Trials and tribulations

Such a delay in posting! Sorry all. Summer and the start of 2014 have been a bruising whirlwind around Gryphonwood.

So what does one do when:

Winter and spring winds, followed by marauding escapee sheep have battered and torn apart our fledgling 777 Pinot Noir block. It is a replant job...and time for mutton.

The Tasmanian economy finally, truly, tanked. Retail (not only wine) has dried up to a trickle and I now fear for some of our customers, not to mention the cascading impact this is having on us and beyond. Our hope is that this weekend's election will see some calm come to the state soon, and give everyone a chance to recover.

The keenly awaited 2013 wines have failed to eventuate to date (we had a small yet special joy with the 2013 Pinot Gris; it is stunning, but only 15 cases!). Hopefully soon!

Mel's hip failed, Christmas eve of all times. It has been a painful and slow summer for her, and it is a basically a countdown now to a replacement. On top of that, child number one's auto immune disease is  back with a vengeance.

A tree limb came down on my car, whilst I was doing 70km/hr in it! I am stunned that it did not come through the windscreen and take my head off! Car is a little worse for wear and still awaiting repair.

Launceston's Festivale changed their strategies on wine this year and left a lot of little vineyards on the fallback list. Sadly they fell back on us only a few weeks out from the event, and there was no way we were going to be ready - so the festival season was a big non-event this year.

We find ourselves in a fight to keep our land and home, as an outside legal contest has managed to drag us into the fringes.

We got an offer to buy every case of our wine, by a big online retailer...at a price that was one third the cost of manufacture of the wine! Exactly who is profiting in the wine industry??? (we said no btw)

Something has eaten two out of three Peking ducks! Worked out they are easy pickings at night it seems...

So what does one do? Should one sit and sulk or grizzle about it? No...everyone has their troubles.

One cracks a red with family and friends, raises a glass and says 'Cheers!'

I hope your 2014 is awesome, truly.

Investment in Tasmania's Wine Industry!

In a most pleasant surprise, the Tasmanian Government has announced its support for the Wine Industry!

The Government will launch a new initiative to support growth in the Tasmanian wine sector, through a $1.2M five year program to assist producers with new plantings. 

Here is the link for their media release. 

So if there is a chance this comes off, we may have to ramp up our planting program! 

Chardonnay...Pinot Gris...Gruner Veltliner??? 

Tasmanian Red Wine Weekend

In Hobart this weekend, on the 26th & 27th of May, is the Tasmanian Red Wine Weekend; put on by Wine South. This event is being held as part of Savour Tasmania - a celebration of Tasmanian Food & Wine.

Our One Bunch Pinot Trio will be present at the Red Wine Weekend, and we are happy to see our 2011 selected to be served at the Feast of Chefs Dinner on Saturday night! This dinner for 400 people has sold out!!




If you are going, let us know how the weekend goes, especially the Feast of Chefs Dinner!!

Sombre signs for 2011

Indicators around Northern Tasmania are pointing to a rough end to the 2011 vintage. Many producers are facing yield losses and the possibility of not picking at all! The cool season has pushed back ripening into dangerous waters, as canopies begin to senesce and leaves fall. Add to that cooler temperatures and the ever present threat of further rain.

Looking in the winery, there are numbers of producers having to sacrifice ideal sugar levels to secure a crop. Some are hoping that berry shrivel will help them get to the necessary level of sugar to make a wine. Others still have decided that they will achieve neither the sugar level or the quality of fruit to warrant harvesting their crop.

A hard year for all, it seems....

A Pleasant Surprise!

I mentioned the other day One Bunch Pinot received a good review from the Pinot unearthed team: 

One Bunch Pinot Noir, 2009

Region:

Tasmania Pipers River & North East

Date Tasted:10/12/2010

Drink until: 2014

RATING:

16.25

Ben Edwards:17.5 Bright colour; quite a hi-toned bouquet, showing vibrant almost sour cherry aromas; the palate is also crunchy and driven by acid and chewy tannins, drawing out the finish to a quite savoury and minerally conclusion; long and with latent power taking time to unravel.

Chris Crawford:15.5 Medium to dark purple, good clarity; brightly scented macerated plums with subtle herbal undertones; simple crunchy red fruits add to its compact core; the tannins are a little course leaving a hard, grainy finish; medium length; plenty of appeal.

Dan Sims:15.5 Mid red in colour; dark macerated strawberry, wild raspberry fruit aromas and perhaps lacking a little concentration and fruit weight to back up the grippy tannic structure that surrounds the wine; whilst in that lighter bodied style, it has some charming qualities, though lacks that extra dimension.

Quoted from Pinot Unearthed 2009 TASMANIAN PINOT NOIR COMPLETE

   FEBRUARY 15TH 2011, ISSUE NUMBER 4, available as a download from their site.

All in all, a favourable result - one we are happy with...as a starting point!

However, we were most pleasantly surprised to be invited by Pinot Unearthed to participate in their Pure Tassie Pinot dinners, to be held at Pure South Restaurant in South Bank, Melbourne, and the stunning Peppermint Bay, south of Hobart. Both events will be held in March (the 9th in Melbourne; the 31st at Peppermint Bay).

The aim for these dinners is to showcase the variety and styles of Tassie Pinot. Of all the wines tasted, we are chuffed to be one of the twelve selected!

Tickets are available here. Hope we see you there!

Welcome to Gryphonwood's Blog!

Does the world need another wine blog? Probably not...
Nevertheless, here we are!


In a world of big wine companies, shifting markets and an industry under intense pressure, I think it's important to look at the smaller stuff - the small end of the trade (and it doesn't get much smaller than Tasmania!). This is still the realm of family owned businesses, where a handful of people do everything in the vineyard, and often the winery as well. This is where the heart and soul of wine is; the romance we feel about wine.


With this blog, Mel and I invite you to share with us the newest stage of our venture - coming to market with our wine!


It has taken what seems an age to get to this point...through slow growing vines in Tassie's cool conditions and monster frosts wiping out a hectare of baby vines, to co-ordinated tactical incursions by possums that consumed our vine nursery, to wasps that flew in and carried away an entire vintage. We finally have a label on the market!


Cheers!
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