After a slow start to Vintage 2017, things have really picked up this week. On Wednesday we did the second pick of the Nitschke Block, and the first pick is starting to ferment after a long cold soak. You can see the video I took during the first pick here. Yesterday we picked the last parcel of Mataro for the Rose. Pressing [...]
It was beautiful out in the Schwarz family vineyard this morning where the crew picked the dry-grown Grenache that my parents planted in 1968, the year they were married and the same year they planted the Nitschke Block Shiraz. The Grenache is destined for my 2017 Schwarz Rosé which should be released mid-year.
After what seems like months waiting for vintage to start, I finally started vintage yesterday, picking the Chenin Blanc. Have a look at this short video on Instagram to see the grapes going through the crusher.
Sampling the Nitschke Block Shiraz - 27 February 2017 After a month or so of waiting, looks like vintage might start tomorrow, with Chenin Blanc grapes first into the winery. It's the latest vintage we've had in many years, and has been described by some as a "traditional" vintage. Last year we started almost 4 weeks earlier. With a week of very warm [...]
Vintage 2013 (or #V13 as it has being shortened for social media) began in the second week of February and everything seemed in a hurry - early on we thought we might set a record for the quickest vintage yet! Tours of the vineyards suggested most varieties were ripening quickly and it turned out that in our first couple days crushing we processed Chenin Blanc [...]
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 [...]
