Pinot Gris - 29 Mar 15
An indecisive grape!! Pinot Gris has a hard time deciding whether it wants to be Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir or Pinot Blanc. As these images illustrate.
Existing members
Log in
News & Press
March 2015
Harvest 2015 - 29 Mar 15
The first to come in - Sauvignon Blanc from Defiance marks the beginning of harvest and more importantly the first grapes to be picked from Defiance. An important milestone in the development of a new vineyard and just reward for the years of hard work.
Harvest time once more! - 21 Mar 15
We are celebrating a special harvest because we are about to pick off Defiance Vineyard for the first time. Defiance is our second vineyard located on Felton Road here in Bannockburn. Starting on Tuesday, and through the rest of the week, we will be doing the first pick of Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay. Chardonnay is a new variety for us and so the harvest is the first step towards being able to offer Chardonnay as part of the wines we produce. Thanks to Fiona and her team the grapes on both Defiance and our main vineyard, Domain Road, are looking fantastic and we are looking forward to a great harvest.
Take a bow! - 20 Mar 15
Well done everyone - a job well done! Getting the nets out is extremely hard work - not to mention needing long arms and a head for heights. Fiona and her team - take a bow (and enjoy that well earned beer at the end of a long week)
Defiant nets! - 20 Mar 15
Defiance under nets for the first time. The nets going out are a significant milestone in the year - it means that the fruit is ripening and the sugar levels increasing. As the colours deepen the numbers of birds that are interested also goes up markedly. I reckon a blackbird can spot a ripe Pinot Noir berry from 1000m (probably a slight exaggeration!). Visitors to the tasting room ask why do we net - and the simple answer is if we didn't we would have very little fruit to harvest, and what we did have would probably be damaged.
Frequently asked questions! - 15 Mar 15
"Why do you have roses at the end of the rows?" is the question that I get asked the most by visitors to the tasting room.
The planting of roses is very traditional and historically it may have been a useful way to detect potential problems with fungal disease, such as powdery mildew, as both vines and roses are susceptible to this. Early detection may have made it possible to take action before the vines became too infected.
Another nice story that I have heard is that the roses were planted to prevent animals, used in the vineyards to pull carts, from damaging the end stakes - which were not quite as robust as the end posts commonly used these days.
Venture into a vineyard and the roses soon disappear - in fact I have it on good authority that the viticulturists dislike them!!
So the short answer to the question is that they look great as you drive into the vineyard and in planting them we are holding on to a tradition that, historically, may well have served a useful purpose.
Download our liquor license ...PDF / 905KB
Website powered by Swordfox
Welcome
Please confirm your cellar age,
it's 18 years minimum to enter this site.
(sorry but it's the law around here)
