Day 21 11th March

And that’s exactly what today is.

A small team of small pickers turned up at 6.30am and we were away by 7am.

By accident, Cabernet Franc was the first variety we planted at Bloodwood. We actually thought we were planting Merlot Noir and indeed we were for around 15% of this first planting.

Along with much of early 80’s plantings of Merlot Noir it turns out that we were sewing around 85% Cabernet Franc. It’s a long story which I will tell you when next you visit the cellar door but suffice to say that it was an Australia wide stuff up.

And Australia, even in the early eighties, was still a pretty big place.

My overactive 14 carat brain tells me that that, (even before the film Sideways) is one of the reasons Merlot Noir is still frowned upon by too many Australian wine drinkers. Our early eighties Merlot Noir just didn’t taste like classical Merlot Noir should taste..

In Bordeaux, Cabernet Franc, which is often blended with Merlot Noir is used traditionally as insurance against the occasional failure of the more noble Cabernet Sauvignon to ripen fully.

Franc matures 10 days or so earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon and in wet, cold vintages, this is helpful in the cellar and bottle.

One of the great advantages we have here at Bloodwood is that our ripening period is much more reliable than Bordeaux or Burgundy and that allows us to do a good job on Cabernet Franc most years.

Everyone growing Cabernet Franc around the worlds vineyards can get the Loire’s Chinon-like light and peppery end of its profile but what we look for at Bloodwood is the tobacco, cassis and in exceptional years violets which leap out of the glass as soon as it is poured.

I think 2026 may be one of those years.

(As a side note, DNA examination has shown that Cabernet Franc at some time in the past crossed with Sauvignon Blanc to produce Cabernet Sauvignon and the next time you enjoy a glass of well grown and made Cabernet Sauvignon you can see the ripe raspberry, black cherry, cassis and violets aplenty.)

Expensive though it seems to be, a good picking team makes a harvest.

Working in three hour sessions under a warm Australian sun requires a lot of application and tenacity. Throughout the day the banter amongst the group eases back but the pace of picking is pretty constant. And they are good at their job. If they spot a bird-pecked or sun-scolded bunch they will drop it. If there’s any breakdown or mildew infected fruit it gets the same treatment.

And I am yet to see a harvesting machine that can do that as well as avoid Australian grapevine caterpillars eucalypt leaves and bird nests.

In effect, our hand harvesters are quality controllers before I get my hands on the fruit in the winery and that makes my job much easier.

In our vineyard and winery, expensive as it is, there’s nothing cheaper than good human labour.

We use all electric ATV’s here at Bloodwood. We charge them off our solar panels and they get a pretty good workout at vintage where there are plenty of tasks they full-fill.

They tow the grape bins back to the winery, collect and distribute the picking and water buckets and actually transport people between jobs efficiently.

And they are quick..sometimes all you see is a shadow of where they have been.

Oh, and did I mention that being fully electric and powered by very very remote nuclear power, they use very little unleaded petrol or diesel beyond their manufacture?

After a session removing nets, some people lose the plot.

Cheers,

Stephen and Rhonda