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In case I haven't mentioned it before, the weather has been practically perfect. We are continually missing terrible storms, where flights are canceled, and arriving to blue skies and gentle breezes. Knock on wood. Another stellar day (btw, I hadn't known until the other night that Orion, the constellation, also makes an appearance in the Southern Hemisphere this far down) as we set out for a morning of wine tasting in some of the famed Marlborough wineries and a boat trip on the Queen Charlotte -wife of George III- Sound.
The wines here, most of which never make it to the states, are quite good. And their tastings are generous. Good thing we weren't driving. Instead we got on a boat for a tour of the huge Sound and a look at a King Salmon farm and one of those green mussels farms we hear so much about. The Sound itself is gorgeous, surrounded on both sides by mountains and filled with blue water. The temperatures were in the high sixties making it a lovely day for a sail. The Kiwis have gone after the green mussels trade hard. I told the captain we had never tasted them before and he gave us that 'more's the pity' look and took us to a farm and showed us how at hey suspend large stocking netted rope in shallow water and cultivate thousands of these rather large bivalves. They served as a bowlful along with some smoked salmon and a nice Sauvignon Blanc. Very tasty. Here's how they compare with your average black mussel (see pix) what it didn't tell the captain is that I prefer the punier blacks.
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