Seize the Day wines have been enjoyed in many wonderful locations worldwide, including San Francisco, Singapore, Canada and Germany, but we really think this would have to be the most stunning setting that our Shiraz Cabernet has been consumed in! Many thanks to our friends David and Robyn who sent the photo from beautiful Fiji.
By the way, this wine was awarded 94 points in Wine Showcase Magazine and can be ordered online on our Seize the Day website >
Back to reality here in the Barossa Valley where the wine in that Seize the Day Shiraz Cabernet bottle began its journey……and we’re now at the beginning of the 2015 vintage.
The vine leaves are a fresh, verdant green colour with new shoots sprouting after careful pruning over winter. Pruning is pivotal to setting up how much fruit each vine will produce. The idea is to limit the number of buds on each vine, thus the number of bunches produced. Limiting the yield of each vine helps to ensure each berry is packed full of colour and flavours which of course leads to the potential for fabulous wine.
The challenge over the next few weeks is to ensure the vines are healthy and able to progress through the next stages of flowering and fruit set. To do this we will analyse the leaves (petiole analysis), monitor the soil moisture and monitor for pests and diseases such as downy mildew.
You may enjoy reading about the growth cycle of grapevines to give you an idea of what is actually going on at this time. As you will read, it’s a critical time for every grape grower to make sure the vines are healthy and able to progress through each stage of the cycle. We have had bud burst and right now are near the very critical flowering stage, you can see the small flower clusters in the photo. We don’t need extreme winds during the critical flowering phase during November!
This is an exciting time for guests staying in Seppeltsfield Vineyard Cottage to observe the vineyard waking up and doing its thing. They are amazed at how much is going on at a micro level in the vineyard, and how this activity can affect the outcome of what is picked at vintage, which is usually late February/early March here in the Seppeltsfield region of the Barossa Valley.
We will post how the vines and grapes are progressing in a couple of months time!
