In speaking to the general public about my job, when I say I work in a winery people’s imaginations tend to romantic notions of sloping vineyards and sitting around sipping wine all day. Upon further discourse, many individuals are surprised to discover that wineries have...
Having the opportunity to visit wineries all over the world is a rather charming way to spend your time and money. It is so enjoyable in fact, that wine tasting has become a vacation in itself. And wine is a beautiful thing. It is a...
A quick summary. It’s a 9/10 at the half way mark of Vintage 2017 and it looks like the Yarra Valley has been fortunate on the weather front. After a cool early summer and a nervous January/Feb an amazing early Autumn spread through the Yarra....
Cellaring good wine at home is a great responsibility, it can be hard work. Firstly, you need to not drink it, you also need to control the temperature, UV, humidity, the list goes on. When you have a great bottle you want to get all...
Vintage 2017 is fast approaching. Lately we’ve had some cool nights and warm days, perfect for ripening grapes. We are down a little on yields due to some cool wet weather in spring but quality looks excellent. The vines are balanced and we are looking...
Vintage is now over and like waking up after a heavy night on the sauce we have found ourselves wondering what happened and how we got here. In a normal year, there is a natural order of ripening which gives us a chance to handle each...
When people ask, “hey how would you rate the 2015 vintage”, instinctively I revert back to the stock line – “best vintage in living memory”. As winemakers, it’s what we’re taught to say at uni. In reality, the stock line might not be too far from...
House Dolan | Sigil White tank bursting at seams on a crimson field | Words Make it fit If you are a Game of Thrones fan you will understand the previous statements. For the rest of you it represents how some of us view the looming three months otherwise known as “vintage”....
pictured L-R: Ben Dahlenburg (Eldorado Road), Adrian Santolin (Santolin Wines/Boy Meets Girl) and Shaun Crinion (Dappled Wines) A recent survey of Yarra Valley winemakers has found one in five has at some time in their careers worked under Rob Dolan. Ok, so I may have invented...
When winemakers resurface from the hard toils of the vintage period, friends inevitably pose the same question: “what the hell do you guys do for the rest of the year?” Firstly, we don’t just sit around tasting wine all day (that job’s for sommeliers). Wine needs...