Currently, I’m sitting in a garden in Hoi An, Vietnam. The parched vintage in Oz is over and the dampness in the air here is palpable and pleasant. The weather is sunny and humid. There is a flute being played in the pagoda adjacent to my garden.
Vietnam has one wine region in Dalat. The wines here are made from seasonal fruits, such as mulberry and grapefruit. I’ve tasted the wines and I doubt they will be exported in the very near future. The “wineries” are off limits to outsiders, and I think I can understand why: Sharp and twangy, short and dirty.
Beer, or Bia, is king here, however, and all over Vietnam there is fresh, ice cold Bia Hoi served out of a keg for nickels over quarters. That’s approximately 5 big, frosty glasses for a dollar. Usually, it’s the place surrounded by Australians, but I have met a few Kiwis there, as well.
So far the most interesting operations have been the little rice wine stills in the local’s basements. I’ve met one such family and have some good pics to boot. Eventually, I will have some new pictures here, as soon as I get the time. But for now it’s on to Hue and Hanoi, with a return to Melbourne mid-May.