DENMARK - BEACHES AND WINE (PART TWO) (4 NOVEMBER 2014)

The genie was out of the bottle. One small taste of being chauffeured around wineries and she who must be occasionally obeyed (when it comes to giving up salt, for example) was a different person.  "What time are we leaving tomorrow?"  "Which wineries am I taking you to?" "I'm not sure yet, there are so many to chose from." "Well then, I'm not sure when we'll leave, but I do want to visit Parry Beach at some stage."

For the purposes of this blog, Parry Beach has won the first spot. Unlike many of the other seaside delights along the Denmark coast, Parry is a long, curved expanse of sand which stretches for a couple of kilometres or more.

It was impossible to include the entire sweep of this bay in one photograph (but as usual I tried).

Apart from the beach and its obvious attractions, Parry Beach boasts a bush camping ground par excellence. From all we had been told, this place resembles a disturbed bull ant nest over the Xmas holiday period.  Liz stayed put in the cruiser enjoying the view over the bay whilst I went exploring. 

From the entrance this looked a most attractive proposition. What is the potential of this place for the Marshies?

Absolutely nil. The fine print on the entrance sign dashed any hopes, slim as they may have been given our plans. 'Maximum height.....2.75 metres'. We come in at over 2.8. End of the story for us, but I decided to take a look anyway.

I rather wish I hadn't. What a great spot this is. Beyond the entry area the main park road stretches away in the distance under an archway of shade trees.

Off to the left and right small individual camp sites open up,

many of which come with ready made fire pits for those who seek either warmth or ambiance, or both.

Despite this cool time of the year a number of lucky souls were tucked away in their own private little bush domains. Half their luck. 

If I had any lingering doubt about the popularity of this place during summer, the signs at the bottom of the beach access ramp said it all.

How often have you seen speed hump signs on a beach before? I'm not quite sure how this is actually achieved, but the councils responsible for the Moana and Aldinga beaches south of Adelaide might like to make some enquiries and learn a lesson or two!

"Righto, Liz, what's first?"  A winery with the appealing name of The Lake House was on top of the list. What a good choice. Like the Fleurieu Peninsula, where the vineyards of McLaren Vale are never to far from the sea, it was only a short hop from water to wine.






Again we were soon driving through the delightful Denmark countryside where the constant combination of lush pastures, hills and vales and stands of tall, leafy trees paint a constant picture of grazing country at its best.








Even although it has been a month since we left the barren, semi-arid plains of Carnarvon, we were still quite struck by the contrast as we drove along roads like this, the entry road to the Lake House winery and vineyards.

True to name, the Lake House is just that, a cellar door, restaurant and 'foodies' shop set on a large, rustic pond amid the vines and the trees.

What a charming place this is, worth a visit in its own scenic right irrespective of the quality of the vinous produce. So speaks 'The Skipper', rationalising another morning of 'look (and possibly taste and spit) but don't swallow'. But scenery was not on Liz's mind....she was out of the cruiser like a shot and heading straight for the action.







The interior of the Lake House is befitting of its setting...all warm wood, tiled floors and cleverly managed clutter. The wines on offer here at the small tasting bar are only a part of the Lake House story.







In the adjoining shop are displays of all sorts of condiments and sauces, most wine based, and all made by the cellar door staff. I was so excited about the prospect of being able to actually taste something as well, I muffed the photo...my focus was demonstrably elsewhere!










Although the Lake House touts a restaurant, they really only do 'snacky stuff'...coffee and cake or a cheese platter.....that type of thing. This can be savoured inside or out.

The focus here at the Lake House is very much on outdoor munching for very good reason. The settings vary from this small garden type bench











to the large deck overlooking the vines and the tranquil waters of the lake. Here is a commercial venture in which every opportunity to make the most of the natural surrounds is cleverly exploited (in the nicest way).




And their wines?  Pretty good, more than merely quaffable. Our under-bed cellar stocks were on the increase. And so was the pantry. I had not been idle whilst Liz slurped and savoured. A fig, apple and chardonnay chutney, pickled pears in semillon and a merlot based ice cream sauce left with us. Who said 'skippers' cannot have fun?





Rockcliffe was the next on Liz's list.

Here the commercial focus, beyond the production of good wines, that is, is quite different. 












Entry to the tasting area and restaurant is gained through this large covered outdoor entertainng area. Here, once a month, Sunday afternoon crowds can enjoy live music as they tipple. We are looking forward to joining in at least once before we leave Albany.




By the way, I think I have commented previously on the number of pesky flies which are in plague propertions in the Great Southern at the moment. Rockcliffe was no exception, but here at least the grounds staff had the right idea....a full face net. We wondered if this was an essential part of the winery's occupational health and safety kit.

Odd as they look, these nets (which saved our lives at the fly capital of the world, Erldunda, on the junction of the Stuart and Lassiter Highways) are a really practical piece of gear. It can be something of a challenge, for example, to be wielding a chain saw whilst swatting away flies doing their best to take a bath in one's eyes or seek shelter in ears or nose.


But I digress....back to the job at hand. Liz tasting...me snapping. The chap on duty this morning at Rockcliffe was consumately informative and entertaining. We chatted about both the wines and the locals. He kept me highly entertained whilst I tried not to cast an ever increasingly envious eye at my sipping spouse who was more than favourably impressed by the Rockcliffe bubbles and, particularly, their rose. We left with bottles of both. I was developing visions of a complete revamp of our storage.

And now for the best of both worlds.....a winery and brewery combined, with the added bonus of a reputedly very good restaurant to boot. Lunch time approached. We were off to....

where the cellar door, brewery and dining areas are far less pretentious than the brand label. 

As we drove towards the car park I was wondering if indeed the product here would live up to the acclaim it had received from our erstwhile Kiwi companions of the Anzac Albany weekend. They had been fulsome in their praise.








Like so many other local wineries, outdoor dining is featured at Willoughby Park. With a setting like this it would be silly not to take full advantage.










This is a big place. The tables on the verandah were also placed to allow those choosing to dine al fresco a view over the gardens and vines.












Today, however, the flies won out. It was inside for us. Here I left Liz sampling Willoughby's wines (by now she was sounding like a real connoisseur) whilst I scampered off on a different mission.








The Boston Brewery has something of a reputation. I was keen to see if it lived up to it. Glass walls protect the integrity of the brewery on one side of this cavernous room. 

On the other side the chefs were busy in the open kitchen.



  


  


The Boston Brewery was the venue for my one small indulgence on our jaunt around the wineries of Denmark. After some quick calculations involving volumes and alcohol content, I was happy to quietly sip my way through a tasting tray of four Boston brews. What a good idea this is.....a tray of small glasses (here they come as four or six) showcasing the range of beers available. One can sample safely, as I did with responsibly restrained gusto (is that violin music we hear in the background?). The Boston wheat beer, Australian style larger, India pale ale and dark larger were all put to the test. 

And the result? The dark larger by a street....but I wouldn't knock back any of the others on a hot day either, or more to the point, I most probably would, with a gusto lacking any semblance of restraint.

By now it was time to put the kitchen to the test. I am rarely enthused by 'warm salads', but the prospect of a munch on hoisin style duck, albeit as part of a salad, was beyond my resistance. Peking style duck is, for me, one of life's real indulgences.

Liz opted for a pizza. Both meals were triumphs and made for a perfect ending to a better than average day out, notwithstanding the fact that my glass was now filled with water. One could have hoped that over lunch my charming wife would have come out in sympathy and joined me at the water jug....not on your nellie.....she was determined to make the most of this rare (and well deserved) opportunity to gargle with gay abandon safe in the knowledge that no demands would be placed on her driving skills. 

By now two of our three Denmark tourist imperatives had been fulfilled, and more than adequately so. Would the famous Valley of the Giants maintain the average?