RGS Wine 'On Location' Winners
2007 winner - 'Australia'
Bill McIntosh and Roger Wickes
Cameron Corner Camp …
Here is a picture of Bill McIntosh from Blinman and RGS regular Roger Wickes somewhere near Cameron’s Corner in Qld drinking a 2006 RGS Cross Cut Cabernet on their way back from holidaying in FNQ. The lads have a GPS position if anyone needs to see it. (They drank RGS wine in more tropical locations but did not enjoy themselves as much as they did at Cameron's corner).
The wine went well with camp oven baked lamb from Blinman (they carted it frozen for a month all over Qld).
(Ed Note) Good effort Bill and Roger. Apparently there is a picture of the lamb but the girls weren’t happy to share it as they were in the picture and didn’t like the look of their hair having been in the bush for over a week!
2007 winner - 'Rest of the World'
Geoff & Josephine Playford
The bottle that nearly didn’t make it. …
Geoff and Josephine Playford departed Adelaide in 2007 with a 2006 RGS Grower Shiraz and arrived in Casablanca some days later. They waited at the luggage carousel with numbers thinning. Finally there was no luggage going round so they went to the information desk (an oxymoron).
Some broken English was spoken and the clerk made several hectic phone calls. From somewhere in the darkened corridors a man appeared with both cases - saved!
The pic of Geoff and Josephine enjoying a great glass of the RGS Grower Shiraz is taken on the western edge of the Sahara Desert, forty-five kilometres from the Algerian border. Behind them is Lake Siriji, on the edge of the Erg Chebbi (Dunes of Merzouga). The Erg was used as the location for all the sand dune sequences in Lawrence of Arabia.
(Ed note) Great effort Geoff & Josephine. Enjoy your well earned RGS dozen
2007 Runner Up - 'Rest of the World'
Brenton Wilhelm
Far Out of Africa …
RGS Wine Club stalwart Brenton Wilhelm took a 2001 RGS Cabernet on a family holiday to the Okavango Delta in northern Botswana in January. With a degree of trepidation, BJW took over the tracker’s chair on the front of the Safari vehicle and posed for this snap. He had a few uncomfortable moments when the elephant decided to investigate!
(Ed note) As I took the pic, it didn’t seem fair to hand over the RGS dozen to BJW – perhaps next time!
Brenton Wilhelm’s 2001 RGS Cabernet taking a break with staff member Peace while on holidays at Kwara Camp in the Okavango Delta in Botswana.
2006 winner - 'Rest of the World'
Julie & Colin Luders
Julie Luders from Adelaide with a bottle of 1996 RGS Shiraz at Dunluce Castle on the northern coast of Ireland. The Luders were holidaying there in 2005. The Castle is slowly eroding and falling into the sea. Dunluce was the largest most sophisticated castle on the Northern Ireland coastline and in the 17th century, housed over a hundred people.
During a dreadful storm in 1639, part of the kitchen fell into the sea taking several staff with it. The picture of Julie was taken at a large oven which still remains in the Castle. Extensive renovations are being carried out constantly to preserve what is left of the building. According to Colin "It was an awe inspiring vista .. and the 1996 drank well."
2006 winner - 'Australia'
Barbara & Duncan Chamberlain
Barbara Chamberlain of Goolwa in the Cradle Mountain region on Tasmania's Overland Track.That's Lake Agnew in the background.
She and husband Duncan later went up Mt Ossa (the highest in Tazzie) and would've liked to have got a shot from up there but to be honest they were sick of carrying the thing (it was a 6 day hike with backpacks) and so were forced to drink it
2005 winner - 'Rest of the World'
Megan (nee Afford) & Jon Hall Nepal
Sweat and tears wouldn't hold us back. We knew we had to make it. My father had challenged me to carry a bottle of RGS to the top of Gokyo Ri, a 5400 metre mountain in Nepal and crack it open in view of the mighty Mount Everest.
Ok so I've changed my name through marriage but you can never knock the "Afford" out of me, we love a challenge, especially where alcohol is involved. So it was with my backpack and two feet after 6 days of walking solidly up mountains in high altitude, that we finally made it to our vantage point.
My god the 2003 RGS Cabernet tasted good! We couldn't drink too much though as we were already drunk from the lack of oxygen, so toasted to the mountains and polished the rest off at 3800 metres whilst sitting around a Yak shit fire especially lit for us.
"RGS beats the shit out of Yaks."
Where else would you be seen drinking RGS. Here you have got the whole world at your feet. We trained in Sydney. I carried a six pack of RGS every weekend on hiking training (Jon carried a stove) and by abstemiousness, taught to me by my father Senator Afford, got a bottle to below Everest. Wow!
Highest mountains in the world as seen from Gokyo Ri 5400 mtrs above sea level. How to get there? Your own two feet!
2005 winner - 'Australia'
1040 klms north of the Alice at the start of the Tanami Desert track, 282 klms east of Fitzroy Crossing and 18 klms west of Halls Creek in WA. A bloody long way anywhere and a great place for a celebratory glass of 2003 RGS Shiraz. RGS regulars Paul and Judy, Brendan and Pat Sept 2004.
2004 winner - 'Rest of the World'
Old friends of Heather Forbes, Jeremy and Pat Pointon of Bristol, England developed a taste for Redgum during their SA visit to catch the eclipse at the end of 2002. Look's like they've still got a bottle – Pat pictured with Bristol's famous Clifton suspension Bridge in the background.
2004 winner - 'Australia'
Forbes on the Mundi Mundi Plain lookout deciding in the interests of safe driving to imbibe back in Broken Hill - 28th November '03.