Rain at the wrong time
My Sauvignon Blanc was coming along well, and we planned to pick last Saturday.
However, the RAINS CAME. 20mm on Saturday and 40mm on Sunday. A week ago they all looked beautiful, very promising. But today when we picked, half of the crop was damaged as you see in the picture, and we only delivered under 300kg to the wine maker.
The pictured grapes were not picked!
Amazing how quickly things can change. In January I was watching my dam run dry and worrying about the grapes failing to fill. In 2009 I had 500mm rain altogether, and the average for here is 900mm. InJanuary this year I got 20mm – but then along came February and, now, last weekend.
I have checked the Shiraz, and there does not seem to be much damage to them, and they would have another couple of weeks before they are ready.
But, count my blessings, there are other vineyards round here that have had their whole crop wiped out.
Make a date for Food Week
Orange Food Week (www.orangefoodweek.com.au) will take place in Orange between 9 and 18 April, a week or so after Easter. There will be a night market on Friday 9 April and an all-day “Food Affair” on Sunday 18 April, at which a variety of Orange regional food and wine producers will have stalls.
Moody’s Wines will be open on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 April to offer a plate of Mediterranean snacks and a glass (or two) of wine, in the relaxed surroundings of the verandah looking out over Emu Swamp.
Come up to Orange, and combine a weekend of wine tasting at neighbouring vineyards – Mayfield, Sharpes and Indigo Ridge with a snack at Moody’s, and a visit to “Food Affair” on Sunday.
UNSW students visit Moody’s
UNSW in the vineyard
Senior Lecturer in Geography at the University of NSW, Danielle Drozdzewski, brought 15 geography students to Moody’s, to talk about the role of tourism in the Orange wine industry, and to get an introduction to growing grapes and making wine. We gave them some lunch, a taste of wine and gallons of orange juice – the temperature was hitting 37º.
A lot of penetrating questions – particularly about water supplies, after they had seen the low level of Suma Park.
Le Shiraz 2009 est arrivé!
Last Saturday I picked up the 2009 Shiraz, and it tastes great! Mildly oaky, peppery and plenty of aroma for such a young wine.
I am going to sell it for $20 a bottle and $220 a case, and I am quite confident that you will find it a good buy.
I gave a bottle to my old friend Ross at Orange Highland Wines and Gardens, because he has always liked my Shiraz, although he does some excellent reds as well, and he wrote:
Thanks for dropping around a bottle of the 09 Shiraz which I took to Sydney earlier this week and shared it with my brother-in-law – who is a bit of a wine guru – and others. The verdict “its damn good”.
Regards,
Ross
Stoned in Sorrento
My brother Peter was recently on a holiday in Sorrento, where he came across this stone carving on a wall in a laneway.
The stone mason certainly captured me well!
And all from a photo.
Grazie Luigi!
Chateau Pistouley 1988
My son Andrew is home from the Mediterranean on a holiday, and he has brought his friend Yolande with him. They are living on Majorca, where Andrew is on a maxi yacht and Yolande works in HR. Yolande’s grandfather has a vineyard in St Emilion, and he sent me a bottle of his Chateau Pistouley 1988. We drank it on Saturday night with some bread and cheese. Wow, what a lovely wine!
