Clyde, Blackridge Vineyard and Dansey’s Pass

 

We had a slow start as it was cold outside.  After breakfast we wandered around Clyde.  There are some very nice cafés and as the sun was out there were a lot of people sitting outside drinking coffee. There was one large group of women cyclists who looked like they were out for the morning because when we went past about an hour later they were still there enjoying themselves. 

The undertakers

I had in mind that I might get some dried apricots which I knew were along Earnscleugh Road but the place was not to be found.  We continued along the road and a sign said Black Ridge Wines were open.  I remembered the vineyard as it was featured on Country Calendar a couple of decades ago.  The then owner had used dynamite to create the holes in which to plant vines and was a pioneer of wines in the district. 

The residence at Black Ridge

We received a lovely welcome from Pam who ran the shop.  She took us through a tasting of a variety of wines including Cabernet Sauvignon (which was ripe and had a hint of plums).  Remarkable for that far south.  The founders of the vineyard have since retired (7 years ago) and sold it to a Dunedin based owner.  

Pam insisted on the photo with the dog

Pam was a delight and told us that the vineyard had been the setting for a TV series called “Under the Vines” which will be aired on TV1 later this year (September/October she thought).  It is produced by the same woman who created One Lane Bridge.  She regaled us with tales of the production.  The crew had arrived in December and the owner was required to have the vineyard looking run down.  Then further rubbish was added later.  They couldn’t harvest the vineyard while the filming was going on.  The main characters are played by Rebecca Gibney and an actor from The Crown.  Apparently, they were all a delight to have around.  It seems they were there until around Easter when harvest then got done with urgency.  The owner was compensated for his inability to cover the vines.  The programme is set to play on Australian TV as well.  We got to have a good look around while we were there, taste the Riesling and Gewürztraminer grapes still hanging on the vines and look at the magnificent view from the owners’ house.

The view from the residence

After lunch in Alexandra we drove north to Dansey’s Pass Hotel.  On a whim I turned left onto a rather gravelly road and Bev had moments of panic that I was going to take her somewhere remote and drop her off.  Ten kilometres later we arrived at St Bathans which is famed for a blue lake that was created out of hill called Mt Kildare that was mined for gold.  It is rather spectacular as the photos will attest to.  We spent about an hour walking around the lake and village.  The blue colour was not that vivid due to the angle of the sun and a strong wind that was blowing. 

The Blue Lake

 Then it was onto Dansey’s Pass Hotel where there was a huge open fire in the main bar and another in the restaurant.

Main street St Bathans