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Winery Since my last newsletter we have bottled the 2001 Greenstone and 2000 Pinot Noir (see current releases), and our 2001 Damask which will be released early next year. The second disgorging of our Blanc de Blanc MACEDON took place in August and is coming together nicely. Please note that this wine is only available at cellar door and is limited to two bottles per person. The remainder of our 2001 wines – Quarry Red, Pinot Noir and Portree Chardonnay are looking smart, particularly the reds which are just commencing their Malolactic fermentation. Further afield We are pleased to announce that our wines are now available in Queensland. Anthony Woolams who operates a company called Ultimate Wines, which specialises in imported wines asked if he could represent us in the northern state. As only the second Australian winery to be asked, we felt suitably pleased. Trade enquiries to 0409 205 100. Stay tuned for news about Portree in Hong Kong.
Birds, Crows and Currawongs become a real menace from now on and as usual we trot out our range of bird deterents. Hawk kites suspended from helium baloons are doing a reasonable job at the moment but we will soon have to resort to half hourly sorties on the motor bike. Later in the season as the small Silver Eye arrives intent on pecking holes in the grapes, and causing acetification, it will be time to bring out the nets to cover grapes that are destined for our top of the range Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Our surplus grapes continue to be in demand with both BRL Hardy and Rosemount Estate being only to happy to to take them off our hands. The Winery The 2000 Chardonnay has been transferred from barrel to tank in readiness for bottling on March 30th. At the same time we will bottle our 1999 Quarry Red and a single barrel of the 1999 Chardonnay which has spent an extra twelve months in barrel and will be released in a couple of years as a ‘reserve’ wine – all 25 dozen of it. All look very good – both ’99 and 2000 were kind seasons and with the Chardonnay vines approaching 20 years of age we expect some real depth of flavour from the grapes. 
The Vineyard An extremely moist 1999 Spring was followed a period of warm dry weather leading up to flowering in mid-December. Consequently, growth was even more rapid than usual and flowering started early. The fine weather continued ensuring good pollination and fruit set. The amazing growth also means that we are busy lifting foliage wires. As explained in the section entitled "The vineyard" we practice a trellising system called Vertical Shoot Positioning (VSP) on our Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc vines. The Pinot Noir canopy is also manipulated using what is called the "Scott Henry" system. The idea is to expose the bunches to air and sunlight to assist with ripening. Overall the vineyard looks good - disease pressure is low and the potential crop looks very good – only 12 weeks ‘til harvest! The Winery Both the Quarry Red and Pinot Noir are busily bubbling away in barrel with their secondary fermentation. This is the bacteria initiated Malolactic fermentation, which converts Malic acid to Lactic Acid at the same time softening the young wine, adding complexity and stabilising it. The by product is carbon dioxide which builds up in the barrel and blows out the bungs if they are too tight. Temperture is important with this fermentation and the warm summer days have increased the temperature of wine in barrel to the ideal 20 - 22 C. Cellar Door At the end of November we celebrated the opening of our recently completed Cellar Door. Approximately 80 of our mailing list customers enjoyed some great food (menu below), music and a glass or two. We hope to hold similar events 3-4 times per year so fax or Email us with your details so that you will receive a copy of our next newsletter. Portree’s picnic in the vineyard November 26th 2000 MENU Crudités with roasted garlic aioli Warm salad of charcoal roasted local lamb, Polish sausage poached in Portree Greenstone and bay leaves, and scotch fillet of beef with a honey mustard crust. Served on salad greens and cannellini beans (simmered with bay and thyme), dressed with red wine vinegar, olive oil and shallots Especially for children - barbequed "sausage rolls" and lemonade icypoles. Rochester cheddar Tarago washed rind Gippsland Shadows of Blue Coffee or tea Almond & Pistachio bread Current Newsletter Back to top |
