Winemaker Releases Experimental Bush Block Vintage Produced Under Little Rainfall, Without Trellis

A family of winemakers in northwest Victoria set out to prove that it is possible to produce top quality wine in a warm climate with very little rainfall or irrigation.
Key Points:The bush vine block was planted at Merbein in North West Victoria in 2017 Only 0.5-1.6ML of irrigation water was applied per hectare, with grapes from commercial vat averaging 6ML
Chalmers Wines Australia has released the first wines from its bush block - a vineyard that has no trellises and only a handful of overhead sprinklers to mimic the rainfall during extremely dry periods.
"Back then in Mildura people grew bush vine Grenache and things like that because that's what you were doing," owner Kim Chalmers said.
"We deliberately returned to that style of cultivation, which demands b a lot more labor and a lot less yield, but we re really want to push the envelope on how dry a vine can grow."
Kim Chalmers, Bart Van Olphen, Tennille Chalmers, Jenni Chalmers and Bruce Chalmers push the vine envelope. (Supplied: Chalmers Wines Australia)
Ms Chalmers said textbooks from Europe suppose you need at least 450 millimeters of rainfall a year to grow productive vines and make wine.
The average annual rainfall in Mildura is 280mm.
"We try not to irrigate everything, but if we need to give the vines a little drink, we give them overhead irrigation as if there had been a rain event,” Ms. Chalmers said.
Only 0.5 to 1.6 megalitres of irrigation water was applied per hectare, with commercial wine grapes in the region averaging 6 ML.
Making low rainfall wine
The plot of land used for the experiment, at Merbein in north-west Victoria and planted in 2017, was once a commercial orange orchard, abandoned and unirrigated for over six years old.
Yet orange trees remained there, thriving with glossy green leaves and bearing sweet, flavorful fruit.
bird's eye view of the bush vine block, a former orange orchard. (Supplied: Chalmers Wines Australia)
This told the Chalmers that a vineyard could grow on the site in case of drought T-tolerant varieties were chosen and a rootstock able to reach moisture in depth.
Italian varieties including Inzolia, a white variety grown in Sicily, also known as Ansonica i.. .

Agrotech Jul 5, 2022 0 133 Add to Reading List

Winemaker Releases Experimental Bush Block Vintage Produced Under Little Rainfall, Without Trellis

A family of winemakers in northwest Victoria set out to prove that it is possible to produce top quality wine in a warm climate with very little rainfall or irrigation.

Key Points:The bush vine block was planted at Merbein in North West Victoria in 2017 Only 0.5-1.6ML of irrigation water was applied per hectare, with grapes from commercial vat averaging 6ML

Chalmers Wines Australia has released the first wines from its bush block - a vineyard that has no trellises and only a handful of overhead sprinklers to mimic the rainfall during extremely dry periods.

"Back then in Mildura people grew bush vine Grenache and things like that because that's what you were doing," owner Kim Chalmers said.

"We deliberately returned to that style of cultivation, which demands b a lot more labor and a lot less yield, but we re really want to push the envelope on how dry a vine can grow."

Kim Chalmers, Bart Van Olphen, Tennille Chalmers, Jenni Chalmers and Bruce Chalmers push the vine envelope. (Supplied: Chalmers Wines Australia)

Ms Chalmers said textbooks from Europe suppose you need at least 450 millimeters of rainfall a year to grow productive vines and make wine.

The average annual rainfall in Mildura is 280mm.

"We try not to irrigate everything, but if we need to give the vines a little drink, we give them overhead irrigation as if there had been a rain event,” Ms. Chalmers said.

Only 0.5 to 1.6 megalitres of irrigation water was applied per hectare, with commercial wine grapes in the region averaging 6 ML.

Making low rainfall wine

The plot of land used for the experiment, at Merbein in north-west Victoria and planted in 2017, was once a commercial orange orchard, abandoned and unirrigated for over six years old.

Yet orange trees remained there, thriving with glossy green leaves and bearing sweet, flavorful fruit.

A view of bush vine vineyard taken from sky class=

bird's eye view of the bush vine block, a former orange orchard. (Supplied: Chalmers Wines Australia)

This told the Chalmers that a vineyard could grow on the site in case of drought T-tolerant varieties were chosen and a rootstock able to reach moisture in depth.

Italian varieties including Inzolia, a white variety grown in Sicily, also known as Ansonica i.. .