Western Australia - Vintage Outlook for Smithbrook

By Jono • January 14, 2008

By Jon F

If you have watched WineBlokeTV Episode 1 you’ll know that I’m heading to Western Australia to work at Smithbrook Wines in a few week to work vintage. I will be attempt to create a video diary of the time I spend there. It should be quite interested as I managed the vineyard and winery at Smitbrook for 6 years. At the time I left, we had just completed expansion of the winery, and since then more work has taken place.

I have just spoken to Ashley, the vineyard manager and assistant winemaker of Smithbrook. The current outlook for vintage looks promising with the season so far providing sunshine and rain just at the right times. Ash initially believed harvest would begin around the middle of February, approximately 2-3 weeks early. However there has been a little bit more rain than expected and also some cooler weather that had now moved the predicated start time to around the start of March. None of the varieties have completed veraison yet, a key indicator of time until harvest.

Early indications are that yields are considereably higher than inprevious years, and Chardonnay especially looks to be producing quite a large crop. All blocks in the vineyard that are targeted for Smithbrook wine however, are maintained to produce a balanced crop to maintain flavour and structure. Excessive yields can produce wine of inferior quality, with a lighter flavour profile and structure. Conversely, if the vine has too little fruit, the resutling wine can be overbearing, and may have excessive unwanted qualities such as high phenolics or bitterness. Therfore the aim of the grower of high quality fruit is to find the particular balance required to produce the desired quality from any particular block. It is by no means a wh olisitc approach, as different varieties, terroir and regions produce differing results.

Sheep in theSmithbrook Vineyard in winter

I have to say I’m also a curious about Ash’s that I’ll have to share my vintage accomodation with hundreds of Guinea Fowl chicks. Smithbrook has been a champion of environmental sustainability in the vineyard by using chickens, guinea fowl and sheep to reduce weavil populations and help “cleanliness” in the vineyard by keeing undervine weeds under control. Apparently the suppliers of Guinea fowl have been inundated with orders to supply, and have run out of stock. So the resourceful guys at Smithbrook have purchased and incubator to hatch their own guinea fowl, that has been strategically placed in my vintage accomodation. It could be worse I suppose.

More updates to come as vintage draws near.

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About the Author

Jono

Jono has been involved in the wine industry since he was quite young. His parents had a small vineyard and winery in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia, and spent plenty of school holidays working in the vineyard and winery. He completed a Bachelor of Agricultural Science (Oenology) from the University of Adelaide (formely the Roseworthy Agricultural College). He also holds a Post Graduate Degree in Business Management from Monash University. His wine industry experience include working as a winemaker for Petaluma in the Adelaide Hills under the legendary Brian Croser. He was then sent to Smithbrook in the Pemberton region of Western Australia, then owned by Petaluma. He spent 6 years at Smithbrook managing the vineyard and winery, and during that time also completed a vintage at Chateau Carsin in Bordeaux. The two years leading into 2008, he traveled the world with his partner sampling the worlds best wines, and also fulfilling his other passion of equestrian competition.