D-Day in the winery

Today is D-Day at Oude Wellington. Sydney (see photo) has started as the new winemaker.

The harvest of our organic Chardonnay for our first Champagne (or Method Classique for the politically correct) started this morning at 5:30. The grapes are coming in and are looking very healthy and picture perfect!

The machinery is working well and Eskom is not letting us down. The cellar has had a face-lift with 6 fabulous new stainless steel tanks from MD Engineering (thank you, Marc!) just in time for the harvest. The sugar and acidity of the grapes are fine and there hasn't been any rain (at least not at the time of writing). Vanessa will be delighted to learn that the new interior of the winery is now a warm red and suits the cellar very well.

Update at 20:30

The cooling plant packed up after all. Alwyn, a cooling specialist wizard, came to the rescue and saved the day. Although one of the two compressors seized, the remaining one can still cool a 100 tonne cellar, which is more than enough. The harvesting team brought in less then we expected, but it made the first harvest day pleasant at a comfortable pace. We plan to install, repair and improve the cellar as problems arise.

Things are hotting up

The grapes are looking exceptionally good and healthy, especially our organic Chardonnay which is the first to be harvested in a few weeks time.

I'm still busy repairing the cellar floor, since 13 harvests have left their marks and dents and holes in the concrete. But better to stir up the dust now than later during the harvest. The new tanks are set to arrive soon and we're also creating space for the improved cooling system.

Wine sales at Christmas were good and I was able to sell off a large portion of previous vintages, creating space for the 2009 harvest. Particularly the brandy sales have been exceeding my wildest expectations.

We experiencing an unusually cool summer and more rain then last year. Luckily, the grapes have not responded with any fungal diseases.

It is still too early to tell, but things are changing at Oude Wellington.