I do remember a time when things were slower. The pace of life just seemed to creep along at a fair and undulating pace. I think I was 13 when I last experienced this. How quick has this year gone.

The ferocity of the year has meant that I still have last vintage well and truly planted in the memory. We only finished our last Malo (for those not in the know, simply 2nd fermentation) fermentation last week. The incessant Great Western Shiraz is like that family member that’s always disorganised, late and unkempt. Previous vintages have all come of age at least 5 years later than their older brother the Barossa Shiraz. This year we managed to bring a few more family members home (like rescue dogs, but wine), a Grenache from Greenock, a Marsanne from Greenock and a Montipulciano from One Tree Hill. All these wines will help complement our growing range but like the big sook I am, I just can’t go past a great drinking wine.

The Marsanne has already been released (and going great guns in the Tasting Room) and is made with natural yeast, solids ferment and lees stirred to build texture and complexity. The Grenache was similarly made with soft extraction to maintain the delicacy of the variety whist shedding those primary pretty fruits (to be released in January).The Monti is a ball busting rich broody red wine. It needs time to settle down so a 12 month stint in oak should help reform its wicked ways.

I must admit that it feels like I have been permanently glued to the pump loading wine tankers to ship all our 2015 and 2016 vintage Shiraz to the bottling halls. Much of this wine is going to our Chinese friends via our export company. In between all this work I have been busy moving, shuffling, pumping in and pumping our wine, blending and putting wine to barrel. The constant revolution of wine. Again, I remember a quieter time when we had time to have long Friday lunches, a time when you took holidays in September/October because they are the quietest months. Now it seems that the year maintains a constant pace.

Anyway back to the grindstone…..

15th November 2017