Wise Winery

After weeks of being busy with class, a minor accident which caused massive muscle bruising to my ribs area (Ouch!!) and lazing over the holidays, I remembered that I'm not done in finishing my holiday posts.

I have to admit that at this moment, I'm more keen in digging up "dirt" about the Saddam Hussein hanging (Did he die? Did he REALLY die???). However, my trip was so great that it deserves a proper finishing, especially for the best part, so here it is. This post is on one of the highlights of the trip.

As I would be passing by the famous Margaret River on my way to Albany, where my friends stay, I thought it would be a waste for a wine connoiseur poser like me to miss out on. Truth is, while I like Red Wine, I can't hold my liquor at all - A maximum of 2 glasses and I'm ready to go home.

In any case (no pun intended), a colleague of mine got married in one of the vineyards in Margaret River a week before my trip. At her recommendation, I decided to drop by the same vineyard (for lack of recommendation) to have lunch on the restaurant deck which according to her had a gorgeous view. Browsing through the travel brochure, we could see the whole "sweeping view of the geographe bay" from there. I had no idea what "geographe bay" was, but I'm a sucker for copywriting (being one formerly) and succumbed to the beckoning description before me.

There was definitely no regrets. While I wouldn't say the "sweeping view of geographe bay" was the most stunning that I saw on my Australian trip, the food was certainly fantastic for a really good price, and the wine was just too good and cost less than a fraction of what we would pay for here in Singapore. All that good food and wine with a dropping view of azure sky and clear view of where the sea met the sky amidst a forest of trees, it was leisure at its best.

As my friend's husband was driving, he couldn't have his share but made up for it by buying a case of wine with vengeance. I purchased my modest portion of 3 bottles (and regretted that very night for not getting a whole case) and enjoyed the rest of the Margaret River Shiraz for the rest of my stay in Albany from my friend's purchase. At $12 per bottle for something we would buy for $26-30 per bottle, it wasn't hard to be generous.

After a gastronomic treat in the peaceful and beautiful Wise Vineyard, we were all sublimely contented and imbibed, and were too happy to be happy. Putting an end to a gorgeous afternoon of 22 degrees celsius in Summer at Albany, life couldn't get any better.