Coolangatta Estate is among the most awarded wine producers in Australia and the prized block of its most famous variety is being harvested a week earlier than normal.
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The industry renowned semillon vines were picked on Tuesday and a premium block of verdelho nearby is being harvested on Wednesday.
The harvest of both varieties started last week and the quality of the fruit being picked means 2016 is shaping up as a Valentine white wine vintage of Coolangatta Gold proportions.
For vigneron Greg Bishop and his son-in-law Ben Wallis this year’s early harvest is like a Valentine’s Day present because they are feeling a lot of love about what they see coming off the vines.
“This is our most special block. We are up to about 60 trophies and over 100 gold medals just from the this block alone. So this is a very special day for us,” Mr Wallis said.
The semillon grapes were so full of juice on Tuesday it was leaking from the bucket as the truck was loaded bound for same day delivery to the wine makers at Tyrrells. Which means they got the timing just right.
Mr Bishop never counts his grapes before they are all picked. And with the harvest not due to end until the last red varieties ripen in early to mid March he won’t make a call about the 2016 vintage as a whole until the last grapes come off the vine.
But he and Mr Walls were all smiles on Tuesday morning as they watched the semillon being picked and loaded.
And both expected to have a good night sleep after the most prized grapes began being made into wine.
The Coolangatta Estate vine romance started in 1969 when the first grapes were planted on what was previously a dairy farm surrounding the oldest European settlement on the South Coast.
Some of the buildings date to the early 1820s and just like Alexander Berry was a pioneer in the region Mr Bishop is a pioneer in the South Coast wine making industry.
He is seen out in the vineyard every day carefully nurturing his vines and is regarded as a great student of the viticulture game.
That is why why Coolangatta Estate at last count had won 156 trophies and 1750 medals at wine shows, many of them gold.
Mr Wallis said the great start to the 2016 harvest followed a good summer holiday period for the restaurant, cellar door and accommodation at the estate.
The Bishop family is also a big employer in the Shoalhaven Heads area.