I have never been to Mudgee, nor had my Mum and sister so we decided to go for my mum’s birthday / just as something fun to do together 
This of course was before I started 12WBT – not quite sure where wine tasting fits in to the daily calorie allowance!
Anyway, I volunteered to drive, so I would taste less, and worry less about over-doing the calories. It was a good idea in theory, but after my 10km the night before I was pretty sore!
We arrived in Mudgee at about 10:30am, and headed straight to the Farmer’s Market. The market was definitely smaller than I expected, but nice because there is a rule about the produce being made within a certain distance of Mudgee. We sampled some fudge, nuts, saffron Turkish Delight, jams, oil, vinegar. Sounds like a lot, but just tiny bits here and there. It was a great selection, with really friendly stallholders. I walked away with some nuts, grapes, and Moroccan cooking paste.
After that we decided on breakfast on the main street somewhere. So we wandered for a while, until we reached Arbuckles. After my liquid shake breakfast before 7am I was famished, but went with something simple – poached eggs on toast. It was a leisurely breakfast – nice to spend some time catching up 
After that it was on to some wineries! After taking a wrong turn and heading toward Gulgong, we turned around and the first stop was the High Valley Wine and Cheese Co. I was not too impressed with the very expensive giftware, but the fetta – OMG haha! The pesto is a must try. I was tempted to purchase some, but was concerned about the drive home, then the drive back to Canberra the next day. But apparently it is stocked in Canberra – in Manuka and Fyshwick, so I will have to check it out.
Next stop was a gallery, not all that impressed 
and it was getting pretty hot, so we went in search of something cooler. Hello Elliot Rocke – and their “ice” wine. Apparently they make the wine with frozen grapes, I am sure there is more to it, but yeah, awesome! We sampled the white, sparkling and rose. The sparkling was the perfect sweetness, whereas I found the others too sweet for me – but nice for some as a dessert wine. I purchased the sparkling, and I can’t wait for the right occasion!
The other winery worth mentioning was Pieter Van Gent – the atmosphere was fantastic. Such a lovely place. I purchased a bottle of the Sundance. Love it, and love the name.
Then, it was time to head home – What a fantastic weekend!
