Dear Yengari Wine, Food & Event Enthusiasts,
Welcome to our latest update.
From the Winemaker's Desk
It’s been another diverse 6 months for the team behind Yengari, with management changes, the decision for our family to relocate to Cocos (Keeling) Islands and setting up systems for our Kyneton winery and vineyard.
Our Cellar Door manager Marg Barry, (super mum of 3 children under 6), has settled in to the challenges of managing our Taradale Cellar Door Café & Produce Store, taking care of marketing, internet orders and selling our wines at local farmers markets. I’m not sure how she does it, considering I struggle to look after our 2 boys a few days per week and a wine business! I’m glad Marg rose to the challenge as the position paved the way for Trish and I to take up a ‘sea change’ opportunity to work and live on Cocos (Keeling) Islands, located 1800kms North West of Perth. No grapes on Cocos, plenty of coconuts though and an opportunity for Trish to expand her career. All this packaged nicely for a wonderful childhood experience for our boys Jac and Henry.
So it’s executive winemaking for me at the moment, with bi annual visits to the winery and our vineyards in Beechworth and Kyneton. Thanks to our cellar door staff, Kate, Jason, Lyn, Mandy and Mick.
Of course it wouldn't be possible without the focus and attention to detail from Norm and Oswaldo in the winery and vineyard. They now take care of wine quality, production, and submit barrel samples to myself and an independent wine laboratory. Who said it couldn't be done!
Our Beechworth vineyard has had another major setback with a change in strategy timelines, 
We’ve now had to adopt a piano piano (slowly slowly) approach towards this project, due to the focus on the Kyneton Vineyard, Winery Events and our new residence on the Cocos Islands.
Revised plans are to develop the final stages in 2011-2013 with the first yield now forecast in 2015. Of the 5,000 vines first planted in 2002, a loss of 2,200 was recorded in 2005 due to stress (no water) and hungry rabbits. Replanting of the balance and grafting will now take place in 2011 from the original mother vines which are not pruned to increase carbohydrate reserves in the root systems. Let the strongest vines survive!
The strategy now is to let nature take it’s course, encourage other plants to grow such as the black wattle (Acacia decurrens) throughout the vineyard, naturally shading the vines to reduce direct sunlight thereby reducing soil evaporation and increase nitrogen levels in the soil. Although these ‘weeds’ pose no real threat in the short term, I’ll have to look into methods to suppress their growth or just remove them for compost in Spring 2012.
It’s a naturalist approach; one that we hope will reward in the long term, being one of Australia’s slowest yielding vineyards with the aim still firmly focused on making one of Australia's best Shiraz and Viognier wines.
Eco Wine— It's been 15 years since I first started winemaking back in Rutherglen, and one of my concepts then was to produce an organic or ‘greener wine’. Today there is Cascade’s Green beer, free range chicken, organic milk and cotton, vegan cheese and even natural spring water bottles made from plants! So why not join in the action? With an ever increasing demand from ethical and responsible consumers, I think we’re doing just that, with the release of the 2008 Macedon Ranges range from our Kyneton Vineyard, it's sold under the Yengari Kyneton label as organic, preservative free and non irrigated. These wines are packaged using natural cork and bees wax capsules.
In the winery we only use gravity filtered rain water (our own) for wine transfers, cleaning and for bottling, all without the use of pumps. It’s labour intensive, painstakingly slow, compared to industrial winemaking, yet the wine quality (maintaining true fruit expression) and environmental rewards are certainly there. Our next step is to combine wind and solar energy for the winery in 2011.
Yengari - What’s it all about?
Our staff and I are often asked this, well it’s all about balance. The meaning is a blend of 2 indigenous words, Yen (to come) and Garie (to go) '- a place of resting. I tend to think of it as having a minimal impact (leaving only a footprint—not the carbon type). Trying to do this not only with a vineyard and winery, but in everything we do, from using natural cork, beeswax, using rainwater in the winery and supporting other community based projects.
The Yengari Vigneron's Club
The vine sponsorship concept for our Beechworth vineyard is still available; it’s a unique gift to enable participation in a long term project’.
Membership $390.00
- 12 mixed bottles of Museum and Reserve Yengari Wines
- 1 bottle of Yengari Beechworth Syrah/Viognier wine from our first vintage
- Framed Vine Sponsorship Certificate with your vine numbers.
Of course it’s a long wait 4-5 years, so for those who can’t wait and like the idea of participating in a similar concept from our Kyneton Vineyard, here it is;
2010 Subscription Farming, Yengari Kyneton Vineyard.
It takes our Interactive Winemaking & Barrique du Vin one step further.
Share the passion, experience life as a vigneron and enjoy tasting the end product, 24 bottles of your own handpicked premium wine. Subscription farming is all about sharing the risk, participating in the harvest and appreciating the story, flavour and tradition of your wine.
The subscriber has an allocated row (approximately 50 vines) for the year, receives seasonal updates, pictures and can assist with vineyard operations or visit his/her vines each season. The reward is having a slice of the action! Participate in harvesting, tasting the grapes, plunging the skins, pressing the grapes and pruning in winter in preparation for the following vintage is an option also available.
Your subscription enables you to become part of the Yengari Harvest Team to pick 40kgs or more of our organic wine grapes, or just allow us to pick on your behalf if you cannot make it on the day. It’s a rare opportunity to experience life as a vigneron for a year, sharing the buildup to harvest, winemaking decisions and blending options.
The rewarding aspect is that you receive 24 bottles of handcrafted wine that you have a direct role in the making of, all for under $15.00!
Step 1. Subscribe. November/December 2009. $145.00 ($6.00/bottle or 42% of the total cost)
This will cover the management of your vines leading up to harvest, payment of grapes, bird netting and email updates. Share in the adventure of subscription farming and we’ll endeavor to minimize any risk, but as with farming there are no guarantees. The contingency plan in the event of a severe frost or hail will be to source grapes from other nearby vineyards without additional fees.
Subscribers will also have access to purchase local olives, extra virgin olive oil (participate in production), chestnuts, pears, apples, walnuts and other seasonal local produce, all available direct from the farm on harvest time through our website or on one of our bus tour days.
Step 2. Harvest April/May 2010
Participate in hand picking your grapes and join in with winemaking activities and a traditional vineyard feast on the day. Options will become available for a bus tour to the vineyard and include lunch and winemaking activities.
Step 3. Contract Winemaking April 2010 to Nov 2011. $145.00 ($6.00/bottle or 42% of the total cost)
This includes quality assessments throughout the year, oak options, wine management, preparing for bottling, bottles, corks and packaging. Does not include designer labels, however a standard label can be supplied for no additional fee. To invoice in November 2010 with barrel samples.
Step 4. Bottling and Packaging. Oct/Nov 2011. $58.00 ($2.50/bottle or 16% of the total cost)
Participate in a wine blending and tasting session before bottling your wine. If your order is with a syndicate of 12 (24 cases), a new service to conduct the bottling from barrel session at your residence or business is now available for an additional fee, please contact us for a quotation. Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.
The total cost for 2 cases or 24 bottles is $348.00. ($14.50/bottle)
We have a limited amount of rows and vines on allocation for this project, so join the fun and action, book your row of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir now for Vintage 2010.
Cheers.
Tony Lacy
Winemaker/Vigneron
Yengari Wine and Produce Store
120 High Street (Calder Hwy)
Taradale, Victoria, 3447.
Open Friday to Sunday: 11am to 5pm.
Tel: (03) 5423 2828