Helen and I parted ways on Saturday morning after a busy week in Connecticut and New York.  We spent some time in the trade-in Connecticut with our new distributors, Angelini Wines, visiting wine shops (locally known as Package Stores) in the bottom half of the state.  We had great chats with the local guardians of wine about where the Yarra Valley was and what makes our wine so special. I am pleased to report they were all surprised by the quality and uniqueness of our wine.  One of the highlights for me was visiting the oldest tavern in the USA which has continually traded since 1776. The Griswold Inn has an amazing wine bar and tavern and we have promised to return in May to do a tasting with their clients.

Helen & Matt at the Griswold Inn, Essex, CT

After Connecticut, we headed to New York for the Australian Women in Wine Awards and the Far From Ordinary tasting, both held at Union West.  A huge congrats to all the AWIWA finalists and winners – it was a fantastic night celebrating the achievements of some of Australia’s finest wine women.

The day after the AWIWA, Helen and I presented our wines to over 600 trade people at the Far from Ordinary tasting.  We were lucky to have our 2016 Layla Chardonnay featured in the Oceans and Altitudes tasting hosted by Wine Australia and the feedback from the 40 NY wine influencers was amazing.  I am always grateful to hear what others think of our wines, especially from people who are serving wine in some of the most amazing restaurants in the world. On that note, thank you to Courtney Wieland and her team at The Modern for giving Helen and I a most memorable evening when we dined there.  We were treated like royalty and cannot give them enough thanks.

A glimpse of the: Far from Ordinary Consumer Wine Tasting

After a brief stop in LA, I am heading home.  Helen has been in Chicago again for the Far From Ordinary Illinois stop.  We are both looking forward to being home and seeing how far advanced the vineyard is.

Good-bye New York!