The wet weather has set in!

If there was ever any doubt about which season we're in, a quick check of the rain gauge at Smithbrook will let you know that we are in the depths of winter. We had a touch over 160mm for the month of June. Not the wettest on record but a definite far cry from 2010 when we only had 75mm for the entire month.

The rain is great for the vines at this time of year. It allows a build up of ground cover which, when it dies, reintroduces organic material back into the soil. Furthermore, once the vines have stored enough carbohydrates in the roots and trunks, they go dormant for the winter. Rain can continue to fall without any real negative consequence to the vines (it's a very different story if there's significant rain fall during vintage).

So, while its raining outside and the vines are dormant, its a good time to crack open a bottle of red.