Getting our Syrah on and pressing the grapes!

We've finally got our mini winery up and running (ok it's a posh shed) and just in time for us to make our 2021 Syrah on-site. The grapes were sourced from Michel Chapoutier in the cool climate region of the Pyrenees. This biodynamic and organic site showcases some incredible fruit from the foothills of Australia's Great Dividing range.

Fermentation complete as the majority of the grapes sink to the bottom, with a small floating cap!

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Using this large tubular sieve to remove any skins, the pre-pressed juice is transferred into French oak barrels. 

Due to the cool temperatures in the months of April and May, we experienced a prolonged fermentation period. The temperature of the vats slowly rising with the aid of indoor heaters over a 6 week period, this slow rise will really help capture all the beautiful nuances and complexity in the final wine.

Pomace / Grape cake -  The remaining skins after all the juice is extracted.

Tasting as we go to make sure we don't extract any bitterness or too much tannins - good job Coops!

Unlike some of the more modern and fancy pants machinery out there, we use a basket press and old school muscle to press the grapes. Leaving behind the pomace or what we call the cake. After doing this several times and being careful not to over extract the skins, (over extraction can lead to bitterness) we pump the remaining juice straight into barrel. Now locked away in French oak barrels (50% new) this cool climate syrah has found it's home for the next 12 - 18 months.  We'll update you soon on our next steps but for now we're looking forward to seeing our syrah develop in barrel.

If you don't want to wait 18 months for a drink (totally understandable) try our Macedon Ranges Pinot Noir 2019