While we were in Perth, we decided to take a local wine tour to explore some of the excellent wines they have there. We headed out to one of Australia’s oldest and most beautiful wine regions, the Swan Valley. It was just a short bus trip from Perth but it felt like we’d drove into another world. The weather was overcast and rained a bit while on the way through rolling hills and vineyards that stretched for miles. We were greeted with a beautiful double rainbow as we arrived at our first winery.
One of the highlights of our day was the visit to Houghton Winery, one of the most iconic names in Western Australian wine. We enjoyed tastings of several beautiful wines.
We went to different wineries and tasted an array of different Swan River Valley wines.
Ray in the field with vines in Swan River Valley
We were lucky to even walked through some of the estate and saw some unique things like sheep grazing between the rows of grapes. we even saw a few kangaroos hopping along the wines as if they owned the place.
There’s something magical about seeing Australia’s iconic wildlife living seamlessly with the charm of the vineyards.
We sampled an impressive variety of wines throughout the day, including some beautiful expensive rich reds.
Shelley overlooking the wine estate and vines
Beyond the wine tasting itself, seeing the scenery and driving through the Swan Valley was great. We were able to see a unique area of Australia known for their amazing wines. By the end of the day, we were full, content and ready for our next adventure.
We went for a tour at a winery called “Bodega La Cepa De Pelayo” which is a new Bodega located in Alcafá Del Jucar, Spain.
The tour was very detailed and took us through the entire Bodega.
Ray at the start of the Bodega tour
Our guide was very knowledgeable and explained the entire process in detail.
Tour guide explaining the processes of the wine making in the Bodega
We began with a tour with the extraction process, known as “debourbage”and how the grape is separated from the juice.
The vats used to ferment the wine
The juice is then transferred to different vats where the alcoholic fermentation starts.
Shelley and Ray in front of the fermentation vats
We then went to the barrel storage area where the wine is aged.
Wine aged in oak barrels at the Bodega.
Finally we went to a large hall set up for the wine tasting. We found our seats and learned about the etiquette of wine tasting. Our tour guide was very good and explained everything very clearly.
Tour guide explaining the wine tasting etiquette
We learned about the colour of the wine, the smell, look, texture and taste. We were taught how to swirl the glass to release the aromas of the wine.
Shelley at the wine tasting
We tried several different wines including a white, rose and red.
Ray tasting a white wine at the Bodega
The wine tasting was very entertaining and a lot of fun.
We went to the world renown Gonzalez Byass Bodega (winery) for a tour in Jerez Spain. The bodega is well-known for its sherry and it’s brand Tio Pepe. Its origins began in 1835 and was founded by Manuel María González Angel. Later a partnership with Robert Blake Byass created the Gonzalez Byass name. The winery is located on a large property which is beautifully landscaped.
A view of the Gonzalez Byass Winery property in Jerez
The entrance to the main building is decorated with historic pictures of the winery which began in 1835.
Entrance area of main building in the Gonzalez Byass Winery
When we finished exploring the historic photos in the main entrance, we were met by our guide. He was very enlightening and had a great sense of humor. We began our tour in a circular style reception area which was very unique.
Reception area of the winery
The guide explained to us the design of the reception area was mirrored similar to Saint Peter’s Square in Rome. The building was constructed this way to impress the visiting royal family of Spain.
We walked throughout the reception area looking at the different symbols of countries. The symbols on each barrel represented each country that Gonzalez Byass Winery exported their products to.
Different countries Gonzalez Byass Winery exports their products to.
We walked around until we located Canada on one of the Barrels.
The Canada Barrel at the Gonzalez Byass Winery
We then headed into another area of the winery which had a display of the equipment used to create wine over the years.
An exhibit of some of the wine making equipment
The guide provided us with the history of the Bodega and how it is known for their sherry. We then entered into the area of the Bodega where the sherry barrels are kept.
Sherry barrels in Bodega
The barrels are painted black to make it easy to locate leaks. The wine will leave a shiny streak on the barrel making it very easy to find the leak.
Each aisle contains four rows of matte black barrels which contain wine from four different years. The wine in each barrel is replaced and mixed with another barrel to make the sherry. There is an intricate and scientific process for making the perfect sherry.
There are different sherries in selected aisles.
We walked throughout the aisles looking at the different barrels of sherry.
Shelley in the Bodega barrel area
There is also a special section in the barrel storage area for the royal sherry. The Queen of Spain attended the Bodega and had grapes crushed and put into a specially made barrel.
Royal barrel with our tour guide
We then headed to taste some samples of sherry made by the Bodega. The tasting area was set up similar to a restaurant.
Tasting area at the bodega
We tried several different types of sherry including their best-known sherry “Tio Pepe”. We could see their logo throughout the bodega of Tio Pepe.
Tio Pepe logo on display with flowers in the Bodega.
The sherry was very good and we decided to go to their sales area to take a look around. The store was very large with plenty of choices of sherry.
Store area in Gonzalez Byass Bodega
We walked around looking at the different displays including an area with their featured Tio Pepe Sherry.
We bought a bottle of sherry and took it home for a special occassion. It was a very interesting and enjoyable experience.
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