Well into winter and the vines are dormant. Pruning will begin in August and at this stage all the vines will be spur pruned. The Shiraz in block three has proved to be a little vigorous last year, so depending on how it grows this year, we may need to adjust its configuration to ensure the quality of the fruit. The whole vineyard is looking fantastic and free of disease or harmful pests. It put on an amazing autumn show for us which continued for a long time thanks to the unseasonal warm weather. As part of our future management we are looking at introducing sheep to the vineyards over the dormant months as part of an environmentally responsible management plan. Sheep reduce the weeds and provide fertiliser as well as wool for other uses.
Plans for our cellar door / cafe have been approved by council and we are well into the application process for our liquor licence. We plan to be able to provide both wine tasting/ sales and alcohol supply for meals and functions, so the licence application has been a little complicated. By mid June our community impact statement will be complete and then the paperwork can be lodged. We have received a letter of support from Wakool Shire Council for the project.
We are currently in planning for next years Vintage and sourcing equipment in preparation for harvest expected early February. This will be our first Vintage and we are very excited to see how the fruit performs. We are looking forward to experimenting with various wine making techniques to see which is going to bring out the best flavours in our fruit. All our fruit will be hand picked and it is our plan to process on site.
