It was 6:00 a.m. June 1, the first day of winter. The evening rain that had moved in off the South Pacific ceased and the sun dawned. I was sleeping in the rain forest near Byron Bay when a choir rose to meet the day and the new season.

The plaintiff song of the Butcherbirds, the squawking of the red bellied Rosella Parrots and cockatoos in the shedding gum trees, the childlike crying of the Green Catbird, cackling of the Bush Turkeys, melodious tunes of black and white magpies, thrushes, and yellow beaked mynahs as they fed on the nectar of the bottle brush were all disturbed by the lunatic cacophony of the plump and amusing Laughing Kookaburras. I woke to winter with a smile.

The strangely formed menagerie of land-bound hoppers, burrowers, birds, eucalyptus munchers and mixed breed creatures were dumb, satisfied to leave the morning air to the high-flying vocalists and unable or unwilling to join the chorus.

I was in New South Wales in the land down under and flora, fauna, time and season were out of joint. Lying on the southeast coast of Australia, the state enjoys a Mediterranean climate (ranging between 40 and 75 degrees in winter), the country’s largest population (7 million of a total 30 million) and fosters sophisticated and alternative lifestyles.

Its capital is Sydney, the oldest and most beautiful city in the country (although Melbournians will dispute this claim, I don’t think they have an argument). Situated on one of the world’s great harbors, its shore is adorned by a massive bridge that gates and spans the seaway entrance and the revolutionary architecture of the Opera House sails onto the water edge, ringed by pristine city buildings and million dollar homes.

Sydney Opera House sails into the harbor.

It was the country’s first colony, established January 26, 1788 when the fleet commanded by Captain Arthur Phillip landed in Sydney Harbour with about 750 convicts and 250 officials and their families to settle and claim the continent for Great Britain.

Following the Revolutionary War the U.S. had rejected British prisoner settlement in the south, so now it was off to the land that Captain Cook had discovered with its unwanted cargo. As in American history, the indigenous population would suffer deeply from this incursion, but that is always the cost of exploration and settlement. The event is commemorated every year as “Australia Day” and celebrated in the blistering heat of January 26, most heavily in the “convict city” of Sydney.

I arrived in Sydney on the countries signature airline, Qantas, which has non-stop direct flights from Los Angeles and San Francisco that take about fifteen hours. You cross the international dateline and lose a day, reason enough to extend your visit.

I booked my tour through Virtuoso, which specially selects hotels, restaurants and attractions for its clients. They have a working relationship with the Australian Tourism Office and receive special amenities and offers, which they pass along to travelers.

Some Virtuoso hotel recommendations in Sydney include the InterContinental, Four Seasons, Park Hyatt and The Observatory. All have great spas, pools and restaurants, but The Observatory has the top Sommelier in Australia, Christian, who matched and explained some beautiful Australian wines with my dinner. The best meal I had was prepared by the two Michelin star chef Hugh Whitehouse at Darley’s Restaurant in Lilianfels Blue Mountains Resort and Spa.

In Sydney I got a behind-the-scenes tour of the Opera House and dined in the employee restaurant. English artist/musician Brian Eno had just installed his evening light show, which flashed numerous images on the outside sails of the Opera House, and he filmed the event for future use.

I sped around Sydney Harbour on Sea Sydney Cruises 52-foot motor yacht, had lunch in a quiet bay aboard ship, docked at the enormous Taronga Zoo and met koalas, emus, kangaroos, Tasmanian Devils and most of the other odd creatures that inhabit this lost world of the animal phylum. There are more peculiar and lethal animals in Australia than anywhere else.

Left: Munching Koala Bear at lunch; Right: Curious Emu

Red Kangaroos wander freely throughout the country

The day I arrived in Sydney I had breakfast and lunch in Bondi Beach, the great surfing Mecca, and met two young American women who were waitressing at Nick’s and Trio Café on one-year work visas. It’s a government program for 18-30 year old students to take a “Gap” year from college and experience life in Australia and be able to make a little money (very little, Australians usually don’t tip).

Travelers on a shorter timetable should also know that they need to purchase a three-month visa from the Australian government for $25 before entering the country.

Australians love their coffee and drink it more than tea. Some coffee shop terms to know if you want to succeed as an Australian barista on the work visa program: “Long black” is espresso with water, “flat white” espresso with frothy milk.

For Sydneysiders the wine country means Hunter Valley, a two-hour journey to the north. Grab a copy of the Hunter Valley Wine Country Visitor Guide from the Tourist Center to check out some of the 140 vineyards, primarily producing Shiraz and Semillon. Be wary if you are imbibing in wine country. Australians drive on the left side of the road.

Hunter Valley vineyards in the winter month of June

Some I visited were Audrey Wilkinson, Hungerford Hill, Lindemans, which also has vineyards in the Barossa, McGuigan Cellars, Wyndham Estate, which introduced Shiraz to Australia back in the late 1800s, and my favorite Pepper Tree Estate. On the vineyard grounds are Robert’s Restaurant, The Convent guesthouse and Tower Lodge.

For a glass of beer in wine country visit the Bluetongue Brewery and try their tasting. My favorite beer in Australia was Coopers, nice and hoppy. For local cheese sample across the street at Binnoire Dairy. In the Hunter Valley I stayed on the expansive grounds of Peppers Guest House, on which wild kangaroos also resided and Internet usage was free.

On my journey north to the Hunter Valley, I passed through bush country to visit the World Heritage Site of the Blue Mountains. These intriguing formations gain their color from vapors rising off the eucalyptus forest. There are spectacular views from the lookout ledge, but this is not the best place for an acrophobe, the stone platform plunges straight down over 1,000 feet.

Byron Bay, population 9,000, was my favorite area in New South Wales. The most easterly town in Australia, it lies two hours north of Sydney by plane at the edge of a rain forest. It’s a surfer’s paradise and artist colony. Many of the artist’s workplaces are also shops. Make sure to visit the local glassworks and travel into the hills to meditate and renew at the alternative lifestyle Crystal Castle retreat.

In the 60s and 70s the counterculture cultivated high-test “Mullimbimby Madness” in these hills and there’s a little bit of that culture still around. Lots of lively pubs and restaurants in Byron Bay keep the town rocking. The best restaurant is Dish and Paul Hogan opened the town’s largest bar. On occasion you’ll also see a celebrity like Paul, Gweneth Paltrow, Russell Crowe and Olivia Newton John, who own homes in the area.

I stayed at the Byron at Byron Resort and Spa, built inside the coastal rainforest. They offer several spa treatments and have a lovely pool and restaurant, where I had dinner with the town Mayor and proprietors Lyn and John Parche my final night. This is a spectacular property that you must see and hear, especially as I did, at 6 a.m. when the morning choir begins, no matter the season.

For information on travel accommodations, special events, sightseeing, dining options, bargain hunting, etc., www.australia.com, www.sydney.com and www.virtuoso.com.

Originally posted April, 2017.

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It was 2 a.m. my last night in Baja. Standing on the veranda of my hotel room on Rosarito Beach, the full moon illuminated the slate gray ocean and a phosphorescent white glow in the foaming waves as they ebbed and receded from the shore.

Millions of years ago these salt waters covered the peninsula, layering in shell that would become limestone. When the tectonic plates rose and forced the waters back they cracked the granite that lined the earth’s crust into boulders, which later mixed with the illuvial soils of clay, sand, and other minerals to form the land that would so influence the vineyards.

I last visited the Baja Peninsula in 1986, about the time that the first modern plantings of vines were occurring in the northern valleys. Now about 70 mostly small family run wineries dot the landscapes in the Valle de Guadalupe, Santo Tomás, Vicente, San Antonio de las Minas and Valle de las Palmas regions, where 90 percent of Mexico’s wine is produced within a 100 mile radius and less than a two hour drive from the American border south of San Diego.

Vineyards in the Valle de Guadalupe

The Spanish were the first to plant grapes in the region during the 16th century, primarily to use as sacramental wine. In the 1860s Russian immigrants escaping Czarist persecution started settling in the Valle de Guadalupe and also planted grapes. To this day you can occasionally see a blond or red head descendant in the valley.

The oldest surviving vineyard is Bodega de Santo Tomas, founded in 1888. Aside from its Reserva Unico, It is best known for having joined California’s Wente Vineyard to produce Duetto, a 50-50 Santo Tomas/Wente blend. They also produce exceptional olive oil and last year shocked the Italians when it won first prize at a blind tasting in Milan.

Best known of the Baja wine areas is Valle de Guadalupe. Situated off the coast in a rising plane between Rosarita and Ensenada, most of the vineyards are planted between 1,000 and 1,300 feet elevation, beginning about twelve miles up the incline from the ocean, the wine growing area stretches about 20 miles. Warning to acrophobes, don’t look down when you’re driving along this wine country road.

The stone and boulder strewn land is a reminder that it once dwelt below the sea, and its austere landscape has a major influence on the quality of the wine. The off-shore flow of cool air in the evenings mitigates the warm days and contributes to the development of the grape in similar ways that California coastal vineyards experience, but harvest begins a bit earlier, in August. Thirty-five varieties of wine grapes are cultivated including Italian and Spanish varietals which do well here, especially Tempranilo and Nebbiolo, which is usually the last grape to be harvested.

Nebbiolo Grapes Days Before Harvest in the La Cetto Vineyards

Other grapes which adapt to the warmer climate and make up the largest plantings include Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Merlot, Syrah, Grenache, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier.

In Tecata, the northeast area of the Valle de Guadalupe, lies the second largest vineyard in Mexico, La Cetto (La Khet-toe), with a volume of 800,000 cases a year selling between $7 and $50 depending on the wine. The tasting room receives about 200,000 visitors a year and the wine has won numerous international gold medals. Next door is the La Casa de Dona Lupe vineyard where you can sample local cheese and olives with your wine.

Monte Xanic vineyards

Other outstanding wineries with tasting rooms include Monte Xanic, founded in 1987 by Hans Backhoff and regarded as one of the top produces in the area. Domecq, which used to be known for its Sherry and Brandy, now concentrates on non-fortified wines. Tres Valles, which as the name implies, features bold reds from the Guadalupe, Santo Tomás and San Vicente valleys. The beautiful Hacienda La Lomita and Pijoan wineries produces some nice whites. Many consider that Viñas de Garza produces the finest wines in the area and his Cabernet reflects that in its price of $54. Also try the wines at Casa de Piedra, Vinisterra and Rincón de Guadalupe vineyards. In Ensenada visit Fernando Martain at Cavas Valmar, one of the pioneers of the modern Baja wine region.

My favorite winemaker, Monica Palafox of Palafox winery, delivers across the board, from whites to reds. Located in Valle de la Grulla, south of Ensenada and abutting the Santo Tomás Valley, you need to make a reservation to taste, www.aldopalafox.com.

Other Vineyards with tasting rooms include Baron Balche, Bibayoff, Sol de Media Noche, Vinas de Liceaga and Vinos Fuentes.

Monica Palafox and my favorite wine in Baja

In August, 2012, Mexican President Felipe Calderón dedicated the new wine museum in the Valle de Guadalupe, built with $5.3 million in state and federal funds, and announced the establishment of a $3.8-million fund aimed at supporting Mexico’s wine industry. Its facilities highlight the history and tradition of wine-making in the region through interactive displays.

Wine museum

Many of those working in the Mexican wine industry have trained in California, Oregon and Washington, especially the field workers, and many of the wine makers have experience in Europe as well as the Western United States. Whether the Mexican wines will ever rival those remains to be seen, but there is a lot of optimism and European and American wineries are sharing in the interest as well.

America laws restrict the amount of alcohol that can be brought across the border to one liter, which is one of the reasons that only about 20 percent of tasting room guests are from outside of Mexico. The other is that Mexicans are developing a taste for wine and an appreciation of the vineyards in Baja.

When You Go:

Glamping

Until recently, Baja wines had little to no commercial presence in the United States because of the small production and low importer interest. However the wines mentioned here can be purchased directly from the vineyards or from the San Diego firm winesfrombaja.com.

Some of the larger vineyards have tasting rooms open daily to the public, but for many others you need to make reservations. Brochures available through the Baja Tourist Office provide contact information. English is spoken at all the tasting rooms.

The peso is worth about 80 cents to the dollar and in Baja you get more for your money if you deal in dollars and don’t convert to pesos.

There are a number of housing and dining options. In wine country I did some “glamping” at Cuarto Cuartos vineyards, elegant cabanas set in the middle of an expansive vineyard with magnificent views of the Pacific Ocean from the hilltops on the property. In Rosarito I stayed at the New Port Beach Hotel, where the water laps against the shore, day and night.

When dinning in Rosarito try the obligatory lobster dinner at Puerto Nuevo restaurant and enjoy a Mexican breakfast at the eccentric El Nido. In the Valle de Guadalupe enjoy the local cuisine at Meson Leonardo and be sure to try the apple pie. In Ensenada, try the upscale oceanside dinning at Belio and Nigori Sushi for a change of pace.

Whenever you’re in Ensenada you must visit the historic watering hole Hussong’s for margaritas and mariachis. Founded in 1892 by German immigrant John Hussong, it is the oldest cantina in Mexico.

Port of Ensenada

For brochures, the Ruta del Vino map, tasting room reservations, housing, restaurant information and lists of events and festivals, contact the Baja Tourist Office.

This article originally published in April 2017.

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