Welcome to Rutherglen Victoria - Victorias Premier Wine Region

Winter is upon us…

Well its official, winter is here. The beanies are out, the wood fires are crackling along and a sudden desire for Muscat has hit me.

One of the most wonderful things about Rutherglen is the seasonality. You know after the beautiful warm afternoons of autumn that the next thing to follow is the crisp mornings of winter. It is a beautiful time of year with a cosiness and evenness of time that allows for winemakers to reflect upon the wines maturing from the 2008 vintage. Double checking barrels of reds, assessing the wine from every parcel of fruit, readying whites for bottling and planning are paramount at this time of year.

This planning is nowhere more apparent than in the vineyard. The leaves have all fallen and it is time for pruning. The pruning sets the parameters for the growth of the vines over the coming season. How you prune today will be affecting the grapes picked in April next year. The pruners will go through and assess each vine in terms of its age, size, health and previous growth. With the plan for the coming harvest also in mind they will start trimming off the dead wood, any shoots heading in the wrong direction, selecting the right buds for a clean slate for this season, with both the tenderness and the firmness of a parent.

As you drive by a vineyard at this time of year you will usually see the parked cars and utes, with fold out chairs set and thermos’s at the ready. These guys start in the cold of the morning, and as the day unfolds it becomes a slow tantalising disrobe as layer upon layer of jumpers, jackets, gloves, beanies and scarves are removed as lunch time approaches. Of course it never gets warm enough to completely distract any passing traffic, but as you drive by give these guys a nod of respect, for if it wasn’t for the pruners in the cold winter mornings, the winemakers could never have the grapes they are chasing at the harvest next year.

Anyway I think I will put my pruning off until tomorrow, there is a warm fire going in cellar door, there is a book I’ve been meaning to catch up on and there’s always a Muscat barrel that need my attention.

Cheers, Anton
 
Anton Therkildsen -  Winemaker, Valhalla Wines

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