Our neighbour Hendo

So it has been a while. Just letting the ferments fizz away, some pressing, getting wine squared away in barrel, its all been happening... Seems the vintage is looking up. This year there has been some small batch ferments of fruit bought from separate sub-regional sites in other parts of Tasmania to have a look at some of the interesting differences possible from these distinct areas. It's all new for us, a first.

Meanwhile, when not considering these lofty thoughts, the pride of Tasmania often comes to visit. Here is our tractor driving neighbour, Hendo, and his special friend. Look how lovingly Hendo tends to his favourite person.

Visitors

Late one afternoon a trio of likely looking lads wandered into the makeshift cellar door in the Stoney Rise barrel hall. A disturbed Mike, some 11 hours into work for the day, went through the motions for the guests, fearing that their presence was merely to come, load up on some good gear, before tyre kicking their way into another cellar door. Little did he know that this youthful mob were all winemakers. Steve and Ramses from Pipers Brook and young Duncan Lloyd, son of Mark Lloyd of Coriole fame, who is working at the moment at Josef Chromy.

Here they all are. What an afternoon! Some ferment gazing, some back vintage tasting. Look at Ramses, dude in the middle that looks shifty but enjoying his huge glass of Rose. Later that evening he managed to piss his pants... what a champ!

Meanwhile, isnt Dunc a sexy boy? And a personalised belt? Well, enough said really...

Mike, having done some full body pigeage that day, managed to leave a souvenir of his underpants on Duncan's car aerial... he drove off with them flapping in the wind.

Sometime later, after leaving Ramses with urine filled pants and Steve a stumbling, stuttering mess, we discovered that Steve's car had been stolen and the three lads ended up filling out incoherent police statements with local coppers about the missing vehicle. Great day.

Compare & Contrast

small (stoney rise/holyman)

large (tamar ridge)

Get nude and get in

It begins.

Gettin a little sexier.

Now for the German, kinky stuff.

Speaks for itself really.

Small ferments, small parcels of fruit

As one can see Stoney Rise pretty much deals in small stuff. Small ferments take place in small tanks. The process is all hands on.

Sometimes its even all body on, rather than just hands.

Small parcels of fruit come in. Rat brings them in while singing Cold Chisel and other forms of Aussie pub rock;not because it helps the grapes, but because it arouses his levels of serotonin naturally. Rat loves arousal.

More exciting is tiny parcels of clonal Pinot Noir. Here lies some separate ferments of 115, 114, d4v6, 777 spur/cane and somewhere in there is some of the famed Abel clone. One says Abel clone with a reverent awe - why, because it bloody well is part of some high level conspiracy about a slack jawed NZ border patrol guard who stole cuttings from the world's greatest vineyard site off a hapless wine enthusiast who was trying to bring it in as contraband then the rubber necked security guard flogged it back to the vine nursery in NZ. This means when you plant it, a little bit of Domaine de la Romanee Conti is produced in your vineyard. Seriously, forget the soil type and elevation, the microclimate above Vosne Romanee and the years of horse drawn plowing, if you have this clone you are FUCKIN AMAZING and your vineyard shall be PAVED IN GOLD. Actually, it just produces really nice fruit, says Joe.

Look at these small parcels of separate clonal fruit fermenting under dark, mysterious cloaks. The cloaks make the finished wines even more complex and interesting.

Joe is looking to keep these parcels separate this year to see how each clone works from his single vineyard site. Though they wish to be joined in an unfettered orgy of Pinot Noir fruit, they are for this moment being kept in a forced state of abstinence.

URGENT UPDATE!

New record for buckets stacked. Amazing effort to smash the previous record. Is there no limit to what Joe and Mike can achieve?

This of course improves wine quality at Stoney Rise by fine tuning hand eye coordination and logic skills.

Pickin'

Yup. this is the post which takes you live n direct vineyard-side.

Look! It really is a family activity! How hot is Joe's wife Lou? Even in vineyard gear she is the belle of Tasmania.

Even creepy 'cousin' Mike is involved. He is looking stern because he loves to pick with a level of concentration usually associated with chess or other intellectual pursuits.

This is why we have an adult warning. For crying out loud Joe, you're meant to have had therapy for this kind of thing. Thankfully Pinot Noir with its tight, small bunches and pert, firm fruit seems to react well to this type of treatment.

What more is there to say? No one lost a finger. The Pinot Noir looked great. Our backs felt sore.

The real heroes are the pro pickers. Day in day out. Pick pick pick. No whining, just on with the job. This is the best view of the pickers too.

As an addendum, this is a gratuitous photo of Rat. Check him out cruising for buckets. Rat is THE REAL DEAL.