New RAN ships sparkle with ros’
Newcastle Herald
Wednesday March 30, 2011
SO what are pictures of a warship doing in a wine column?The answer is the Lerida Estate winery at Lake George in the Canberra district wine region, which had a part in the recent launching of the pictured HMAS Canberra.Canberra and its sister ship HMAS Adelaide will be the Royal Australian Navy's largest-ever ships when they go into service in 2014 and 2015.A bottle of Lerida Estate 2008 Brut Ros’ sparkling wine was broken over Canberra's bows as it took to the water at the Navantia shipyard at Ferrol in Spain last month. The launch was performed by Vicki Coates, wife of the late Rear Admiral Nigel Coates, who commanded the previous HMAS Canberra.The ship is the first of the Canberra class ships, each of which will be able to transport 1000 troops, their vehicles and 12 helicopters. They are designed for combat and humanitarian roles.The Lerida wine was chosen because of its Canberra origins and the fact that the name Lerida was first given to the Lake George region by the Scottish-born explorer and surveyor of South East Australia, Major Thomas Mitchell.The Lake George countryside reminded Mitchell of the Lerida area of Spain.Lerida Estate, which has a cellar door and cafe on the Federal Highway at Lake George, was established in 1997 by Jim Lumbers and his wife Anne Cairne.
© 2011 Newcastle Herald
