Hunter Valley wine tasting

One thing I've really wanted to do ever since I turned 21 was wine tasting and when I found out about the Hunter Valley, I knew wine tasting in Australia would be even more awesome (even though the whole 21 thing doesn't really matter here).  My parents really enjoy wine so I knew they would be excited to take me.  We signed up for another early morning tour (apparently that's how things work here) so I stayed at my parents hotel the night before.  This was a mistake considering the small space and the fact that my mother is an insomniac who likes to Skype at 4am with everyone back in California; this is not fun when you're trying to sleep 10 feet away.  Needless to say I was a bit cranky when I had to leave the hotel at 6am for our tour.  The excitement about the trip made things slightly better and so did the extra sleep I got on the bus ride there.  When we arrived at 11am I was feeling better and ready to start drinking.  It was 5 o'clock somewhere, 6 in California...even better!  We started off with the whole group at Brokenwood Winery where I'm sure they were trying to get us drunk.  They kept filling our glasses with various wines (red and white) AND then this amazing champagne - the best I've ever had(very close to my old time fave Ballatore)!  After getting a slight buzz , we split off from the group (they were going wine tasting on bikes...could you imagine my mother wobbling around from winery to winery?).  Instead we stuck with the bus driver and had him take us to some of his favorite spots.  All these places were charming and lovely in their own way. The landscape and scenery was absolutely beautiful; I had so much fun taking pictures and admiring the rows of grape vines.  We were also able to go to a winery that shipped bottles to the states so my parents could buy some to have with Dad's dinners at home - hope they still have some when i get back, but that's not very promising.  After a bunch of wine, it was definitely time for some lunch and relaxation, both of which made me feel a little more sober.  After lunch we were ready to go again, with a couple more wineries and then a stop at a brewery and the Smelly Cheese Factory (didn't really enjoy this one but mom did).  Wine tasting was awesome - can't wait to go sometime when I get home!