Random: Street Names – Feelin’ Groovy

The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)

Many moons ago, I was kindly put up in a house for five months within the town of Nuriootpa, or ‘Nuri‘, as the locals call it. It was vintage 2010 and I had driven over from Melbourne to the famous Barossa Valley. Nuri was the central base for the working people of this community and made for a pleasant, quiet and convenient town to be in. I resided on a property off from Johnson Court. Johnson…quite the common, stock standard name for a street, I dare say. This never bothered me until one day, I began to hear whispers of a wondrous land located not too far away, where the situation was somewhat different.

I was told that across the Barossa Valley Highway in the groovier new estate there were whimsical places such as Chardonnay Drive, Traminer Way, Hermitage Court and Pinot Crescent. Considering I am in the wine industry, would that not have made more sense to be living o’er yonder?

I closed my eyes and imagined the sidewalks were lined with grapevines.

I hypothesised that all the local winemakers lived in these streets or secretly wanted to.

I wondered whether instead of lemonade stands, they might sell wine out the front of their houses. Chardonnay sold on Chardonnay Drive. Pinot Noir or Pinot Gris sold on Pinot Crescent. And why not pour a bit of Hermitage when living on Hermitage Court?

It truly would have been a magical place.

That is, until I decided to prove the existence of these street names and skipped across the bitumen. Not only did I fail to find streets lined with grapevines, run into any hearty, red-faced winemakers, or those boozing stalls, but the streets looked just as common as every other residential part of town. Oh the heartache.

That new estate thought they were being so witty using wine jargon for street names in a wine tourism area.

Well clap clap to them. They had me lusting for a moment.

The truth is, I preferred driving to work to surround myself with grapes and wine and see firsthand how all the magic occurs. Looking back, Johnson Court treated me well. I should not have dismissed it so easily, because what I did each day in the winery was a whole lot groovier and gave me ample time to sit back and enjoy the great wine ride. 

Slow down, you move too fast.
You got to make the morning last.
Just kicking down the cobble stones.
Looking for fun and feelin’ groovy.

Tags: Street, Wine, Winery