Below are my notes on the wines that I have been lucky enough to taste so far in March 2016.
From this batch my favourites are the:
In the 1960’s the CSIRO, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, started the development of a number of new wine varietals with the intention of creating a number of new grapes types that would be better suited to Australian climates and terroir. The CSIRO have since developed a number of varietals, five of which had at least one vintage that was available to consumers, only two of these varietals are available as regularly produced wines.
None of these newly developed varietals have become household names, but as this month’s MWWC theme is “New” thought that they would be as good a topic as any to cover. First up a short history on grape growing in Australia.
Voting for this month’s challenge is open. Please checkout the other submissions and then vote for me of course! or any of the other great submissions!
Australia has been producing and exporting wine for around 200 years, predominately producing wines based on traditional European grape varietals, including, but not limited to, Chardonnay, Riesling, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet, Cabernet Sauvignon Pinot Noir and Syrah (Shiraz).
Within each of Australia’s 6 states there are recognised wine regions and, due to their unique climates and terroirs, each region is more suitable for the growing of different grape varietals than others. For more
You cannot visit Istanbul without seeing the Grand Bazaar and if there was ever a place that I good get lost it was here. The place is huge maze of covered streets and lane-ways selling jewellery, clothing, souvenirs, Arabic lights, walking sticks (not too many of them, but that is what I was searching for), art, toys, and so much more. We spent a couple of hours just wandering around. It is an amazing place and, as we went early on a Monday, it was not as busy as the other places we had visited.
Courtesy of http://www.istanbultrails.com/ For more
One of the places that was high on my list of places to visit in Istanbul was the Mısır Çarşısı, the Spice Bazaar or Egyptian Market. The bazaar is actually a part of the Yeni Cami complex and was named Mısır Çarşısı, Egyptian Market, because it was funded using taxes / revenue from the Ottoman eyalet (state) of Egypt. The rent from the stalls within the Spice Bazaar are used to maintain the Yeni Cami. There are 85 stalls within the bazaar selling spices, Turkish delight, souvenirs, teas, fragrances, caviar, honeycomb, sweets, jewelry, dried fruit and nuts.
Another bloody tourist with a camera!!
We ended up visiting the Spice Bazaar twice. The first time was planned, the second time we got lost (well it what would one of my trips be without getting lost!) after we exited the Grand Bazaar. Our first visit on the Sunday was great, but the place was packed, the second visit on the Monday was a little less hectic. We ended up buying Turkish delight, which you buy by weight, spices, saffron and pistachio powder, not exactly the cheapest place to buy stuff, but seemed to be good quality and I have not had any complaints from anyone who has been lucky enough to try the Turkish delight or anything cooked with the rest. For more
Istikal Caddesi, Independence Avenue, was the destination for our last night in Istanbul. Being a Sunday Night I was not expecting it to be as busy as it was, the entire avenue was filled with people all out for a bit of fun, food and a stroll or a ride on the Red Tram. If I had done a little research before I would have found that the area that includes Istikal Caddesi is one most popular places in Istanbul to shop, relax, people watch and have fun that, on an average weekend day, around 3 million people visit. The avenue itself is 1.4km long and stretches from the district near the Galata Tower to Taksim Square.
After visiting the Blue Mosque, we decided to check out what Sunday in Istanbul is like, it definitely was not quiet. We visited the Spice Bazaar, the square out the front of the Yeni Cami, the underpass to the Galata Bridge, watched the fishing off of the Galata Bridge, enjoyed the sunset behind the Yeni Cami and then walked across the Galata Bridge to the other side of the Golden Horn before heading back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.
