Vintage Journal — 2026
Week 1 | 10 March 2026
The Beginning of Vintage
The winery always holds a quiet anticipation before the first fruit arrives.
Tanks are cleaned, barrels are steamed, and fermenters stand ready as we wait for the first pick of the season.
This week marked the beginning of the 2026 vintage, with Shiraz arriving from David Materne’s Greenock Home Block — a vineyard that holds a special place in our story. It was the first fruit we received in our inaugural vintage in 2005, and now, 22 vintages later, it continues to signal the beginning of harvest each year.
The fruit was destemmed and transferred to fermenters where it now rests, allowing the natural yeast to begin fermentation. In a few days the tanks will begin to release those unmistakable aromas of vintage as the ferments awaken.
In the Vineyard
The season began many months ago.
Winter rains replenished the soils, followed by steady spring growth and careful canopy management through early summer. As the vines moved through veraison, sugars slowly accumulated while natural acidity softened.
At this point the decision of when to pick becomes a matter of flavour — tasting fruit in the vineyard and waiting for the moment when ripeness and balance meet.
Fruit Arriving Soon
Over the coming days we expect the next parcels to arrive:
Roussanne — Materne Vineyard, Greenock
Grenache — Schild Vineyard, Vine Vale
Shiraz — Materne Vineyard, Greenock / Sonntag Vineyard, Stone Well
These vineyards will shape the coming weeks as the rhythm of vintage gathers pace.
In the Winery
The first fermenters have begun their slow work.
Morning and evening remontage pump-overs keep the cap wet and gently move the ferment along. A portion of the Shiraz will undergo carbonic maceration, encouraging lifted aromatics and freshness.
Some fruit rests briefly in cold soak, while the whites will see a short period of skin contact before slow basket pressing to build the texture we enjoy in these wines.
Fermentations are allowed to begin naturally, guided by the native yeast that arrives with the fruit from the vineyard.
The Rhythm Returns
Vintage brings its own rhythm.
The mornings begin quietly with the first pump-overs as the sun rises over the valley. As the day unfolds the pace changes — fruit deliveries arrive, pickers are organised, and conversations with growers continue as we watch both weather and ripeness.
With the first ferments now quietly underway, the winery has come alive again.
The season has begun.
Vintage Notebook
First pick: Materne Greenock Shiraz
Varieties fermenting: Shiraz
Next fruit expected: Roussanne, Grenache & Shiraz
Weather: warm days, cool mornings