2014 Merlot vintage

How is it?

Well this year has been our best yet.
It started out at the end of last year in many ways, with us deciding to splash out and purchase some commercial bird netting, and with the finding that we need to spray boron.  So with several applications of boron at flowering and some timely pruning, leaf plucking and under vine clearing, the vines looked in tip top condition.

 300 meters in each bail of bird netting. They are heavy when packed like this!

 I decided prior to putting on the bird netting that I would cut the grass between the rows really short. Bad move as we had no rain for close to 4 months, so no grass growth, so I was expecting the grass to grow up and through the netting, so holding this down. No way. So tied the netting to the next row with green twisty ties. Worked a treat. The few rows that I left without joining, blew the netting all over the place, in the strong, dry winds. Lesson learnt about cutting the grass too low.

The boron spraying has allowed the flowering grapes to set. So nearly all the bunches developed fully. In the past we got 12 buckets from 3 rows, this year we got 18 from each row!



The brix reading was 22 degrees with a few bunches as high as 25. No wasp attack, no bird attack.

We picked all the rows after taking the netting off one side. Leaving one row covered as Gregory and Debbie and Jason were coming up to help pick. We picked all the other fruit a day earlier as the weather forecast was for rain. It came the next day late in the day, so we had a fantastic harvest.
120+ buckets.

Bought the buckets of grapes up to the house in the back of the car.

 Had to make room in the dinning-room, by shifting the table out. Laid down a plastic tarp, and on this we started the job of fruit stripping the bunches of grapes.... two days later all done... thanks to the whole team.

The stripped grapes were then crushed by foot stomping, Gregory and Tim excelled at this job.

 Then the crushed fruit went into the fermentation buckets and yeast was added, Lalvin EC 1118.
All good and working hard out the next day. Stirred twice a day. After a week, onto pressing.

The new wine press was finished only one week ago. So this is the first pressing for it. The must was put into cheese cloth, made the clean up after pressing an easy job.