20 Nov It’s mulching time
As well as the usual spring rush: including de-suckering by hand (ouch, says the lower back), canopy management (tucking-in all the crazy growth into the trellising) and mowing (it’s never-ending), there’s also a whole lot of mulching going on.
We composted last season’s hay – all 700 bales of it – so we could apply it under the vines and sweeten up the soils with all the good stuff; worm castings, effective microorganisms, and great bacteria. It was a pretty big investment for us – $3000 to get our own hay cut but we knew our vineyard needed some extra goodness in the 20th year since we planted. Yes, 20 years!
We’re putting carbon back into the soil from our own paddocks. It’s a major feat but we are making the most of the cooler days (and the fly nets). Now watch those vines grow! It’s all the little things (and big things) that we do that make our vineyard sustainable right now and into the future. When we talk about looking after the ecology of our patch, this is what we are talking about.
When you buy wine from us you are helping us support ongoing projects like the mulching, protecting our wetlands, planting tress and investing in best vineyard practices. And you get to drink some damn good wine (that’s what you call a win-win situation).