Rose's Vintage (17 page)

‘Nothing doing there. Tell you later,' replied Rose, just as Philippe and Frostie walked into the kitchen.

‘Maaate.' Frostie drew out the one-syllable word in appreciative emphasis. ‘Could smell this all the way out the door. Forgotten how good your cooking is, Rosie. Should never have let you leave Bondi,' he said, mock-mournfully.

The boys hoed in to plates piled high with pancakes, syrup and bacon, barely pausing to speak. Leo stared wide-eyed at them, too shy to ask many questions, while Luisa chattered away, banging the end of her fork on the table for more food.

Suddenly, Frostie looked up. ‘What this needs to wash it down is a decent cup of coffee.'

‘Sorry,' said Rose apologetically, ‘not a latte to be had around here, I'm afraid. You're closest bet is in Eumeralla. Sacred Grounds. Tell Bevan I sent you.'

‘Actually,' said Philippe with a secretive look on his face. ‘We're going to change that. Come and see.'

Rose was puzzled, but followed him out to the Kombi, Leo and Barnsie bringing up the rear. ‘What is it, Rose?' asked Leo excitedly.

‘I don't have a clue, sweetie, but let's find out, shall we?'

As Philippe slid back the door of the van, he reached inside and motioned for Rose to take a look. There, nestled among threadbare towels and wrapped in a sleeping bag, was a La Marzocco three-group machine in cornflower blue.

‘What a beauty!' exclaimed Rose, marvelling at it. ‘Where did you get it?'

‘Upgraded.' When he wasn't on a surf safari, Philippe was managing a cafe on the beachfront at Bondi. ‘Didn't need this one anymore,' Philippe said. ‘It's all yours if you want it.'

‘You're kidding, right?'

‘
Non
, I not kid you, Rose,' replied Philippe seriously.

‘But these things are freakin' expensive. And you're just giving it away?'

‘All for a good cause,' he winked at her. ‘Anyway, the owners were going to chuck it out – crazy, I know – and I couldn't let that happen. It had seized up, but Frostie had a look at it, polished it up, and she's good as gold now. Runs like a dream. You've got to look after her, but I know you will; there's not much to it.'

Rose was astonished that anyone would want to throw something so beautiful away, but she knew immediately what she would do with it. ‘You'll have to show me how to use it,' she said, running her hands over the gleaming metal. ‘I can't believe you thought I'd need this. How did you know?'

‘Ah, you only mentioned in your emails about a million times that you were desperate for a decent coffee more than once or twice a week,' he replied sarcastically. ‘So, your wish is our command.'

‘Oh, thank you! I've already got plans for this little baby,' said Rose, beaming at him.

In no time at all, Philippe had got the machine set up in the cellar door, Rose having sweet-talked Dan into lending her the key again to get in.

‘I still don't know why you want this in here, not the kitchen,' said Philippe.

‘I'm going to open up the cellar door again and offer tastings, but also coffee, cake and scones. There's nowhere close by where you can get a decent coffee, and I reckon there'll be a market for it, especially in summer.'

‘I like your thinking, Little Miss Starbucks,' he teased.

‘Get out of here, you!' Rose expertly flicked a tea towel at him. ‘Starbucks my arse!'

Philippe had also brought her a five-kilo bag of freshly roasted beans and a grinder, and promised to keep her supplied with more once they returned to Bondi if she needed. He gave her a crash course in how to make the different types of coffee she was likely to be asked for, from macchiato and ristretto to the more familiar latte and cappuccino, and then demonstrated how to clean and look after the machine. Frothing the milk without scalding it took a little time to master, but by the end of the morning Rose had proved to Philippe that she could make a half-decent cup.

‘You're all set,' he said, looking proudly at her and patting the machine. ‘I am very glad she's found a good home.'

The boys were keen to be on their way before much more of the day disappeared, and Rose made them several rounds of sandwiches to sustain them on the rest of their journey. ‘It's a very small thank you for the coffee machine. I still can't believe you lugged it all this way just for me.'

She was sorry to see them go, as she was very fond of both of them. She hugged each of them tight, promising to stay in touch and insisting they call back in on their return in a few weeks' time.

As she watched their Kombi trundle down the drive, she felt suddenly alone. Kalkari was very quiet again.

CHAPTER 16

T
he delivery of the coffee machine, combined with Mark's absence, galvanised Rose into action. The housekeeping account was running very low, and she and Astrid hadn't been paid since before Mark went to London. With a long weekend coming up, Rose saw an opportunity to inject some funds into the winery's diminished coffers. She raided the cupboards for a mismatched selection of dainty teacups and side plates, but still came up short. A chance conversation with Mrs B, who'd called in to see the kids, led her to the Eumeralla op shop, the incongruously named Thrifty Orange, where she found a crate of unused commercial-grade china, perfect for her needs. She also grabbed a handful of old teaspoons and tarnished silver cake forks that she could polish up. Not wanting to be in debt to Mark for a venture she had yet to discuss with him, and knowing how tight Kalkari's funds were, she paid for these out of her own pocket. She also stocked up on flour, sugar, butter and milk, keeping careful record of her purchases.

Calling in to Sacred Grounds, she casually mentioned to Bevan that she was thinking of opening up the cellar door again and serving coffee, tea, pies and cakes there.

‘So, we'll be in competition then,' he said. His tone told her he didn't mind too much.

While she was there, she sent a quick email to her brother, letting him know that Mark was on his way to London, and gave him Mark's hotel details just in case Henry wanted to engineer a meeting with Mark himself. She also spent some time going over her favourite baking recipes, deciding on fruit muffins, chocolate and hazelnut biscuits, and chewy date bars. The pies she could almost make in her sleep, after her years at The Pine Box.

The monthly farmers market was on again that weekend, and she hauled home several kilos of apples, lemons and oranges. Bevan had also suggested that she drop in to the town's visitor information centre and chat with them about her plans; she added that to her growing to-do list.

The name of the new venture came from Dan. She'd wandered over to the winery for a chat, bringing a test batch of lemon curd tartines for him to try. He was enthusiastic about the cellar door reopening, and had promised to drill her in some basic wine-tasting patter.

‘Well, it's got to be something wine-related, I reckon,' he said as he ran a hand over his beard thoughtfully. ‘What do you think of Ferment?'

Rose loved it. ‘Oh, that's perfect! Thanks, Dan,' she said, dropping a kiss on the top of his head.

‘Get away with you now,' he muttered, embarrassed by her show of affection. Rose could have sworn he was blushing under his bushy beard.

Despite the almost impossibly short timeframe, Rose planned a big opening for the following Saturday – the first day of a long weekend, as she'd heard from Mrs B that the valley would be buzzing with visitors on the wine-tasting trail. Earlier in the week, Astrid had helped her with some fliers as well as a sign for the end of the drive, copying the curlicued Kalkari wine label logo and showing a flair for design that Rose hadn't known she possessed. With Luisa in tow, they distributed them to the visitor information centre, and a few shops in Eumeralla also taped them up on their windows. The information centre seemed excited at the prospect of something new happening in the valley, and they promised to give it top billing in their weekly email newsletter, which, fortuitously, was due to go out the following day. Rose hoped it would be enough to entice the crowds.

On Saturday morning she got up even earlier than usual and was greeted by the beginnings of a bright sunny day with just a few clouds scudding across the Wedgwood-blue sky. She still hadn't become used to the piercing brightness of the Australian light, and shielded her eyes as she looked down the drive, wondering what the day would bring and trying to ignore the nerves clenching her stomach.

The cellar door dining room was set up and, with fingers crossed for fine weather, she'd also asked Dan to help her shift a couple of old wine barrels and an offcut of timber to form a long makeshift table under the she-oak just outside the cellar door, so that people could enjoy their coffee and cake in the sunshine if they wanted to. Astrid and Leo had made some multicoloured bunting and strung it up across the front of the building, giving it a festive look.

‘Looks like you're all set,' Dan came up behind her as she was setting out a freshly baked rhubarb pie on the counter next to the gleaming coffee machine. ‘Care to serve your first customer? A macchiato would be great. And one of those muffins, too, if you can spare it.'

‘Coming right up!' Rose beamed at him.

Even though it was his day off, Dan had volunteered to help out with the tastings, and Mrs B had also been persuaded to lend a hand later. Dan had run through a few pointers on the wines with Rose, giving her notes on how they were made, as well as showing her how to taste and spit, and advising her to practise with water in the shower. She planned on paying close attention to how he worked behind the tastings bench.

Astrid, Leo and Luisa – accompanied by a madly yapping Barnsie – wandered across from the house to check them out.

‘Looks wonderful!' exclaimed Astrid. ‘Save me one of those banana muffins if you've any left at the end of the day!'

‘Can we have something now, Rose?' pleaded Leo.

‘What, and leave nothing for our customers?' Rose teased. ‘Okay, then, just one muffin each. Banana, caramel and walnut? Or raspberry and white choc-chip?' The kids helped themselves and headed outside to devour the buttery cakes. Barnsie lay panting next to them, keeping a close watch for stray crumbs.

At only a few minutes past ten, the first car turned up the drive, and from then on there was a steady stream of visitors for coffee, cakes and tastings. By three o'clock they'd sold out of muffins and cookies, and there was just one lonely slice of pie left. Rose was tired, but elated. Her plan, it seemed, had worked, and she carefully counted up the day's takings, showing them gleefully to Dan.

‘It's not a fortune, but it's a good start,' she said.

‘Actually, we've also had the best day's wine sales that I can remember too,' said Dan, polishing a wine glass. ‘Looks like you got the word out!'

‘Well, the information centre certainly must have!' laughed Rose.

She was glad she'd had the foresight to bake in advance and that she'd filled the freezer with enough baked goods to see them through the rest of the long weekend. If today was anything to go by, they were going to need everything she'd prepared and more. She glanced down at her arms, which had turned rosy from so much to-ing and fro-ing in the hot sun. ‘Your face looks a bit pink too,' said Dan. ‘Best get some sunscreen before tomorrow.'

‘Best get some rest before tomorrow as well,' said Rose, piling up used coffee cups and wiping down the table.