2014 Vintage Update: I think we can, I think we can…

Greeting wine boffins,

The end is in sight after a bit of a stop start vintage. Due to the ideal ripening conditions of cool nights and mild days. Giving us plenty of time to wait to pick the grapes at their ideal physiological ripeness. It has been a very good vintage for us in terms of quality, but no so much for quantity. Which means the winemakers are happy, but less so the accountants.

We have harvested nearly all of our grapes. Only a small amount of Shiraz (from a cool valley) and 13 Acre Cabernet remain to be picked; next week hopefully. There will be a sigh of relief when the last vineyard is picked. It has been two and half months since the first grapes came in.

Basket and bag presses have been going non-stop. Getting all the goodness out of the skins with oak barrels and vats being filled left, right and centre. The Rieslings are in their final throws of fermentation with us hovering close by. Waiting for the moment of perfect balance between sweetness and acidity so we can stop them. No major dramas have befallen us this week. A few amusing moments of picking bins going into the tank along with the grapes. Too much fruit going into a vat to then be dug out prematurely into another. And gassy dark red wine giving people shiraz showers during filling barrels.

Now comes the time when we start to look at the 2013 wines in barrel. To think about creating blends for the next release of red wines later this year. It makes an abrupt but pleasant change from tasting raucous unfinished wines to those that have been softening and maturing in barrels and vats for 12 months!

Back to the final push, let’s just hope the weather holds until the grapes are all in.

Until next time,

Justin