Up until this point, things had been building steadily. Then all at once, the volume arrived.
The Early Start
The week began early.
Very early.
I was at the winery at 3 am to receive the first truck of Chardonnay. This parcel was coming in across three loads. The first arrived on time, the second was delayed until around 8 am, and the third didn't show up until 2 pm after a harvester breakdown.
Those delays didn't slow us down as much as you might think.
We were already working at the limit of the press. Once it is running, it runs through its cycle, and everything else has to work around it.
While Chardonnay was going through the press, we crushed Shiraz at the same time.
It became a constant shift between processes.
Press. Crush. Dump the pressings. Repeat.
Chasing the Clock
Early on, once the first press cycle started, I timed it out.
Based on the volume coming in, it was clear it was going to be a long push to get through it all.
The press cycles alone take a couple of hours from filling to emptying, and you cannot rush them. Everything else has to fit around that timing.
As the hours went on, you don't really notice how much juice you are covered in. It dries on your skin, building up layer after layer.
It is only when you stop to eat that you realise.
Sticky hands. Sticky arms. Sticky everything.
That is vintage.
The Biggest Day We've Ever Had
This turned into the biggest day in the winery to date.
Just shy of 85 tonnes processed in a single day.
And that was almost entirely Chardonnay.
To put that into context, our previous best was somewhere in the low 60s.
This was a different level.
At that point, it stopped feeling like a normal vintage and started feeling like a race to keep up.
It takes its toll on the team, fatigue sets in, cracks start to appear, and mistakes start to happen. Making sure the team is safe is always the first priority.
When It All Comes Out at Once
The very next day, it was one of those moments.
We were dropping a fermenter for the press when things changed quickly.
Too much juice had built up, trickling down through the fruit. The pressure built, and suddenly the skins gave way.
When it goes, it goes fast.
A rush of juice and skins came out all at once, almost like an avalanche.
It hit the pump, overflowed, and spilled onto the floor.
Mark and Russell were right there trying to shut it down and were instantly covered as they worked to close the door. I ran over to help.
For a few moments, it was complete chaos.
The team cleaned it up quickly, though and you just keep moving.
Keeping Everything Moving
The goal throughout all of this is simple.
Keep the machines running.
The crusher and the press both have their own rhythm. Once they are going, you do everything you can to keep them that way.
The press gives you a small window to focus on crushing, but it requires constant timing and coordination to make sure everything lines up.
There were moments where we had to wait for fruit to arrive, especially with the harvester breakdowns.
When this happens, you make the most of it. Clean everything, get prepared, grease the equipment. Hoses, floors, tanks, anything we could get ahead on.
But those delays always come back later in the day.
The fruit still needs to be processed, and the hours stretch out longer than expected.
That creates pressure.
And while getting through the fruit is important, the priority is always the team.
Making sure everyone is safe, switched on, and able to think clearly when things move quickly.
We push hard during vintage, but not at the expense of safety.
Breaks matter. Clear heads matter.
Because when things do go wrong, and they always do at some point, you need people ready to react properly.
Balancing that while keeping everything moving is one of the hardest parts of vintage.
Week 5: White Wines and Pressure Builds
The week shifted focus heavily to white wines.
We saw a second wave of Chardonnay come through, along with Pinot Grigio, and this is where things really tightened up.
White wine requires a different level of attention.
Once pressed, the juice needs to be cleaned, with sediment dropped out before fermentation. Timing becomes critical, especially when tank space is limited.
This is where Ben stepped in.
While Joey and I continued with crushing and pressing, Ben handled the White wines from start to finish.
Cleaning the juice, managing the transfers, and running the entire barrel fermentation process.
By himself.
It is a huge job, and he kept it moving while the rest of us were flat out keeping fruit flowing through the winery.
When the Power Went Out
Just when we thought we had found the limit of the winery, we hit something else.
The power went out.
The press was full and already running. Juice was flowing freely into the collection tray below.
Normally, if something goes wrong, we can rotate the drum to stop the flow.
Without power, that is not an option.
The juice keeps coming.
Ben, Joey and I grabbed buckets and started scooping wine out of the tray as fast as we could, transferring it into IBCs to keep up with the flow. (IBC's are 1000 litre containers, can be moved around by hand, perfect for a situation like this to get you out of trouble)
When free run is moving, it moves fast.
We managed to slow things down enough for me to grab a Milwaukee handheld pump. We used to use this for moving wine from barrel to barrel, when it was a small job.
That pump saved us.
We were able to move the juice fast enough to prevent it from overflowing, saving roughly 800 litres from going straight down the drain.
The power was restored and stayed for the remainder of the press cycle.
But once we filled the press again with a new parcel…it went off again.
This time, we were ready.
The pump was already in place, and we got straight back into it.
A very lucky save and no drops wasted
Finding the Limit
This is where we found it.
The limit of the winery.
It was not just the volume of fruit, but the combination of red and white processing at the same time.
Red tanks require specific cleaning before white wine can go into them. White to red is easier. Red to white takes time.
That meant we had to push the Chardonnay through its process quickly to free up tank space for incoming fruit.
Everything became a balancing act.
Space. Time. Equipment. People.
Week 5 Keeps the Pressure On
Week 5 continued with another 100 tonnes processed.
High-end small batch fruit parcels came through, along with some very exciting 100-year-old Shiraz.
It's the first time we have had this parcel come through, and we are looking forward to the outcome.
Where Things Stand
Two massive weeks.
A lot of pressure.
And a very clear understanding of where the winery is pushed to its limits.
Things have settled slightly for now, but there is still more fruit to come.
