The 1996
Vintage
Thistle Hill Vineyard Newsletters - Autumn 1997
Greetings from Lesley and David Robertson
1996 was an incredibly busy year, and our Spring Newsletter was a casualty. So we hope to write two Newsletters in 1997, telling you what has been happening at Thistle Hill and describing our new releases.
The 1996
Vintage
The 1996 vintage has our vines well on the way to recovery. We had a very dry Winter and we were dependent on Spring ?95 and Summer ?96 rains. These came fortunately and our yields are returning to normal. We picked 27 tonnes of grapes in 1996 and the quality is very good.
The drought conditions continue to improve and we are hopeful that our yields will return to normal by 1997. Because of our low yields in 1995, we purchased some grapes from other growers. In 1995, we bought Semillon, Merlot, Zinfandel and Cabernet. We continued this approach in 1996 and purchased some Merlot and Shiraz. Some of these wines will be released in this Newsletter.
The Wine and Food Fair at Balmoral Beach has become an annual event and we will return this year on Sunday 20th April. Each winery will have an individual booth where you can taste their currently released wines and this year we are planning to have a Wine Education Marquee where various lectures on wine will be conducted. The Balmoral Wine and Food Fair will be held on the Balmoral Esplanade from 10.00 am till 4.00 pm.
We continue to be delighted with the level of support we receive for our organic farming concepts. We aim to project a wholesome and natural image. However being organic has its drawbacks. Controlling weeds, particularly in wet years is a constant battle. Also, if an imbalance develops when there are more parasites than can be controlled by predators, the vines do suffer. This is usually only a short term problem however and the situation rectifies itself naturally as predator numbers increase accordingly.
Our Exports
In 1996 we doubled our exports. When we first considered exporting wine in 1993, we thought that our key market would be Europe, however Asia is now our growing market. And as the world?s wine buying public becomes more aware of the quality and value of Australia?s wines, there is terrific potential for expansion. We now export to the U.K. Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand and Singapore.
Popularity for our Bed and Breakfast cottage for short term stays continues to grow. We have a fully self contained, three bedroom cottage on our vineyard which is a lovely spot to wind down from the hustle and bustle of the city, where you can enjoy the peace and quiet; the birds in the morning and the stars at night.
In the cottage there are two double beds, a double bunk, kitchen, dining and lounge so six people can sleep quite comfortably. Accommodation includes all linen and a continental breakfast and our rates are $40.00 per adult, per night, bed and breakfast, and $20.00 per child. There are also discounts for longer stays. Bookings for the cottage can be made by contacting Thistle Hill by Phone: (063) 733 546 or Fax: (063) 733 540.
The 1993 Riesling has a bright straw colour with a hint of green. It exhibits typical Riesling varietal characters and is showing some lovely aged flavours. This wine won a Gold medal at the 1996 Mudgee Wine Show and we only have 100 cases left. Drink 1997 - 1999
1995 Semillon
The 1995 Semillon has a mid straw colour tinged with green. Tropical fruit flavours supported by American oak give this wine excellent balance. Drink 1997 - 1998
The 1993 Chardonnay has a medium straw colour with some green hues. It is complex, with fruit and yeast characters well integrated from barrel fermentation and extended lees contact. Drink 1997 - 1999
1993 Pinot Noir
The 1993 Pinot Noir has a deep red colour. It has dusty oak aromas and sweet cherry flavours which dominate the palate. There is only a limited supply of this wine. Drink 1997 - 1998
1992 Cabernet Sauvignon
The 1992 Cabernet Sauvignon has a medium red colour with some purple hues. Strong flavours of blackberry and blueberry are complimented by elegant oak. This wine won a Gold medal at the 1994 Mudgee Wine Show. Drink 1997 - 2000
The 1995 Zinfandel has a vibrant purple - red colour. The fruit has spicy, herbal tones with many complex flavours; cherry and rhubarb being the most obvious. There is only a limited supply of this wonderful Zingy Zinfandel. Drink Now.
Special Tasting Dozen Offer for our Mail Order Customers
To encourage you to try our new releases, we invite you to make up your own Thistle Hill mixed dozen. We will give you $15.00 off any dozen of our wines which contains four or more different wines. All you need to do is fill in the accompanying order form.
Over the years the situation has developed where our annual production is approximately equal to the demand for our wines. Exports are increasing significantly and this, combined with our low yields in the past three years, means that demand will greatly exceed supply. To meet this demand, in the short term, we hope to release two vintages of wine per year.
We anticipate that our next release will be in our Spring 1997 Newsletter. We will be releasing our 1995 Riesling, 1995 Chardonnay, 1995 Merlot, 1994 Pinot Noir and 1993 Cabernet Sauvignon.
That Troublesome Male
I am feeling guilty. I live on the land and have just committed a dreadful sin. I have decided to write down my story in the hope that some compassionate person out there, who also lives on the land, may understand my actions. This is my tale:
I had always tried to be a ?good? wife but as our married years went on, one particular male became increasingly stressful to live with. Not long after my husband and I were married, I began to notice irritating patterns in his behaviour. He had a bizarre routine of getting up at the crack of dawn, waking up the entire household to complain of nothing in particular, and then disappearing for a few hours into the fields, generally to blend with Nature and to do what they call on the farm: ?a man?s work?. He would then return: demand something to eat, turn up his nose at what I offered, and then expect me to clean up his mess. Whenever I needed him he was never there, and when I didn?t want him around, he inevitably turned up and made a fuss.
Initially, I could relax by sitting on a deck chair on the front verandah to soak in the typical Australian scene of blue tinged hills and organised crops stretching away to meet them. Sometimes I read a book or, as the children grew, watched them play. It was a happy time in all our lives. However, my carefree hours soon diminished as I became used to the disapproving twitch of his nose or the look of disgust when his dinner wasn?t ready.
As the years went by, I was forced to watch my children grow through the kitchen window as I peeled the potatoes and carved the meat. And the only scene I had to admire was an occasional glimpse of the hills through that same window, as I swept through the room with a vacuum.
After this, began a slow and horrible process of realisation: I started to see through his ways of treating me, his authority and the obvious superiority he thought he had over me.. The more I saw, the more I realised hoe minor was his role in my life, compared to how vital ?he? pictured it to be. I also noticed, almost with satisfaction, that even the kids didn?t like him any more. When he barked orders at them, they reacted not out of love, but only as a means of shutting him up. I began to smile at this, and I knew that I had only one choice: he must go.....
I had to think of a way of getting rid of him quickly and cleanly . I thought of putting something in his food. but it was too risky ... there would be too much evidence. I thought of using a gun or a knife, as we had many on the property but it didn?t take me long to realise that staging a murder wouldn?t work. It had to appear to be an accident. This would work because farm accidents happen all the time and nobody could prove me guilty. It would be very efficient and soon our lives would be normal again.
I found all this to be very exciting but knew I would have to wait for an opportunity to arise, and this could take a while. From then on I resumed my role as general dogsbody of the house: trying to make the most difficult and ungrateful male on earth happy. So when an opportunity arose, I took it with a vengeance.
It all happened when I was reversing the ute out of the garage and I saw him there: still and resolute. It almost seemed as if he were expecting something to happen. I sensed disaster in the air - but it was more likely my guilty conscience working overtime.
Keeping an eye on my target in the rear vision mirror, I floored the ute and took of so fast that I glimpsed, with satisfaction a look of absolute shock on his face before he disappeared. It happened so quickly that I was almost as surprised as he. This was too easy! Fighting back the smile, I jumped out from behind the wheel to play my part and feign shock and sadness - knowing that the worst was over.
We buried him under a big willow the next day. The bloody hole was a bastard to dig, which was ironic really - he?d been a bastard all his life. I had to admit though, I felt a twinge of guilt the and perhaps a sense of impurity, or something. I had sinned and God was watching ...
At least I knew one thing - this family would have no more dogs.
My husband agreed.
This short story was written by Lucy Robertson in 1995, aged 15.
