Vintage 2018 for reds is here, and all varieties have come together

This week has been a busy one in the Barossa. The week of the 12th of March will be remembered as the week when everything ripened and came in to the winery together. We have picked the Stone Well and Ebenezer Shiraz, and the Koonunga Shiraz and Grenache, with more to come this week. The fruit looks fantastic, aided by dry weather, cool nights and warm but not hot days for the later part of February and March.

The vines have come through the earlier heat stress of January and February, but to be frank, the shiraz is ready for a long rest of winter. Fortunately, we will have picked all our Shiraz and some of our Grenache this week as will most other wineries.