Vintage Journal — 2026

Week 5 | 6th April 2026

The Season

There is a clear shift now.
The pace of intake has slowed, and the rhythm of the winery has moved away from receiving fruit to shaping what has already come in.

The season has turned cooler, and with it comes a sense that we have moved beyond the intensity of harvest and into the quieter, more considered phase of the vintage.

Upcoming Fruit

  • Shiraz — Flaxman Valley — Deans Vineyard
  • Shiraz — 1890s plantings — Materne Vineyard

In the Winery

Mourvèdre, Cinsault and the Grandfather Grenache remain on skins.
The final parcel of whole-bunch Syrah is nearly ready to be pressed.

All whites — Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Roussanne and Grenache Gris — are fermenting steadily, each at its own stage.
The Rosé sits as juice, just on the edge of ferment.

Recently pressed reds are now being transferred to barrel, including whole-bunch Grenache and the remaining Shiraz parcels.

Life in the Winery

The rhythm is familiar now — remontage, Baumé checks, pressing, and the steady movement of wine to barrel.

There is less urgency, but not less work.
The days are full, though quieter in tone, as attention shifts from fruit intake to careful observation and gentle guidance of the wines.

The Work

Pressing of the final red parcels is underway.
Ferments are being monitored closely as they approach dryness.
Barrelling down continues across multiple parcels.

The winery now holds every stage at once — fruit still arriving, fruit processing,  ferments active, wines being basket pressed, barrelling down, others settling quietly in barrel.

Place

The change in season is beginning to show.
Cooler days and evenings bring a different energy to the winery — less urgency, more focus.

There is a feeling of having turned a corner.

People

The intensity of the past weeks begins to ease slightly.
There is space again for conversation, for reflection, and for taking in what has been achieved so far.

Craft

This is the point where winemaking becomes more defined.
With most fruit now received; decisions shift toward how each parcel will be guided through its élevage.

The focus moves from harvest to refinement.

Closing Reflection

We feel we have broken the back of vintage.

The work continues, but it has changed in nature — from processing fruit to shaping wine.
From here, the days become quieter, more deliberate, and equally important.