Keith, tell us a little about the vineyard.

The wightwick vineyard is 8km north of Ballarat in an area known as Invermay. The vineyard faces north and east and is protected from strong winds by the State forest to the north.

The vineyard was planted in two stages, in 1997 and 1998. We have both Chardonnay and two clones of Pinot Noir (D5V12 and MV6). The Chardonnay and D5V12 were planted first, then the MV6 the year later.

The Ordovician soils were formed 400 million years ago and consist of well structured clays and quartz. They have good water holding capacity and moderate fertility. These attributes allow the vines to achieve a balance between vegetative growth and fruit formation. We use organic fertilisers and mulch to improve the soil structure and microbiology.

The vineyard is only small, approximately ½ Hectare, but the vines are planted at reasonably high densities with 2 metres between the rows and 1.1 metres between vines. So the overall density is about 4,500 per hectare.

…and what size crop would you expect from this size vineyard?

We harvest about 2 - 2.2 tonne all up which is about right to achieve the quality we are after. To achieve this quantity of fruit means we have to prune carefully and selectively fruit thin to one or two bunches per shoot. We use Vertical Shoot Positioning (VSP) and it requires a lot of foliage management throughout the growing season.

What are some of the challenges you are facing at the moment?

Well, the first problem this year was frost. It has been pretty well documented that some areas of the state got hit severely with frost. We weren’t affected anywhere near that badly, but we still lost some. The big challenge this year will be the lack of water which is already running low – however, we can use selective watering to control berry size and maximise quality.

And lastly, what happens to the fruit once it is picked?

Our son, Simon, is the winemaker and makes the wine in the Yarra Valley. In the past few years, he has gained valuable experience with Kate Goodman (Punt Rd) and James Lance (Diamond Valley). The Chardonnay is barrel fermented in new and one year old Dargaud et Jaegle barrels. The Pinot Noir is fermented in small open pots and hand plunged. Then aged in D& J barrels (25% new).

We allow the wine to develop in the bottle before it is released, for example, we are due to release our 2005 vintage in February – March 2007. The wines are available, under the wightwick label, through selected restaurants in Ballarat and Melbourne, and via Mail Order. We also open the cellar door a few weekends per year and by appointment.

Thanks, and good luck for a successful vintage.