Vintage started early this year with my first block of Shiraz coming off on 17th of February and my first pick of Nitschke Block Shiraz being picked 15 days earlier than usual. Picking was interrupted late in February with some rain, which helped the vines freshen up and continue ripening the fruit that hadn’t yet been picked. Vintage ran smoothly from then on with mild ripening [...]
From mid March the warm sunny days and cool nights have lended itself to excellent fruit ripening conditions and the winery has been a hive of activity as parcels of fruit arrive for crushing. There have been some amazing ferments bubbling away and is really something to get excited about when the air is filled with the smells of rich fruit and yeast! We are [...]
The Barossa Valley has been experiencing some fantastic weather - cool nights followed by warm, moderate days - perfect for ripening. Verasion is occuring earlier than usual on all varieties, so it's time for me to start walking the rows looking at the grapes. I anticipate we will begin crushing mid February. When vintage begins, the first crush is always an exciting time! The 2010 [...]
