Galileo Galilie was an Italian astronomer, mathematician, physicist, philosopher and one of the founders of modern science back in the mid 16th to 17th centuries. Besides supporting the Copernican sun-centered solar system and discovering the four most massive moons of Jupiter, Galileo was also a wine lover. For all of these accomplishments he is among my favorite scientists and in homage I am using his quote as the title of this post.
A simple and perfect description.
There are over 1000 miles in the wine regions of New Zealand on both the North and South Islands:
The vineyards enjoy a perfect environment for grape growing – long hours of sunshine, cooling ocean breezes, moderating maritime climate. No winery is more than 80 miles from the ocean as most are found on the eastern coastlines of the North and South Islands. Each region has its own unique terroir and produces magnificent varieties of wine.
NB: As mentioned in previous posts, New Zealand is a country of outsized color – none of my photos have been photoshopped – the views are simply spectacular.
Our visit to the Stonyridge Vineyards on Waiheke Island of the North Island was a true smorgasbord for the senses, beginning once the ferry dropped us off:
Before we got down to the envious job of exploring the delicious selection of wines, we had a tasting of another sort at the Rangihoua Estate which produces four of the world’s most outstanding and award-winning olive oils. Not only were the olive oils exquisite our palates were also quite ecstatic about the herb spreads and chutney also made at the estate. Photos in part courtesy of Lenore:
Let’s get down to the main event – wine tasting and lunch at the world-renowned Stonyridge Vineyards.
Background – The Stonyridge Vineyards began with plantings of Bordeaux vines in 1982 and the first vintage was produced in 1985 and by 1987 the Larose Vintage exploded into worldwide fame as the best red wine ever made in New Zealand.
To give you a little more detail – here is a brief listing from their website showcasing their renowned reds:
We dug right in and began our tasting, even throwing in a citrusy sauvignon blanc:
I will admit that our senses were already on overload at this point, but even so, the view of the grounds simply exploded our brains:
I will end this post with another wine quote from a most beloved poet:
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