Winter in the vineyard. The vines are asleep but there is no rest for Brad and Stacey - It is time to Prune
Misty COLD morning in the vineyard
Winter is the perfect time to visit the Granite Belt to capture amazing pictures of mist and frost in the vineyard, just like the picture above. That is, if you don’t mind getting up early and walking out into the freezing cold, usually below zero, to get the perfect shot. I’d rather be tucked up warm and cosy in bed with my electric blanket!
When the ground temperature starts to drop during Autumn the vine’s leaves start to change colour and eventually drop off leaving the vines naked and eventually they move into dormancy. I like to say they have gone to sleep, storing their energy for spring and the next vintage. This means it is time to prune. We cut back all of last season’s growth and start over each vintage. In some varieties we cut off everything back to the trunk leaving just 1 cane on each side to lay down. This is called cane pruning and is perfectly suited to varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc and Alvarinho. New shoots will grow from the buds on the canes we lay down and each shoot will grow 2 bunches of grapes.
In other varieties we have permanent ‘arms’ growing each side of the main trunk with canes growing from these arms. Spur pruning is when we cut these canes down leaving just 2 x buds on each one leaving a hand space between each cane. All other canes are cut off so we don’t over load the vine and create too much canopy during the spring. This type of pruning is great for Semillon, Merlot and Gros Manseng.
We hand prune all of the vineyard during winter. It has to be done before the ground temperature starts to warm up and the vines wake up and want to start growing. We try to get started in June and generally dont get done before September, so if you are coming to stay in the accommodation during Winter you will probably find us in the vineyard pruning away. Brad will be listening to music and Stacey will have an Audio Book on, currently listening to Knight, Heir, Prince. Book 3 in the Crowns and Glory Series (very Game of Thrones like)
Note: It has to be above zero for Stacey to prune.
We still have plenty of wine available on our website, click on this link to head straight to our shop: Cellar door wine shop | Traditional and unusual varieties — Welcome to View Wine
If you are thinking about a little getaway and would like to stay in our accommodation click here: Sancerre Estate, Ballandean
Berry Sensory Analysis - Can we Pick Yet?
In the 10 years (yes can you believe we have been here 10 years!) we have been here, Glen from Bent Road Winery has shared his wisdom in all things wine making and it all begins with the grapes. We have never picked our grapes without first doing a BSA is determine physiological ripeness.
During the growing season and as the grapes show signs of ripening we will do a ‘walk through’ the vineyard and taste the grapes but also check the sugar levels by picking random berries and squeezing the juice onto the glass of a refractometer. Each variety ripens at different times and we have learnt though experience what sugar level we want in each variety. When we are getting close and the grapes taste delicious we will conduct a Berry Sensory Analysis.
The BSA process involves selecting random bunches of grapes, the trick is to take an indicative selection of bunches that best represent the total crop as we will base our wine making on this sample. We typically end up with 20 - 30 bunches of grapes per variety. Then from each bunch we pick 5 berries - 2 from each side at the top, 2 from each side in the middle and 1 from the bottom. If we have 20 bunches we will end up with 100 berries. From these 100 berries we close our eyes and randomly pick 20 berries (just like a lucky dip) and these are the berries we analyse
Using a standardised set of 20 descriptors we can determine the ripeness of all parts of the berries. From the stems to the skins, pulp and seeds. All of these elements impart flavour and texture to the wine and need to be analysed when determening the perfect time to pick the grapes. We also squish up all the bunches and taste the juice, test the sugar and acid levels and make the call as to whether or not the grapes are ready to pick.
Here we all are conducting a BSA on Merlot, Shiraz and Gros Manseng. As it turns out the Merlot is ready for Rose, the Shiraz needs another 7 - 10 days and the Gros Manseng is ready for the first pick although we are not going to tell you what we are doing with it just yet…………………………..
Alvarinho Wiggle Wiggle
As we get closer to starting the 2022 vintage (we call picking the grapes the start of vintage) I thought I would share this picture of last years Alvarinho pick and talk about the 2021 Alvarinho wine
Following a couple of challenging years with drought and bushfires we are pretty excited about this wine.
Tasting Notes: Fresh and fruity wines displays ripe stonefruit aromas as well as pineapple, lemon and dried apricot flavours. Enjoy with seafood and all afternoon.
Brad and I have recently completed WSET level 2 (Wine and Spirit Education Trust) and both Passed with Merit and have now started WSET Level 3 which includes a bling tasting of 2 wines. Our theory and tasting exam is coming up in 3 weeks (nervously biting nails) so I thought I would assess our Alvarinho following the WSET criteria.
Appearance:
Colour Intensity - Medium
Colour - Lemon
Nose:
Intensity: Medium +
Aromas: Lemon, nectarine, apricots, pineapple, lychee, pear drop
Development - youthful
Palate:
Sweetness: Dry
Acidity: High (mouth watering)
Alcohol: Medium
Body: Medium (light = more like water, full = more like full cream milk)
Flavour Intensity: pronounced
Flavours: Always repeat the aromas here, but there is also peach and passionfruit
Finish: Long
Assessment of Quality
Balance - Yes
Length - Yes
Intensity - 1/2
Complexity - 1/2
This equates to 3 out of 4 and would be considered Very Good (4 /4 is outstanding)
Interestingly WSET does not ask if you like the wine or not (which we do) or how drinkable you think the wine is. We think this is Gluggable!!
Add your tasting notes in the comments
Follow our socials to see when we harvest the 2022 Alvarinho
Stanthorpe Midweek - Let's Do It
Ok, so we know there are a few places that are not open on some days during the week, which can be a little frustrating (especially if you go to a couple in a row) and it would be easy to think ‘nothing is open’ on a Monday but that is not true. We have put together a little guide to all the best places to go for your midweek holiday to the Granite Belt
Arriving on Monday at about lunchtime, no problem. You can get lunch at Vincenzo’s, otherwise known as the Big Apple. Or, across the road there is Suttons Apple Juice and Cidery. While your in the neighbourhood you could also visit Stanthorpe Cheese, Heritage Winery, do a little walk at Donnelly’’s Castle.
A little further South you could grab lunch or dinner and a cold Craft Beer at the Granite Belt Brewery, Wine Tasting at Ridgemill Estate and Jester Hill Wines a Burger at Blue Topaz Diner, and then make you way to Sancerre Estate ensuring you leave enough time to just sit and Enjoy the View with a glass of View Wine in hand.
YES this is all on a Monday. There are lots of Cellar Doors open 7 days across the region. Check out this link to the Strangebird Wine trail Map for all the opening hours
And, of course Girraween National Park is open 7 days for walking, hiking, picnics, swimming
Now, since you have already stopped at Stanthorpe Cheese and Vincenzo’s you will have enough supplies to put together a Dinner Picnic (assuming you need more food). How amazing, to sit outside under the stars grazing on our amazing local produce enjoying a glass of wine - I know what I’ll be doing tonight
Tuesday’s are all about lunch at Varias Restaurant at the Queensland College of Wine Tourism. The Signature Lunch Dish ‘Medley of Mains’ is a selection of the Chef’s signature dishes matched with wines from their own Banca Ridge wine label. Check out their full menu here:
Lunch-Menu-June-2021.pdf (qcwt.com.au)
Tuesday afternoon you can pop into a couple of fabulous cellar doors in Ballandean including Symphony Hill Wines, Bungawarra Wine, Granite Ridge Wines or Tobin Wines and finish the day with a cold drink and meal at the Ballandean Tavern. For some retail therapy you could visit Washpool Soaps or Annas Candles.
If you are on the Granite Belt on a Wednesday you can do all of the above AS WELL AS Jamworks and the Truffle Discovery Centre. If you are looking for a slower paced day you could do a walk at Girraween National Park followed by a Pizza or Mezze Plate at Balancing Heart Winey. Head to the QLD / NSW boarder and get your picture taken at the QUEENSLANDER sign and then stroll over to the Wallangarra Train Station for Coffee / Lunch / Afternoon Tea. Make sure you walk through the free museum and have a giggle at the reason why the train station has two different roof lines, ahhh the politics!
Note: if you do stop at Jamworks you might consider ordering the Curry of the Day takeaway to heat up for dinner later
On Thursday you might want to book lunch at the Barrel Room at Ballandean Estate. Open Thursday to Monday for Lunch and Friday and Saturday for Dinner. Click on this link for the current menu:
It would be a bit silly to book lunch at the Barrel Room and not first stop at the Ballandean Estate cellar door for a wine tasting, they are at the same location after all! Just across the road you have Golden Grove Estate. How lucky are we to have some of the founding wineries of the Queensland Wine Industry just down the road from us.
All details are correct at the time of writing. Of course, some businesses may change the days and hours they operate to suit the season, or may have an emergency and have to close unexpectantly, or even just close to have a little holiday themselves. Whichever day of the week you choose to visit, you will always get the best experience if you book ahead, not just for meals but for wine tastings as well.
Lets Talk About Wine
Have you heard about WSET???
Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) is an internationally recognised wine tasting and evaluation course that is run in over 70 countries around the world. Over the past month we have completed level 1 and 2 (chewing on my nails waiting for the exam results, which are sent to London for marking) and have started Level 3. Let me give you an example of an exam question from Level 2
Q: Which of these wines would you recommend for a customer or friend who wishes to purchase a simple, fruity red wine for immediate drinking.
a) Tokaji Aszu
b) Chianti Classico Risera
c) Barolo
d) Cotes du Rhone
Answer in the comments
Other than studying for our WSET exams we have been busy at the winery getting ready to filter the 2021 wines and CRAZY busy in the vineyard slashing, spraying and putting wires up and tucking in loose canes. The vines have been loving the spring rain (so have the weeds) and we have seen vigorous growth across all of the varieties. If Mother Nature is kind to us for the rest of the growing season we are in for a ripper vintage!
Insiders View Wine Club 6 packs will be sent at the end of November / start of December. We will be sending a letter to all our members so you will be able to personally select the wine you would like in your pack this year or let us make the choice for you with a selection of our new wines.
It is not too late to become a member for this years pack. $150 for 6 wines delivered. This makes a great Christmas gift! Members also get 20% off all additional wine purchases. Complete the Membership application and we will call you for your payment details Insider's View Wine Club - View Wine, Sancerre Estate — Welcome to View Wine
This is a bit of a long blog, but I just want to quickly say there is a stack of events coming up in November and December. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for all the details.
The best wines are the ones we drink with friends. Cheers Brad and Stacey
Spring in Stanthorpe well, Ballandean Really!
Spring is an amazing time on the Granite Belt. Watching all of the trees and flowers come back to life after their Winter snooze, not to mention the vineyard! We have had budburst throughout the vineyard which means the little buds that we keep when pruning (generally 2 buds per spur) are starting to grow the new canes for this years vintage. Hopefully (fingers crossed) we will get 2 bunches of grapes from every cane. After yesterdays hail storm could everyone please cross all your fingers and toes, we might be in for a rough summer of storms!
Budburst
Each shoot will grow us 2 bunches of grapes (fingers crossed)
Let’s Talk about Wine
We are getting close to bottling our 2021 White wines so it has been a very busy time at the Winery. This year we will be bottling about double the amount of wine as we have in previous vintages so hopefully we don’t completely run out of stock again! One of the first wines to be released this year will be our Alvarinho (wiggle, wiggle). Brad thinks it will be more similar to the 2018 release than the 2019 release. Lots of tropical fruit and pineapple with balanced acidity. This wine is always very popular and we like to think it is the Best Alvarinho made in Australia, right here on the Granite Belt. We can hardly believe we have been making this wine for 5 years, does anyone still have our Pre-View Alvarinho that was a very small batch release back in 2017?
Only 5 buckets of Alvarinho grapes in 2017
Basket Pressed Alvarinho 2017
Spring and Summer Foodie Fun on the Granite Belt - Upcoming Events
Berry Tasty Fun at Stanthorpe Berry Festival
Stanthorpe newest event, the Stanthorpe Berry Festival will hit the scene on 13 November 2021, unpromisingly delivering some great foodie goodness. Joining the long list of tasty strawberry experiences is a session with Steph and Christine from Jamworks Gourmet Foods, who will show how to make delicious summer salads using the summer strawberry.
Beyond berries, the festival also showcases the Granite Belt’s best prime beef with a BBQ competition, starring two local kings of the grill, supported by Stanthorpe Quality Meats.
MORE ABOUT STANTHORPE BERRY FESTIVAL
Be a Winemaker for a Weekend with Sensational Foods
Food and wine lovers will delight in Queensland College of Wine Tourism’s ‘Winemaker for a Weekend’ program, where two glorious days are spent hands on wine making, interspersed with informative master classes and a sensational food and wine experience. From hand picking the grapes, to crushing and pressing.
Dates: 19 February and 19 March 2022.
…MORE ABOUT WINEMAKER FOR A WEEKEND
Tea with a Truffle Farmer
Discover the story behind Queensland’s first commercial truffiere on a ‘Tea with a Truffle Farmer’ Tour this spring or summer. Walk through the avenues of hundreds of trees, learning the secrets behind what makes truffle growing a success in the Ballandean area and finish the tour with a cuppa tea/coffee and the opportunity to purchase some truffles straight from the farmer.
…MORE ABOUT THE FOLLY TRUFFLES TOURS
Delicious Degustation Dinners
Every Saturday a 6 Course Degustation Dinners is served at Whiskey Gully Wines, with a side of live music that sets the joyous scene in their beautiful heritage building. …LEARN MORE
The iconic Ballandean Estate have extended their popular 6 Course Degustation experience through spring and summer, delivered by loved Granite Belt chefs Matt and Bobbi Wells in The Barrel Room Restaurant. …LEARN MORE
Lunch dining is exquisite at The Queensland College of Wine Tourism in Stanthorpe, where the signature ‘Medley of Mains’ degustation style meal is delivered with matching wines and vineyard views. …LEARN MORE
Time to Enjoy the View at Sancerre Estate
The first place to find out when our wine is released is on our socials
https://www.facebook.com/ViewWine.com.au
You might also like to consider joining our Insiders View Wine Club, just click on the Wine Club tab at the top of the Website. 1 year membership to the Wine Club also makes a great gift for your wine loving friends and family
Take the opportunity to stay where the wine is grown and enjoy the View at Sancerre Estate
A big Cheers from us, Brad & Stacey Allan.
The 1st Post
There is always a beginning to a story, just as there is a beginning to any great wine. And for there to be a wine there needs to be a vineyard, which all started by putting in the first post.
Although our first posts for our different parcels of the vineyard vary from being installed in 1986, 1994 and 2015, we are only just beginning our View Wine blog posts in 2021, as a way of sharing the many wonderful aspects to our life on the vineyard and in the winery, which we hope to share with you in person just as much as online.
As well as our View Wine brand for our wine, we also call the property Sancerre Estate which is for our Bed and Breakfast accommodation and self contained Shiraz Cottage. More information about staying in Ballandean can be found on our Sancerre Estate webpage.
A big Cheers from us, Brad & Stacey Allan.