This week: 24th. August

Weather Report Week Ending 24/8/07

Maximum Temperature for the week 20.0C (68F) on Fri. 5 readings above our monthly average of 14.6C.

Minimum Temperature for the week 0.0C (32F) on Mon. All 7 readings below our monthly average of 5.0C.

Rainfall for the Week 0.8mm (2 points) 3 days of rain.

Weather data thanks to BOM & Nuriootpa Viticulture Research Centre.

A beautiful Spring week for us here in the Barossa (and it is not even Spring yet!). The little bit of rain this week was nothing more than some foggy mornings that made enough moisture to measure. The sap has begun to flow in most varieties, however there has not yet been any signs of bud burst. I would expect to see the first signs of this in the next couple of weeks. We are still hanging out for a decent shower of rain, but the forecasts for the next week are not at all promising.

This week in the vineyard:

We have been continuing to do odds and ends type jobs - fixing trellis, preparing for replanting and general maintenance. I am now mowing down cover crop as fast as I can - I am very concerned about our sub soil moisture levels. With the expected water restrictions that we will be having this year, it is critical that we preserve as much moisture as we can. Rain is what we need most. This weeks photo is a combination of 5 photos stitched together in Photoshop, showing the Barossa ranges still looking very lush and green. I suspect that we will start to see some of the grass withering shortly, without any substantial rainfall.