HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE
​I said I would be back in June, where did that month go?  Certainly it is full swing back in the vineyard, the barrel prune is done (equivalent to going along the vines with a chainsaw) and I have followed with hand pruning and fine tuning of the Shiraz.  Waiting for the risk of frost to pass before pruning the Chardonnay; (if you prune too early you will promote bud burst which will 'burn' with frost).  So the time spent between prunes is taken up by raking under the vines, fixing posts, cleaning wire, mending wires…
June/July 2017 Newsletter

HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE
Did I mention the weather!!!  Well, it has certainly played a big part this year.  The slow coolish summer has made it perfect for whites but the reds are taking their time to get ripe and with rain events and cool days/nights, it was touch and go if we would even get to pick the Shiraz.  But we finally did yesterday 11 April (the latest we have ever picked).

Meanwhile the 2017 Chardonnay has finished it’s fermentation and going through the wine process nicely.  Our winemaker said… “I don’t know what you guys are doing; I didn’t think we could beat the 2016, but you have…”  So winemaker and vigneron’s are very happy and will wait patiently for the next 11 months while she works her magic on oak.

But for now, Vintage is over, the sheep are in the vineyard, the vines will move into the Senescence phase.  This is where the canes maturation is complete; the cane cells cannot grow or divide anymore.  The vineyard goes into dormancy, the leaves will fall and the vineyard will rest until June when we start all over again… 

In the meantime, we can concentrate on farm jobs and have a little holiday!

​I will be back in June 2017….
April 2017 Newsletter

HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE
It seems to be that the weather is all I talk about!  The Blackwood River flooded from rains up North of Perth but fortunately no damage to us not like our friends in the Swan Valley and even down the road here!  With all that water comes humidity and that can play a big part in the grapes developing Botrytis, which is grape rot.  So all vineyards were busy monitoring the fruit and dropping any that may show signs.  We hand pick our fruit, so we can pick the best bunches.  Our rule is, if you wouldn't eat it then don’t pick it!!  Not the case for machine harvests, whereby everything, including whatever is crawling along the vines is shaken into the bins!!!

We have completed the dropping of slow ripening fruit in the Shiraz and the grapes are looking good.

We test the grapes Baume which is the sugar content of the juice by its density.  We pick a representative number of berries from all rows taking a berry from different spots on the bunch, crush it (with a very technical piece of kit – a potato masher) and strain the juice.  We then measure the temperature, taste for flavour and use a refractometer to test sugar levels.  When we reach an ideal Baume we pick the fruit!

And as such Vintage has commenced in the vineyard with the picking of the 2017 Chardonnay yesterday.  Winemaker is happy and using the word 'awesome'… which he uses very sparingly…  Great day, great fruit so very pleased.

The Shiraz will be another 2-4 weeks before it is ready for harvest.

Another GOLD medal at the Timber Towns Wine Show for the 2015 Chardonnay!!  That is 2 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze and a Trophy Award for that vintage.

​What a joy it is to make a great Chardonnay!
​March 2017 Newsletter

HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE
Waiting, waiting, waiting… that about sums up January.  The milder summer has delayed veraison or colour change in the grapes by about 3 weeks, but it has finally arrived and we are back monitoring the ripening of the grapes and about to drop fruit that is slow to ripen.

The nets will go on and my woeful sewing skills will be put to work on mending holes and tying down to keep those pesty birds out!

So with everything delayed by a month, we will hopefully see the start of vintage in March and be completed by April.

​We will take delivery of our 2016 vintage Shiraz and Chardonnay early this month after 10-11 months on French Oak.  Looking forward to tasting those – best part of the job!!
February 2017 Newsletter

HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE
​As the heat increases, the berries grow and start to ripen, although it is later this year due the wet winter/spring.  The ripening of the grapes is called Veraison whereby the berries soften and the colouring begins.  The Chardonnay change from a hard solid green to a translucent yellow-green and the Shiraz have more of a dramatic colour change from green to pink-red.  The Chardonnay grapes tend to look after themselves when it comes to ripening, but with the Shiraz we will drop fruit that is not ripening, we want the fruit to ripen at the same time, so that sugar levels will be consistent across the yield. If you leave the slower ripening berries on the vines, you will get a variance in sugar levels that gives the wine a herbaceous taste and that is not what you want in a red; slightly OK for the Chardonnay to have a bit of green tinge.

We continue with the canopy trimming (Steve was doing this manually until the trimmer became operational), monitoring the foliage for watering, shooing the Silver Eye birds, which are a vineyards nightmare... They have pointy beaks and peck a berry on a bunch, which can create an acid that can ruin the bunch; we don’t pick those bunches.  To mitigate the damage, we will put nets on the vines.

At the end of January, our 2016 vintage will be bottled, so excited to receive and taste that wine!

​New to the website… Meet our winemaker!
January 2017 Newsletter

HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE
Early start to the fire season in the surrounding area has given us a bit of concern; smoke taint can affect the vines even at flowering stage.  We have had good winds in the evening to move the smoke along, so we will be OK.  In general, you cannot be certain of any taint until the wine is made, so it can be a long wait for some to ascertain the impact to vines that have been exposed to direct fires and smoke.  December is berry formation, flowering has nearly finished and soon the young berries will start developing.  We have lifted all the canopy wires, so that the vines are sitting up nice and straight.  This gives the foliage and fruit good airflow and sunlight; next will be the first of about 3-4 canopy trims until the nets go on.  A balanced ratio of fruit to canopy is required to ensure good berry size and sugar levels.  Normally, we would start watering in December, but as we have had such a long wet winter/spring, it will be unlikely we will be doing this soon, although one is constantly monitoring all areas of the vines/vineyard.
December 2016 Newsletter