Well, with Christmas now officially just around the corner we have launched our special offers for our Mailing List Customers. So when you buy a case of wine (by 10th Dec) you automatically go in the draw to win a Special Mixed Case; we will donate $10 to the Oxfam project Save Water/Save Lives; you can get access to special Museum Release Wines; if you need any 2 bottle gift bags we’ll pop them in with your case; if your case is a pressie we’ll attach a card for you; AND you get free delivery. And of course delicious wines to have for yourselves or share with you friends! What else could we do to twist your arm? Visit the shop now!

Knowing it’s our busy time coming up we snuck away for the weekend to Cheyne’s Beach (about 45 minutes east of Albany) for a camping weekend, and it was great fun to explore the coast and Waychinicup National Park – lots of fishing (Oli got the best catch; a flathead), swimming (dolphins present!), playing army battles in the sand dunes (actually that was the boys), and delicious barbeques accompanied, of course, by a glass of Moombaki! Here’s a couple of pics . . .

We ran a competition this month whereby you could win our new Dinner Party 6 Pack if you ordered a case of wine or sent in some comments (containing 1 x Classic White, 1 x Chardonnay, 1 x Shiraz, 2 x Cab Blend and 1 x 05 Reserve: Value $180.)
This was picked up by a lovely man from Victoria; Roy H. Thankyou Roy – the wine is going to a deserved home. And thankyou to everyone who was prompted into action and bought some wine, or left some comments; they are always welcome!

We’ve been quietly going about our business the last few months and can report that we have conquered the pruning for another year! It’s one of those jobs that you just can’t rush, and sets up the vines for the next season. That has been closely followed by under vine mulching, and a couple of organic sprays to keep the vines in tip top shape.

We’ve had loads of rain, and a few people have asked what that means for the next vintage. Well, it means our dams are lovely and full, but it doesn’t have that much effect on the timing of the next vintage. That all comes down to summer & autumn sunshine and any rains in the last few weeks of ripening – we’ll keep you posted. We’ve had some ferocious hail too, but the young growth doesn’t look too bad off for it!

Twas a lovely evening, smelling of the spring, and I asked my darling spouse (that’s Dave) if he’d like to come for a walk. I suggested up the hill, but he preferred down the track to the vineyard. You’ve probably heard that once you have acres that the work is never done. Well, what did we find ourselves doing – on the hunt for any snails that might be taking cover at the base of any vines; of course. Up one row – found only 2, down the next row, 3. Should we put out some snail pellets? asked I. No, we can’t have that – we’ll just have to collect them and pour boiling water over them. Maybe it’s time to replenish the Guinea Fowl stocks . . .

Next time you have a bottle of MOOMBAKI, please enjoy your snail (and snail poison) free drop! See, it’s the little things that count. Next time I’ll suggest going to the beach for a walk . . .

This is the sight that greeted us when we arrived home! It’s taken 2 weeks to try and get the routine happening again, and I’m glad we put in all the extra effort before we went away – ‘cos it’s a bit quiet in tourism traffic. Well, it IS wet! And cold . . . but hey, the first week back I met my exercise partners for the obligatory Monday morning Green’s Pool walk, run (well, a tiny run, okay?) and  . . . swim! Yes, no whoosies around here! It was certainly invigorating, and personally, I only went in because one of the girls brought Chai. Quite a change from the tepid waters in Indonesia, though . . . here’s a few highlights from our trip . . .

Time-out with Madame and baby elephant at Bali Safari Park.  Putting aside the extortionist fees to get in, the interaction with animals was something special, and a great, but tiring, day out!

Taking the Jukung (fishing boat) from Amed to Gili Air. Anyone looking green? No that’s just Mum, taking the picture! It was quite an adventure taking a boat that fit the 5 of us quite snuggly across 18kms, crossing the Wallace line, across to Lombok. We spent 9 days on Gili Air, and with no cars, scooters, or dogs, it was a true break! We also hired a boat for a snorkelling day trip which took us around the 3 Gili islands and had a wonderful time swimming with turtles, a huge array of neon fish, and sighting some pretty speckly coral.

Walking the Campuan Ridge, Ubud. It was hot, it was steamy; there was a fair bit of whingeing going on, but the scenery from this magnificent walk was well worth it.

Playing with the local kids at Amed, Bali. Well, they drove us nuts the first couple of days; young kids trying to sell necklaces at break-neck prices, every time you turned, or looked out to enjoy the view, a kid would pop up waving a necklace in your face. But after a while they remembered what being a kid was all about; playing with other kids, and making up games on the beach (unsupported by common language). A delight!