Three Wishes Vineyard

Flowering time in the vineyard is one of the most dangerous times of any vintage. Flowers bloom, and then set to fruit…which ripens and eventually makes its way to the fermenter to make wine (well for grapes at least !). Flowering time in the Tamar Valley is usually around latish november, through to early December on a cooler year. Tassie can be a bitch of a place around flowering time ! Windy, wet and cool on bad years, windy, hot and dry on good years…but always windy. Grape vine flowers don’t like strong winds in case you hadn’t guessed! The 2007 vintage started after the driest winter in living memory, during the driest spring on record, with late 5 frosts in the last 2 weeks of October-one night we had snow and -4C at the bottom of the vineyard, major bush fires within a few kilometers of the farm, gale force winds day in day out during our flowering window, and hail the size of golf balls on Christmas day ! So how have we fared so far ?

Answering that question depends on your view on quality versus quantity ! We seem to have lost 50% of our crop (volume) in the Pinot and Chardonnay, with major “collure” –bunch shatter and “hen and chicken” (small and big berries). The Riesling, which flowers and sets later, seems to be ok. Was it the drought(EARTH), wind, the days of thick smoke (FIRE), …or something else ? Often its lack of micronutrients in soils, especially on dryer years. No sign of any deficiencies in the grape leaves though….so ? Bloody frost !! No visible signs of damage after the horrendous frosts (unlike many other vineyards which lost the lot), but given Three Wishes was quite advanced in late October (shoots over 60cm with 5-6 leaves and visible inflorescences –ie flower/fruit parts) the super cold caused cell destruction at a time of maximum cell division...ie when the vines were growing most quickly…a proverbial kick in the nuts ! Yes, the sexual parts of vines are delicate too ! Anyway, its been bloody hot and dry all year, so touch wood with low disease pressure going into vintage we should have a bumper year…one that should rival Tassie’s best ever (2005). My guess is it’s also shaping up to be a nasty year again for bird damage, with 500 or more starlings making frequent guests to the vineyard regularly, European wasps, and given shattered flower parts still in bunches…a bad year for bunch rots. Heres hoping we have something left ! Get on our mailing list if you’re not already…and stay tuned !

Adios, Peter