Budburst, Pomegranates, Honey and a renewed kitchen.
September 2020
Life in (partial) lockdown at 3DE means jobs, jobs and more jobs...and a few wines here and there! As the days get longer (and warmer) we've been busy cracking on with the jobs list and have made great progress over the last few weeks. The 20 Pomegranate trees are in, as are 12 cider apple trees and 13 struggling olive trees have also been lovingly relocated to a different area to get a second chance to thrive.
The BEES
Back in May we set up our first bee hive, relocated from a neighbour in town and last weekend, we harvested the first honey. A local apiarist dropped in an inspected the hive and declared all 8 frames in the top box were fully capped and ready. A few hours later, we had a harvest of nearly 13kg.
BUDBURST
Vintage 2021 is off and running a week earlier than last year with most vines already in the early stages of budburst. Above average winter rain has helped to retain a decent amount of soil moisture and with above average Spring rain predicted, things are looking promising for a better yield in 2021. The remaining 6 rows of the new vineyard down the hill are ready for planting out the 300 Grenache vines next weekend (Sept 25th), just in time for the warm Spring weather. We're also installing a 27,300 litre water tank uphill from the vineyard to water the vines over Summer. The plan is to pump this full from the lower dams during the wet months to have a reserve of water over Summer.
The NEW kitchen
In 2001 when I return from my 10 year stint in Perth, Western Australia, I brought with me several long lengths of Jarrah hardwood that have been in various storage locations since then. I finally got around to doing something with it and engaged a local craftsman/woodworker to transform them into a replacement kitchen bench top. The original sink position has been moved to under the window which frees up more space to cook and prepare food...and to cover with clutter! The old gas wall oven/grill has been replaced with a new (Yes, we bought something NEW!) freestanding cooker.
As of tonight, Sept 16th, some COVID restrictions in Regional Victoria will be eased to allow bars, restaurants, shops and Cellar Doors etc to open again to limited numbers of visitors. This is indeed exciting news for everyone in Regional Victoria and especially welcoming for the Hospitality and Tourism sector that has struggled since the first lockdowns in March 2020. Stay tuned for updates on our Cellar Door openings and more exciting news and happenings at:
In 2001 when I return from my 10 year stint in Perth, Western Australia, I brought with me several long lengths of Jarrah hardwood that have been in various storage locations since then. I finally got around to doing something with it and engaged a local craftsman/woodworker to transform them into a replacement kitchen bench top. The original sink position has been moved to under the window which frees up more space to cook and prepare food...and to cover with clutter! The old gas wall oven/grill has been replaced with a new (Yes, we bought something NEW!) freestanding cooker.
