Day 97 - Surprised by sunshine and ice cream

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Kumbia - Kingaroy 32km

After yesterday's bicycle hardship (holy smokes, did I struggle) I am grateful for every body part that doesn't protest in pain or ache when I crawl out of the tent this morning. And my mind is so busy doing a general health check that I almost forget that we are riding into wine country today. The South Burnett Region will be the last wine grape growing terroir until... well, I don't know until when and where. 

The advertising for this wine region is very uniquely unpretentious and if it wasn't for a picture here and there, you would be hard pressed to guess, what they are advertising, other than "having a good time".  One of the more mentioned wineries in this region is Kingsley Grove Estate, a producer that prides itself for not only doing everything inhouse (from berry to bottle is in their logo) but they are also very proud of their wine icecream! Yes, you have read correctly. I can smell a segment in the Adventures in Wine column coming.

The tasting session with the very keen junior staff is - not surprisingly - not about the wine, but all about how beautiful Queensland is. They all chip in to share their favourite holiday destinations in their home state. I try to find something queenslandish to say about the few dry wines they have on offer. Only when I ask to taste the "Flamin' Galah", a fortified rose that's so sweet it would make grandma's false teeth fall out, I get everyone's attention. Not because of the wine, but because of the way I said "Flamin' Galah'. We are clearly having a good time.

Thank goodness that the pizza oven is already fired up and we can show our appreciation for the free wine tasting by ordering a pizza and therefore circumnavigate the feeling that we ought to buy a bottle. I laugh when the girl asks us "and which wine would you like to drink with your pizza?" We go for the "Mediterranean Red", a joyous blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. To sit in the sunshine, under a blue sky, sipping a Queensland blend and enjoying a freshly cooked pizza was adding more points to the "having a good time" factor. And the icecream was still to come!

Queensland Noveau

Lickin' good.

It's only another 11km from the winery to Kingaroy, a town that has been a fixture on our list of places to visit from the start (thanks to an episode on the ABC Landline program),  because of its status as Australia's peanut capital. But by the time we roll into town and set up our mansion at the caravan park, the urge to have a shower weights far greater than hunting down the Big Peanut. So we save expanding our nutty horizons for tomorrow.

Our mansion - priceless.


Location: Kingaroy QLD 4610, Australia

Comments

  1. FrancieMay 15, 2022 at 8:13 PM

    Wine ice cream Not something you can pack as a souvenir, hope it tasted excellent. Sunshine is a great cure - as well as watching the sea - for various aches and pains.

    ReplyDelete
  2. JulietteMay 16, 2022 at 6:10 PM

    Great to read you are back in the saddle so to speak! I know you will closely monitor your fitness to travel and still be able to have wonderful experiences while creating magic memories, 1 day at a time.

    ReplyDelete

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