Well, Joch reckons he has ‘broken the back of vintage’ – or he will have done by the end of the week. Smaller than anticipated amounts of grapes and a burst of warm weather ensuring everything came in on top of each other has resulted in a fairly compressed harvest. We’ve still got Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and a fair bit of Shiraz out there, but a lot of the hard work has already been done. Joch, Nairn, Ian, Spencer and Brenton have been working their proverbials off. See the boys below on a warm morning after finishing off picking the Braden’s Pinot.

 We didn’t dare ask what the stains were on Ian’s T shirt (on the left.) We try to pick the whites at night to ensure we get them into the winery nice and cool, to preserve their gentle flavours. The guys were picking the Semillon, below, on a perfect picking evening.

 We found someone to help us out taking temperatures (of the ferments) and checking  beaumes (to see how the ferment is progressing) none other that the doyenne of MYOB and our very soon to be ex-bookkeeper (she gave us a year’s notice), Leonie Broadbridge. I honestly don’t think that there is anything in this world that Leonie can’t turn her hand to. Thanks Leonie.

 Despite the long hours of toil, there’s always time to relax and have a laugh at some of the days events (bogged harvester, tractor door removed without notice etc etc) and here we see Joch on his favourite, the old David Brown, looking a little bit bush ranger but managing to see the funny side of things.

 It looks as if all that happens here is making wine, well no, some of us have to strike out to sell some of it! Roxie, Emma and Louise headed off to the Adelaide Convention Centre for the 3 day Cellar Door festival, where we caught up with customers old and new. A very successful few days was had. Here’s Roxie on the stand…Who is prettier, Rox or those gladioli?!

Hopefully the next blog will herald the beginning of the end of harvest and the advent of autumnal weather and some serious stews, braises and a little osso bucco action in the kitchen. Hopefully there’ll be time for one last swim of the season, too.