I’ll be the first to admit that this post won’t be the most interesting I’ve ever written.

I had good intentions of bringing you some more fascinating comparisons of the growth of the vines and grapes down on the Adelaide Plains.

But then they went and got all boring on me!

Let’s have a look at the photos I* took yesterday (27th November) versus those from 11th November anyway…

Shiraz

  

Cabernet Sauvignon

  

Tempranillo

  

Sangiovese

  

Merlot

  

Grenache

  

Chardonnay

  

Semillon

  

Sauvignon Blanc

  

Vermentino

  

Fiano

  

Riesling

  

 

And while I admit that the change over the 16 days between photos is pretty interesting, if you look at all the different varieties, the bunches are starting to look remarkably similar.

Up until now, we could clearly identify some significant differences between the growth and development of each variety. Now, though, it looks as though they have all caught up with each other (which I found pretty surprising, to be honest). As you will see in the table below each variety is between EL29 and El31 – an overall stage called “Berry Formation”.

What is worth noting though, is even though they are at similar EL stages, the bunches look pretty different across varieties. Some berries are relatively tightly bunched with a larger amount of berries (Chardonnay and Grenache) while others (like the Vermentino and Merlot) are the opposite.

 

The numbers…

(remember to check back here to follow along with the E-L stage definitions)

Variety	Growth stage 11th November	Growth stage 27th November
Shiraz	EL25	EL31
Cab Sauv	EL23	EL30
Tempranillo	EL26	EL30
Sangiovese	EL27	EL30
Merlot	EL25	EL29
Grenache	EL23	EL31
Chardonnay	EL29	EL31
Semillon	EL23	EL29
Sauv Blanc	EL25	EL29
Vermentino	EL26	EL29
Fiano	EL25	EL29
Riesling	EL27	EL31

 

It will be interesting to see if the berry development will continue at the same rate from here on in… my educated guess is not, but tune in to find out more over the coming weeks.

 

 

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Well-being update

The massive, man-eating spider responsible for the web on the Chardonnay post appears to be laying low… for now. I have a blow-torch at the ready!

 

* That brings me to my next, difficult to discuss, point…

Correction

So… in this and previous posts, I may or may not have been taking a little “journalistic license” when I have reported that it was ME who took photos of the vines and grapes in the test block down the hill.

I’m sure you can understand that sometimes it is just simpler to stretch the truth a little. 

But as it turns out, the real photographer is starting to get a little grumpy when I take the credit for his work.

So, in the interests of marital peace and harmony, I am officially thanking my husband Hugh for supplying the photos for this and other blog posts.

 

Brand new wine

I mentioned last week that we were releasing a brand new EXTREMELY limited edition new wine.

If you were lucky enough to make it along to our Champagne Shopping Morning last weekend then you got to try some and hopefully, you secured your precious two-bottle allowance.

For the rest of our loyal club members, you should check your emails this weekend! I promise you, it doesn’t get much better than this!