A View of Melbourne, Vineyards and All

Unlike the previous stops, I think this one needs to begin at the airport pre-boarding to fully paint the picture of the effort it took to get to Melbourne. The adventure began as I arrived at KL and was told I had to go through the whole custom process to pick up my luggage and then re-check in for my next flight! Franticly I ran through the airport, picked up my luggage and then preceded towards the departure terminals. As I arrived at the check in counter, I was informed that I did not have the visa needed for Australia. Thinking the guy had completely lost his mind, I reminded him that I had an US passport! He patiently insisted that US citizens also needed it. Still in doubt I pulled up travel.gov and sure enough it was there in black and white. As I was busy cursing the Aussies under my breath he informed me it was sometime I could get on the spot and only took a few minutes. As I impatiently waited for the slow Internet to load the page, I was praying that I wouldn't be stuck in KL for the day. Finally after what seemed like years, I managed to obtain a eta for Australia at the cost of 20AUD and much stress, though it really was my fault for not double checking before I left.

Once I finally got into Melbourne I couldn't believe how stunning the city was. The city was laid back, the people were friendly and the streets were clean! It kind of reminded me of Chicago but 50% more Asians! The first stop of the day was Victoria Market, which was a gigantic version of Reading Terminal and Italian Market all in one.














After wandering around drooling over the various arrays of exotic meats and cheeses, I found my way to the food court for my first meal in the city. Wanting to save room for other food I planned on having later I opted for a chicken avocado roti, which was simple yet still amazingly tasty. Across the street from the food market was an extension of the market, with stalls an stalls of vendors selling everything from t-shirts to souvenirs. From there I went down to Bourke St, which is the city's major shopping strip. Surrounding the area included Greek downtown and Chinatown, however both really small in size. As the night approached, I decided to grab a bit to eat and began at an oyster bar called Mezzo that was recommended on a food site I was reading. Luckily for me I got there at 5:30 just in time for 1/2 priced oyster happy hour!











So I ordered a dozen natural, with a crisp glass of white wine to accompany it. There were two types available one from Coffin Bay, that was slightly salty but finished clean and the other was I think called Mermin Blad, and had a sweet initial taste but an unfortunate tangy finish. The coffin bay was definitely the better of the two. Saving some room for my nice treat I ventured my way down to Federation Square with is right off the Southbank. As sunset approached, the last few rays of the day bounced off the skyscrapers along the waterfront.











Though It's skyline may not be recognized worldwide, at that moment it was hard to understand why. When at last the sun dipped below the building I decided it was time for dinner, though I really still wasn't hungry. Instead of the typical corner bistro, this time I decided to try a ritzy restaurant with a view of the river. Walking in dressed in slacks, t-shirts and a sweatshirt, I was more than a little out of place. The ambiance of the restaurant was classy and chic with glass windows ceiling high and most patrons either out on dates or for business dinners. As per the waiters recommendations, I order the kataifi wrapped Japanese scallops with smoked chilli mayo and the individual duck terrine with foie gras, smoked duck breast & toasted brioches.

















Both were as good as they look and equally expensive! Australian contemporary cuisine was not too shabby.

Unlike in many other places I've visited in the past few years, Melbourne is strategically located within an hour or so drive from four wine producing regions. So the next day, a privately booked mini tour bus came and whisked me off to the Yarra Valley. As we drove into the rolling hills of the vineyards, all that surrounded us was acres and acres of grapevines situated under a deep blue sky.








On the first stop we came to Coldstream Hills, the vineyard of the famous Robert Halliday, where to proceeded to tried every bottled available from their sauvignon blanc right down to their shiraz. Though a few bottles were good, nothing was terrific. The next stop was at a vineyard called Yarra Yering, which produced some of the most expensive wines in the region. At this place, each wine was more complex than the next with some being extremely harsh on the nose but surprisingly pleasant on the palate. Again however none took be by awe. Preceding we stopped at Chandon, the heart of Moet & Chandon in Australia, where we were able to try either one or all four of their sparking on hand.





Out of all the members of our tour I was the only one that opted to try the range, which turns out was a fairly generous pour of each. The brut was a fairly decent champagne similar to numerous I had in the states, the middle two were a rose and Pinot noir respectively but only average in taste, the last was a curvee, and resembled a moscato.





The first and last were my favorite and I was glad I was able to try the whole lot. By now, I was feeling a little light headed and was more than happy to hear we were headed off to lunch, which was at a nice restaurant in Yering vineyard. The food was up to the Melbourne standard, as the eye fillet was cooked perfectly! Another wonderful meal in the city. Given that this was a vineyard tour, after lunch we preceded to sample the other offerings of Yering, including a fabulous limited release of a 2008 cabernet that was smooth and balance! One of the best cabs I had for a while and definitely my favorite of the day! The final stop on the tour was the largest vineyard in the area called De Bortoli, who produced not only a great selection of wines but also had cheese onsite to pair. Some of my favorites from the cheese selections included a soft goat cheese marinated in olive oil with honey drizzled on top, and a soft cow milk cheese with truffle.











We finish off a magnificent day of food and wine with the Noble One, the best selling wine in the country. It's a dessert wine, almost syrupy in texture but still fruity and sweet like an ice wine. It was truly the perfect ending to a perfect visit to the city! BTW I highly recommend www.vinetrekker.com.au for those looking for a unique tour of the vineyards and try to get Paul if you can because he was terrific!
Rating:
Atmosphere: The city is very laid back with a semi slower pace. The people are extremely proud of their city and happy to share with you their expertise on it. Strolling around downtown is a great experience and easy to navigate as it's in a grid format with a free city trolly circling the outer edge.
People: Extremely pleasant and friendly! I think they are some of the nicest people I've met, especially in such a big country. Really puts most cities in the states to shame.
Food: It is said that Melbourne is a foodie city and the locals pride theselves on the food, which is truly amazing! Though I was at first disappointed that I didn't get a chance to try authentic Aussie food, I was later informed that there really is no such a thing. In fact since most people here are immigrants, the food like the culture is a blend of everything. Nevertheless the blend they came up with is superb.
Beauty: The walk along side the river provides a great view of the city and there are numerous cafes to stop and savor the moment. Aside from that most streets in the city is full of things to see from churches to museums.
Cleaniness: Never imagine a city as big and busy as this being able to keep itself so clean. The whole time I was here I don't really remember seeing much trash on the ground and the streets itself are constantly being sweep by cleaning cars.
Overall: I wasn't really expecting much from Melbourne and it has exceeded my expectations in every way. I couldn't imagine a more comfortable city to reside in. As someone told me here, Melbourne is a city you want to build a relationship with whilst Sydney is one you want to have a one night stand! Maybe a little harsh but so far I'm willing to stay in Melbourne forever.

Scale 1-10: 9