Arnot-Roberts wine release

Mini Cupper

Geoff H. has as much interest and expertise in wine as he does in bikes. He makes a dozen or more wine pilgrimages each season to taste the latest releases.

The folks at Arnot-Roberts make excellent syrah, chardonnay, and cabernet, the last two of which were being aired in Forestville.

The barn they share with other vintners was buzzing with people from 2 to 82, and a half dozen dogs as well.

Django was the alpha pooch, who even had his own postcard….will dig up anon….Duncan and Nathan (owners of Arnot-Roberts) are big bikers, and a third gentleman, Pedro Rusk, told me he’d produced the t-shirts for WTB in years gone by.

“Small whirl” I grinned.

There was slow jazz played on the patio, with a few dozen well-dressed and shod people circulated, swirling huge ballon stemware and enjoying themselves in the chilly warehouse.

There were many people who ride bicycles here. The smoked ham hock was anchored on a “Pork Tool Wheel Truing Stand” (see pix in margins). Nathan’s wife had once inquired about wombats a few years ago (I found this out when I got home, and typed her name into my databaste). Jerry and Trish, the folks from S.F. ride a lot—that’s what he does every free minute.

I think the most impressive rider I met was Brian Martin, a 65 year old Canadian who describes himself as a ‘serious amateur’ winemaker…who had been off the bike for 13 years due to a host of joint and back issues, and only recently had them all resolved.

“You haven’t any idea what it’s like to ride a bike if you haven’t lost that ability for a decade or so, then had it restored” he told me. “It’s pure magic”.
Well said.