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Our Land
We love our block of land in this "Valley of Gold" between the McPherson
Range on which it sits the magnificent Cocoparra Range across the valley.
In the late afternoon the sun's golden rays bring a golden glow to the
mountains across the valley.
On our farm we are frequently surprised by Australian animals. A family of
black shouldered kites nests in one of our large trees and hunts for mice on
our block and the nearby rice farms. Frilled necked lizards look for insects
in the vine branches. Kangaroos, attracted during the drought to grass
under our vines, gather at sunset to feed. Majestic wedge-tail eagles with
their 2.5 metre wingspans circle over the farm every day looking for rabbits
and other small animals.
And now and again an elegant peregrine falcon visits and sends any starlings
scattering in terror.
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Defying hard times
February 14, 1998 saw the first major drama in Kevin and Sally's challenge.
A tornado-like storm swept across the land along the low range on which the
farm sits.
When Kevin, Sally and their two children, Kim and Kirilly, drove up to the
gate the next morning the small shed containing their computerised
irrigation controls, fertilizer tank, and other equipment was scattered
across the vineyard, in the tops of trees on neighbouring bushland and as
far a two kilometres away across nearby rice farms.
The family was lucky. If they had been at the farm the day before, they
would probably have sheltered in the shed and perhaps been killed or
seriously injured.
The farm developed and in 1999 the first crop large enough to harvest
ripened. Then came the birds; black clouds of starlings which started
eating the grapes at the ends of each row and worked towards the middle
until literally every grape was gone.
In 2000 Kevin took leave from his job and protected the grapes from the
birds, trying every known trick- toy snakes, shiny objects and plastic bags
hung from vines, shotgun, and waving arms.
It worked and most of the grapes were harvested and became "Autumn Blessing"
2000, awarded a Bronze Medal in the Griffith (Riverina) Wine Show in 2001.
We lost our entire 2001 bottling to a wild yeast in the bottling line in the
winery that made our wine for us; major disaster #2!
In 2002 the family began netting the grapes to protect the grapes from the
birds and this has proven successful each year since.
When a UK winebuyer tasted the 2002 wine, he said, "You have a beautiful
wine".
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The drought has continued and the incredible heat of 2003 and 2005 again
reduced output of our wine to a non-commercial level. We pick our 2006 in
May or June.
The family's first export order , a pallet of our Silver Medal-winning
"Autumn Blessing" 2002, was received in 2004 and repeat orders have
continued since. We are very proud of this achievement in working with a
major Japanese importer. We also now export to "Harvest Vintage" in Alberta
in Canada.
Our challenges have included the storm, the birds, wild yeasts, the worst
drought in Australian history and doubts of people who have told us it
couldn't be done.
The Silver Medal-winning "Autumn Blessing" 2004 vintage is now available.
Only two wines outscored this wine in the prestigious Riverina Wine Show,
Australia's top botrytis show.
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