Explore with Fran

In our last chat we discussed everything Chardonnay. And I am curious, have you been exploring with new expressions of this very versatile grape? I would love to hear what you experimented with and what you discovered about your palate.

Today, our palate shifts focus. From the green grape to the black grape. Yes, red wine is made from black grapes. What may surprise you is to learn that both grapes, the green and the black both contain clear pulp and juice inside. This begs the question of how do wines become different colours if the juice in the grapes is the same colour?

The magic is in the skins. And the skin on a Cabernet Sauvignon grape has a thick skin. Which is your first clue. It is the thick skin on the Cabernet Sauvignon grape that contains high levels of colour. But, how does that colour get into the wine? It is through skin contact.

The making of red wine follows a process. After the crushing of the grapes, there is a period of fermentation. With the skins in contact with the juice. The colour is absorbed by the grape juice and the result is a red liquid. The skins of the Cabernet Sauvignon grape also contain high levels of something called tannins.

Have you ever noticed that when you take a sip of red wine your mouth feels as though it is drying out? Your gums feel like they are attaching to the insides of your mouth. This is the effect of the tannins. Present in the grape stem and the thick skins of the Cabernet Sauvignon grape. Tannins in a young Cabernet Sauvignon are very high and if a wine is to be drunk young, it may well be blended with a grape like Merlot. The effect of this is to soften the tannins and make the wine eminently more drinkable, without the need to age it.

As Cabernet Sauvignon wine ages, often in oak barrels, the tannins soften and the wine takes on secondary and tertiary flavours of cedar, vanilla, and dried fruits, amongst others. Having flavours of “forest floor” may not sound appealing and this is a possible aroma of an aged Cabernet Sauvignon.

Now you know a little bit about the grape, how about a little of where it is grown. France is the homeland of Cabernet Sauvignon and the most famous region is in Bordeaux, widely regarded as one of the world’s finest wine regions. Needing a moderate to warm climate to allow it to ripen, the Left Bank of Bordeaux is well known for gravelly soils that allow for excellent drainage and heat retention which aids the ripening. Across the Gironde river, on the Right Bank, Merlot is the dominant grape, with Cabernet Sauvignon still playing a large role. 

From our previous discussion on wine labels, you will remember that “Old World” wine regions, of which France is one, rarely put the name of the grape on the wine label. This is where a little knowledge goes a long way. Now you know that if you are drinking a red Bordeaux, you are drinking Cabernet Sauvignon. Whether that is the dominant grape, or whether it is Merlot, depends on which side of the river the wine is from. Left Bank and you can be confident it is led by Cabernet Sauvignon. Right Bank, you are probably drinking a Merlot dominated wine.

Whichever side of the Gironde your wine is from, Bordeaux reds are a very distinctive wine, copied across many of the world’s wine regions. One excellent location to grow Cabernet Sauvignon is Margaret River, three hours south of Perth. With a unique maritime climate, similar to Bordeaux and with the Indian Ocean providing cooling sea breezes, Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon has excellent balance, powerful tannins and wines that display aromas of blackcurrant and bay leaf notes.

For such a bold, full bodied, fruity wine, what would be a good food pairing? Before we explore that let’s just clear something up. The very best pairing is the one that you want. The one that you enjoy. Yes, some wines pair better with food than others. This is because of the flavour profiles in wine. Sweet wines pair better with sweet food. Crisp white acidic wines pair well with oily and fatty foods. This is why Champagne with fish and chips is a classic pairing.

And yes, there is a lot to be said by the maxim, “what grows together, goes together.” Anything Italian goes well with a Chianti Classico or an easy drinking Valpolicella. White wines do tend to pair better with fish and light dishes. You wouldn’t want your full bodied Cabernet Sauvignon with your delicately flavoured scallops.

What you would want with your Cabernet Sauvignon are grilled steaks. Hearty lamb dishes. Hard cheeses. The tannins that we mentioned earlier, that are high in a Cabernet Sauvignon bind to the proteins in red meat, providing a refreshing contrast.

All this talk is making me both thirsty, and hungry. I think I will head out for a glass of wine.

Cin cin.

How well do you know your Chardonnay?

When we last spoke, I was sharing that I have embarked on my WSET (Wine & Spirits Education Trust) Level 2 qualification. And that I am sharing my journey here, with you. Since civilisation began, wine has played an important role. Wine is history. Wine is story. Here is a little bit of my story.

The chapter we are writing today concerns the grape, Chardonnay. Yes, whilst it is named after a small village in France, Chardonnay is also the name of the grape. And, for those of you paying attention in the previous blog, you will remember that when produced in an “Old World” wine region, such as France, the name of the grape doesn’t go on the label.  Yes, I know, it can get very confusing.

Chardonnay in the 1990s

Which brings me to my introduction to Chardonnay. Kind of. Unlike here in Australia, the supermarkets in the UK sell wine as well as groceries. Here in Australia you have to find a bottle shop. The equivalent of an off licence in the UK. The convenience of being able to pick up a bottle of plonk with my peanuts was a wonder to behold when I started shopping and roaming the shelves of my local Tesco.

Being the late 80s and early 90s, supermarkets in the UK were flooded with wine from the land down under. And, to a little travelled (at the time I had seldom left the UK) Yorkshireman, the wines of Australia were very exotic. Labels with drawings of koalas, kangaroos, and boomerangs. Thankfully, over the years, wine producers have become a lot more inventive and a lot more discerning. These labels promised sunshine in a bottle. A slice of Bondi Beach right at home in Brighouse.

This was where my palate was introduced to Chardonnay. Wine that was almost yellow in the bottle. Overpowering flavours of oak. High acidity, not very well balanced by the fruit. Wine that even now, at a distance of over 30 years still makes me shiver. Maybe I had been put off from Chardonnay for life.

The Chardonnay Renaissance

Or maybe not. In the intervening years wine producers have realised that wine punters can have quite discerning palates. And after decades of wine drinkers declaring themselves as ABC, anything but chardonnay, they are being lured back to expressions of the grape that are sublime. Exquisite. Heavenly.

I am one such person. Being lucky enough to have one of the world’s best wine regions on our doorstep certainly helps. Margaret River produces only a small amount of Australia’s wine, and yet the quality is amongst the highest. If not the very best. And it was Margaret River that reignited my love for Chardonnay.

Margaret River Chardonnay

Gone are the yellow colours. Child like drawings of Australian cliches have left the labels. Long forgotten are the overpowering oak aromas, most probably obtained through the cheaper method of using oak chips, rather than the very expensive French oak barrels that are used today. Now, the wines are smooth. Elegant. Sophisticated. Think you don’t like Chardonnay? Then try one from wineries such as Vasse Felix, Cullen, and Xanadu. You may be converted.

You are not convinced? The oak flavours have ruined Chardonnay for life, for you? OK, I hear you. Bear with me. When you say you don’t like Chardonnay, I suspect it is the buttery flavours, caused by malolactic fermentation, and the oak, as talked about earlier. The secondary and tertiary flavours that are a result of a wine making choice by the wine maker. For a specific style of wine she is wanting to produce.

Chardonnay from France

Which means that the wine maker can equally make a choice to produce a Chardonnay wine without these additional processes. For example, Chablis, from the French village of the same name, produces mostly unoaked Chardonnay. The expression in a Chablis is a lot fresher. Dry and mineral on the palate. Refreshing. Not as one dimensional as an Italian Pinot Grigio, and not as complex as Chardonnay from Mersault in Burgundy, which uses oak barrels and lees contact for that secondary aroma of bread.

What I hope is becoming clear is that Chardonnay is a very versatile grape. Wine regions across the world fall between the 30 and 50 degree latitude, both north and south of the equator. Within that we have cool, moderate, and warm climates. Chardonnay grows well in all of them. With wine that bridges the scale from light bodied all the way to full bodied, with varying levels of acidity, I am convinced that there is a Chardonnay to suit you. 

It is not a time to be monogamous

Whether you like your wines aged, producing notes of hazelnut and mushroom. Or whether you like your Chardonnay young and fresh, displaying hints of apples and pears, this is a wine I encourage you to try. And don’t be monogamous. Shop around. Whether you are in your local Tesco, or in your neighbourhood Dan Murphy’s, see what is on offer.

Good examples can be found from Napa Valley in California. France has Chablis and Mersault, some of the world’s best Chardonnay. And there is Margaret River. Which I would suggest you try first. Just don’t tell the French. And if all else fails, stick to something that the Chardonnay grape does very well. Drink Champagne.

Salut, and until the next time. Live well, drink well.

Do you know your Chablis from your Chardonnay?

Do you know your Chardonnay from your Chablis? Your Sauvignon Blanc from your Sancerre? (these are trick questions, which we will get to later.”) Well, follow on with me as I go on a journey of discovery, deep into the world of wine.

My aim is to simplify things and make wine a little more accessible for you. It can be daunting, sitting in a restaurant and you are passed a wine list that looks thicker than a Harry Potter book. And the sommelier stands over you like she owns the world. Where do you start?

Start here, exploring wine with Fran.

The home of wine

Whether you agree that Georgia (the country, not the US state) is the spiritual home of wine, and whether you called your Shiraz, Syrah, I am here for you.

Starting out as a passionate lover of wine, my interest has deepened over the years and now I am embarking on Level 2 of the WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust). A globally recognised qualification in the wine world.

This journey may have been started with my sister as an early catalyst, presenting me with birthday gifts of a wine decanter and the voluminous “World Atlas of Wine” by Jancis Robinson and Hugh Johnson. This led to a membership with the Sunday Times wine club, my entry point into a selection of wine not available in my local Tesco superstore. At least not then. Things may well have changed in the intervening 20 years.

Wine tasting across the world

In those two decades I have been fortunate enough to visit cellar doors and taste some of the world’s best wine from across the globe. Day tripping in the Casablanca Valley in Chile. Cycling around the Malbec laden vineyards of Mendoza, Argentina. Sipping Pinot Noir in Sonoma, a neighbour to the world famous Napa Valley. In recent years I had the great opportunity to travel across the centre of the wine world. 

Just whisper it so we don’t upset our Italian friends. France. Travelling through regions such as Champagne, Burgundy, and Bordeaux had us tasting some of the wines that sing across your palate. 

Margaret River wine region

Closer to home, Australia has been where I have done most wine tasting. Having the Margaret River wine region on our doorstep is something that wine buffs can only dream of. A relatively recent member of the wine fraternity, the vines in this region only date back to the late 1960s. And in this short space of time Margaret River wine makers are making their mark on the wine world. Until you have tried a Chardonnay from Vasse Felix, have you even ever had Chardonnay? And the Cabernet Sauvignon? Full bodied, balanced tannins, and a long finish. Writing this has me heading to the butchers for a t-bone steak.

Live long, drink wine

However, this blog is about wine, not food. Not that you can ever separate the two. Food and wine have gone together since time immemorial. And, research from the Blue Zones, where people regularly live to over 100 years, suggests that part of that longevity is related to the diet which includes a daily glass of wine.

That is something I can drink to.

Short explainer

* Chablis is Chardonnay. Sancerre is Sauvignon Blanc.

Wine production is often defined as New World and Old World. France is a country that sits in the Old World and the wine labelling is based on location, not the grape variety. Hence their Chardonnay that is grown in the village of Chablis is named as such. Same as the sauvignon blanc wines that are produced in the village of Sancerre.

To avoid a lot of the confusion, and partly a marketing ploy, New World producers, which include Australia, label wines with the name of the grape on front.

Time to head out for dinner

Last time we spoke we had just arrived at the hotel in Phuket. A long travel day, and a long drive south from the airport, was almost made worse by my paying for the Grab drive twice. Have a read if you haven’t had chance.

After the happy hour beers we headed to our room to shower and freshen up. It was time to start exploring. And we followed our noses. No, it wasn’t the dreadful drainage that drew us in, it was the distinct aromas of Thai food. And it didn’t take us long to locate the origin.

Kata Walking Street

Navigating the busy streets, the constant scooters zipping in and out of traffic, and the constant shouts of “massaaaaaaage”, we were soon at Kata night markets. Cleverly branded as “Kata Walking Street”, there was every food you could want. And lots I wouldn’t. On our travels through Thailand we became familiar with each town having a “walking street”. Essentially, they were night markets to entice the tourists. And they work. Always busy, serving piping hot, fresh, delicious Thai food and cold beer.

Dinner was very enjoyable. And very cheap. We shared a dinner of vegetable spring rolls, a roti pancake with Nutella, and my all time favourite, mango sticky rice. My oh my. How does mango sticky rice taste so damn good. It wasn’t to be the last I had on this holiday.

Saturday in Phuket

Saturday morning started with sunshine and a fresh coffee. It long ago became a habit that I always travel, everywhere in the world, with freshly ground coffee and filters, allowing me to start each day with a life affirming cup of coffee. Sat on the chair on the deck, the sun reflecting off the swimming pool, and watching the local birdlife as they glided on thermals up high in the sky.

Saturday night reminded me of how what we take for granted in some cultures, is much less well known in others. In the restaurant that night we witnessed what I will call the “Birthday cake disaster”. There was a large table of holiday makers sat near us and one gentleman appeared to be the organiser. Surreptitiously heading to the counter and speaking to the staff in whispered tones, before taking his place, expectantly, at the dinner table.

Happy Birthday, to who?

A waitress appeared with a birthday cake. So far, so good. So far, what you would expect when someone in your dining party is celebrating a birthday. This is where it got weird.

The waitress just stood by the counter, nowhere near the birthday boy, and looked very happy whilst the whole restaurant started singing happy birthday. She looked slightly abashed. Did she think they were singing to her? She seemed to be enjoying the song, whilst being rooted to the ground with the birthday cake. By some crazy coincidence was it her birthday too?

The organiser looked perturbed. Wondering when the birthday cake was going to make it over to the table. It didn’t. When the restaurant had stopped singing, and collectively realised that the birthday boy was going to go cake less, the waitress promptly blew out all the candles on the cake, looked very happy with herself, and returned the cake to the kitchen. 

Cue lots of confused faces from the table. What was happening?

However, just hang on. Wait a moment. Here comes the birthday music again. Oh, and we have the cake again. With new candles. Deja vu. Between giggles, we all tried to join in again with a new rendition of “Happy Birthday”. This time the birthday boy did get to blow his own candles out. 

This was the best part of the evening. Dinner was a let down. Which is something I don’t often say in Thailand. Maybe the size of the restaurant, and the sheer number of tourists should have been a give away. The food was bland and rather insipid. A green curry that will linger long in the memory, for all the wrong reasons/

Thoughts of dinner, banished

Morning two dawned brightly and it wasn’t long before we banished thoughts of our insipid dinner. What I had for breakfast sounds like dinner and it was a lot tastier. Hotels in South East Asia serve breakfast in a buffet style. And I get to try many things that wouldn’t normally replace my Weetbix at breakfast time. This morning I got to enjoy beef massaman, fried rice, and pork noodles. And this was only my first course. Served with the usual terrible hotel coffee. Thank goodness for my travel coffee filter.

For me, breakfasts in Asian hotels are a real highlight. And with the dishes rotating each day, I made sure to try everything whilst we were there. With this, there are always a day or two, when travelling, that you crave some different food. A new cuisine. Dinner provided the perfect opportunity and so it was that we found ourselves at El Greco in Kata.

Going Greek in Phuket

If you find yourself in Kata, Phuket, and want a change from green curries and pad Thai, hunt down this Greek gem. We have visited a few Greek restaurants around the world, and some are definitely better than others. El Greco is one of the better ones. Calling in for dinner, we were please to see that both mousakka and pastitcio were on the menu. And both were excellent. Sadly, the beers weren’t Mythos, but they were ice cold. You could almost be in a small taverna on Mykonos island were it not for the choice of music. A live singer blaring out Creep by Radiohead. Definitely not Zorba the Greek. 

The night ended as many have done on our travels around Thailand. With some cheap cocktails. This time at a very cute converted combi van. And unlike the cocktails around the hotel pool, these ones actually tasted of something. And I am sure it wasn’t the dreaded methanol, so often found in cheap, illegal liquor in South East Asia.

Karon Beach

Afternoons in this part of the world see quite a bit of rain. As one of the storms passed, we strolled over the hill into Karon beach. Even with the rain gone, we were a little uninspired by Karon. It all looked a little unloved even by Thai standards.  Walking back we were glad we opted to base ourselves in Kata.

Phuket Town on two wheels

On our last visit to Phuket, as part of the world trip, we hired a scooter and visited Phuket town. So impressed were we that we decided to do the same from Kata. The morning started with bright blue skies and after a hearty breakfast of green curry, chicken noodles, and roast pork we headed to reception to hire a scooter. 200 baht (about $8) for the whole day.

With a visit to the Big Buddha on the way, we got into Phuket town in around 40 minutes. Parking up the scooter we went off to hunt for the wall murals that are so reminiscent of Georgetown in Penang, Malaysia. Phuket town has a very different feel to much of Thailand. With lots of old Chinese shop houses and boutique coffee shops, it is easy to see why so many tourists congregate here.

Time to lose some weight?

In one of the shops we were browsing in, if anyone had caught the end of one of our conversations they may have been horrified. Especially if they only caught the part where I was shouting across to Victoria that “she needed to lose some weight”. Good grief, what kind of husband is he?

The full conversation centred around any space she may have had in her luggage for souvenirs. As I had booked us a return flight home on a cheap airline, (that’s another story), we literally only had 10kgs of checked baggage. And we were at 10kgs. So, if Mrs C wanted to take some souvenirs home, in her bag, she would have to “lose some weight” from the bag. Context is everything. Stop judging me.

Phuket Police

Leaving Phuket town we headed to the beach at Rawai, following Google Maps. Emerging from a tunnel, we suddenly had someone riding at the side of us. It was a traffic cop on a motorbike.

“Follow me”, were the only words he said, before crossing traffic on his bike and motioning for us to follow. As he did, a couple on a motorbike rode right in front of him. Without helmets. They too got the “follow me” instruction. Thinking the policeman now had too much to think about, Victoria suggested we just “drive off”.

Yes, just drive off. Did she hear herself? We were on a 125c scooter, with all the power of a small hairdryer. And Victoria wanted us to zoom off and escape from him. She has been watching too many movies. Were we suddenly Bonnie and Clyde? I had visions of us being chased through Phuket, granted, a short chase, by the Thai police. I did not drive off. I followed him.

All the way to the police hut at the junction of a busy roundabout.

“International driver’s licence” he demanded. 

Shit. I don’t have one, I thought. The one I had expired a few months ago and is in a drawer in Perth.

“It’s back at the hotel”, I heard myself saying out loud. 

The traffic cop was using Google Translate to tell me I broken the law riding through the tunnel and the “fine” was 1000 baht. No prizes for guessing where that money is going. In no mood to argue about the tunnel violation, I accepted the fine. Perhaps he had forgotten that he had also asked me for my international drivers licence. A legal requirement for a tourist to drive in Thailand. I reluctantly walked to the nearest ATM whilst Victoria stayed with the bike.

Returning, I paid the fine to the policeman. A fine that went straight into his back pocket. And he quickly told me to go. And go we did, avoiding the tunnel. Perhaps we got off lightly. For the price of a chicken parmi and a pint back home we had probably put food on the policeman’s table for a week. Life is all about perspective.

No mud, no lotus

An overseas holiday often means a trip to the tattooist. And this was no different. On the last day of the holiday I turned up for my 3pm appointment whilst Victoria went for a bit of pamper time. She had herself booked in for a one hour Thai massage. Imagine my surprise when she came hobbling into the hotel reception to meet me afterwards.

Frowning through the pain she told me that she had just had the most painful massage of her life. The massuese had contorted and stretched her body to its limits. Of the two of us she thinks I got off lightly in terms of pain. My short visit to Tattoo 1% resulted in a small lotus tattoo, as a reminder that life is both sunshine and rain. I have friends who have suffered big losses recently. Part of life and very painful.

Final reflections

In the last few years we have now had a great opportunity to visit a lot of Phuket Island. And have enjoyed it. Now it is time to explore new parts of the world. Isn’t the best part of returning from one holiday the booking of the next?

It is a matter of pronunciation

When you tell people you are heading back to Phuket, the responses you get back can be hilarious.

“Oh, is it nice? I have never been to fuck-et”.

Or, someone else will respond, “enjoy. we love poo-ket”.

I am not saying I have the definitive answer to how it should be pronounced, but it has always been pu-ket, to me.

The Changing Face of Phuket

What is generally agreed is that the island in the south of Thailand is a great place to visit. So great in fact that over the last few years it has become a magnet for Russian tourists. Coming in huge numbers, at times you could be forgiven for thinking you were in Russia. All along the coast, the Russian language on restaurant signage is as ubiquitous as Thai.

And they all appear to have the same “uniform”, which is a white hoody, sold at every beach stall and shop on the island. I am told that since Russia invaded the Ukraine, Russians have been flooding into Phuket and snapping up villas. Again, this is very evident by all the real estate signage in Russian.

It is easy to see the appeal. A small island. Great beaches. And a very low cost of living. We last spent a week in Phuket as part of our 2022/23 world travels, and now we were heading back, staying further south in the resort of Kata.

Never Listening to me Again

Even though it only felt like a few weeks since our last trip, to Denmark in Australia’s Great South West, the morning found us jumping in our pre-booked Uber at 4.30am, and we were at Perth airport just 20 minutes later. And this being Perth, really just a big town, the airport was very quiet. Perth international airport has scant options for food and drink so it was a croissant and coffee that got my engines started. 

When we originally booked this trip, I was my frugal self. Ever the Yorkshireman. Looking for the cheapest fare. This turned out to be with AirAsia. This turned out to be a mistake. In the months and weeks leading up to the flight, AirAsia kept rescheduling our flight. I nonchalantly flicked their last email across to Victoria, with a cursory, “just an FYI, no action needed”.

Imagine my surprise when she immediately came back with, “how come we now have 15 hours in Singapore airport and don’t fly to Phuket until the day after?”.

She had me there. I hadn’t really paid any attention to the email from AirAsia. They do say that relationships succeed when they build on each others strengths. Attention to detail is not one of mine.

Complaining that “she would never listen to me again“, Victoria found us an alternative flight and so it was that Singapore Airlines had us away from Perth in good time for our four and half hour flight to Singapore. On the same timezone as Perth we had wheels down in Singapore at around 11.30am.

Changing in Changi

Being slightly concerned that our bags might not have time to meet the connecting flight we visibly slumped when scanning the departures board at Changi airport. Our connecting flight to Phuket was delayed by almost two hours. Our bags would have plenty of time to make the flight and we now wouldn’t land in Phuket, Thailand until 3.30pm, accounting for the loss of one hour time difference. 

Thankfully, we were in a great place to be inconvenienced. Regularly voted the best airport in the world, if you are going to be delayed anywhere, Changi is as good a place as any. Huge, well organised, and blissfully air conditioned, Changi airport has such amenities as sleep pods, a hotel, gardens to explore, and even a cinema. We just needed food.

If you have been to Singapore you will know how expensive it is. Now, if you have been to an airport, you will know how expensive they are. What a perfect storm. An airport in Singapore. After an eye wateringly expensive, and very tasty, lunch and obligatory Tiger beer, served by robots, we were soon in the air. 

Grabbing a ride in Phuket

Arriving at airports in South East Asia is always a little manic. Once you clear customs, which was a lot more hassle in Thailand than it is in Bali, you are out into the throngs of waiting taxi drivers. All seemingly shouting at once, and with the unbearable heat and distinctive smells of Asia suddenly hitting you, it is very easy to get disoriented. I try to minimise this by being as organised as possible for our arrival.

Despite thinking I had sorted everything out in advance, I always seem to have trouble using the esim on the phone when we land somewhere new. And so it was in Thailand. I couldn’t connect to the network and whilst I could order my Grab (Asian Uber) whilst on the airport wifi, when we went out to meet the car I lost the connection. 

And, in what is common when landing at a foreign airport, we have a frantic search for the Grab pick up point. When we finally found it I saw that my phone had dropped off the wifi. With no wifi connection to confirm through the Grab app which car and driver I was looking for, I was thankful that I had the foresight to take a screen shot of my booking. Experience had taught me that little trick. 

Kata Bound

Sat in the comfort of our lounge at home, looking at the little map of Phuket, things never look that far away. After an hour and a half in Thai traffic I was left wondering why we didn’t pick a hotel nearer the airport.  It had been a long travel day and I needed a cold Singha beer.

Even before checking into the hotel I had almost made a big mistake. Almost paying for the Grab ride twice. Still thinking of our extensive use of the app on our travels through South East Asia I thought the app settings still defaulted to “cash”. In places like Cambodia and Vietnam, drivers wouldn’t pick you up if you wanted to pay by card through the app. Cash remains king. 

On arrival at the hotel in Kata beach I was trying to pass over the money for the ride, 1000 baht ($47) to the driver. And in fairness, he looked shocked. I didn’t know why and with me not speaking Thai, and him not speaking English it took me a while to work out that I had already paid. By the bank card linked to my Grab app. Props for his honesty. 

Aurico Kata Resort

For once we arrived at the hotel in daylight. We seem to have acquired this habit over the years of arriving to our hotels just as we should be going to bed. We usually check in, get shown our room, and promptly go to bed. Not so today. We arrived at the Aurico Kata Resort in good time and whilst having a look around the hotel Vik brought some very good news to my attention. At the pool bar, there was a daily happy hour(s) between 5pm and 7pm. And, as luck would have it, we were coming up to 5pm.

We relaxed with a couple of happy hour Singha beers (80 baht each / $3.70) around the pool, taking a moment to breathe at the end of a day that started with the alarm waking us at 4am. The pool area was huge, with a lot of sun loungers and swim up pool bar that we would find ourselves at in the coming days. Our room was by the pool with direct access from our deck.

I had a feeling this was going to be a very good and relaxing week.

Ocean views in Denmark (WA)

Waking to views of the ocean. Under a bright blue sky, and sandwiched between the verdant green trees that flourish in this part of the world. Watching the swell crash against the beach, roll out, and return. In the same way it has done for thousands of years. Nowhere to be. Nothing to do. Other than just being the ocean. Day after day. There is something quite meditative about it. A simplicity.

And this simplicity will be how we spend our weekend in Denmark. A drive south of Perth of just under five hours, we were spending three nights in a Heyscape tiny cabin, This one named “Sand”. One of three cabins in a large paddock, some 12 kms out of Denmark.

Tiny Cabins of Western Australia

We have had a few weekends across Western Australia in these tiny cabins, and this was our first in Denmark, a place we last visited in 2022. Just last year, on our European holiday, I had my first visit to the Scandinavian Denmark. Not to be confused with a country some 13,000 kms away, the local version was named in 1826, after Alexander Denmark of the British Royal Navy.

Whilst the very impressive coastline will not have changed much since those naval days, our stay is sure to be very different to the last time we were here, passing through on a holiday exploring the Great Southern. You may remember the disaster we had with our hire car on the way south of Perth, and how our good friend rescued our holiday.

This visit was to be very different. And the first time (I think) that Denmark (WA) has made an appearance on the blog. <<checks the blog archives>>.

Road Tripping the Great Southern

With the hire car fully stocked with all we needed for three nights, minus the wine we were sure to buy locally at the excellent cellar doors, we were off and heading south. The road south, the Albany Highway, was quiet, and we made good time, rolling in to Denmark just after our 4 o’clock check in time.

Cracking open a cold beer, sitting out on the deck of the cabin, I noticed how warm it felt. Being autumn, and about as south as you could get, we were hoping for some cooler weather. It is rare that we get to wear anything other than t-shirts and shorts in Perth. There appears to be two seasons. Summer. And waiting for summer. 

Apart from loving the seclusion. And the simplicity of a tiny cabin. There is one massive draw for us on these weekends. When the sun sets, and the stars come out. Wow. No words. The night sky is all the entertainment we need. We just sit and stare, having a competition on who can spot the most shooting stars. With our homemade meat and cheese board finished, I drained the last of my whisky nightcap, and we called it a night.

Mornings in Denmark

Morning started as they often do on these weekends. Coffee on the deck taking in the natural surroundings. The first whiff of eucalyptus. Heaven. That first morning included kangaroos and a host of different birds, prompting a reflective conversation on whether we would like to come back in an afterlife as a bird. Quite appealing, I am sure you would agree.

After a traditional bacon and egg butty cooked up on the BBQ we drove the short distance to Elephant Rocks and neighbouring Greens Pool. Both are spectacular. Strolling along the quiet path we surprised a small mob of kangaroos. 

Wine Tasting in Denmark

Leaving the kangaroos to get back to their morning routine, we made plans for the day. Denmark is well known for its wines, and there were some favourite cellar doors we wanted to revisit, and plenty of new places that we had not yet discovered. One such place was Rockcliffe winery. Entering the cellar door, a couple were just finishing a tasting and leaving. We sat at the bar, noticing that the owner, Steve, seemed to be a million miles away. We exchanged a furtive glance, without words, saying “what are we doing here?”

We needn’t have worried. Steve warmed up, and whilst he remained a cantankerous Englishman, looking for a way to move to Italy, we had a great time sharing stories with him. He told us of his frustration with running a business in Australia and how he was ready to leave. I secretly suspect that he will still be there when we next visit, whenever that happens to be.

Our next visit that day was to Monkey Rock, which turns out to be a winery, brewery, and a cidery all in one. We tried a few of the wines but it was a four pack of the excellent preservative free apple cider that we walked away with.

Beers at Boston Brewing Company

One local institution that is going nowhere is Boston Brewing Company. Having been closed when we passed through in 2022, this was our first visit. A large brewery with an impressive outdoor space to go with a massive indoor bar and restaurant. 

Being in a region renowned for its food and drink, one of us has to be the skipper. What I am now wondering is, why is it that when I write a blog, the skipper always seems to be Victoria. I also do some of the driving. I promise. 

I savoured a pint of the excellent Great Southern IPA. If there weren’t so many other places to visit I could have happily stayed there for the afternoon. But we had places to be, specifically, The Lakehouse for lunch. This was our second visit and once again lunch was one of their excellent shared platters and a glass of their finest wine.

After a busy afternoon how to best unwind? In the outdoor bath with a bottle of local sparkling wine, of course. What started out as a novelty, then a trend, and now the norm, is the practice of including an outdoor bath at these remote cabins. You will struggle to now find one that doesn’t offer one. Saturday afternoon had us soaking in bubbles, drinking bubbles.

Returning to Albany

Some 52 kms from Denmark sits Albany. A town with beauty and character that we always love visiting. Not only for the LimeBurners whisky tasting, or the Wilson Brewery and their fine range of beers, but also because it has what Victoria has deemed to be the best Indian Restaurant in Australia. Knowing we would be so close on this weekend in the Great Southern we couldn’t resist another visit and we booked ourselves in for dinner. 

Before gorging on excellent Indian food we had a walk around Emu Point and Middleton Beach to see how it had developed since our last visit. There is always some development going on and the touted hotel we saw advertised a few years ago still hasn’t materialised.

Beer and Curry a Perfect Combination

Wilson Brewery has shifted to a new, large, town centre location since our last visit and whilst the beer remains just as good I couldn’t help feeling that the brewery has lost a lot of its charm and magic. A couple of pints and it was time for that dinner.

And how excited we were. Being English there are not many things I enjoy as much as fish and chips. Curry is one of them and tonight we were making our third (or was it our fourth) visit to Albany Tandoori. Through the meal there was a little hiccup with our order. It was taking a long time to arrive. Had they forgotten the order? Victoria enquired, sharing that we needed to be getting back to Denmark and “would the food be long”.

It wasn’t long. And when I paid the bill I was told that the price of our drinks had been removed.  Due to the “hiccup” and that we were “locals from Denmark”. I didn’t have the heart to tell her we were tourists. A free drink is a free drink. Walking back to the car, rubbing our tummies, we agreed that Albany Tandoori remains top of the curry pile.

Time to say Goodbye

All too quick, our final day had arrived. Checking out by 10am we called in at the nearby Denmark Chocolate Shop. Had we had more time I would have definitely settled in with a couple of their delicious looking scones, cream and Berry Farm jam.

As it was, we had somewhere to be, so we left with just a couple of bags of chocolate buttons. The place where we were headed was Singlefile cellar door. A return visit as we love the location, and the cellar door so much. Deciding against tasting the whole list, which is a lot of wine, we sampled a few excellent whites and a very good pinot noir. Yes, before you ask, we did walk away with a few bottles.

Sadly, it was time to head home. Being a long drive back we called in at Plantagenet Wines in Mt Barker, where we had lunch and a glass of wine. A lovely old building that used to be an apple shed, and is now a thriving winery and restaurant. A simple lunch of pizza was just what we needed.

Our thoughts return to Albany Tandoori

Heading back up Albany  highway, wine bottles rattling around the boot of the car, we finally pulled into Perth around 6pm, reflecting on such a great weekend. And the conversation over dinner that night? When can we go back for another curry!