Winter is here!

WINTER IS HERE! 

A new logo, bees and more wine!

Like everyone these last few months, we've been in lockdown here at 3DE. It has been a bit like Groundhog Day lately but we've been using the time in isolation to work through the "to do" list and have made pretty good progress so far. Vintage 2020 was pretty hectic this year but all the 2020 wines are now safely resting in barrel and tank. We've also bottled the last of the 2018 Tempranillo RESERVA along with a small batch of Grenache ready for the rescheduled launch in September. Due to Covid-19, the Long Lunch Launch for the 2019 wines scheduled for April had to be postponed until September however we opted for a virtual online launch and have been busy delivering wine across Melbourne and the Heathcote region to our loyal supporters.

Our little 6 x 6 metre winery space was filled to capacity this year as we processed not only our own Tempranillo but several other batches of locally sourced different (Spanish) grapes. In the end there was about 2000 litres of wine made which for our little operation, was quite a lot and the biggest vintage we have undertaken to date. Stay tuned for some exciting blends and single varietals next year. Our new logo design is now up and running and has been incorporated into our branding and is already on the new 2019 releases. A big thank you once again to Genevieve Haussegger for her graphic design skills and patience!

Last weekend (Queen's Birthday long weekend) we were finally allowed to re open the Cellar Door for wine tastings and sales. People who were eager to get out and about for the first time in a while were able to enjoy some delicious tapas around the fire with a glass of 3DE wine.

In other news, we recently welcomed about 30,000 new friends to 3DE in the form of a bee hive!

One evening at dusk, we relocated a hive from a friend in Heathcote and carefully set it in its new location near the vegie garden and fruit orchard. We're hoping that the bees will help the garden to be even more productive and having the bees around will also be beneficial to the vineyard during flowering in Springtime. A worm farm has also been added to the mix to help maximise garden yields.

Another exciting project that we undertook last year was the native garden. A patch of land in front of the house was reclaimed and worked over (thanks Leroy) and a variety of Australian native plants and grasses planted. Fast forward a year and the garden is thriving, providing not only a great sight out the lounge room window but a natural habitat for the local birds and our new bees!

Unfortunately due to Covid-19, we're unable to travel to Spain this year but we're planning to use the time here to get stuck in to the "Eco Accommodation" proposal and will hopefully be able to offer eco friendly, off grid retro caravans to rent before the year is out!

Stay up to date with all the latest news at:

www.threedamsestate.com.au

Vintage 2020 update

Vintage 2020 in full swing during lockdown!

During these unprecedented times, it is worth remembering that when this is all over and we emerge from the other side, we will still have wine!

Without meaning to make light of a serious situation that is threatening to overwhelm our health system, disrupt families, destroy businesses and affect many peoples health, I am confident that this crisis will have a positive affect on the future of humanity and "reset" the way in which we think and exist on this planet. 

I am reassured that despite this current calamity, the sun still rises in the morning, the wind still blows and the rain still falls (sometimes!). If we have these three things, then we can still make wine and here at 3DE, we have been busy doing just that!

On March 16th, we harvested the 2020 Tempranillo grapes, 2 weeks later than last year. It has been a difficult season over the entire region resulting in reduced yields of up to 60% in some places. The generally accepted reason for this is that on 21 Nov when the grapevines were in full flower, we experienced a hideous weather event, with 40 degree temperatures, and ferocious winds that lasted most of the day. This resulted in severe damage to the vine flowers resulting in poor and inconsistent pollination. Despite the reduced yields, the  fruit quality was good and will hopefully result in some delicious concentrated wines.

As of writing today (March 30th, 2020) we have our 2020 Tempranillo, as well as a small portion of Grenache and some Monastrell (aka Mourvèdre/ Mataró) safely in tank and will be pressing some Shiraz and more Monastrell in the coming days. We also managed to source another parcel of Grenache fruit (570kgs) that is currently on cold soak awaiting yeast inoculation in a few days.

With the combination of Tempranillo, Grenache, Monastrell and Shiraz, we are hoping to create some exciting Spanish inspired blends in 2020 including a GSM (Grenache/Shiraz/Mourvèdre)

In other 3DE news, the new Monastrell vineyard is doing well and has survived the harsh summer with the loss of only 3 vines. So far this year we had some welcome rainfall, including 43mm on Feb 6th and another 85 on March 4th! As a result, the property has "greened up" quite a lot which has provided an alternative food source for the kangaroos and wallabies and they have mostly left the new vines untouched. All the dams and tanks are now full..which has never previously happened during Summer/ Autumn.

The weather is changing but as usual, autumn brings some beautiful sunsets and still evenings. A perfect environment to self isolate!

Stay safe everyone and see you on the other side.

www.threedamsestate.com.au

Energy freedom, four new wicking beds...and the greenhouse is finally up!

SUMMER REPORT 2020

The "Tree Change" is complete!

In early January, we finally moved permanently to Heathcote. After commuting to and from Melbourne since 2007, we decided late last year to give up the rental in Ascot Vale and move to the country. That meant giving up my teaching job at Camberwell Grammar after 13 years and basically selling the whole contents of the Melbourne house on FB Marketplace! In the end, all we needed was a small van and the tandem trailer to take what was left up to Heathcote. One of the most satisfying parts of the move was calling Momentum Energy to disconnect the power and gas services. The only energy bills from now on will be our 45kg gas bottle once a year!

After a pretty hot and ferocious December with serious bushfires blazing in the east of the state, January arrived to pretty mild conditions with few hot days. The weather so far in February has been pretty mild with only a few extreme days and even some rain! Perfect conditions for the newly planted Monastrell vines of which out of 350, only one appears to not have survived. We had been keeping them alive by pumping water from the middle dam which until a few weeks back, was pretty much empty. Late one afternoon on Feb 6th, the heavens opened and a massive storm cell dumped 43ml in about 4 hrs, filling all the dams and tanks. 

Incredible what a bit of rain can do to the parched landscape. There is a lot more green around now and the Tempranillo vines have shot out a lot of new growth. The weather has been challenging for the vineyard this year and many growers, including us a reporting fewer bunches and uneven ripening.

The veggie garden has has a massive reworking with building of 4 Wicking Beds. We used cut in half IBC's which if you are unfamiliar with them, they are those large square plastic water cubes. The wicking bed principal is a much more efficient way of growing things as the plants "wick" the water up from below rather than rely on surface watering. So far the results have been amazing, producing an abundance of cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes and a few pumpkins. 

The other great garden story is that after 3 years in the boxes, the greenhouse is up! It's been on the "to do" list since we bought it in 2017 but after a bit of public shaming, it rocketed to the top of the list! Thanks Tarkyn for your height when it came to the roof section!

Rain on 6th of February.

IN THE WINERY

So far this month we have been getting ready for Vintage 2020, bottling the 2019 wines (Tempranillo and Tempranillo/Garnacha) and preparing for the Long Lunch Launch on April 18th. Cellar Door has been steady with several visitors picking up a few bottles to take away. Our next Cellar Door Open is Sat and Sun, March 7/8th.

CELLAR DOOR OPEN First weekend of each month.

Cellar Door NOW OPEN and a new vineyard.

November 2019

New vineyard planted and Cellar Door NOW OPEN!

With a few more days of Spring time in remaining, it's interesting to reflect on the past few months weather. Despite some beautiful warm days, Spring this year has been fairly cool with below average temperatures and plenty of cold nights. I think we even had to light the fire last week! 

The weather has been kind to the vines and they are now all in full flower and looking good with plenty of bees helping with pollination.

As usual we've been busy at 3DE preparing for the upcoming summer, erecting a new shed and planting the new vineyard! 350 Monastrell vines went in a few weeks ago and so far all but one have taken and are looking green and healthy. Over the last few days we have been getting the vineyard infrastructure (posts and wires) in and the irrigation lines off the ground.

Monastrell (or Mataró /Mourvedre) is another Spanish grape that was once widely planted in Australia, in fact some say it was Australia's first ever commercially grown wine grape.When James Busby returned to Australia in 1828 after travelling through France and Spain, he brought with him many grape cuttings which were initially cultivated in the Sydney Botanical Gardens. Monastrell was one of the few that survived and a large proportion ended up in the McLaren Vale in SA where the varietal continues to be cultivated to this day.

The new vineyard is located towards the front boundary of the property, down the hill and more protected from the wind. There are 7 rows of Monastrell and next year another 6 rows of Grenache (also Spanish!) will be planted out, taking the total number of vines to around 1000.

The other news is that after much hoop jumping, the Cellar Door was approved by Council and the Liquor Licence issued. Monthly Cellar Door openings have now commenced and will continue on the first weekend of the month. Stay tuned for our special Tapas y Tempranillo events!

2019 Vintage Update

Wines available early in the new year will be:

2019  Estate grown Tempranillo

2019 Tempranillo Grenache

2018 Reserva Tempranillo (24 mths in old oak)

2018 Tempranillo (limited quantities)

2017 Heathcote Shiraz (Limited quantities)

Visit the Cellar Door or purchase securely online.

First Vintage Wine Launch

WINE LAUNCH WEEKEND

April 27/28th 2019

It was great to see so many people over the weekend to help us celebrate out first vintage. Over 100 people made the journey up to Three Dams to sample the wine and enjoy some amazing Spanish inspired food prepared by Wendy. Apart from our estate grown Tempranillo, we also had a local Heathcote Shiraz and a surprise Grenache made especially made for the launch from locally sourced fruit. 

Asturian Bean Stew, Empanandas, Jamon and Manchego cheese and Patas Bravas were just some of the incredible food that Wendy whipped up for the day. A big thanks to all the family and friends that helped make the weekend a success and we're looking forward to next year already!

Another summer survived, upgraded solar and a new washing machine!

Welcome 2019

So it's been a while since this blog has had an update!

That's not because there's been nothing happening at Three Dams, but more likely that we've been too busy doing stuff to sit down and write about it! Since returning in July from summer in Spain, we settled into another chilly winter in Heathcote. Lots of wood fires and red wine and trying to work outside without freezing to death. As I write this, the weather outside is a relatively cool 17 degrees. Throughout January we had 8 days above 40 degrees including an unbearable 45 degree day with a dangerous NW wind blowing. Hot weather in Heathcote is not uncommon here over the summer but usually not so early in the season. The super hot weather usually comes in late Feb or early March.

Despite the sweltering conditions, the garden and vineyard have managed to hang on with the help of the irrigation system and water pumped from the small dam down the hill. In the vineyard, veraison has well and truly happened, the nets are all on and we are gearing up for another vintage in the first few weeks of March. Last years vintage is still in barrels in the winery and improving everyday. The plan is to bottle the wine in April but reserve one barrel which will be cellared for another 12 months to create the "Crianza" style common in La Rioja, Spain.

Throughout the summer, we have entertained many visitors including some old friends from my days in Perth who were completing a road trip and on their way back across the Nullarbor. Lots of family and friends have also visited which as usual, meant lots of delicious food and wine and kids having fun in there pool. On one occasion, Wendy's brother and son, Tom visited from Philip Island so I took the opportunity to get them on the tools and help with the latest solar upgrade. We finally managed to replace the original solar PV array with the remainder of the large 250 watt panels that have been sitting in the shed since I bought them in 2017. We now have a 1.8 kWh system which provides more than enough solar input to power all the "mod cons" we have installed in our off grid Eco house...

                                                 ....including the new washing machine.

Yes, we finally have a washing machine! A Bosch 4.5 star machine bought second hand on Facebook Marketplace has a new home in our kitchen. The only other mod cons we don't have are a toaster and an iron..but who needs an iron in the country?

Casita del Río..the story so far.

CASITA DEL RÍO... (Small house on the river)

The story so far...

In 2017, while at a wine show in Melbourne, one of the wine merchants told us about the Ribeira Sacra region of Galicia in North Western Spain. He pulled out his phone and showed us incredible photos on of the steep hillside valleys of the Sil and Miño rivers covered with grapevines. It was a stunning landscape and completely different to the relatively barren wine areas like La Rioja and Ribera Del Duero we were used to. It was an instant attraction and we had to go there ASAP and started planning a trip for September. While researching the area, I discovered a website run by an English ex pat specialising in rustic properties for sale in Galicia and noticed a little place high on the hillside (450mtrs) overlooking the the Miño near the town of A Barrela.

The 2 bedroom stone cottage had been extensively renovated and up until a few years ago, it has been run as a bar (A Taberna) with patrons being able to enjoy the incredible view of the river valley from the expansive deck. At only 59k €, it seemed like a steal so I got in contact with Mark the agent to get some more info and photos. 

At this point, Wendy knew nothing about all this! 

Fast forward to September 2017, we're back in Spain but this time in Galicia. True to the wine guys photos, the area is stunning. Lush green hills and valleys, winding roads and vineyards right down to the waters edge. They call it Heroic Viticulture in these parts as the vines are grown on terraced ledges built by hand, some dating back to Roman times.

By now I'd told Wends about the place and showed her a few photos. She was luke warm. "We're not buying a place in Spain!" Undeterred I suggested we at least do a drive by and check it out..to which she reluctantly agreed.."It's 40 minutes out of way!", she says. "We've just driven 5 hrs from Madrid," I say. "OK, fine" she says. 

So on a perfect sunny day we arrive at the place after passing through a gorgeous little village (Castro) on the way. The impression was instant. "How much is this again?" Wendy asks.

First visit, Sept 2017

                                      

The rest is history!

We signed the contract a few months later after agreeing to the terms of the sale. In Spain, a very common purchase method is a kind of "rent to buy" scheme where a deposit is paid (10-12%) then a fixed amount is paid monthly for 5 years (300 €  in our case) with the balance to be paid after 5 years. 

June 2018

On June 23rd we arrived at the Casita to meet the previous owner, Maribel and her husband Jose Antonio for the handing over of the keys. In the back of the hire car was a suitcase full of tools that we'd brought from Australia. A month of hard work was about to commence. Later that day, Antonio from further up the hill behind the Casita came and introduced himself bearing wine, homegrown cherries and walnuts.

                                                    José Antonio and Maribel 

Although Maribel had spent a lot of money on the place in recent years (new septic tanks, rewired, new roof etc) because the place had been run as a bar, there was no functioning kitchen as such. The first step was to completely gut the bar area and figure out how to get a kitchen to work with uneven floors and 200 year old stone walls. We decided to get the stone walls pointed and the floor fixed by some local tradies that Maribel put us on to. While they worked away downstairs, Wendy was upstairs cleaning the wooden floors for a coat of lacquer and I was downstairs turning the wine glass shelving rack that used to hang from the roof in the bar into a kitchen bench. Appliances (washing machine, new elec HWS, microwave, fold down sofa beds etc) were ordered on line and being delivered.

Appliances delivered!

A week into the trip, our good friend from Heathcote, Eugene turned up on his way to Ireland via Morocco and helped rip up the old timber decking that had pretty much all rotted away. A week later, the old boards were off, the subframe levelled and sealed with a mixture of sump oil and diesel ready for the 34m2 of new decking that arrived a few days later. As Wends painted sealer on both sides of the  90 boards, I started laying them. A few days and 1500 screws later, the new deck was done.

 
    Eugene working on the deck.                                      Finished deck with new railing 

Despite the long hours of hard labour, we did manage a few side trips to Ournese or Monforte de Lemos for Tapas and supplies (more wine) as well as a Catamaran trip on the Miño river, lunch at Playa a Cova which is a "beach"on the river. Every Saturday night we were invited for dinner at all our various new neighbours places where homemade wine and home cooked local food was enjoyed well onto the early hours.

                                          Playa de A Cova

 

After 4 weeks at Casita del Río we managed to achieve more than we had expected and have pretty much got the place ready for visitors. The plan is to spend 6 to 8 weeks there each year and rent it out to friends at other times as well as Air B&B etc.

Neighbours Marie Carmen, Leno, José, Antonio


Directions to the Casita.

The house is located in a small hamlet called A Voutureira, about 15mins from A Barrela. The best way to get there is to take a train from Madrid to Ourense (5 hrs). It's then a 40 min car trip from there up to the house. Alternatively, fly into Santiago de Compostela and hire a car from there.

The details and google map reference is:

Casita del Rio

27532 Carballedo, Lugo, Spain

0417 178 658

https://goo.gl/maps/E9Ui7xd5SgF2

Looking forward to seeing you there! Adios.