Vintage In

Game On

The team finishes right on time at The Last Chance. In the centre, with bucket, Our Girl in London: Siobhan from Haynes, Hanson and Clarke. From Germany, Ace Picker and Diplomat Par Excellence: Rita.

On the very last day of April, our last grapes have been safely dispatched to the winery, starting as usual at The Last Chance.

Well, not our very last grapes: we have left a small portion of Riesling on the vine for some (indulgent) late harvest dessert wine.

The good news we think is that this vintage could be up there with the 2010, despite three very  cruel late frosts, which we fought pretty successfully. The total picked was 52 tonnes of Pinot and 12 of Riesling.

We will certainly have a great single vineyard again from Last Chance (the 115 outstanding as so often there), and perhaps a single from Redbank as well. (115, 667, 777 from the Race Block, Hill Block and Top View). First Paddock...mmm, maybe, maybe not, but here as usual the Clone 5 and the young 115 seemed to be the stars.

Our thanks and congratulations to all our team – permanent, semi-permanent, and casual. More fun than ever this year, and a ripper harvest party to prove it. At the party – the Prop handed prizes to some overly lucky punters: Best of the Best Picker - Abby, Best Team Player – Young Tom, Best Dressed – Lisa, Purple Heart for the Most Wounds – Tim, The Two Paddocks Usain Bolt Short Sprint Prize AND The  Charles Chaplin Award for the Most Pratfalls – Keith, The Best Diplomat for their Benighted Country – equal to Siobahn (UK) and Rita (GDR), and finally the Peter Sellars Award for the Most Strangled English – Alexis [Fr).