As discussed last week, harvest is our chaotic time of the year, and apart from hard work and a good sense of humour, preparation is absolutely key!
Weather Forecast - grape ripeness should be the single element driving a harvest date but, sadly, nature has a tendency to throw a spanner into the proceedings. Imagine this scenario; we're growing Tempranillo in the Alpine Valleys and it has the potential to be a great year. In 10 days, the sugar, tannin and acidity levels will be just perfect for the style of wine we want to make and the winery is ready to receive them. Then, on the weather forecast, you see a storm approaching; it'll land in 4 days. Now, if you harvest immediately the grapes won't be as ripe as you want them to be and certain plots will have slightly green, bitter tannins. Do you take the risk and let the storm potentially pass? If it comes over your vineyard and rains heavily, your grapes will swell with water, flavours will be diluted and you could even lose a significant portion of your crop.
We ran the gauntlet last week and delayed picking and these decisions have paid off handsomely for Gapsted Estate this week! Our exciting alternative reds have come into the winery, lead by Saperavi from our Estate vineyard, Tempranillo from the Alpine Valleys and King Valley, the balance of our Pinot Noir and some exciting cool climate Shiraz. What we’ve seen in the winery are intensely coloured, beautifully balanced and poised red wines, which will have an amazing ability to age.
“Wine brings to light the hidden secrets of the soul” – Horace
Andrew Santarossa
CEO & Chief Winemaker
Photo: Harvesting our Estate Saperavi
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MEET OUR 2023 VINTAGE CREW! Jess is from Dublin and didn’t realise how much she missed it until she was surrounded by the lush greenery in the North East! Having a coffee background, she spent her first 6 months in Australia in Melbourne working in a café, where she met Gapsted’s GM Sales & Marketing Peter Yeoman, who encouraged her to come up to Myrtleford when he discovered she was looking for work. Jess and her Australian partner moved up in January and Jess worked at our cellar door before moving across to the vintage crew. She has enjoyed working with the team and with so many different eclectic backgrounds she loves that you can’t have a conversation with anyone without learning something. After vintage she’s heading back to Canada where she lived prior to coming here and then back to Australia to do more travelling and meet up with some of the vintage crew up north. We’ve loved having you on the team Jess! |
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