Day Five (Monday)
If you noticed the trend, hard day of hiking and then easy day, it continued on Day 5. So on Saturday, another easy day, we wanted to visit Bride Valley Vinyard. The website said they were only open from 11 – 2 pm, and it was already 2:45 pm, so we tried to call. Not sure why, but the calls did not go through. So we come back to Weymouth. Before heading out, I emailed the Bride Valley, just saying that we are sorry that we missed them and if there was any way to come out and just have a look around. The next time they would be open, we would be in Scotland. I sent the email Saturday early evening and got a response early Sunday morning. Saying yes, they have a private vendor tasting and that we could come out around 1:30 – 2 pm on Monday.
On Sunday we needed to find something to do in the morning with the news that the Vinyard was on the table. We were leaning towards staying in Weymouth and maybe kayaking or seeing if we could get on a boat. But what I didn’t share from Sunday was that when we returned from Portland, our flat in the Airbnb didn’t have electricity, so we had to call the owners. They were on it, and they allowed us to shower in another flat. While we were in that process and fixing the electricity issue, our discussion went to what we had done and our plans. They mentioned the Jurassic Coast to the west is the best to find fossils. So instead of saying in Weymouth, we decided the day plan would be to visit Charmouth.
Once again, no hurry in the morning. We were on the road by 10 am. Charmouth was about 30 miles away, an hour’s drive. From there, we were able to visit the Heritage Center and walk along the coast looking for fossils. Knowing that Bride Valley was about 13 miles away, but traffic was getting crazy because of the gas shortage, we decided we needed 45 minutes to get there. Come to find out, Maps re-routed us away from the traffic, and we got there in about 30 minutes. Once we turned off A35 on-to the road to the Vinyard – it was all one lane (though traffic is still two directions) with many pull-off spots. Fortunately for us, we didn’t see anyone else. Katy took some fantastic photos because the road is so traditional English.
Bride Valley Vinyard, all I have to say is “Thank You!” These people are so lovely, beyond words. Since we were a little early, we parked on the street and walked through the stone gate. I would have pulled in, but the width and angle of the turn into the stone gate were a little intimating to me, so I just parked on the road. We walked in, and it’s a beautiful facility. Felt like no one was there, but as we headed to the tasting room, I heard some behind a door. I knocked and scared the shit out of Mo. She was focused on something at the computer and hadn’t heard us come in. We introduced ourselves. I was surprised that Mo was a woman; I had it in my simple mind that Mo would have been a guy. Mo is one of the most excellent persons you will ever meet. She welcomed us with open arms and took us upstairs. She gave us the history of the vineyard and Steve Spurrier. Though Bruce had told us to watch “Bottle Shock” and maybe even reminded me, I never put Bride Valley Vinyard with the person in the movie. But yes, this is the Steve Spurrier that in 1976 got the french to admit that Napa wines were just as good – universally known as “Judgment of Paris.”
Mo said that there was a restaurant here for a tasting. A method to sell their wines to local restaurants. She said that we could either do our tasting inside, or join the folks from the restaurant. Making it easier on Mo and Graham, we decided to join the folks from the restaurant. Come to find out, it’s the only Michelin restaurant in Dorest – the Catch at The Old Fish Market. They were nice enough to allow us to crash their party. The tasting was great, the wines were first class, and Mo and Graham and the folks from the restaurant were world-class. I wanted to purchase a few cases, but I was limited to four, seeing how we are heading to Scotland in a few days. We are taking those on the train this morning. The Dorset Cremant is for Katy and me to have on the morning train, we are giving the Pinot Noir and the Pinot Noir Rose to Bruce to take back to Exeter, and then we will have the last Pinot Noir on the train back. Before leaving, Mo told us to go to Hive beach and take the coastal road back to town. Once again, great suggestion. I was driving, so you had to see Katy’s pictures. Some of the best views in the world.
To continue the great day, we meet up with our new friends David and Julie for dinner. The plan was to eat at Parkers, but they were full, so we made the walk to the esplanade and found a place. We had good food and great conversation. We then walked to Waterloo for one last drink and laughs. David and Julie are heading home today.
www.tsallenphotos.com 