The Wineshed@3DE, Mudstone Ridge Kitchen and a new pup!

The Wineshed@3DE,  Mudstone Ridge Kitchen and a new pup!

After a pretty rocky year for most of us, 2020 is finally behind us. 

Despite the restrictions on visiting friends and family in Melbourne, we actually had our most productive year ever and managed to get quite a lot done around the place. Apart from planting out the last 6 rows of the new vineyard with the Grenache, the kangaroo fence was put up and the new 25,000 litre water tank was moved into position with the help of our neighbour Jeremy and his ute, chains, straps and hand winches. This tank when full will table to water the vineyard, twice a week for 10 weeks if needed. During the winter months this year, all three dams were overflowing with precious water being lost to nature so having extra storage capacity during such times is critical when the rain don't come! So far this year, we've only seen about 6mm of rain and despite our automated irrigation systems, the gardens and vines are starting to struggle and if we don't get rain soon, we're in trouble!

UPDATE: Jan 29th, It's finally raining! It's 5.30pm and so far, 48mm of rain since 9am!

The Wineshed @3DE

One of the major projects undertaken during the Great Lockdown of 2020, was the fitting out of the old reclaimed tin shed as a new venue/dining/bar space. Generously donated by Pete Pichut from Palling Bros. Brewery in town, this old shed was once located at the McIvor Times site in High Street but now, no longer required. Using old recycled corrugated iron, fence palings and decking boards, the old shed now has a new life and has become a great addition to the Cellar door. Complete with a turntable and an eclectic vinyl selection, a pot belly stove for the winter months, and a comfy couch and  the Wineshed @3DE is a perfect place to relax and enjoy some delicious Spanish style tapas and 3DE wine and local beer. It also has a Providore selling various delicacies as well as old wares and collectibles. 

Mudstone Ridge Kitchen

In November last year, the new kitchen was signed off by the Council and our Class 2 food license was issued. This allows us to prepare and sell food, and food products produced on the property such as honey, olives, sauces and chutneys. We have also started an onsite catering business called Mudstone Ridge kitchen which aims to provide Spanish inspired dishes to eat on the premises or to pre order as Take Away  for visitors to enjoy while visiting the regions wineries and picnic spots. All details for the Grazing and Tapas bags can be found on our website here

Meet Zephyr! 

We're excited to introduce the newest member to the 3DE family...young Zephyr. A border collie/kelpie/labrador cross. He's now 5 months old but came to us as a rescue through our neighbours that foster unwanted dogs. He's a great little guy and always keen to be part of the action, almost so much that we're considering changing his name to FOMO for his 'fear of missing out'! He loves his new "brother" Ziggy but needs to understand the 13 year age gap and stop jumping on his head!

Hoping he'll grow into his legs one day!

Vineyard News

The Tempranillo is well into Vèraison now (that time when the berries start to change colour and the sugar content climbs). Due to the lack of summer rain (until today!), the vines have copped a bit of heat stress and the berries are on the small side at the moment. With a bit of luck, today's rain should supercharge the vines and help plump up the grapes. Still maintaining a 100% strike rate on the new Mudstone Ridge vineyard down the hill with most of the Monastrell vines tied down to the cordon wire as well as several of the recently planted Grenache vines. We're expecting to harvest the first crop of Monastrell in March 2022, pandemic or not!

Agapanthus in full flower.

www.threedamsestate.com.au

 

3DE October 2020

Roo fence, wildflowers and budburst #2

Despite the pandemic that has upended lives for most of this year, things at 3DE have continued pretty much as normal. Here in Regional Victoria, the restrictions on movement and public gatherings have not been as strict as in Metropolitan Melbourne but we have tended to stay close to the farm for the most part.

The great thing about that is that 2020 has been the most productive for getting projects completed and jobs ticked off the list, the latest being the completion of the kangaroo fence around the new vineyard. A total of 54 posts were rammed and 230 meters of wire and fence mesh was rolled out and erected around some repurposed cyclone gates found on Facebook Marketplace.

The 305 Grenache vines were planted out at the end of September and a check yesterday revealed that they have all taken and are budding well. A La Niña weather pattern has been declared for the coming summer period so October has so far been mild and fairly wet. Perfect conditions for the new vines and recently planted apple and pomegranate trees. 

The Spring rains have also seen an abundance of native wildflowers and orchids pop up around the place creating some nice contrasting colours in the bush. The other things that are popping up at the moment now are the snakes! The warm weather has enticed them out of their winter slumber so vigilance is required during the regular morning bush walk.

VEGGIE GARDEN UPDATE

Wends has been busy in the veggie garden planting out new seedlings of tomatoes, beetroot, carrots, zucchini, cucumber, eggplant, beans, corn and chilli in the new wicking beds and a "wigwam" structure made from sapling trunks has been erected to support the ever growing raspberry plants.

Also exciting is that after about 8 years, the Macadamia tree has finally flowered! 

Click below to watch video!

WINERY NEWS

As the weather is warming up, some of the 2020 wines in barrel have "woken up" and begun (or re-begun)   secondary (Malolactic) fermentation, a natural process that converts harsher Malic acid components into softer Lactic acid which results in a smoother mouthfeel and texture in the wine. When this is complete, the wines will be assessed and thoughts will turn to blending and other options.

Our Cellar Door will be open again the first full weekend in November (7th and 8th) and we will be pre-celebrating International TEMPRANILLO Day (Nov 12th)!

 

Spring 2020 @ 3DE

Budburst, Pomegranates, Honey and a renewed kitchen.

September 2020

Life in (partial) lockdown at 3DE means jobs, jobs and more jobs...and a few wines here and there! As the days get longer (and warmer) we've been busy cracking on with the jobs list and have made great progress over the last few weeks. The 20 Pomegranate trees are in, as are 12 cider apple trees and 13 struggling olive trees have also been lovingly relocated to a different area to get a second chance to thrive.

The BEES

Back in May we set up our first bee hive, relocated from a neighbour in town and last weekend, we harvested the first honey. A local apiarist dropped in an inspected the hive and declared all 8 frames in the top box were fully capped and ready. A few hours later, we had a harvest of nearly 13kg.

BUDBURST

Vintage 2021 is off and running a week earlier than last year with most vines already in the early stages of budburst. Above average winter rain has helped to retain a decent amount of soil moisture and with above average Spring rain predicted, things are looking promising for a better yield in 2021. The remaining 6 rows of the new vineyard down the hill are ready for planting out the 300 Grenache vines next weekend (Sept 25th), just in time for the warm Spring weather. We're also installing a 27,300 litre water tank uphill from the vineyard to water the vines over Summer. The plan is to pump this full from the lower dams during the wet months to have a reserve of water over Summer.

The NEW kitchen

In 2001 when I return from my 10 year stint in Perth, Western Australia, I brought with me several long lengths of Jarrah hardwood that have been in various storage locations since then. I finally got around to doing something with it and engaged a local craftsman/woodworker to transform them into a replacement kitchen bench top. The original sink position has been moved to under the window which frees up more space to cook and prepare food...and to cover with clutter! The old gas wall oven/grill has been replaced with a new (Yes, we bought something NEW!) freestanding cooker.

As of tonight, Sept 16th, some COVID restrictions in Regional Victoria will be eased to allow bars, restaurants, shops and Cellar Doors etc to open again to limited numbers of visitors. This is indeed exciting news for everyone in Regional Victoria and especially welcoming for the Hospitality and Tourism sector that has struggled since the first lockdowns in March 2020. Stay tuned for updates on our Cellar Door openings and more exciting news and happenings at:

www.threedamsestate.com.au

Winter is (still ) here and so is COVID!

 July/August 2020..COVID-19, and Lockdown..AGAIN!

We're now a few weeks into August 2020, and who would have believed it that we'd be back in lockdown again living in a declared State of Disaster! Unlike our friends and family in Melbourne subjected to Stage 4 Restrictions (curfew between 8pm and 5am), at least up in regional Victoria we can still leave the house anytime provided we wear a mask. Stage 3 restrictions also means, no visitors from family or friends so that means no more Cellar Door for the foreseeable future. The lockdown is in place for 6 weeks but potentially could be extended depending on how things go with containing the spread of the virus.

Meanwhile, things go on pretty much as normal at 3DE. Plenty of work being done around the place including in the garden and vineyards. The last 6 remaining rows in the new vineyard, (now called the Mudstone Ridge vineyard) have now been re-ripped and prepared with organic fertiliser, mushroom compost, gypsum and lime ready for the Grenache planting in a few months time. After a pretty dry July with below average rainfall, August so far has seen more rain than the whole of last month. The three dams are once again overflowing and perfect timing for the new vineyard too.

As well as prepping the vineyard, we have levelled a site above the vineyard for a 23,500 litre water tank. The plan is to pump water from the lower dam in wet conditions like we're experiencing now that we can use to water the vineyard throughout summer. The beauty of this is that the vine irrigation will be gravity fed, as the tank is located higher up the hill than the vines, so no pumps etc will be required.

Winter food production is underway with several different seedlings planted in the greenhouse and a recent addition of some seed tray tracking made up from old fridge shelving has improved the set up. We are also trialling planting peas between the Tempranillo vines, not only as a cover crop but hopefully to harvest for eating. At least 8 different varieties from Sugar Snap to Snow peas were planted throughout the vineyard and many have already emerged. The Pink Lady apple tree has been pruned and some of the other fruit trees like the almond and nectarine have already begun flowering.

NEWS FROM THE WINERY

Due to the reimposition of COVID restrictions, unfortunately we've had to close the Cellar Door to visitors for the foreseeable future. Although not ideal, this has given us time to work on the new wine shed cellar door space, adjacent to the winery. Stay tuned for more details on this exciting new project!

Winter is here!

WINTER IS HERE! 

A new logo, bees and more wine!

Like everyone these last few months, we've been in lockdown here at 3DE. It has been a bit like Groundhog Day lately but we've been using the time in isolation to work through the "to do" list and have made pretty good progress so far. Vintage 2020 was pretty hectic this year but all the 2020 wines are now safely resting in barrel and tank. We've also bottled the last of the 2018 Tempranillo RESERVA along with a small batch of Grenache ready for the rescheduled launch in September. Due to Covid-19, the Long Lunch Launch for the 2019 wines scheduled for April had to be postponed until September however we opted for a virtual online launch and have been busy delivering wine across Melbourne and the Heathcote region to our loyal supporters.

Our little 6 x 6 metre winery space was filled to capacity this year as we processed not only our own Tempranillo but several other batches of locally sourced different (Spanish) grapes. In the end there was about 2000 litres of wine made which for our little operation, was quite a lot and the biggest vintage we have undertaken to date. Stay tuned for some exciting blends and single varietals next year. Our new logo design is now up and running and has been incorporated into our branding and is already on the new 2019 releases. A big thank you once again to Genevieve Haussegger for her graphic design skills and patience!

Last weekend (Queen's Birthday long weekend) we were finally allowed to re open the Cellar Door for wine tastings and sales. People who were eager to get out and about for the first time in a while were able to enjoy some delicious tapas around the fire with a glass of 3DE wine.

In other news, we recently welcomed about 30,000 new friends to 3DE in the form of a bee hive!

One evening at dusk, we relocated a hive from a friend in Heathcote and carefully set it in its new location near the vegie garden and fruit orchard. We're hoping that the bees will help the garden to be even more productive and having the bees around will also be beneficial to the vineyard during flowering in Springtime. A worm farm has also been added to the mix to help maximise garden yields.

Another exciting project that we undertook last year was the native garden. A patch of land in front of the house was reclaimed and worked over (thanks Leroy) and a variety of Australian native plants and grasses planted. Fast forward a year and the garden is thriving, providing not only a great sight out the lounge room window but a natural habitat for the local birds and our new bees!

Unfortunately due to Covid-19, we're unable to travel to Spain this year but we're planning to use the time here to get stuck in to the "Eco Accommodation" proposal and will hopefully be able to offer eco friendly, off grid retro caravans to rent before the year is out!

Stay up to date with all the latest news at:

www.threedamsestate.com.au

Vintage 2020 update

Vintage 2020 in full swing during lockdown!

During these unprecedented times, it is worth remembering that when this is all over and we emerge from the other side, we will still have wine!

Without meaning to make light of a serious situation that is threatening to overwhelm our health system, disrupt families, destroy businesses and affect many peoples health, I am confident that this crisis will have a positive affect on the future of humanity and "reset" the way in which we think and exist on this planet. 

I am reassured that despite this current calamity, the sun still rises in the morning, the wind still blows and the rain still falls (sometimes!). If we have these three things, then we can still make wine and here at 3DE, we have been busy doing just that!

On March 16th, we harvested the 2020 Tempranillo grapes, 2 weeks later than last year. It has been a difficult season over the entire region resulting in reduced yields of up to 60% in some places. The generally accepted reason for this is that on 21 Nov when the grapevines were in full flower, we experienced a hideous weather event, with 40 degree temperatures, and ferocious winds that lasted most of the day. This resulted in severe damage to the vine flowers resulting in poor and inconsistent pollination. Despite the reduced yields, the  fruit quality was good and will hopefully result in some delicious concentrated wines.

As of writing today (March 30th, 2020) we have our 2020 Tempranillo, as well as a small portion of Grenache and some Monastrell (aka Mourvèdre/ Mataró) safely in tank and will be pressing some Shiraz and more Monastrell in the coming days. We also managed to source another parcel of Grenache fruit (570kgs) that is currently on cold soak awaiting yeast inoculation in a few days.

With the combination of Tempranillo, Grenache, Monastrell and Shiraz, we are hoping to create some exciting Spanish inspired blends in 2020 including a GSM (Grenache/Shiraz/Mourvèdre)

In other 3DE news, the new Monastrell vineyard is doing well and has survived the harsh summer with the loss of only 3 vines. So far this year we had some welcome rainfall, including 43mm on Feb 6th and another 85 on March 4th! As a result, the property has "greened up" quite a lot which has provided an alternative food source for the kangaroos and wallabies and they have mostly left the new vines untouched. All the dams and tanks are now full..which has never previously happened during Summer/ Autumn.

The weather is changing but as usual, autumn brings some beautiful sunsets and still evenings. A perfect environment to self isolate!

Stay safe everyone and see you on the other side.

www.threedamsestate.com.au

Energy freedom, four new wicking beds...and the greenhouse is finally up!

SUMMER REPORT 2020

The "Tree Change" is complete!

In early January, we finally moved permanently to Heathcote. After commuting to and from Melbourne since 2007, we decided late last year to give up the rental in Ascot Vale and move to the country. That meant giving up my teaching job at Camberwell Grammar after 13 years and basically selling the whole contents of the Melbourne house on FB Marketplace! In the end, all we needed was a small van and the tandem trailer to take what was left up to Heathcote. One of the most satisfying parts of the move was calling Momentum Energy to disconnect the power and gas services. The only energy bills from now on will be our 45kg gas bottle once a year!

After a pretty hot and ferocious December with serious bushfires blazing in the east of the state, January arrived to pretty mild conditions with few hot days. The weather so far in February has been pretty mild with only a few extreme days and even some rain! Perfect conditions for the newly planted Monastrell vines of which out of 350, only one appears to not have survived. We had been keeping them alive by pumping water from the middle dam which until a few weeks back, was pretty much empty. Late one afternoon on Feb 6th, the heavens opened and a massive storm cell dumped 43ml in about 4 hrs, filling all the dams and tanks. 

Incredible what a bit of rain can do to the parched landscape. There is a lot more green around now and the Tempranillo vines have shot out a lot of new growth. The weather has been challenging for the vineyard this year and many growers, including us a reporting fewer bunches and uneven ripening.

The veggie garden has has a massive reworking with building of 4 Wicking Beds. We used cut in half IBC's which if you are unfamiliar with them, they are those large square plastic water cubes. The wicking bed principal is a much more efficient way of growing things as the plants "wick" the water up from below rather than rely on surface watering. So far the results have been amazing, producing an abundance of cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes and a few pumpkins. 

The other great garden story is that after 3 years in the boxes, the greenhouse is up! It's been on the "to do" list since we bought it in 2017 but after a bit of public shaming, it rocketed to the top of the list! Thanks Tarkyn for your height when it came to the roof section!

Rain on 6th of February.

IN THE WINERY

So far this month we have been getting ready for Vintage 2020, bottling the 2019 wines (Tempranillo and Tempranillo/Garnacha) and preparing for the Long Lunch Launch on April 18th. Cellar Door has been steady with several visitors picking up a few bottles to take away. Our next Cellar Door Open is Sat and Sun, March 7/8th.

CELLAR DOOR OPEN First weekend of each month.