Updated 10 April 2011

Robe's seven day weather forecast click here

Vintage 2011

8 April 2011

90 tonnes of Wrights Bay Vineyards merlot was picked today for Kingston Estate Wines.

Cabernet is scheduled for picking about 3.00am on Monday morning and is in good condition

despite the weather although the latter part of the this week saw sunshine and a 30 degree day today

together with a drying wind which was a welcome change but at the wrong end of the season.

Rain is forecast for tomorrow and clearing showers on Sunday.

6 April 2011

The remaining 70 tonnes of Wrights Bay Vineyards shiraz was picked this morning for Kingston Estate.

On Guichen Bay Vineyards 30 tonnes of cabernet was picked in good condition

for delivery to Stonehaven Winery in Padthaway.

4 April 2011

Baumes have picked up significantly in the reds in the past week and leaf colour

has dropped off indicating its "the last hoorah" from the vines for 2011 .

They are shutting down. An early finish to the season after all.

All the fruit is scheduled to come off this week.

31 March 2011

22 tonnes of Wrights Bay Vineyards shiraz was picked at about 12 baume for Kingston Estate Wines rose'.

260 tonnes of fruit taken off Wrights Bay Vineyards so far - half way there!

28 March 2011
Some botrytis is now evident in the shaded shiraz and clumpy merlot.

It had to happen in view of the weather conditions.

Mount Benson appears to be significantly better off than many other Regions.

Cabernet is free of botrytis and is in good condition despite the weather.

26 March 2011

The last of the Wrights Bay Vineyards chardonnay was picked last night (18 tonnes) making 137 tonnes in total.

Feedback from Kingston Estate's winemakers on both the chardonnay and sauvignon blanc is very positive.

Chardonnay came in at a little lower baume than planned but the feedback is good.

The sauvignon blanc in particular showed excellent aromas and flavours -

this grape in particular excels in cool to cold conditions after veraison.

The weather has improved with a high pressure system moving in although it is still too cool.

25 March 2011

Wrights Bay Vineyards picked its remaining 10 tonnes of sauvignon blanc

and most of its chardonnay (119 tonnes) for Kingston Estate Wines.

24 March 2011

Wrights Bay Vineyards 2011 harvest got under way today with 90 tonnes of sauvignon blanc

picked for Kingston Estate Wines. Chardonnay is scheduled for tomorrow.

23 March 2011

Guichen Bay Vineyards 2011 harvest got under way yesterday with 50 tonnes of chardonnay

sent to the Wolf Blass winery and 70 tonnes of sauvignon blanc sent to Wynns Coonawarra winery.

21 March 2011

The season has been one of significant rain, sea fog throughout the daylight hours followed more misty rain,

the odd coastal shower and no sunshine for days on end.

Hard to believe but we are told it has been worse in other Regions!!

9 March 2011

The summer has been cool and cloudy with occasional rain events. So far we have had no problem with

downy mildew, powdery mildew and botrytis, fungal diseases which have caused significant damage in

vineyards in many other regions this season. So far so good in Mount Benson!

Baumes are around the 10s and we expect to commence harvest in about two weeks with chardonnay

and sauvignon blanc. There is a heavier crop this year compared to 2010 which was down 30% on the 2009 season.

All the fruit is in good shape as are the vines.

The Merlot canopy was lifted twice this season.

The canopy tends to roll to the eastern side so an extra line of staples has been secured to the trellsi posts to enable a second lift of the eastern side canopy. This has resulted in better exposure of the fruit.

18 February 2011

55ml ( 2 inches) of rain in 2 hours today which could cause some berry split in the whites. The reds are too unripe at this stage to be affected. Around Bordertown the vineyards had about 6 inches of water under the vines so there is always someone worse off. We have an above average crop on the vines this year.

31 August 2010

"Wrights Bay Vineyards" has new entrance gates set in newly constructed limestone walls.

                                                                 2010 Vintage

15 August 2010

The P&GIB has published the 2010 Vintage WDA farmgate prices for Limestone Coast (Other):  

Cabernet Sauvignon $923 - down 18%   Merlot $955 - down 8%   Shiraz $1069 - down 8%   Chardonnay $736 - UP $2 per tonne!!   Sauvignon Blanc $1057 - down 24%. The slide in prices was expected and in fact was not as severe as expected.

click here for the P&G I Board prices and utilisation data for 2010

Prices for Mount Benson GI were favourable in comparison:

The total crush was down by 33%. Many regions experienced a significant reduction in yield in 2010 vintage.

31 July 2010

James Halliday has published his 2011 Australian Wine Companion and upgraded his rating of “Guichen Bay Vineyards”

Mount Benson label to 4.5* which puts us in the top 26% of Australian wineries he reviewed.  This rating is defined as

“Excellent winery able to produce wines of high to very high quality, knocking on the door of a 5 star rating.

Will normally have one wine rated at 94 points or above (outstanding), and two (or more) at 90 and above

(highly recommended), others 87 – 89 (recommended)”.

He rated our current release Reserve Shiraz at 94/100, Shiraz at 93/100, Cabernet Sauvignon at 89/100 and

the Sauvignon Blanc and Unwooded Chardonnay each at 87/100.  

The Reserve Shiraz was also rated as “special value” at its rrp of $27.

Our 2007 Merlot was reviewed last year and was not reviewed for the 2011 edition however this wine recently

was awarded a silver medal at the 2010 Winewise Small Vignerons Awards and was the top scoring wine in its class

which included several Coonawarra merlots.

 31 July 2010

Winter pruning has finished in the Vineyards - shown below is"arch cane" pruned sauvignon blanc.

This variety is most fruitful towards the end of the canes so conventional spur pruning will limit the crop unduly.

Sauvignon blanc is one variety that needs a higher crop load in cool climates to produce high quality fruit so this

style of pruning is adopted notwithstanding it is very labour intensive and consequently expensive.

Spur pruning chardonnay with electric secateurs takes a lot of pain and rsi out of the process.

17 May 2010

The Winemakers Federation of Australia 2010 Vintage Report was released today.

The Australian crush for 2010 is estimated to be 1.53 million tonnes which is down 12% on the 2009 crush of 1.73 m tonnes, which in turn was down 5% from 2008. This tonnage is approaching the estimated level of demand for fruit by Australian wineries. Shiraz declined by 4%, cabernet sauvignon and merlot each by 14% while sauvignon blanc increased by 15% to 76,000 tonnes.

Chardonnay decreased by 24% to 315,000 tonnes. It is still the most crushed variety after shiraz, representing 44% of white grapes and 21% of total grapes. Note that these results are estimates based on data returned to the WFA by wineries - the ABS will release the actual outcome in October 2010.

13 May 2010

On 13 May 2010 the Peak Bodies presented a seminar/workshop in Coonawarra to producers in Limestone Coast Zone regions including Mount Benson. It addressed the issues confronting the industry and the measures recommended to counter them including the necessity to reduce the size of the Australian crop and planted area of vineyard by at least 20%The power point presentation can be accessed below.

5 April 2010

The 2010 harvest was completed on Thursday 1 April with the remaining merlot taken off Wrights Bay Vineyards

and Guichen Bay Vineyards. On Tuesday 30 March Wrights Bay Vineyards yielded 66 tonnes of cabernet sauvignon

which was well down on estimate and 14% less than the 2009 crop.

Wrights Bay Vineyards' crop was 375 tonnes in total which was down 28% on the 2009 crop.

Guichen Bay Vineyards produced 243 tonnes.

The winemakers reckon the sauvignon blanc will make an exceptional wine this year

although the chardonnay is not as good as last year's.

Despite the early pick of the reds they are all ripe with no green characters

which cool climate fruit can sometimes exhibit.

The shiraz is the standout variety again with marked pepper and spice characters

which are a feature of cool climate shiraz.

"Wrights Bay Vineyards" chardonnay

40 tonnes of chardonnay leaving for the winery

                WBV cabernet                                WBV shiraz                                         GBV shiraz                                GBV merlot

27 March 2010

50 tonnes of cabernet was taken from Guichen Bay Vineyards on 25 March and about 30 tonnes of merlot on 26 March.

Wrights Bay Vineyards had 88 tonnes of merlot picked last night (down about 10% on last year)

and there is about 7 tonnes remaining which will be picked with the cabernet first thing next week.

The season has finished earlier than usual and the weather is deteriorating as well however the reds have ripened well

albeit at lower baumes than usual. Ripe fruit at lower baumes is a good outcome as it should produce lower alcohol wines.

There are excellent flavours present in all varieties.

24 March 2010

Yesterday approximately 55 tonnes of shiraz was picked from Guichen Bay Vineyards.

Its cabernet will come off on Thursday 25th. and merlot next week.

Wrights Bay Vineyards harvested 80 tonnes of shiraz today (down about 28% on last year) , merlot is scheduled for Friday night

and its cabernet will come off next week.

The reds have ripened earlier at lower baumes than usual in a good ripening season

notwithstanding the weather has been relatively damp and humid. It is very unusual to finish harvest before Easter,

and an early Easter at that.

7 March 2010

The Owners label has reduced the prices to "Mates" and Wine Club Members by up to 25% for the

"Guichen Bay Vineyards Mount Benson" current release wines (excluding the Reserve wines).

2009 Sauvignon Blanc and Unwooded Chardonnay are offered for $99 per case, 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon,

2007 Merlot and 2007 Shiraz are offered for $120 per case. There is also a Tasting Dozen comprising

two bottles of each wine of those wines and two bottles of Reserve Shiraz for $120 - all plus $10 per case freight

to anywhere in Australia. Click here to order.

Nick Bulleid MW recently reviewed the 2007 Guichen Bay Vineyards Mount Benson Reserve Shiraz:

"Deep red colour. Rich dark fruits on the nose. Blackberry, well-handled oak. Undeveloped and a bit closed still,

but should grow. Mid-full body. Ripe dark berries. Plenty of soft, balanced tannin. Touch of earthiness. Good length.

The wine has good depth of fruit and the structure to age well.

A distinct step-up in quality over the standard ’07, itself a good wine."

5 March 2010

The 2010 Harvest got underway in the early hours of Wednesday morning ( 3 March) with 64 tonnes of sauvignon blanc

taken off "Wrights Bay Vineyards", 28% less than was picked in 2009. On 4 March, 47 tonnes of sauvignon blanc was

taken off "Guichen Bay Vineyards" and there is about 10 tonnes remaining on GBV to be picked in the early hours of

Monday 8 March.

On Thursday (4 March) 71 tonnes of chardonnay was taken off "Wrights Bay Vineyards" and 33 tonnes of chardonnay

was taken off "Guichen Bay Vineyards". These yields were disappointing as they are 40% less than those achieved in 2009.

The bunches were small and the fruit set in chardonnay was not good with "hen & chicken" apparent in the bunches.

On the other hand the quality of the fruit was first rate.

Yields in other Regions are reported as being substantially down on those in 2009. There is expectation that the

national crop could be as low as 1.4 to 1.5 million tonnes which would be good news for the industry

as it struggles with the glut of finished wine in stock, reportedly 1.9billion litres.

The reds are ripening ahead of last year's timeframe.

Shiraz yields are obviously well down on last year's although cabernet is greater.

21 February 2010

So far so good with no adverse weather events to report yet, although yields will be down this year.  

Even though the bud dissection analysis in winter 2009 showed generally a little more potential fruit (5 to 10%),

it did not eventuate, possibly due to a prolonged cold spell in September. The buds did not materialise. 

Bunch counting in December indicated that will be down at least 15% overall despite what appeared to be a reasonable fruit set.

Cabernet is up slightly but all other varieties, especially shiraz will be down on 2009 yields. 

This estimate may be optimistic as other Mount Benson  vineyards are reporting more substantial reductions in yields, 30% for some vineyards.

Other Regions which have begun harvesting such as Hunter Valley (NSW), Murray Valley (Vic) and the Riverland (SA) have reported

significant reduction in yields from 2009 although adverse weather in those Regions

(heatwave and/or rain- mainly excessive heat as it was last year) has had a significant effect

(not to mention the many hectares of vineyards that have been taken out of production in response to the glut of fruit.

At least one winery is forecasting the 2010 crop to be as low as 1.5 million tonnes, compared to 1.7m tonnes in 2009. 

Perfect ripening conditions have brought on the chardonnay and sauvignon blanc to the point where we expect to commence harvest

in Guichen Bay Vineyards in the first week in March with the sauvignon blanc. The reds are a little more forward compared to 2009.

The aerial photography of the Vineyards to obtain spatial data which will enable micro management of irrigation and other inputs 

was contracted to Precision Viticulture Australia and the flyover and photography was carried out on 24 January to coincide with veraison .   

Viticulture Consultant Mary Retallack visited the Vineyards on 5 February for the veraison inspection.

She will return at the end of February to take fruit samples of the chardonnay and sauvignon blanc for sensory analysis in Adelaide

and undertake the canopy appraisal for all varieties similar to last year's.

15 January 2010

With veraison approaching we have scheduled next week to acquire airborne imagery of the Vineyards

at 0.5m resolution which will provide spatial data to enable micro management of the Irrigation Blocks.

For example differential harvesting within Blocks and optimising the application of inputs to achieve

the uniform ripening of fruit.

Below - Scenes in the Vineyards in November 2009. The berries are moving through flowering

and capfall and fruit set will occur progressively through November and December.

Flowering  &  Capfall

15 November 2009

Guichen Bay Vineyards' 2007 Mount Benson Shiraz (rrp $20) gained a Silver Medal (17.0 points)

and a place in the "Top 50" wines in the Visy 2009 Great Australian Shiraz Challenge.

Only six wines in the Top 50 were priced at $20 or less.

Twelve wines in the Silver Medal category were priced at $50 or more,

including Penfolds RWT 2006 Barossa Shiraz (17.5 points) priced at rrp $169.99.

15 November 2009

Mount Benson has enjoyed an extended period of warm and sunny weather in November

which has encouraged early flowering - flowering is likely to occur evenly throughout

the Vineyards and be completed in a relatively short time which augers well for a good fruit set.

11 November 2009

The Wine Industry's peak bodies have issued a major new report to describe the industry's current difficulties

and canvass solutions. The accompanying press release follows. Scroll down to read the Report in full.

The Report includes the statement "From 23 November 2009, detailed and confidential supply data summaries will be provided

to regional associations. These will examine each region in isolation and in relation to the national picture, with a focus on levels

and patterns of viability". It is understood that Mount Benson Vignerons Association is scheduled to meet on 1 December 2009

to consider the Report and the data relating to Mount Benson Region.

Press release- THE Australian wine industry has a surplus of 100 million cases a year, which is expected to double within two years.

In a major new report, the four key industry organisations have called on growers to solve the sector's problems themselves, rather than think it can trade its way out or rely on government intervention.

The Wine Restructuring Action Agenda has urged growers to cut production of grapes and wine by 20 per cent to solve the industry's over-production problems.

The report says significant quantities of grapes are being grown at less than the cost of production in Australia's wine regions.

"Structural surpluses of grapes and wine are now so large they are causing long-term damage to our industry by devaluing the Australian brand, entrenching discounting, undermining profitability, and hampering our ability to pursue the vision and activities set out in the Directions to 2025  industry strategy," the report said.

The statement was released to the wine industry yesterday by the Winemakers Federation of Australia, Wine Grape Growers Australia, the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation, and the Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation.

Wine Grape Growers Australia executive director Mark McKenzie said the important thing was the need to make it clear to the industry that a structural over-supply problem exists.

Mr McKenzie said the industry needed to retire between 20,000ha and 40,000ha of grape vines from production in an effort to cut grape supply by between 250,000 tonnes and 500,000 tonnes annually.

"We estimate 307,000 tonnes of grapes are being grown and sold for a price that does not meet the cost of production," he said.

"We expect to lose between 6000 and 8000ha of grapevines in the next year but it won't be enough."

Mr McKenzie said the strategy was aimed at hastening the process of growers leaving the industry.

Regional presentations early next year are expected to highlight the varieties and regions which are experiencing the largest problems.

The report said Australia is producing 20-40 million cases a year more than it is selling. This is roughly equivalent to total sales to our second largest export market, the UK.

"Oversupply is unpicking our price structure, distorting perceptions about our product and exacerbating competitive pressures," it says.

"Domestically, excess supplies have allowed supermarkets to move from customers to competitors by launching their own low-price products, without the need to invest in capital infrastructure or the long-term health of the industry.

" This clutters the market place and eats into margins."

Briefings will be held in 14 regional centres across Australia early next year to discuss regional data and issues, and offer business stress testing to assist with decision-making.

The Winemakers Federation of Australia and Wine Grape Growers Australia will hold discussions with the Federal Government about improved exit packages for growers and small wineries seeking to leave the industry along the lines of drought and small block irrigator exit packages.

The strategy also calls for a refocusing of effort on the emerging markets of Asia.

A statement to the wine industry by the Winemakers’ Federation of Australia, Wine Grape Growers’ Australia, the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation and the Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation released 10 November 2009:

Recognising the problem

It is widely acknowledged that the Australian wine industry is enduring its toughest period in two decades.

All in the industry must recognise that this is our problem and we need to fix it.

Structural surpluses of grapes and wine are now so large that they are causing long-term damage to our industry by devaluing the Australian brand, entrenching discounting, undermining profitability, and hampering our ability to pursue the vision and activities set out in the Directions to 2025 industry strategy.

Coupled with inefficient and/or inappropriate vineyard and wine operations, oversupply is amplifying and exacerbating fundamental problems in the industry, notably our decreasing cost competitiveness.

As such it is compromising our ability to adopt new pricing structures and market solutions and adapt to changing market conditions.

Comprehensive analysis and consultation suggests at least 20% of bearing vines in Australia are surplus to requirements, with few long-term prospects.

On cost of production alone, at least 17% of vineyard capacity is uneconomic.

The problems are national – although some regions are more adversely affected – and are not restricted to specific varieties or price points.

The industry must restructure both to reduce capacity and to change its product mix to focus on sales that earn viable margins.

Bailouts are not an option and neither governments nor industry bodies should be expected to provide the answers; tough, informed decisions must be made by individual growers and wineries, from as early as the 2010 vintage.

The supply dimension

Australia is producing 20–40 million cases a year more than it is selling – roughly equivalent to total sales to our second largest export market, the UK.

Our surplus already exceeds 100 million cases and at current rates of production and demand this will more than double in two years.

Drought, water shortages and climate change will continue to affect production but the impact is indiscriminate and largely insignificant given the scale of the problem.

Estimates are that these factors combined can provide no more than 10% of the necessary reduction in supply.

The demand dimension

Australia’s wine exports have fallen by 8 million cases and 21% in value since their peak in October 2007.

The decline has been greatest for higher value exports, and where there has been growth at lower price points it frequently has been unprofitable and thus unsustainable.

Over the same period domestic sales of Australian wine have fallen, while sales of imported wine have increased.

The global financial crisis has not helped, but it is far from the only factor; a strong dollar and our industry’s cost competitiveness have been more significant.

Better economic conditions will not automatically restore previous demand, and even if they do this would be insufficient to deal with our fundamental problem.

Even an ambitious growth target of 4 million cases a year – equivalent to 6% annual value growth for the entire Australian category – would only eliminate 20% of oversupply.

New market opportunities do exist, but they will take time and significant, sustained investment to unlock.

Issues with competitiveness

Oversupply is unpicking our price structure, distorting perceptions about our product and exacerbating competitive pressures.

Globally we have been forced to trade in the low-value / low-margin market to sell excess wine, yet our costs are too high for us to be viable in that market in the long term – we cannot match the cost structures of some competitors (including a subsidised Europe) at very low price points.

Just as damaging is the image being created that Australia is only a low-cost producer, making it difficult for our premium wines to gain recognition and market traction.

Domestically, excess supplies have allowed supermarkets to move from customers to competitors by launching their own low-price products, without the need to invest in capital infrastructure or the long-term health of the industry.

This clutters the market place and eats into margins.

A range of factors suggests our long-term terms of trade will continue to weaken, putting the commodity market further out of reach.

These include:

• real increases in the price of water

• the likelihood of exchange rates remaining unfavourable

• increasing labour costs, linked to award modernisation

• lack of international uniformity on carbon emissions trading, with the likelihood that Australia’s costs will rise relative to some commodity wine competitors

• a reduction in winery throughputs – leading to increased fixed unit costs – as the industry rationalises to eliminate over capacity

• increased costs of accessing and servicing capital.

Research and innovation are essential but cannot provide the answer given the necessary timeframe and the scale of the problem. We need to restructure our industry to ensure we can compete as a premium wine producer.

Issues with viability

Australia has significant problems in terms of vineyard and winery viability.

In particular, too many regions produce uneconomic fruit because of high-grade cost structures.

High-grade cost structures have only one option and that is to produce high-grade fruit.

This is highlighted in two studies of wine regions completed this year.

Both have been independently corroborated by industry consultants.

One study graded fruit from A to E then assessed viability in terms of whether vineyards exceed cost benchmarks for the relevant quality level. Its findings suggest that:

• in more than 20 regions 50% or more of the production for C and D grade fruit (premium and popular premium) is uneconomic

• in total, 36% of C grade fruit is uneconomic

• three of our highest profile and most productive regions for A and B grade fruit (specialty and super premium) struggle to produce C and D fruit at a competitive cost, with 50–60% of that fruit considered uneconomic

• 10 regions have 70% or more of production considered uneconomic – most are small, but three have total production of around 20,000 tonnes or more.

The second study provides a regional breakdown which shows that significant quantities of grapes bring a realised price that is below the cost of production.

Viability is a complex issue, given the patterns and history of vineyard and winery development, but it needs to be addressed decisively and immediately.

Where costs of production are high, vineyards must be achieving A and B quality grapes. Some regions do this reasonably well, some poorly.

Addressing the problem

The primary focus must be on helping businesses and regions to strategically and honestly assess their current and likely future position then make appropriate decisions.

In particular we need to address the options for vineyards and wineries that are underperforming. Some may need to leave the industry; others may need to change what they produce and how they do it.

The Wine Restructuring Action Agenda include the following initiatives as an immediate response.

• From 23 November 2009, detailed and confidential supply data summaries will be provided to regional associations. These will examine each region in isolation and in relation to the national picture, with a focus on levels and patterns of viability.

• From 30 January 2010, a package of tools will be available to help individual vineyard operators assess their performance and viability.

This will include: a checklist; an upgraded Deloitte Ready Reckoner to assess winery profitability by market, channel and price point; and an upgraded Vinebiz program to assess vineyard profitability.

• From early next year, briefings will be held in 14 regional centres (covering all states) to discuss regional data and issues and offer business stress testing to assist with decision making.

The Federal Government has been approached to help facilitate this initiative, and state input is being sought.

• WFA and WGGA will hold discussions with the Federal Government about improved exit packages for growers and small wineries seeking to leave the industry along the lines of drought and small block irrigator exit packages.

Discussions also will be held with state government agencies with regard to alternative land use options in wine regions.

Alongside these specific initiatives, he peak industry bodies will:

• Work with the Federal Government to address aspects of the WET rebate that artificially allow uneconomic businesses to stay in business and thus contribute to overproduction.

• Seek changes to regulations covering MIS schemes to ensure potential investors receive a fair picture of the wine industry’s current position and cannot offset losses.

The aim is to deter unwanted and unviable further vineyard expansion.

• Work with regional associations on complementary issues related to demand and environmental sustainability.

• R&D priorities have been refocused to support the restructuring agenda, with an additional $750,000 committed so far by the GWRDC to support a range of initiatives, including:

• Substantial funding for research to support the Wine Australia market development strategy

• China market competitor analysis

• Further analysis reconciling supply and demand

• The upgraded Deloitte Ready Reckoner and Vinebiz program.

In addition, we will address our market development investment to:

• Refocus on the emerging markets of Asia, where growing affluence and a shift in preference towards wine provide promising opportunities (eg North and South-East Asia, where Australia has a competitive advantage through geographic proximity and strong existing trade ties).

• Provide additional support for educational, promotional and relationship activities in core growth channel opportunities, including China, the US (on and off-trade, >$10 a bottle), Quebec, Japan, UK (independent/specialist retail) and the Australian domestic market.

Conclusion

Oversupply is having a debilitating impact on Australian wine businesses and restructuring the supply base is both essential and inevitable.

Our objectives in releasing this statement and formulating an action agenda are to advance the adjustment process, to bring about more sustainable operating conditions as soon as possible, and to dispel any notion that the industry can trade its way out of its current problem or rely on the government to step in.

Look to the United Grower pages in the November/December issue of Australian Viticulture, and follow-up reports in December’s Grapegrower & Winemaker and the November/December issue of the Wine Industry Journal.

Below  - spur pruned merlot in budburst.

This variety along with shiraz and chardonnay have burst into bud in August helped along by a recent spell of mild weather.

Cabernet and sauvignon blanc are the last varieties to come out.

Below - a neighbour's sheep provide an eco friendly means of keeping the mid row under control in winter.

As harvest approaches samples of fruit are analysed in the Vineyards' laboratory equipment and measures of ripeness

such as baume and acid levels are reported to the Wineries.

 squeezing bunches of shiraz

                                       Cabernet Sauvignon.                                                    Chardonnay                                                                                           

                                     Veraison - in January and February the grapes go through veraison as they ripen.

capfall

flowering

Budburst