Winter is such a beautiful time to be in the Barossa, cool days and even cooler nights. The perfect time for the vines to close down and rest with their job done for another year. In vintage 2017 our vines produced wonderful grapes that I am confident will produce wonderful fragrant wines in the years to come. They deserve a break. But it is only a short break, our last grapes were picked on May 16, the first signs of growth for a new year expected in the Shiraz in early Spring.

For the vineyard workers, it is a busy time as all the vines need a substantial haircut, removing the old canes and laying new canes, to give them a fresh start in September. For us, it is cold and wet but a beautiful time to be in the vineyard. And the nights around the wood fire with a port in hand just wonderful.