My Next Adventure to Wine About
Rosé all day.
— Rachel Erickson.
This is the first post on my new blog. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates about my time Down Under. Trust me, it will be grape!
In addition to this blog, I will be posting on my instagrams (rachele2796 and catchracheldownunder) and my facebook.
Finals have finally ended and I celebrated with my friends with a dinner and drinks. The exams were full-on and brutal since each question is essay-like. Well, glad that over and now it is summer break!! Now its time to chill and wait for Siena to arrive.
The jacaranda trees are in full bloom so Adelaide is painted purple with these trees and I’m loving it!!
I bought a mini Christmas tree and set it up in my apartment. It has twinkle lights and polaroids as ornaments.
I went to the beach to play volleyball with some friends and to watch the sunset. The waves were calm and the water was clear so I could see the floor.
There was a celebration for lighting the Christmas tree in Victoria square so I went to that. I also explored North Adelaide earlier that day. Nice area but not much to do.
I found an Etsy christmas market nearby and went to that. Later that day I went to the beach, grabbed gelato and watched people play volleyball.
I walked around the botanic garden for a few days in a row in the morning. Later that afternoon on one of those days, I went to the beach to watch the sunset again.
Today is Thanksgiving. I walked to Rundle Mall and around some department stores to look at the christmas decor. Afterwards, I walked to a rose garden in the park and the japanese garden.
Today is Black Friday. Some stores are open 24 hours this weekend for sales. I walked around the shops and looked at the christmas decor. Surprisingly not many long lines during the day but it’s also not a holiday here. Once the business and school day ended, many people flooded the mall. I walked around the shops again later that night, around 10pm, since this is the only time the stores stay open this late. Only the grocery stores stay open to 9pm on weekdays, 5pm weekends and other stores 5 or 6pm everyday.
The next day I went to the beach again. I took the train to Grange beach, walked to Henley beach and took the bus back to the city from that Henley.
It’s now December and Siena arrives in 2 weeks. Today was cloudy and cool. I walked around Rundle mall, had a fruit tea and watched the ASU v UofA football game. ASU beat the team down south and we keep the territorial cup for another year!!!!
Today is Cyber monday. I walked down Rundle Mall like I usually do and then to the botanic garden. I was warmer and mostly sunny, although there was still some cloud cover. It’s the perfect time to walk around the garden and see the flowers in bloom. Especially the jacaranda trees and the sunflowers. The sunflowers were gorgeous. They were so happy and bright and perfect. There also some peach and apricots growing too. There were rainclouds around later that afternoon and I noticed a rainbow out my window.
I went to the beach for a few days in a row since the weather was nice. First few days it was Glenelg beach, another day it was Hallett Cove Beach then it was Brighton beach. At the Hallett Cove beach there is this ancient land feature that formed 270 million years ago. It’s called the Sugarloaf because it resembles a mass of hard refined sugar and erosion has changed it’s shape over the last thousands of years. The different colored layers are from the sediment of the ancient glacial lake that drained away. It was such a pretty view from the top and a very clear day. I walked along the boardwalk and along the beach the back to the train station.
The next day I went to Brighton beach then back to Glenelg for the next two days to watch the sunset and the day after to Grange Beach. Both days at Glenelg the water was clear and calm and I saw many stingrays. Grange is where I did a beach walk and walked to another station.
The following day I walked around Rundle mall and the garden then started packing. Siena arrives in a few days and I have many activities planned and most likely have time to pack later. Plus, I’m also packing for the rest of our trip and my trip home. The next 2 days I went to the beach yet again to watch the sunset and eager for siena to arrive.
Siena is finally in Adelaide, Australia!!!!!! Please continue reading in the “Siena visits Australia” blog page.
For the next 2 weeks, I have my mid-semester break.
9/21: Today I walked to the botanic garden to see the wisteria flowers in bloom. I noticed some in bloom on the way to school but haven’t had a chance to return to the garden to see them until now. I know wisteria don’t last a long time in bloom since I missed them in bloom while in Florence so I was eager to see them this time. Luckily, most of the wisteria were in bloom which made me happy. Later that afternoon it started raining and cooled off.
9/22: The cold and rain continued again today but I still managed to walk around Rundle Mall and got some fresh air. We have a viticulture group project due after the break so I had to work on it now. My friends and I got together and worked on our sensory studies Riesling presentation. Since our topic is Dry and Sweet Riesling, we visited some bottle shops and picked out some wines to taste and submit for our professors to pick up at a later time.
9/23: The weather was a lot nicer than it has been so I took a walk along the river then went the beach. It was such a gorgeous day. I worked so more on the project and started organizing my lecture notes. I decided to start this now so I don’t feel overwhelmed as the semester ends, many projects are due, and finals grow closer. Yes I’m a nerd.
9/24: Today I organized my Sydney itinerary. I have a strict day-to-day schedule that I expect to follow. I based a lot of my activities on the weather but it’s annoying how the weather keeps changing for some of the days. The activities I do will remain the same but the days I do them, may change. I walked to Chinatown and worked out at the gym.
9/25: Today I started packing for Sydney!!!!!!!!!! I started packing the day before since the weather kept changing and I wasn’t sure what to wear on certain days when I do certain activities. Since it’s now the day before, I can finally pick out my outfits.
9/26: Today I fly to Sydney!!!!!!!!!! I chose an early afternoon flight so I have a few hours to walk around before sunset. After hotel check-in, I immediately walked to circular quay to see the opera house. Since it is a Thursday, most stores on Pitt street stay open later so I was able to walk around the mall for a bit. Afterwards, I walked back to my hotel and visited the roof terrace. Since it was dark, I couldn’t see a whole lot but I knew it was a really good view and couldn’t wait until the morning.
9/27: Today is my first full day in Sydney and I woke up early to do the most within the day. When I travel I make the most of my time and daylight (which also happens to be my secret to 25,000+ steps each day). I woke up at 8am and was out of my room by 8:30am. I took the elevator to the roof terrace and the view was incredible. I had a view of the Sydney eye since I was only a block away, a partial view of the bridge and OH, a view of the royal garden and the tall buildings. The hotel was around the corner from the Queen Victoria Building (QVB) and a block from Pitt street (location of the Syd eye). For breakfast, I stopped at starbucks at the QVB because why not??? and there aren’t any locations in Adelaide so I took advantage. I was so excited to walk around the city and it was a beautiful clear sky day. The walk to circular quay was very easy as I took Pitt street the whole way there. There was a massive cruise ship docked in the harbor. I walked to the Opera house and the steps were empty but it was also 9:30am. I walked around the OH and took multiple pictures and selfies with the house and the bridge. Then, I walked to the garden to the point called Macquarie’s chair where I can view the OH and the bridge. This area is very popular for New Years since the view of the bridge is perfect. I stopped here for a bit and took more pictures and some polaroids. Then I decided to walk to Darling Harbour. So, I walked back to circular quay to The Rocks and was able to view the OH from the other end of the ship. I walked under the bridge, passed some piers and construction sites for new buildings, and finally made it to Darling Harbour (DH). I misjudged the distance so it took me at least 45 min to walk there when I could’ve taken the train or boat and been there it about 10 min. This is how I got so many steps today. And of course, once I got to DH, the clouds arrived. I walked around for a bit since I walked all the way here then walked to Pitt street which was a short walk from DH. But my day wasn’t over yet! Crazy me! I walked to the train station and took the train across the bridge to north Sydney to visit Luna Park. It was free to enter but the rides and games cost money. I walked around for a bit then took the ferry to circular quay. The ferry ride was very short but it was neat to ride under the bridge and view the opera house from the water. By this time, it was nearing sunset time so I got some ice cream (much deserved) and chilled on the OH steps to watch the sunset. Yes ice cream before dinner was necessary :)))). It was a gorgeous sunset from the clouds with bright yellow, orange and pink colors. I could see some bridge climbers from the OH and they were lucky to view such a cool sunset. Back in 2015, we did the sunset climb but I don’t remember much of the sunset. I grabbed a quick dinner at a pizza place then walked back to the OH to see a light show on the roof of the small wing of the OH, the restaurant. I walked to the cruise ship terminal, now that the ship left, and took some pictures of the OH and bridge at night. This was my jam-packed day and 38,000+ steps and 18 miles proved that and it’s only day one!!!!
9/28: Today I did the coastal walk from Coogee beach to Bondi Beach. It was the perfect day for the walk. I took the bus to Coogee beach mid-morning since I expected the walk would take me about 2 hours. Back in 2015, my family and I did the coastal walk but started at Bronte beach which is halfway between Coogee and Bondi. There were many baths or pools built into the rocks with the waves crashing against the edge. There were also many surfers out since the waves were nice and big. I arrived to the famous picturesque pool at the Bondi Icebergs Club and of course had to take iconic pictures. I brought my swimsuit with me so I could do a few laps in the olympic-sized pool. The swim was quite refreshing after the walk. I walked to the Bondi boardwalk to look at the graffiti art displayed then walked to the beach. Since it was around lunch time, I went to famous pizza place and ate the pizza on the beach then put my feet in the water. Afterwards, I took the bus back to the city centre near Pitt street and walked around the mall for a bit. Then I made my way to the harbor, grabbed ice cream and sat on the Opera House steps to watch the sunset. I grabbed dinner near the mall then walked to Darling Harbor to watch fireworks. Each Saturday (I think) Darling Harbor puts on a firework show around 8pm. Today I took 27,300 steps and walked 12.7 miles.
9/29: Today I had breakfast at Pancakes on the Rocks!! We went here in 2015 so I was eager to go back for some delicious pancakes. These pancakes fill you up and keep you full until dinner and each of there popular stacks comes with a scoop of ice cream YUM! I walked around the Sunday market that was going on in The Rocks before walking across the Harbor Bridge again. I walked to the observatory hill then up one of the pylons of the bridge. The view was spectacular from up there and it was worth the climb up which wasn’t that bad. I wanted to spend the whole day admiring the view but since I had a lot planned, I couldn’t stay for long. There’s also a neat little museum at the top which tells you specifics on the materials used to make the bridge, how many bolts there are, and how many traffic lanes there were and are now. The walk across the bridge was very neat. I stopped many times along the way to take pictures and look back at the skyscrapers and the Opera House. One side of the bridge, facing the Opera House, is the pedestrian-only walkway and the other side is the bike-only path. I walked to North Sydney again to check out Wendy’s Secret Garden which is located on the other side of Luna Park and has a neat view of the harbor from a different angle. Then, I took the bus to Reef Beach which is a short hour walk to Manly. This beach had neat views of the harbor from the peninsula and at the hill lookout. I walked down the main pedestrian mall to the beach but didn’t stay for long. I took some pictures, watched the surfers and people watching volleyball then walked to the ferry. There really isn’t much to do since the beach is quite touristy and was getting cooler since it was later in the day. I took the ferry back to Circular quay and sat outside at the front of the boat to get a great view of the Opera House and Bridge. It was perfect timing since the sun was about to set and I had time to grab some ice cream and walked to the Opera House. The sunset was great since I got to experience golden hour with the Opera House and my ice cream. Today I took 25,000 steps and walked 11.5 miles.
9/30: Today was rainy and cloudy so I dedicated the day to museums and the mall. The museums are free so thats amazing. I first walked to Darling Harbour to the maritime museum. I walked around the exhibits inside then went on a large ship and submarine. The ship was interesting to walk on and inside to see the sleeping quarters and the control rooms. But, the submarine was very interesting and was the first time being in a submarine. (Finding Nemo Disney ride does not count) Everything was so small and compact. I had to duck many times and crawl through some areas since I was too tall. The submarine was cool to visit temporarily and I definetly could’t do any longer than the time I spent there. I wouldn’t be able to handle being thousands of feed submerged underwater since I can sometimes barely handle flying. After that interesting experience in a submarine, I decided it was time to look at art. Much more calming and satisfying. I walked to the Museum of Contemporary Art which is located in Circular Quay. This museum was very nice to visit and perfect for a cold/cool and/or rainy day. There’s also a cafe at the museum with a balcony and a view of the harbor. I went up to take a look at the view but the large cruise ship docked blocked my view of the Opera House. Then I walked to the Art Gallery of New South Wales which is located i the botanic gardens. I really enjoyed this museum and variety of art displays. I didn’t have time today to explore every floor so I decided to finish the rest tomorrow morning since I had some time before heading to the airport. After the gallery, I walked to the Opera House to watch the sunset. Since it was quite cloudy, there wasn’t much of a sunset. But, since it was my last night, I still got ice cream and sat on the Opera House steps. Afterwards, I walked to the mall, grabbed dinner and went back to my hotel to start packing. Today I took 23,000 steps and walked 10 miles.
10/1: I had a few hours in the morning to do some last minute visits around Sydney. I woke up early at 8am, grabbed Starbucks and walked to the Art Gallery. I really enjoyed the gallery and hope to return to see the new exhibits. I walked through the garden on the way back to the Opera House. I took some selfies with the Opera House and some more pictures of the building with the bridge. As I was taking pictures, I met some people who moved to Sydney from Austin, TX so I talked to them for a little bit. I walked back to the mall, visited the QVB again, then grabbed my bags and headed to the airport. I really enjoyed my jam-packed days in Sydney and can’t wait to return which will be with Siena in December. Today I took 22,200 steps and walked 9.6 miles.
10/2, 10/3, 10/4, 10/5, 10/6, 10/7: The next few days I met up with a group of friends to work on some projects since these are due a few days after the break. I didn’t do much else besides these reports. On Friday I also worked on homework but also attended the Royal Adelaide Wine Show with some friends. The wine show judging had been going on for the past week so the wines I tasted tonight were the ones that won awards in various categories. I thought some wines that won awards deserved the award while others didn’t. I was very excited for the rosé table. I am sorta picky when it comes to rosé and prefer the deep pink colored wines with luscious red fruit and floral aromas and similar flavors on the palate but well-rounded. Of course I also really enjoyed the sparkling and sparkling rosé wines. Saturday, Sunday, and Monday (holiday) were also spent working on reports and catching up on notes. On Sunday, Glenelg beach was hosting a street party so I went to check it out for part of the day. The street was closed off to street performers, food trucks, and a fashion show runway showing clothes for the summer season.
After a nice 2-week break, we have only 4 more weeks of the semester then a few weeks of exams. This semester has flown by and I’m so close to completing my first semester of graduate school in Adelaide!!
***fast forward a year later: I realize I am now a year behind on my blog posts but now that I am on spring break 2020 (Sept), I plan to update blogs from the past year. So please stay tuned and thank you for your patience***
8/26: Today was our first day of our white wine fermentation project in intro winemaking. We were given a 30L jug, filled it will juice and yeast, and placed it in the 20C room. We also took a sample to run the various tests we learned the past couple weeks in lab such as SO2, pH, and TA. We now have to check on our juice twice a day to record its temperature and degree Baume. We also have to monitor its aroma so hydrogen sulfide doesn’t develop. If it does, then we add diammonium phosphate. We also have to monitor the temperature and move it into a cooler room if the ferment gets to warm. Since heat is a by-product when producing ethanol, there shouldn’t be a lot of heat to stress out the yeast. In lecture we leaned about SO2 in grapes and wine.
8/27: Today in viticultural methods, we had a field trip to the Barossa Valley. We visited Yalumba Nursery and Grant Burge winery. The weather was amazing and so nice while in the Barossa. At the nursery, we had a tour and they told us how they graft and propagate their vines. The canes/shoots that are collected after winter pruning are placed in cold storage for a while. These canes are also organized according to their cultivar, clone, or rootstock. When ready for grafting, the shoots are paired with another shoot of the same size and diameter and cut together with an omega cut. One of the shoots can also be cut at an angle on one end, placed inside the bark, and wrapped around with tape. The shoots with the omega cuts are placed in a bin covered in vermiculi and perlite and placed in a dark room. After a while, calluses will form at one end and roots at the other. The callus end is dipped in green wax which offers stability for the plant and stops hydration. The end with the rootlings gets planted and observed while the roots grow. Overtime, it will grow into a vine and eventually get planted in the vineyard.
8/28: Happy 18th birthday Dane!!! Wow 18 already?!?! Where has the time gone??? Have an amazing day and I wish I was there to celebrate with you!!! Enjoy driving my car but I expect it back when I return!!!!
Today I hopped off the bus on campus and saw a koala!!!!! I was walking on the sidewalk and noticed the people walking near me stop and I stop and look over to what they’re looking at and its a koala!!!!!!!! He was also quite active. He was on the ground and hopped over to a tree and climbed it. He allowed me to take a selfie with him and actually looked at the camera!!!! It was a high koality moment!! haha I immediately told my friends and they were so jealous since they haven’t seen a koala yet. Now, we constantly look up in the trees when we walk around campus.
8/29: We continued with vine hydraulics and water use efficiency lectures in viticultural science.
8/30: We didn’t have our wine practical since we’ve been monitoring our white wine ferment.
In addition to my usual classes, we took a field trip to a few wineries and vineyards in McLaren Vale. It was so much fun to visit another famous wine region in Australia and it was such a beautiful day which made it even better. The vineyards we visited were organic and biodynamic certified and they told us how they maintain the vines this way. One of the vineyards had alpacas and emus. The egg-shaped containers (see picture) can be used for fermentations and maturation. And each egg had its own name!
9/7: Happy birthday to my best friend and best dog in the universe who would be 9 today💜you were taken from us too soon but I/we know you had amazing life with us and that makes us so happy. Today and future birthdays will be hard for us but you never had a hard day which helps us stay happy and positive. You always radiated with joy and happiness and I/we miss that everyday. I will always miss dressing you up in many different outfits and having you wear a birthday hat so I could take a picture. Thank you so much for putting up with me. It truly meant the world to me. I hope that you are enjoying playing with your new toy or stoked to play with a toy you hadn’t seen in a while. I loved seeing you get so excited when we showed you one of your older toys. Chase all the bunnies in the world today. I hope you had an amazing day filled with love from Mom and hopefully had a nice chicken and carrot dinner with a pup-cake and/or a frosty paw and a candle for dessert. You always scarfed down those pup-cakes from Sprinkles like it was a competition. How did you not get a brain freeze from finishing the frosty paw so quickly? Remember when we put a candle in the frosty paw and blew it out for you? Make a beautiful wish, sweet Brownie. I love you forever, my precious bark ranger💜
This week we had mid-terms in some of my classes. I didn’t have a mid-term in my winemaking class so I had an easy Monday before 3 exams in a row. On Tuesday, I had a vit methods exam and a practical in the vineyard in the afternoon. I had a sensory studies lecture on Wednesday morning and a wine tasting exam in the afternoon. For viti science, we had a lecture Thursday morning and an online mid-term that afternoon. The week ended with a winemaking practical on Friday and a sensory studies tutorial. Certainly a laid-back mid-term week considering one of my exams was wine tasting.
For the longest time I noticed this cute sweater at the campus store and I finally bought it!!! Of course I decide this when the weather starts to warm up. But at least I can wear it when I fly home since it will be winter there and when it’s winter here again.
We’ve also been monitoring our vines and the buds have started to burst and flower!!! So exciting to see the vines grow!!
To celebrate the end of our mid-term week, my friends and I went rock climbing or bouldering. It was so much fun and I haven’t rock climbed in so long. On Friday, the wine club hosted a wine tasting and my friends and I also went to that.
Weekend: My apartment complex hosted a free trip to Victor Harbor this weekend. The university hosted this trip at the beginning of the semester but since my flight was delayed, I didn’t know about it in advance to book a spot. Plus, now it was nicer weather and a lot warmer so I’m glad I went now. We first stopped at a wildlife center and saw all sorts of animals: birds, emus, koalas, kangaroos, and peacocks. I took a lot of pictures with the kangaroos that I was able to feed. The many koalas were so cute sleeping in the trees. I even saw one climb a tree and that was the only active koala I saw. We drove into the town of Victor Harbor after seeing the animals. There was a 1960 car festival going on when we arrived which was neat to see. There were even some cars with the drivers wheel on the left side. I walked across the pedestrian and horse drawn carriage bridge to Granite island. It’s a small island with a walking path loop. On the ocean side of the island, there are many large boulders along the coast and scattered around the island. During certain times of the year, there are whale sightings off this island and area. Penguins also live on the island after they caught their food for the day. This week is the last week of classes before our 2-week mid-semester break.
9/16: I biked to and from campus today. It’s all up hill biking to campus but the best part is going downhill to the city. In winemaking, we had lectures about amelioration and juice processing, grape processing, and the production of dry, floral and aromatic, and full bodied white wines.
9/17: We learned about organic and biodynamic viticulture in vit methods today. Organic viticulture is when the vine is part of the ecosystem such as leaves, roots, birds, grasses, microbes and biodynamic viticulture includes a connection to the cosmos such as the sun, moon cycle, and astronomy. Our practical was related to these types of viticulture practices and when to apply certain applications. For both of these practices, synthetic sprays are not allowed to be used on the crops. We also discussed the ingredients that are included in compost.
9/18: Today in sensory studies we tasted champagne/sparkling wine. I love sparkling wine so this was one of my favorite tastings. We also analyzed our super taster status from our taste buds. We dyed our tongues blue so the tastes buds would be easier to count. Then we placed a circular paper on our tongue with a small open circle. We counted the number of taste buds visible in the small circle with the largest density considered supertaster then medium-taster and non-taster with the smallest density. I’m apparently a non-taster so apparently I don’t taste a lot LOL.
Later that day, my friends and I attended another vintage conversation. We tasted S. C. Pannell wines and the owner of the winery in McLaren Vale gave a speech. We tasted the Fiano 2019, Tempranillo Touriga 2017, and Nebbiolo 2016. We had tacos from a food truck and they were some of the best tacos I have ever had. Those tacos were that amazing!!
9/19: We had a lecture on the various types of Vitaceae rootstocks today in viticultural science. Each rootstock varies in it’s resistance to phylloxera, drought, salinity, soil pH, and nutrient uptake. Some combinations of the rootstock hybrids include V. berlandieri x V. rupestris; V. riparia x V. rupestris; V. berlandieri x V. rupestris; and V. champini x V. riparia.
After class, one of my friends from Chile hosted a party to celebrate Chilean Independence. We made empanadas and I had a lot of fun with my friends.
9/20: During the intro wine practical, we had a tour of the fermentation suite. My professors told us more about the fermentation machines we have such a open fermenters, static fermenters, and a vinimatic (rotary). During fermentation, the open-top tank is best for plunging to break the cap that forms on the top of the liquid. The cap needs to be broken to avoid the juice from getting too warm. The vinimatic is an automatic fermentation process in a rotating machine which rotates in one direction for so many turns before turning in reverse for the same amount of turns. Static fermenters is another tank for fermentation where pumping over is the primary way to break the cap.
Some of my friends and I walked out to the vineyard to check on our vines for some projects that will be due after our mid-semester break. Before our sensory studies tutorial, my friends and I saw a koala in a tree. After class, the koala was still there and my friends and I took some more selfies with him.
8/12: Today we continued learning about the basic cellar operations in intro winemaking lecture. During the tutorial we walked up to the winery for a winery induction on safety in the winery. It was interesting learning about the machines we will be using this semester and next year for harvest season. I am so excited!! We were done with class at noon so I took the bus back to the city campus and continued working on some reports and readings.
8/13: Today in viticultural methods we had a lecture on managing birds and other pests in the vineyard and during berry growth. During practical we started on our physiological pruning project and continued working on our rootstock project from last week. We didn’t finish pruning the last few rows and recording the pruning weight last week so we did that today. We were also introduced to cane pruning. Basically, for cane pruning you remove every cane except for 2, one on each side that you think will be best for producing a large amount of grapes. You also leave 2 short replacement canes but pruned to 2-node spurs. The 2 long canes are usually at the same height as the trellis wire and doesn’t have many lateral shoots. I prefer spur pruning than cane pruning. Today was cloudy but it didn’t rain.
8/14: We learned about mouthfeel sensations and astringency in sensory studies lecture today. During practical, we tasted various wines based on increasing alcohol, bitterness, or sweetness and ranked each one. We did a similar exercise with tannins and astringency in red wine also.
8/15: In viticultural science we learned about budburst, shoot growth and grapevine structure. We started the phenology and fruitfulness project in practical. My friend, Evelyn and I chose Nebbiolo so we will be monitoring the growth of 3 Nebbiolo vines until the end of October. We were released from class early so I returned to the city and walked to a park thats passed the hospital 3/4 mile from my apartment. I walked around the park and along the river back towards campus. It was such a nice day to be outside. I also walked to the Adelaide Oval which I had a better view of from my apartment but now a building under construction is blocking it.
8/16: Today was our last rotation for intro wine and we learned how to determine the pH of the wine and its titratable acidity. During sensory studies tutorial, we continued completing a rate-all-that-apply test for 6 wines. After class, my friends, Evelyn and Sara, and I chose our Riesling wines for our project due at the end of the semester. We chose to compare and contrast dry and sweet Riesling. For dinner we ate at 18th Street Hot Pot. This place is similar to wok where you choose the meat, veggies, and noodles you want, choose your level of spiciness and they cook it. I chose the highest level of spice and my eyes started to water. I thought I could handle it but the spice was so much different from tex-mex spice that I’m used to. But, it was still so delicious.
Weekend: On Saturday I took the train to the Port Adelaide. It was such a nice day that I wanted to visit another beach and the Port. For lunch I had an amazing falafel wrap. Then, I took the train to Semaphore beach. I walked to the end of the jetty and took some pictures then walked on the beach. I ended up walking 5 miles to Grange beach and taking the train back. I walked a total of 12 miles today and my feet hurt so bad. I wore my Keens and forgot to apply band-aids to my toes so I have a few blisters now. Sunday was Open Day where every school in the university displays their programs at various booths for future students to gain more knowledge on the programs and eventually apply. I walked around the booths and collected some free bags and swag. Today was also cold and rainy with some very strong gusts of wind. I continued working on reports and readings since some are due this week.
8/5: Today in Introductory Winemaking, we learned the processes of chilling, draining, and pressing grapes during harvest and also about wine types, processes for red and white wine fermentation. During the tutorial, we discussed perception, wine quality, consumer opinion, oak maturation, oak in wine aging vs. no oak. Since class ended early today and it was a very nice day, I decided to take the tram to Glenelg, a beach town. It was 65F and sunny so it was a perfect day for the beach. I walked into the water but just ankle deep since the water was a bit chilly. I also walked along the beach for a while then walked along the street lined with shops. I also treated myself to mint chocolate ice cream because why not? I took the tram back to my apartment and prepared myself pasta and chicken for the week.
8/6: Today I had Viticultural Methods and procedures. During lecture we learned about planning and constructing a vineyard and re-developing and removing a vineyard. Since both processes are very expensive, its crucial to know if the land, soil, and climate one chooses is the best for growing grapes and producing wine. There are many factors one must consider such as wood vs. steel posts for the trellis, the irrigation system, rootstock vs. single variety, and if phylloxera and other diseases are present. During practical, we began our Rootstock project for our rootstock, Teleki 5C, in the Coombe vineyard. Across 11 rows, there are 8 different rootstocks planted in each row and 4 vines of each per row. We went through each row with our rootstock and pruned each vine to 2-node spurs and collected certain measurements such as trunk circumference, pruning weight, cordon length, count shoots, non-count shoots, and total shoots. This project is split up into 2 parts with the other part completed when the buds burst on each vine starting in September. It was quite a nice day to be outside since we would still be in the vineyard if it was pouring outside and cold. The next few days will be cold and rainy so we lucked out today.
8/7: Today I had sensory studies lecture in the morning and we learned about the process of tasting wine from appearance, aromas, and tasting. We also discussed the terminology at each step for describing the wine. All the steps we discussed were the same I learned in Italy so it was mostly a refresher for me but still interesting. During practical, we tasted 36 white wines in total. It was a lot. We had various activities such as ranking the wines in order of decreasing bitterness, acidity and sweetness, and choosing the wine that had an increase in astringency, increase in acidity, or increase in bitterness compared to the control wine.
8/8: We learned about bud burst and fruitfulness during the viticultural science lecture today. We discussed the 47 stages associated with bud burst to leaf fall after harvest. This was quite interesting since we will have a few projects that will require us to observe the vines at various stages during growth. During practical, we did bud dissections and have a report due at the end of August. After class we had a welcome party for the wine students which I and some friends attended. We met and talked to many of the professors in the program and also mingled with some other students. We were given a few glass of wine, some pizza, and fruit. I met so many people from all over the world. I met people from Canada, Taiwan, China, and India. A group of friends that I met were the last ones at the party so some of the professors gave us the remaining pizza boxes, fruit and wine bottles. After the party, we went to a restaurant for complimentary food since one of my friends knows the owner. The food was so good. I had some empanadas, small tacos and a glass of sangria.
8/9: We continued with the rotation experiments in the intro winemaking practical and today we did SO2 and volatile acidity determination. We tested the free, bound and total SO2 using the same apparatus for volatile acidity. Today was rainy, cold and windy again. In the sensory studies tutorial, we smelled various vials and guessed what we smelled using a scent wheel guide to help us. This task was fairly difficult since I hadn’t been exposed to many of those aromas before. Afterwards, we tasted 3 commercial white wines and described the color, aromas, taste, body, and aftertaste. One was a Riesling, a Chardonnay, and the blend was Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. After class, a group of friends and I attended the wine social club. This was the first meeting of the semester and for us so we decided to check it out. We had to pay for wine and beer but the snacks were free. We indulged the snacks and waited for the rain to stop and took the bus back to the city.
Weekend: Today my apartment provided us a free pancake breakfast but I forgot to set my alarm so I missed it. There will be more occasions in the future so I wasn’t that disappointed. I walked to the Museum of Discovery (MOD) which is about 1/4 mile from my apartment. I love how every museum is free in the city. I really enjoyed my visit to this museum. It was small but interesting. Afterwards, I walked to the city campus hub to read and start working on the reports I have to write.
Glenelg
💜Brownie Hope Erickson💜
🐶🐾September 7, 2010 – August 18, 2019🐶🐾
Brownie, you deserved the entire universe. The past 9 years have been the absolute greatest and no words can describe how much I loved sharing it with you. You will always be a tremendous part of me, siena, dane, joe, lucia, and the entire family. You were so special to us for so many reasons. I will always, always cherish the beautiful memories we shared.
I am forever grateful and thankful I convinced Joe to let you stay with me in Arizona for a few months. I loved every single second. I know you did also. I am so glad I had you all to myself for 1 whole dog year. I hope it was your favorite! It certainly was mine! I loved walking, driving, or biking with you to campus and sitting on the MU fratio with my signature Starbucks drink and probably writing a lab report. I ordered my drink and a cup of water for you. I left you at the table since you weren’t allowed inside but still had an eye on you from inside. When I returned you couldn’t control yourself because you were so excited to see me or maybe you just wanted some water. Probably me a little more. I dreamt of walking around campus and palm walk with you for the past couple years and I finally did. I loved how you quickly learned the drill when I woke up in the morning, took you outside before class and again later on when I returned from class. You were always so, so excited to see me come home and always pulled me down the stairs and out the door. I loved cutting baby carrots into small pieces for you even though it didn’t take you long to finish it.
You always put a smile on my face. I always enjoyed your company. Thank you for always being such a great sport when I dressed you up in your bandanna, holiday outfits, and especially wearing your custom designed grad cap while we took pictures for hours. I always enjoyed dressing you up even when you made the same “do I have to wear this” face. You were so much better at wearing hats than carter. He was just flat out annoyed at me.
Our polaroid selfies are hanging on my wall in my room in Adelaide. I wish you could’ve come visit. There are so many parks and beaches I could’ve taken you to. You were the best dog we could ever ask for. You brought our family closer together. We are so blessed to have you in our lives. Thank you @_siena_ for constantly begging for a dog. I love you so much and I know you loved me so much also. You also loved Siena, Dane, Joe, Cindy, Lucia, and the entire fam so much. I miss sharing my In-n-out burger, chicken nuts from cfa, and the veggies i should’ve eaten as a kid but gave to you. I’m glad you weren’t that picky.
As much as we want you here with us, I know you are having an absolute blast in Heaven chasing bunnies, playing with your favorite toys, and chilling on the couch with Mom while she enjoys a glass of wine and y’all look down on us. My two forever guardian angels.
We will always remember the amazing moments, memories, and the little things that made us laugh. Like the time siena brought home carter, hid him from joe, and you wanted to rat us out so you didn’t have to share the attention. We always treated you like a queen. The moments when go out to the car, forget something inside, walk back inside, and you were always over the moon with excitement to see us even if it was just a couple seconds. You always knew something was up when our suitcases were out and someone was packing. You always followed that person around so they knew not to forget about you. You followed me around while I packed for Italy. You laid on my pile of clothes to prevent me from packing. You knew what it meant when we got your airplane carrier out.
Looking at the pictures of me holding you and you wrapped your paws so tight around me arms, and a sad, worried look on your face before I left for Florence and Adelaide. But, when I saw you again in May, you were talking and barking so much and told me how much you missed me. I missed you so much too. I couldn’t wait to show you all the pictures I took, tell you about my weekend adventures, and read all my postcards. Even though you didn’t have a clue what I was saying or that you probably fell asleep listening to my voice, it meant the world to me to share those memories with you. It will be very challenging returning home in January without you there to greet me. I promise I will sit outside in the cold and tell you all about my time in Australia and even the attractive guy I met. You meant the world to me so the cold won’t bother me.
For Easter this year I bought us bunny ears, had an egg hunt for you, and we took a selfie together. Thank you for always looking at the camera and making adorable faces. I’m so glad I was able to dress you up as your favorite animal. Thank you for always comforting me when I’ve been sad and stressed. I loved when you licked away my tears and made a funny face after tasting the salty tears. That always cheered me up.
It is extremely hard for me to accept that you are gone since I’m 9000+ miles away from you and I just want to believe you’re home. But I know it’s even harder for the fam without you there. It broke my heart more when joe told me all your toys were in the same places you left them. I just couldn’t deal and bursted into tears. You loved every single toy you owned, You had so many toys, You loved your bunny, squirrel, the blue bone and angry bird the most. You were devastated when the squeaker fell out of angry bird but you still played with him. I loved it when you played with one toy and we introduced you to a toy you hadn’t seen in a while and you were so happy to play with that toy. Then we showed you another new toy and got so excited to play with that one. You had 3 toys around you and weren’t sure which one to play with. My sweet child.
You also loved your ASU sparky toy which made me so happy. The fam is sending some of your toys to me so I have some of your toys to hold. Oh Brownie, I miss you so much. I’ve been in shock ever since I heard the news. It’s been very hard especially with school and living along with strangers. But, you taught me to be strong and brave. You had so much bravery going to the bathroom in the snow in Kohler and the ground was so cold on your paws. You were brave going outside during thunderstorms because you knew it was now or in who knows how long. You usually went on the rug at the backdoor but you conquered your fear.
I’m so sorry you had a tumor on your spleen and weren’t able to communicate that to us if you felt any pain. I wish there was something we could’ve done to help you. I wish it was easier to detect and remove and didn’t have low success rates from surgery. In your honor, I’m going to find a place currently researching tumors in dogs and donate money so I can help other families and dogs in the future. You were so considerate so I want to do the same.
I was really looking forward to you being my winery dog when I open my winery. My winery will 1000% be dog friendly. I will have a picture of you on the wall, there will be dog accessories in the wine shop, and there will be wine for dogs. Don’t tell anyone but it will be flavored water similar to the beer taps at OHSO in AZ. I will dedicate a wine after you and mommy, of course. I’m thinking a sparkling rose since you were always happy and cherry.
You left us way too soon. You were supposed to live at least 8 more years. You were always o healthy, especially after the months in AZ when you lost 5 pounds. We were so proud of you. You taught me to be strong. I vow to stay strong even during these tough times. It will be difficult each day and will slowly get easier but will never be the same.
You were the absolute perfect dog ever. I really wanted you to meet my future dog of my own. You would’ve been a great role model to my dog, You always enjoyed playing with your doggie friends on the street. I always wondered how social you were while at doggie day care, Rover Oaks, and Pet Medical. You always received a straight-A report card but we were always curious to see for ourselves. We always wanted to watch you get a haircut at Rover Oaks. I’m so glad you got an upgraded room with extra play time, extra walks, a TV, a comfier bed, and a nighttime story. You always seemed comfort. My bed, your own couch, your soft, fuzzy blankets, and your pillow pets.
Mommy chose your middle name as Hope because you gave us hope. You always gave as positive energy during difficult times.
My letter to Brownie will be never-ending but this is all I can write today.
8/19: Today we learned about acids and acidity in wine during lecture. Then, we discussed white wine making in the tutorial. On Mondays we finish class at noon so I went to the city campus library to finish working on my bud dissection report that is due on Thursday. I had only been at the library for about an hour when my dad texted and called me wanting me to go to my apartment. I had no clue what was going on until I returned home. They told me about Brownie. I dropped to the floor. My legs gave out. I couldn’t stop screaming and yelling “no”. I just couldn’t believe what I was told. She had at least 8 more years. Why was she taken from us so soon? I was on the phone with my family for at least 5 hours. It was the afternoon here but after midnight at home. They had been crying the entire day. I cried the entire day and during the night. I watched Brooklyn-99 the whole rest of the day. I forced myself to get up to eat even though I didn’t want food. I forced myself to take a shower even though I didn’t want to. My stomach was in knots all day and night. How was I supposed to face tomorrow? I put on my brave face. Brownie was always so brave. She went outside during storms even though she hated thunder and lightning. She still went outside. I couldn’t fall asleep. I had to cry myself to sleep but still that didn’t work. I woke up at 5am and watched Brooklyn-99 until my alarm when off at 7:15am.
8/20: I talked to some friends before class. They could sense something was off. I told them. Then bursted into tears. It was so difficult to say without crying. I didn’t believe what I was saying. We learned about grapevine propagation today in lecture. We had practical in the rain in the orchard and nursery vineyard on campus. It was cold, rainy, and miserable. We were showed how to graft cuttings together and to the vine. We were also showed how the rootlings form while being in the heat bed for many weeks and how a callus forms while being in the sand bed. After class I went home and watched Brooklyn-99.
8/21: In sensory studies we learned about wine aroma and flavor. In practical we had a basic wine exam and a threshold detection activity. We were given various bottles with different amounts of sugar, acid, quinine, MSG, and salt mixed with water. We tasted each in order of increasing amounts and noted the point of detection and recognition. For me, I detected 0.74 g/L sucrose but recognized it at 20 g/L of sucrose. For NaCl, I detected and recognized it was salt at 1.6 g/L. I detected at 0.0625 g/L tartaric acid but recognized it at 0.5 g/L. I detected and recognized at 6.6 mg/L of quinine and at 2.5 g/L of MSG. After class, a group of friends and I attend the vintage conversation. This where a winemaker visits and talks about various things from winemaking to requirements for working at a winery. I had been on the fence about going after recent events but I was told many times that the speaker is hilarious so I went since laughter is the best medicine. I’m really glad I went and had a fun time hanging with my friends, eating brats and drinking some tasty wine.
8/22: In lecture we learned about the grapevine water relations and observed various parts of the leaf and stems under a microscope in practical. We drew pictures of what we saw under the microscope in our notebook. So many circles and detail.
8/23: Happy 29th birthday Joe!!!!!!! Have an amazing day!! Thanks for letting me chase my dream 9000 miles away!!! Today we finished the rotation of experiments that we have been working on for the past few weeks. We were given this time as a refresher and to finish what we didn’t get to previously. I took this time to review the SO2 and VA apparatus since that was a bit tricky for me. During sensory studies tutorial we had another rate-all-that-apply test for 6 red wines. The wines we tasted were Shiraz, Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo, Petit Verdot and a Pinot Noir. We also tasted 3 white wines: Vermentino, Fiano, and a Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, and Gwerütraminer blend.
Weekend: On Saturday I bought a bike! I’m so excited to have another form of transportation so I don’t have to take the bus everyday. I continued writing my reports and read this weekend. I also watched Brooklyn-99 quite often.
Catch Rachel Down Under