Although we'd already been to the Granite Belt, the South Burnett and the Hunter Valley, our trip to Victoria over the Boxing Day-New Year period in 2006-7 was where we really started getting serious about the wine club side of things.
I'd been to Victoria before, and had managed a lap around Rutherglen when I was there, so once we'd had a couple of days in the Yarra Valley in the lead-up to New Year and made our way from there to Beechworth we'd have a chance to take a look through the King Valley and around Milawa with a two night stop in Rutherglen along the way.
I've no qualms about being disappointed with what we found in the Yarra Valley, though visiting Coldstream Hills was a highlight. We weren't careful enough with the pre-trip planning, it was peak holiday season, places tended to be crowded, boutique wineries tend to be expensive and I wasn't ready for the Pinot Noir, so I was bound to be disappointed, wasn't I?
Stopping in at Tahbilk en route to Glenrowan and Rutherglen was, on the other hand, a sheer delight. The place was crowded, as you'd expect, but the wines were impressive right across the range, and I signed up for the Wine Club as soon as the topic was raised. No joining fee, no obligation to buy, free freight to North Queensland, why wouldn't you?
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