Sugarloaf Ridge

The Pinot Noir was hand picked just before Easter and is now safely in the hands of the winemaker. 

The crop was down slightly but the quality is excellent and it should produce another full-bodied and fruit-driven Pinot Noir.

As if to celebrate the end of harvest a wedge tail eagle hovered over the vineyard — a rare sight here.
 

In the vineyard the leaves have their autumn colours with lovely shades of red, yellows and brown — it is really a lovely time of year. 

It is also time to fertilise the vines and build them up for the winter. Even Sophie the vineyard cat appreciates the change of seasons!
 

Our two un-cooperative Rhodesian Ridgeback dogs — Rufus and Bella.

They provide company during the winter pruning season and ‘watch’ over the vineyard.

Click here for a large view of this panorama

The vineyard and cellar door will be open from Thursday 13 April till Tuesday 18 April.

Come and bring a picnic and enjoy the beautiful views whilst you sample some of our award winning wines. We have plenty of tables and chairs and there is much to see, and the views towards the Tasman Peninsula and Bruny Island are breathtaking.

It is a lovely time in the vineyard as the autumn colours take over and beautiful, hues of red develop in the red grape varieties – the final magnificent gift from the grape vines of this vintage.

The suns rays shining through the leaves are a photographers delight – early morning is especially beautiful.

You are welcome to walk around the vineyard and we can tell you about the vines and the history of the vineyard.

It is possible that you will see us harvesting the Pinot Noir but that depends on the vagaries of the weather.

The 2005 Pinot Noir and Chardonnay have now been bottled and these will be released in November – both wines promise to be at least as good as our very successful vintage of 2004.

Sugarloaf Ridge’s Pinot Noir 2004 has been awarded a Silver Medal at the International Cool Climate Wine Show 2006.

The Sugarloaf Ridge Chardonnay 2004 gained a Silver Medal at the Tasmanian Wine Show in Class 12.

Please click here to get an easy-to-print order form.

Our new temporary cellar door will be opening on Friday December 30. The opening hours are 10am to 5pm, Friday to Monday from October to May. Visitors are very welcome at other times but please call us first.

In addition to our own wines you will also find a selection of Bream Creek wines for tasting and sale.

There are tables in the garden where you can enjoy your wine and you are welcome to bring your own picnic.

Sugarloaf Ridge 2004 Chardonnay,$26 (CD) screw cap:
Lovely green-gold colour, creamy melon and ripe stonefruit nose, plenty of good fruit, honey and caramel flavours on a softly textured and nicely balanced, mid-weight palate, the finish long and lingering.

Sugarloaf Ridge 2004 Pinot Noir, $32 (CD) screw cap:
Wonderfully perfumed, sweet black plums and spice fruit, the rich and intense fruit flavours carried beautifully on a velvety smooth, mid-weight palate with soft spicy tannins rounding out the finish.  Lovely drinking.

Graeme Phillips in The Mercury, Hobart, December 14 2005

November 24 2005.

The Sugarloaf Ridge Pinot Noir 2004 has won a Silver medal at the 2005 Royal Hobart International Wine Show.

The wine is due for release in December 2005 with the opening of the new cellar door. The wine is likely to be priced at $32.00.

One last task to be done is the removal of the nets and their storage till next year.

Harvest has finished and what we do now may well determine the success of the coming vintage and in a way this is the start of the new year.

The leaves are still on the vines it is an opportunity to build up the food reserves in the vine to promote bud burst and early leaf development.

Mulch is spread around the vines, a final foliar spray and a handful of fertiliser is then applied to each vine. The leaves turn to a beautiful brown colour at this time of year.

At the start of winter pruning begins a process which will take up to six weeks. The vines are pruned to give two canes which will be later laid along the wire.

The remainder of the canes are pulled out and left on the ground where they will be turned into mulch. The length of canes is determined by the number of buds which will be retained, normally between 8 and 10.

The short days and cold weather can mean this is a hard job for the pruners.

At the end of pruning the vines the two canes which were left are wrapped around the fruiting wire to form next years cordon.

After pruning is finished it is time to clean up the vineyard, check the trellising and make any repairs to the irrigation system.

After a warm winter, as occurred this year, bud burst can occur in early September though it is normally delayed to mid September.

This is the time to spray with sulphur to protect the buds against mite damage. As the weather warms up the vines start to develop more leaves and then the first signs of the flower inflorescence is seen.

The vines are watched carefully for diseases and pests. As the length of the shoots increases they are tucked into the training wires which keep the shoots separated and vertical and protect them from breaking in the wind.

By mid December flowering has started. This is a critical period and much now depends on the weather and careful use of sprays to protect the flowers from powdery mildew and botrytis.

Cold, wet, and windy weather at this time can result in poor pollination with small open bunches and consequent low yields.

Over the next few months we carefully watch the vines growth irrigating, when necessary and checking the vines for any sign of disease or pests.

At the same time there is a continual process of ‘tucking in’ to ensure that the shoots stay vertical within the trellis system. During February the grapes start to turn pink, a process known as veraison and this continues through to harvest.

The reddening of the grapes is the signal for the birds to start to take an interest and the time to net the vineyard.

This is done using 13m wide nets which are joined together to form a cage about a half hectare in size. The nets are carefully tied down to the ground to stop birds, particularly parrots, crawling underneath.

In early April, together with our winemaker, we carefully monitor the grapes for sugar development, colour and flavour to determine the optimum day to pick.

Finally it is harvest day and the grapes are hand picked by a professional picking team who make sure damaged or diseased bunches are rejected.

The grapes are collected into apple bins before being taken to the winery. After harvest we always have a small celebration.