Welcome to the July edition of Instinctively Curious, the Two Hands Wines monthly newsletter.
IN THE VINEYARD
IT’S PRUNING SEASON!
Winter is a busy time in our vineyards as it is the time of year where the hard work of our Viticulture Manager Peter and his team sets up the next growing season. Early Winter is the perfect time to prune whilst the vines are fully dormant.
This year we’ve started a new method of pruning through parts of Holy Grail to better our yields and resulting fruit quality. Last Friday Peter (with pup Chip), met up with Morgan and Rachel to explain this method and its benefits.
Cane Pruning – or the Guyot Method, was developed over 100 hundred years ago by Dr. Jules Guyot and it ensures good aeration and excellent foliage exposure. This is a ‘renewal’ training system, where the fruiting side-branches (arms) are pruned out every winter, and new ones are trained horizontally to replace them and carry the coming summer’s crop. This technique is also known as “arched cane pruning”.
Tying canes flat to the fruiting wire does little to balance the vigour (growth) of buds along the cane, but arching them can help reduce apical dominance (the phenomenon whereby the main, central stem of the plant is dominant over other side stems), promote more even sap distribution and improve the evenness of bud burst along its length,
The purpose of Guyot pruning is ultimately to emphasize the plant’s potential and obtain the best possible fruit to make the best possible wine.
COW APPRECIATION DAY
9th JULY 2024
This Tuesday was Cow appreciation day! We’ve recently welcomed two new heifers into our fold at Holy Grail vineyard.
We put the call out on Instagram for everyone to assist us naming these two gorgeous gals from a few of team Two Hands’s top picks. Thelma & Louise, Arya & Sansa, Patty & Selma or Paris & Nicole.
The outright winner was Patty and Selma, Marge’s sisters from the Simpsons. We think the big hair suits them. Patty and Selma will live at Holy Grail and produce new calves each Spring and maybe over time make the move from Holy Grail vineyard to a new home near Cellar Door! Stay tuned!
Why Scottish Highlanders?
Why not?! Our hairy coo’s aren’t just there for their good looks! Brutus and his family as well as 100% of the grape marc from harvest contribute to the 300 tonnes of organic compost we add back into our vineyards each year, in order to support the natural balance within our vines.
IN THE WINERY
BARREL TASTINGS
Whilst vintage is a very busy time of year, the work doesn’t stop once the fermenters are empty. Richard and assistant winemaker Jett have been busy tasting and classifying barrels from the 2024 vintage. With a close eye kept on them by winery dogs Ollie and Quinn! This important job involves tasting and assessing barrel samples from across our estate and grower vineyards to decide which wine they will ultimately end up in. They carefully document each sample and will taste dozens of wines each day that have been placed in small glass sample bottles (pictured below), and they have the stained teeth to prove it!
The winery team are also now looking at some the 2023 reds and blending barrels to prepare them for bottling over the next few months. Carefully moving the wine from barrel to tank to minimise unnecessary aeration ensures the wine arrives to our customers in the best possible condition.
WINE OF THE MONTH
GNARLY DUDES
BAROSSA VALLEY SHRIAZ
Gnarly Dudes, An unctuous yet classic Barossa Valley Shiraz. After the popularity of bottling this wine in magnums last year, they’re back! Adding a bit of theatrics to the dinner table or a friends birthday party, this Barossa Valley Shiraz staple will be able to go anywhere with you.
Each magnum comes individually packaged in a red Two Hands gift box; great for either keeping yourself in the cellar or as a present for someone special.
BUY 1500ml GNARLY NOW 750ML GNARLY DUDES
Abbey was born here in the Barossa but moved around a lot as a kid for her dads work. Her favourite place to live whilst on her travels with the family was Fiji, getting to spend a whole year in the sun. She has been back in the Barossa since 2016 and loves living here despite our much colder weather! She is currently part of our stellar Cellar Door team (and right hand woman of CD Supervisor Rachel) whilst studying primary school teaching at Uni. ‘I am studying teaching because I love kids, but I also love chatting and meeting new people in general.. which is why I love Cellar Door so much’.
What brought you to the wine industry?
I did 2 vintages after I finished high school, which introduced me and helped me to understand the winemaking side of things but I already knew Rachel who suggested working in Cellar Door and give the sales and tourism side of things a go.
Favourite things to do on a day off?
Hang out with my friends and fam, especially my 2 puppies Zebbie & Frankie! I have started getting into more live music and my sister and I have planned more interstate concerts. Everyone always finds me colouring in my free time (lame) but love playing netball and Harry and I love trying new restaurants and finding new places to eat…. I LOVE T-swift music, she’s usually all I’ll listen to and I love keeping up to date with her life.
Favourite Two Hands Wine and why?
Riesling is my favourite variety, so The Boy is what I’ll always reach for. But, the Yesterday’s Hero Grenache is also yummy.
Any future favourite wines you’ve tasted that aren’t released yet?
The new 2024 vintage of The Boy of course!
Keep your eyes peeled for all of that Taylor Swift in Abbey’s Cellar Door Playlist!
PS. Coming soon… watch this space!
