This week: 29th July

Weather Report Week Ending 29/7/06
Maximum Temperature for the week 15.9C (60F)
Minimum Temperature for the week 1.1C (34F)
Rainfall for the Week 4.2mm (0.16inch)
Weather data thanks to BOM Nuriootpa Viticulture centre.

Our dry winter continues, dispite a very good opening to the season, the rain has not continued as we would like to see. With the vines currently dormant this is not causing any problems yet. However if we do not get substantial rainfall before the end of winter it will impact on the vines once they start to shoot in spring.

This week in the vineyard :
Our contract pruners finished work this week, we will complete the pruning that is left with our own staff. Our cover crops have noticibly started growing. All the frosty nights this season had virtually stopped them growing at all up until now. The almond trees in the Barossa are all in full bloom, there is beginning to be a Spring feeling in the air.

An introduction

G’day in this blog I would like to introduce myself and tell you a bit about what I do. I am a 4th generation grape grower here in the Barossa Valley South Australia. I manage our family’s vineyards on the floor of the valley near Tanunda. In this blog I would like to keep you up to date with how our grapes are ripening and give you a description of what we are doing and perhaps a little of why. I am not writing this as a wine maker but as grapegrower. While we do make a small amount of wine ourselves, my involvement finishes once the grapes leave our vineyard. I will tell you more of our wine in future blog’s. I would also like to give you a rundown of the weather we have been experiencing and how it is impacting our fruit, so if you are not in the local area you can get some feel for what is happening out in the vineyard, and ultimately what you will be tasting in your glass. I will try to include as many Photos as I can to help you understand what I am talking about.