We’re kidding ourselves if we suggest our jaunt to the East coast is for baby Barrett…wine tasting here we come!! We’ve based ourselves in Napier, self declared ‘Art Deco capital of the world’. I’m no expert on such things but I can’t argue – it is gorgeous, they’ve even managed to make the local Masonic Lodge look cool!

Anyhow onto more important things – our afternoon of wine tasting. We tried and failed to do some tasting on Waiheke Island but Baby Barrett had other ideas as the poor bubba was still getting over jet lag. 

Excitement was building but also nerves were surfacing. Here are the issues…

1. I have a rubbish palate. On the plus side all wine tastes generally good. On the down side I struggle identify floral notes of any kind. 

2. I hate to waste wine. Showing me a wine tasting spittoon feels like sacrilege. 

3. Baby Barrett. A 5 month old is not the most natural companion for wine tasting. 

I need not have feared. We were off season so we had the tour guide to ourselves. The spittoon was deemed optional and Baby Barrett charmed everyone by flashing his blue eyes at all who looked in his direction resulting in tasting glasses being filled more generously. Result!

We visited Esk Valley (part of Villa Maria), Moana, Mission and one other. We’ve wracked our brains and we can’t remember the name of the other one. 3 reds and 3 whites at each and I think I know why!!

The great revelation of the trip is that I have rediscovered Chardonnay. Turns out I do still love the buttery taste and the grape is recovering from the uncoolness of being a popular girl’s name for a while. I’ve wracked my brains as to why I stopped drinking the stuff and I’ve had to blame peer pressure, specifically Anna Rowley (yes you!) as I am sure she was the one that nudged me towards Sauvignon Blanc – cruel lady 😉. 

The sun was shining, the cheese plate was generously large and we had rosy cheeks. I forgot my poor palate embarrassment and declared at the final vineyard that the Pinot Gris tasted like Sauvignon (at this point everything tasted like Sauvignon). I felt bold and creative in sharing my tasting thoughts…mistake. Apparently it does not! I’m not alone as I can clearly remember John declaring he knew the grape variety of one glass without looking – nope!

It was a stunning afternoon and our campervan is a little heavier following our purchases. We even procured a bottle of port (that can’t be called port because we are not in Porto) which should warm our cockles on those cold South Island nights. 

Note – no babies were hurt in the making of this blog. JB often took my share of wine but as it happens Baby Barrett slept well that night too!