MP in Sydney: Wine snobs

Since arriving in Sydney, I have learned quite a few new things about my boyfriend. I already knew he liked wine, but it took living in the same country to realize that he's more on the side of wine snobism, than simple a wine amateur would be. And living in the same household as a wine snob, I can't help myself but to slowly become one myself. In our home, we have:

One tasting chart on the fridge to help us describe what we taste
Two casks of wine (one white, on red) for evening when it's just the two of us
Two wine bottle openers and bottle stoppers
About 20 or so bottles stored in a cupboard so they can either age, or wait for special occasions

We love our wine! And so, in the past week, we've had quite some fun doing wine-related activities.

First up, mulled wine. It is winter here in Australia which is relative considering that the coldest it's been is well above zero, but I do get very cold regardless and so a good cup of warm red wine was on the menu last weekend. We had just been having drinks with friends in Sydney's oldest pub (Lord Nelson) and on the way home we stumbled on the The Rocks Markets by Moonlight. We could not resist.

People warming up next to a fire in a metal bin. Keep it classy Sydney.

Me and my mulled wine...and yes, a scarf and a coat in the middle of June!

This past weekend, cousins from Brisbane came to visit. They were in town to celebrate their wedding anniversary and shared an evening with my boyfriend and I, once again in the Rocks where we made a new discovery: Wine Odyssey. It's a tasting room/restaurant/permanent wine show.

There, you can get a card that you put in one of the machines closest to the wine you want to taste and you have a choice of selecting a taste, a half-glass or a full glass. There is a wide variety of Australian and international wines to taste that range form $3 to $28 for a taste. The $28 taste is for the Penfold's Grange, one of the most expensive and supposedly delicious wine on the planet. Once you are done with your tasting, you give the cards back and the total amount is tallied up, so for the same cost as 2 glasses in other bars, you can taste about 6 or so if you stick to the lower price range.