wine

When friends come to visit it is nice to take them somewhere other than the shopping strip along the beach known as Surfers Paradise and the theme parks, two of my favourite places to go are Mt Tamborine and the Sirromet Winery. Yesterday was a little warm to be wandering around Mt Tamborine so we spent a few hours enjoying the food, wine and music at Sirromet. Queensland wines don’t have quite the same reputation as those produced down south in the Hunter Valley or Barossa Valley but don’t let that put you off, their fruity white wine and sparkling rose are nice and light for a summer afternoon of chatting with girlfriends.

The day was a typical hot and muggy Queensland summer day, thankfully the muggy didn’t eventuate into a huge storm and bucketloads of rain – we’ve had enough of that. The cellar door at Sirromet has many shaded areas, not to mention umbrellas and outdoor tables scattered around the green, we made ourselves at home near the cellar door and enjoyed a pinot gris while munching on cheese, crackers, fruit and nuts. If you’re really keen you can do a wine tour and if your budget stretches further than ours then lunch at Lurleens Restaurant is a must, the food is delicious and beautifully presented (if you’re into that sort of thing).

German style bratwurst with fries and salad

Every weekend the winery provides music as entertainment, it is a popular venue for hen’s parties and birthday parties and sure enough we hear a rendition of Happy Birthday sung as the band takes a break. The cheese and crackers were good, however the smell of food cooking tantalises our tastebuds and we order lunch. My friend and I can’t go past the German style Bratwurst on a bread roll, it is a huge meal and there is no way we’re going to be able to eat it without cutting up the sausage and roll. Not caring whether the wine matches our food we share a bottle of sparkling rose, bubbles are always welcome when a group of girls get together and they match our mood which is more important at the time.

I’m driving and so cannot have more than 2 drinks during our time at the winery, by 2.30pm all of us were feeling the heat and thanks to having a full belly and a drink or two, we were also a little sleepy. Sirromet is located on a hill and to one side is a lovely shaded picnic area, for us, the trees provide a great place to stretch out and cool down before getting into a hot car for the drive home. What a wonderful way to spend a Saturday: tasty food, nice wine and great company in a peaceful location.