With the first grapes of 2019 about to be crushed there’s electricity in the air here in the Barossa. A daunting, thrilling anticipation of the juggernaut about to descend upon us.

It’s vintage! That crazy-busy, exhausting and magical time of year that winemakers look forward to with equal parts dread, excitement and inspiration. There’s the peculiar delight of the unknown. What the weather will bring. How the tides will turn. Uncertainty is the name of the game during vintage and the best-laid plans rarely eventuate thanks to Mother Nature, who has her own uncompromising way of doing things.

One of the reasons wine is so decidedly unique and inimitable is that it can only be made once a year when the grapes are ripe. And ripen they do. And mostly all around the same sort of time. And while Chardonnay will ripen before Shiraz and Shiraz before Cabernet, it’s a very intense progression where one after another each variety blossoms into its full potential. Unlike a peach, grapes won’t ripen off the vine, so perfect timing is of the essence. This is one of the reasons why there are so many sleep-deprived winemakers skulking around vineyards and lurking in fermenter sheds by the end of April wondering if they will ever see the insides of their eyelids again.

Wish us luck for a cracker vintage!