|
Our History to Date
We purchased a 20 acre block of land in Patons Road, Axe Creek in July
1997. We were attracted to the site by the contours of the land, the soil
structure, and the proximity to Bendigo. The soil type is sandy loam of
approximately 100mm over red and yellow clay.
In negotiations with the previous owner, we discovered that our site was once
part of a larger property with a very rich grape growing and wine making history
(see below). This showed that our initial attraction to the site was well
founded.
We planted a trial row of 100 shiraz cuttings on the block in 1998, and
monitored their progress. It seemed that the site was capable of producing
wines in the style that we wanted - low yielding vines with low vigour and
concentrated flavours. This is typical of the red wines from the Bendigo
region, and exactly what we were looking for.
We planted 2 acres of shiraz rootlings in October 1999, and carefully
nurtured them onto the cordon and fruiting wires. Rather than
"rush" our vines to production, we have allowed them to develop a
sound trunk and arm structure before allowing them to produce fruit. Our
first small crop of shiraz grapes (one and one-half tonne) was harvested in late
March 2002.
In a good season, we anticipate between 3 and 4 tonne of fruit from our
existing 2 acres under vine. This is considerably less than some other
regions, but it fits our overall aim of producing highly concentrated and
full-bodied wines.
We will expand our operations in coming years, and may plant some cabernet
sauvignon grapes in the next year or two. A white grape variety, possibly
Riesling or Verdelho, is also not out of the question. Future plantings,
though, will depend on water availability - we rely solely on catchment dams for
our irrigation needs.
|
