Behind the scenes – Winery update
What happens in the winery as vintage approaches?
As we close in on the end of the year, our thoughts turn once again to an impending vintage. Each vintage has a habit of coming around faster and faster every year. Yeh I know as we get older the days whiz by quicker but global warming ain’t helping much either.
The game of empty the tank
Just when Duncan and I are beginning to feel like we are winning the game of ‘empty the tank’ bottling our way through all our wines, in readiness for next year’s bounty. Those little green berries start emerging from their flowers. The vines started blooming just a couple of weeks ago. This is an omen of long days bringing in the vintage and sleepless nights for Craig our hard working vineyard manager.
Our pinot noir plans
But we are getting ahead of ourselves. We need to turn our thoughts to our main reason for existence, our bread and butter, our current Pinot Noir in the cellar. We have tirelessly tasted our way through all the barrels of the 2018 Pinot Noir, in search of the very best to bottle under our Austin range. And it looks a cracker…
The remaining barrels must end up in our 6Ft6 Pinot Noir. We have just started the daunting task of filtering this wine in prepartion for our January bottling. Being such a big and important blend, takes the majority of our attention in the winery.
Duncan and I have been refining the style of both the Austins and 6Ft6. We are in pursuit of a more refreshing, fragrant Pinot – fruit driven but with a just a hint of oak on a silky, smooth palate. Something our last two vintages have been kind enough to permit.
Sorting the chardonnay
We have also just tasted our way through all our 2018 Chardonnay barrels. This is a much anticipated, pleasurable job, sorting between the barrels and deciding what will go to Austin’s and 6Ft6. The blends are now waiting patiently in tank to be bottled in the next couple of weeks. The 6Ft6 chardonnay is a interesting wine. Half of the blend spent it’s life in a concrete egg adding a certain exotic edge, this will be interesting to follow once bottled.
Do we just taste wines all day?
From this report you might get the impression that we just taste wine all day! Yes you’d be correct and right now I’ve got go and check – I mean taste this tank we’re filtering…just to make sure it’s going to please your taste buds!
John Durham
Chief Winemaker