could wax for hours on the exciting details of our upcoming release... but ill sprinkle you all with more information over the coming months..

Its time to lay down, and try to get some sleep...My wife, Carolyn and I are off to Australia for the next few months! Going to be making wine with the guys at Heathcote II! ....maybe a Carlotta Shiraz sometime time in the future???