Some of my favourite trips have been to the wineries of Victoria and beyond. It took quite a while before I even wanted to try anything but Victorian wines.

A trip to McLaren Vale with Noela earlier this year turned my head to South Australian wines. Wirra Wirra earned a star in my firmament, and I have a handful of other lables laid down for a special occasion.

A couple of bottles of Hurley vineyard 2005 pinot noir are just about to be cracked open, I think, whilst we are holding onto a couple more bottles of vintage Chandon bubbly for a really special occasion.

Hanging Rock winery’s winter luncheon is a landmark on the social calendar, especially if I keep winning magnums of their best-selling Heathcote shiraz.

City Wine Shop is my “local” bar, a place where I am happy to pop in alone for breakfast, coffee or a drink after a meeting – not to mention their legendary wine tasting evenings.

That all said, I managed a birthday trip to Rutherglen – home of amazing fortified wines and wonderful reds – without so much as one purchase. Orlando was proud of me. At last his plea to write the names down and buy them at a discount in Dan Murphy’s has been listened to.