Not a bad way to spend a Saturday ...

Approaching the South Island

We'd been sort of well behaved over the past fews weeks so we decided to make up for lost time. So, what better to do, than hop across the Cook Strait and visit Marlborough on a Gourmet Wine Trail. The itinerary was simple.

• Johanneshof Winery - wines, bubbles and cellar tour - don't look at the photos Kev! (http://www.cuisine.co.nz/index.cfm?pageID=7028&r=6)
• Four course meal at Allan Scott winery, with wine to match each course http://www.allanscott.com/restaurant.asp
  
• Wine tasting at Grove Mill
• A visit to the Manaka chocolate factory - Mazzie you'd have loved the place.

What a great day. We could have spent the day just at the Johanneshof Winery. Great people, great sample sizes ;o) and a cellar that went 30 metres underground. A boutique winery that produces just 38,000 bottles of wine a year, they were more than happy to share some of it with us while educating us to the finer points of making methode traditionelle.

Sampling some of the Johanneshof Blanc de Blancs in their amazing underground cellar - they're champagne bottles in the background (ignore the empty glasses in my hand)!

Mmmmm, bubbles!!

From there it was on to Alain Scott for an amazing meal starting with Mushroom and Peppercorn pate, onto Venison and finishing with Chocolate Torte. We were a very happy bus going to Grove Mill. Yet more fine wine followed and we practically flowed to the Manaka chocolate factory. All too soon we were on our way back to the ferry and leaving the haven that is Marlborough, I think it's safe to say that we'll be back again.

Leaving Picton, heading down the Marlborough Sounds