Each week I post another fascinating true-life excerpt from my friend & mentor’s journals while she was Housekeeper & Cook at The Flamingo, during the period 1968-1999, titled Cookie’s Diaries. Together we’ve changed a few things around & set Cookies story in a fictional Australian country town so as to protect the innocent & the not so innocent!  We hope you enjoy Cookies journey from such humble & all but penniless beginnings to owning & running the highly successful country guesthouse, ‘The  Flamingo’. To read the last chapter click HERE.
Life has a funny way of giving you wonderful opportunities dressed up as gemstones in the rough, & odd though it may seem it turned out to be our local Green Grocer Silvio whom I credit for my opportunity to learn about our Australian wines, right alongside the industry as it was growing up around us. Perhaps this chapter should be titled Flavour Lessons with Silvio, as wine tasting was the final result of our lessons.
There is something quite wonderful about being associated with the characters that forge out new niches & hold the faith that Australia could & would grow magnificent wines in time; I certainly count myself blessed for the experience & the opportunity that allowed me to grow in knowledge & experience alongside people like Silvio & his family.
Silvio brought his family to Australia in the 1950’s & although he may have left behind his beloved homeland, he managed to recreate his own little Italy as in one way or another all our local wineries, orchards & fruit suppliers were owned by one member of his family or another. He had enormous respect amongst his people although of course at that time, we had no idea our Silvio was a man of great influence. You see, to us, he was just our generous Green Grocer & a character who delivered our weekly order to the local hospital, pubs, clubs & café’s & of course, The Flamingo. Continue Reading 
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