After the hail storm in July last year the grapes really struggled. The fruit set wasn’t great, which may well have been nothing to do with the hail, and the grapes were quite diseased, probably due to split skins allowing bacteria to get into the grapes. Here are a few pictures taken in September, around the time I attempted a harvest. A few bunches were good, but all in all it was not a good year!
I managed to pick out the best grapes from the Phoenix and Orion vines but it still only came to 1.7kg. I decided I would process the grapes anyway, and the family had a little tasting on Christmas day, but it was not great wine. It was drinkable, but not great. I hope this is due to me trying to produce such a low volume that makes it virtually impossible for it not to oxidize/spoil. It looked good, and had cleared well but had a very slight off smell. Something I have experienced before which I think is due to small amounts of hydrogen sulphide produced during the fermentation. Maybe 2016 will be the year? I try to remain hopeful!
In the meantime, with the disappointments of 2015 I decided to concentrate on ‘The Winery’. It is certainly coming on, and now has sink with hot (warm) and cold running water. It just needs a few finishing touches and will soon be ready for some serious action.
