Summer 2008
Dear Friends,
Since you received our winter newsletter in July we have not been idle here at Turkey Flat.
All the pruning was completed in September just in time for budburst in early October. The inter-row cover crops have been mown and we are currently removing any unwanted vine shoots in preparation for the lifting of the first of the foliage wires. We do this to allow light and air into the vines during the growing season as well as exposing the bunches to sunlight. It also seems to make the vines ‘happy’!!
We have also spread over 700 round bales of straw to some of our vineyards to preserve valuable moisture. This also serves to smother the under vine weeds and thereby eliminate the use of herbicides.
I guess the message is that no matter what sort of financial mess the world is in we still tend to our vineyards year after year. After all, the red wines we make in 2009 will not be sold until 2011.
In a recent article in “The World of Fine Wine” publication, James Halliday has written a very interesting article about the origin of Shiraz in Australia.
It is now accepted that the Shiraz vine in Australia started on the Hill of Hermitage on Dec 10th 1831 when James Busby was presented with 12 Shiraz cuttings by a Monsieur Machon. The 12 vine sticks were then propagated in Sydney and somehow a few cuttings found their way to Turkey Flat to be planted here in 1847. These ancient vines still exist to this day and have just gone through budburst. In about 130 days they will produce yet another crop and provide an integral part of our 2009 vintage Shiraz.
It is with Christmas festivities in mind that we offer you a selection of our latest releases. Here we hope you’ll find something special to enjoy with family and friends.
Cheers,
Peter & Christie Schulz