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Tim's Ravings
Tim's Spring Ravings 2022
I have a new weapon in my battle with insomnia. Deleting and blocking the endless stream of junk emails that arrive in my inbox, obscuring the messages I actually need to see. It's like popping bubble wrap or peeling glue off your fingers... repetitive, mindless, almost meditative. I say almost, because after a while it gets me thinking.I cannot [...]
Tim's Winter Ravings 2022
Australian red wines - Shiraz in particular - have traditionally been big, hairy chested and macho. A few decades ago this was a reflection of the country's psyche - wanting to prove ourselves unique to the rest of the world. Think Paul Hogan and Jack Thompson. But then along came Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue - [...]
Vintage 2022 Report
Rain, rain, go away... What a vintage. It feels like it rained non-stop from bud burst to harvest. It's also been unseasonably cool. Cold and wet are ideal conditions for vine and soil health, but are seriously challenging for a Vigneron. I'm writing this on the 25th March and we have just picked our last [...]
Why Sustainability?
Sustainability is a holistic approach that encompasses environmental, social and economic responsibilities. It means meeting our collective needs without compromising the needs of those in the future. It's not a one-off project, but a philosophy, and a driver of wine quality and business success (and it is definitely not the burying of cow horns stuffed [...]
Summer 2021 Ravings
In vino veritas?? Not too sure about that. There’s an awful lot of nonsense written about wine.This rant was provoked by some ill-informed gibberish in a well-respected news outlet. Greatest Hits included “wine under screw cap doesn’t age”, “anything with limited production (eg only 300 bottles produced) will ensure a more age-worthy selection” and “Shiraz [...]
Spring 2021 Ravings
In search of perfection. Robert Paul, possibly Mudgee’s finest former winemaker, pulled one of my favourite swifties a while back.He told the local rag he was off to the Ord River in northern Western Australia to grow “hydroponic Grange” in temperature-controlled glasshouses. The paper splashed the story across its front page, proclaiming every vintage would [...]
News from the Vineyard - Winter 2021
Winter is an extremely busy time in the vineyard at Huntington Estate. The work is physically and mentally tough, but critical to set up the next season's growth.Our sustainable vineyard is regularly renewed, to ensure a healthy balance of old and new vines for optimal quality - now and into the future.OLD VINES: The original [...]
Winter 2021 Ravings
Thousands of years ago at town festivals, winemakers marched carrying large phalluses, firmly believing they would impress Dionysus, Greek God of wine.I am going to hazard a wild guess that it made no difference, except maybe to boost the amusement levels of those watching.Now, I have only been making wine for 25 years, but I [...]
News from the Vineyard - 2021 Vintage Update
It rained. A lot. Like it used to. Fantastic. The soil profile filled up and stayed full which is ideal for winter.The clovers, beets, radishes, and wheat of the cover crop went nuts, and were repeatedly slashed with the cuttings thrown sideways to mulch the area under vine. It wasn’t especially cold. The frost resistant mid-row plantings and the native [...]
Autumn 2021 Ravings
I wrote this a year ago, just before our lives were turned upside down, causing us all to reflect on our lives, families and careers. This “Raving” is about why we do what we do and now, with the hope of an end to Covid in sight, its time has come...My grandfather, a Queensland cattleman, [...]
