The Wine Farm is where we grow the wine we want to drink and
the food we want to eat. It's where our kids get muddy, our dog
can howl without upsetting the neighbours and we can breathe.
Let’s talk about the weather
It was 37 degrees in the shade as I gave my standard answer to a common question at the cellar door this summer: “Why did you guys choose this area to grow grapes?”
The cool climate.
While this first-time customer attempted to stifle a chuckle I tried to explain.
‘Cool climate’ is a term that gets used a lot in the wine world but not always appropriately. Having snow on dormant vines during winter doesn’t count for much when those same vines are baking in relentless heat throughout their crucial growing season. It’s the weather during ripening that really counts, and the closer to picking the more of an impact it has on the ultimate style of your wine.
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This morning the last of the nets went over the vines marking the end of the back-breaking vineyard work till harvest starts in about three weeks; the cellar door is now closed until Easter; and the kids’ activities have started up again for the year (including our oldest starting school!). It truly does feel like new beginnings.
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Until now we’ve tackled weeds in the vineyard by slashing under the vines. But when your back hurts just looking at the vineyard at the beginning of the growing season, and then your tractor starts making the same groaning noises as you, it’s time to re-assess the situation.
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The Wine Farm Pinot gris 2017 – dry, textured and full of flavour it’s a nod to the Italians, a kiss on both cheeks with the French but 100% The Wine Farm.
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When we first bought this property and all its beautifully manicured flowerbeds we knew we wouldn’t have time to stop and smell the roses… so we pulled them all out. Then politely dismissed the gardener.
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There’s nowhere to hide with our pét-nat. With no added sugar, zero sulphur, no additions whatsoever, you are literally left with grapes in a bottle. So those grapes had better be good!
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Buying an existing vineyard without really knowing its potential is something you could lose a lot of sleep over.
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Great wine is the sum of hundreds of decisions from vineyard to bottle. As the ‘maker’ all I do is try to make the best decision I can at any particular point in time.
MoreWe are gradually releasing our 2017 vintage (and a few we've been saving from previous vintages) to our mailing list. Subscribe to Letters from The Wine Farm to be the first to hear about new releases at subscriber prices and build your own case of 6 or 12.
If you can't wait perhaps our sample pack may quench your thirst...
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In 2014, having fallen for the region in general and the potential of its grapes in particular, we took the biggest plunge so far. We poured our joint worldly effects into a small patch of dirt down the road. An unassuming address we thought might just have everything we needed to start creating our own little world. Good soil, eight thousand vines, a great big shed and lots of bedrooms to fill.
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The worker’s cottage on the property is available for short stays. Bring some friends, check out the region and its spoils and soak up The Wine Farm.
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