my favourite kind of red

The mercury has plummeted and it's well and truly winter. It's dark, wet and freezing. Even though i love the warmer weather of spring, summer and autumn, winter has a saving grace. The cordial that I like best!

Winter days like this are perfect for curling up on the couch with a big glass of yummy red wine. Preferably accompanied by either cheese or chocolate. Ok, so it's not the healthiest diet in the world, but it's the yummiest. This time of year I can't help but get itchy feet to go and visit the cellar doors at nearby wineries and taste the latest vintage of all the flavours of red-coloured goodness. Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sangiovese, Mouvedre, Petit Verdot, Zinfandel, Nebbiolo, yummy Pinot Noir and one of my favourites, Grenache.

We're blessed with some of the best wineries in the world here, and a wide assortment of different grape varieties and blends. I'm not fussy, I'll drink almost anything half decent, though I do have my favourites. But the ability to try so many wonderful varieties and vintages is one of life's greatest joys.

I have to admit I wasn't always a red girl. I used to only drink white, red was too strong for me. I needed to start with something sweeter and easier to drink. But thanks to the perseverance of one of my best mates I slowly developed my palate and learned to appreciate the different flavours and complexities of red. My winter of red-learning, now 10 years ago. where did the time go. It feels like I've been drinking it since I learned to walk.

There mere sight of vines now gets me excited. I start thinking about how hot it's been, how much rainfall we've had, whether the heatwave will have damaged the grapes and which varieties will have been hit hardest in which regions. And when I finally get to taste a sample of each variety, I love the ritual of swirling the glass, inhaling the aromas, checking the smells against my memory banks of familiar scents, swilling the first mouthful around my palate, savouring the flavour. Aaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!!!

So here are some recent images of wineries recently visited to try and get your taste buds going. Go on, crack open a bottle of red, it's definitely red weather!