Our Vineyard
Separately the three of us dreamt of owning a vineyard and winery one day. A chance conversation at a family gathering, fuelled by a glass or two, set the wheels in motion for making this a reality. Covid hit and Sam had to return to South Australia as his stepfather, Jack, a true man of the Vale, sadly passed away… serendipity was at work, however, as this sad visit coincided with this fabulous property in Blewitt Springs becoming available.
As a family we have always loved the Blewitt Springs sub-region of McLaren Vale, renowned for its high elevation, ironstone-rich sandy soils and the moderating sea breezes of the Gulf St Vincent. With proximity to the stunning coast and all that McLaren Vale has to offer, it certainly draws you in.
Our estate has 0.7 hectares of established 30+ year old dry-grown, own-rooted, Shiraz vines. Since purchasing, we’ve converted to organic practices:
– No systemic herbicides
– No systemic fungicides (only copper and sulphur)
– No insecticides
– Under-vine cultivation and mid-row mowing for weed control
– Integrated pest management: maintaining native flora, which attracts native insects and creates habitat for native fauna, to encourage beneficial insect population spread through the vineyard (we see very low incidence of scale, rust and bud mite, light-brown apple moth and other pests).
Upon purchasing the estate, we planted the remaining 0.85 hectares out to Grenache, own-rooted, bush vines: a variety we are very excited about and believe represents this sub-region very well.
