Sirromet Wines began its 2018 harvest mid-January, bringing in eight tonnes of Chambourcin and the first three tonnes of the Moscato Giallo fruit from its Mount Cotton vineyard.
Ten different varieties off 92 blocks from their Granite Belt vineyards followed soon after, bringing in a total of approx. 450 tonnes of fruit for the 2018 vintage.
Chief winemaker, Adam Chapman, said this year brought exceptionally high quality red fruit, particularly for Cabernet, Shiraz, Pinot Noir and premium Chardonnay, with each ‘exhibiting a good level of colour, acidity, flavours and characteristics’.
“Given the location and high elevation (820m) of our vineyards in the Granite Belt, we were able to avoid much of the poor coastal weather influence and experienced an ideal growing season.
“With many of our vines coming of age, they are now continuing to yield premium quality fruit, which allows us to experiment and develop special barrel trials, ultimately enabling us to produce more premium quality wines,” he said.
This vintage, Chapman and his team were able to produce four different clones of Pinot Noir (777, 115, MV6 and Mariafield), with plans to produce several barrel trials for an exclusive special release down the track.
“These four Pinot Noirs are looking fantastic at this stage, bright ruby colours and an array of aromas of cherries, plums and wild tomato leaf,” Chapman explained.
With more than 30 years of viticulture and winemaking experience, Chapman is dedicated to perfecting his craft, recently completing a WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) Level 4 diploma in Wines and Spirits.
Sirromet Wines is the first Australian winery to offer an international recognised qualification.
Chapman is now teaching these courses at Sirromet, currently offering Level 1, 2 and 3 WSET courses in wine education.
“We hope to also offer Level 1 in Sake and Level 1 in Spirits soon, with the aim to help other parts of the liquor trade with qualifications,” he said.
“Not only does this qualification allow me to be better at my craft, I am able to share my knowledge and passion with anyone looking to learn more about wine.
“The WSET’s robust accredited qualifications, combined with Sirromet’s state of the art wine facility, offer students the ultimate hands-on education experience,” Chapman added.
Varieties being harvested from Sirromet’s three vineyards located in Ballandean, within the Granite Belt wine region are:
SEVEN SCENES, BALLANDEAN (52-ha): Chardonnay, Shiraz, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot
ST JUDE’S, BALLANDEAN (25-ha): Pinot Gris, Viognier, Chardonnay, Verdelho, Nebbiolo, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon
NIGHT SKY, BALLANDEAN (23-ha): Chardonnay, Verdelho, Pinot Gris, Viognier
