The start of the growing season was marked by a dry and warm spell, which helped vines to bud and grow quickly. However, we experienced a cool and wet spring, which impacted fruit set and reduced crop yields. Late Summer (finally!) brought hot and dry conditions, which helped to ripen the grapes but also led to some stress on the vines.
Our vineyard teams have worked diligently throughout the season to ensure that the fruit that we do have is of high quality. Even the small hailstorm we had in late January couldn’t dampen our spirits.
Despite the challenges, we are optimistic about the quality of the fruit we have harvested from our family vineyards. The dry and warm conditions during the growing season helped to concentrate flavours and produce fruit with good balance and structure. The harvest season began much later than usual, with chardonnay the first in the winery on the 30th of January. The hot, dry weather that continued into February meant that all our whites were picked and pressed by 12th of February. If this hot weather continues, we will have our reds in the safety of the winery over the next few weeks.
If you are really wanting to get a behind-the-scenes look into the most exciting time of the year, then join us for our DeLuxe Winery Tour Experience. It’s a great opportunity to taste freshly pressed juice, see the red wine fermenting in our open fermenters, and understand so much more about the winemaking process.
