Week 3: Things are gearing up

The One-All Story

After last week’s update, a few people asked the same question.

How did it end up one all between Mark and I?

Fair question.

The answer goes back to last vintage.

We had just welcomed our daughter in December, and with vintage starting earlier than usual, I came back into the winery running on very little sleep to get everything cleaned and ready.

That’s when it happened.

The pump was only running for maybe ten seconds… and then boom.

Wine shot out the top of the tank, spraying across the stainless steel with that unmistakable pink, sweet smell of Pinot Noir Rosé.

It didn’t take long to realise what had happened.

Cleaning solution had gone into the tank.

The entire parcel was lost.

So between that and the barrels we dropped this year, we are now sitting at one all.

Not exactly a competition you want to be part of.

But that’s vintage. Things happen, you deal with it, and you move on.

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An Unexpected Visitor

While dropping skins out of the press, Joey spotted a hopping mouse in the collection bin.

We tried to get it out safely, but it had other ideas.

Joey jumped in, and suddenly the mouse disappeared.

Then came the shout.

“Tom, it’s in my pants… it’s in my jocks.”

I didn’t believe him at first.

Then I saw his face.

I lost it.

Before pulling him out of the bin, we made sure to get a photo. It’s not something you see every day.

The mouse, however, made it out safely.

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Moscato Challenges

We also processed Moscato for the first time in a while.

The fruit looked great. Vibrant, juicy, exactly what you want.

But it was incredibly sticky.

It clumped together through the system, blocking the conveyor and stopping the berries from separating properly.

Early on, we did lose some fruit into the collection bins as a result.

After a few adjustments, Ben managed to dial in the settings and get things running much more smoothly.

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Shiraz Rolling In

We also brought in more Shiraz this week, splitting parcels across fermenters to explore different characteristics.

Everything is now fermenting well and looking promising.

The colour coming through is strong, deep, and exactly what we were hoping to see at this stage.

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A Missed Pick

Cabernet was booked for crushing on Tuesday.

Unfortunately, the parcel was cancelled.

The yield was simply too low, and the cost of picking outweighed the return.

It is another sign of what is shaping up to be a lighter vintage across the region.

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Where Things Stand

For now, things have settled.

Ferments are ticking along nicely, the winery is running smoothly, and we are keeping a close eye on what is coming next. Close to 40 Tonnes down, with an estimated 30 tonnes to be finalised by the weekend.

This is where vintage becomes second nature. When the fruit doesn't stop rolling in, fingers crossed it continues.