What a perfect way to spend the day with the kids.
A day on the river, fishing, learning about the river and just enjoying the environment.
Enjoy the view
It's really difficult to explain how tranquil the Murray River can be, so today we're going to try show you with this snap which was taken in the morning with the sun highlighting the trees. It doesn't do justice to the bird song which could be heard but it does show the beautiful views of the Murray and the Gunbower State Forest backdrop on the other side
Drone along the Murray
This is the second piece of drone footage that was taken at River Estate recently. It's pretty cool as you can see Gunbower State Forest on the Victorian side as the drone fly's upstream along the Murray
Drone Visit
It’s a beautiful winters day at River Estate and we have been having some fun with a drone! The video footage is incredible as it shows the estate from an all-new perspective.
The winter green grass is like a carpet and we can see the estate starting to take shape with all the new homes sitting proudly on the river’s edge. With the dappled sunlight coming through the River Redgums and the magnificent river meandering past, why would you want to be anywhere else....
Harvest 2018
We recently completed our annual Harvest weekend, this is a weekend that I always enjoy as it is a great opportunity to catch up with old friends and to meet new ones while we all enjoy the beautiful Autumn weather.
This years harvest was somewhat later than in previous years so we were able to enjoy a considerably cooler weekend. We started at first light, about 7 am and by 11 am we had finished both the Cabernet Shiraz. This made Sunday was a super easy day with just a few hours work to complete the Tempranillo. On both days Rhonda prepared a delicious brunch for us to enjoy with either coffee or well-deserved beer.
It's always hard to determine exactly which weekend we will be harvesting as so much depends on each season, with the ripeness of the fruit being the key deciding factor. All things going perfectly we would aim for the Victorian Labour Day weekend, so we will set out sights on March 9 and 10 next year but, as always, keep our options open.
Barham Vineyard
Well into winter and the vines are dormant. Pruning will begin in August and at this stage all the vines will be spur pruned. The Shiraz in block three has proved to be a little vigorous last year, so depending on how it grows this year, we may need to adjust its configuration to ensure the quality of the fruit. The whole vineyard is looking fantastic and free of disease or harmful pests. It put on an amazing autumn show for us which continued for a long time thanks to the unseasonal warm weather. As part of our future management we are looking at introducing sheep to the vineyards over the dormant months as part of an environmentally responsible management plan. Sheep reduce the weeds and provide fertiliser as well as wool for other uses.
Plans for our cellar door / cafe have been approved by council and we are well into the application process for our liquor licence. We plan to be able to provide both wine tasting/ sales and alcohol supply for meals and functions, so the licence application has been a little complicated. By mid June our community impact statement will be complete and then the paperwork can be lodged. We have received a letter of support from Wakool Shire Council for the project.
We are currently in planning for next years Vintage and sourcing equipment in preparation for harvest expected early February. This will be our first Vintage and we are very excited to see how the fruit performs. We are looking forward to experimenting with various wine making techniques to see which is going to bring out the best flavours in our fruit. All our fruit will be hand picked and it is our plan to process on site.
