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November 2006 Newsletter All text by Erl Happ unless otherwise attributed |
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November 2006 Newsletter All text by Erl Happ unless otherwise attributed |
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In the 2006 Perth Wine Show Happs won the trophy for the most successful producer of an output less than 300 tons. Perth is a national competition and attracts entries from all the big players. Three of our current release reds were awarded top of class gold medals. These wines were our Three Hills Shiraz 2003, Three Hills Merlot 2003 and Three Hills Charles Andreas 2002. One of the judges who officiated in that show pointed out that this gave us the trifecta in the mature classes. This feat has never been seen before and may never be seen again. In the mature wine classes a wine gets to demonstrate it’s inherent quality and long term potential. It has long since been bottled and has embarked on a path of its own, free of winemaking influences. The wine survives and grows on the inherent quality of the fruit as determined by site and climatic influences. Despite the rarity of this occurrence there is a good chance that we will do the same again next year. Our 2004 Merlot has amassed two trophies for best Merlot of show, in Perth and Melbourne, and the other wines of the 2004 vintage are beginning to blossom. The details are
Purchase the Trifecta The cellar door price for these 3 wines is $126, for an additional cost of $10 we will ship these gold medal winning wines to you anywhere in Australia in a 3 pack polystyrene container so they arrive safe and sound. Just download the special order form and return to us. New Releases by Winemaker Mark Warren The job of the winemaker is to manipulate carefully grown grapes into carefully crafted wine. To that end bottling is an exciting time because it is the end of the winemaker’s involvement. Once that cork is in the bottle there is no more tinkering possible and the waiting begins. We wait because all wines need some time in bottle to be at their best. For young unwooded whites this time period is short, perhaps as little as six weeks - to get over what we call bottle shock. For serious red wine this waiting may be several years where the tannins polymerise and become softer and more textural. During this time the wine simply sits and we just wait. So it’s after a great deal of hard work and patience that a wine finally gets released to the discerning palates of our customers and for us this is an exciting time. This excitement is most obvious at the cellar door where the staff enthusiastically talk about the new addition to the tasting range – it’s like a new toy. Right now the cellar is abuzz because we have 9 new release wines and we are excited about all of them. DRY WHITES Happs Chenin Blanc 2006 ($16) Happs Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2006 ($16) Happs Viognier 2005 ($18) Three Hills Chardonnay 2005 ($35) SWEET WHITES Happs Late Picked Verdelho 2006 ($18) Happs Late Picked Semillon 2006 ($18) Happs Pale Gold 2006 ($19) DRY REDS Happs Merlot 2002 ($25) Three Hills Malbec 2002 ($28) Note all prices above are ex Cellar Door and the wines can be purchased using the Cellar Door Order Form Whilst I am enjoying all of these wines I must admit that the one I am loving is the Three Hills Chardonnay. This is our first Chardonnay released under this label and has been a passionate project of mine. It is the result of great care in the vineyard, love and affection in the winery and very expensive and stylish French oak. It has great fruit weight, complexity and most importantly length of flavour. A proud addition to the Three Hills range. If you are unable to get into the cellar until Christmas by then we are anticipating new releases of Marrimee, Eva Marie, Cabernet Merlot and Shiraz. Next time you visit us you will be surprised that our entry has been equipped with a bus shelter. Every school day we have mums and kids congregating at the entrance waiting for buses so we thought that they might appreciate a place to get away from the wind. Occasionally we have an event that requires a fortunate person to greet the guests and point the way to our various car parks. That person will now have some shelter. We have gone to some trouble and expense to have this shelter reflect our sensibilities. When Ros and I go travelling we frequently choose Bed and Breakfast places. The proprietors are a fund of local knowledge and keen to please. In New Zealand we have noticed that a free map makes these proprietors a very effective advocate for the district. Breakfast is an occasion for great food and conversation. The maps are on a tear off pad, inexpensively produced and often coloured with texta as the host fills you in on where to go. Since there is nothing in the Capes area that fills that need we have decided to fill the gap. The Happs guide to the Capes is in preparation. Happs guide to the art of great viticulture
Just in case you want to have a go at it, here is our advice. Once a teacher, always a teacher.
Great wine is made from great grapes. We grow our own grapes and follow theminto the winery. Over the years we have discovered important connections.ClimateIt is impossible to buy flavour in a bag, a bottle or a can. The ripeningenvironment that conserves flavour is just slightly warmer than the domesticfridge. The best locations are close to the south coast. Vine ManagementWe try to give each shoot and leaf as much sunshine as possible. Our elaborate trellising is designed with this in mind, rather than the dictates of machine harvesting. Because each shoot has space, it is not difficult to find the fruit at picking time. The berries are exposed to the sun, green grapes become golden and the reds, thoroughly red. Shoots are fewer, bunches larger and so hand picking is easier. An intact bunch is easy to chill in a cool room. Chilled grapes will not support rapid bacterial and yeast growth and that reduces or eliminates the need for sulphur dioxide. The less you use at the start, the less is required at the end. SoilWe are as organic as is practical. The model we think of is that of a forest floor. Mulch accumulates to keep the soil cool and hospitable for plant roots and keeps the soil organisms busy. Rather than applying herbicide within the row and between the vines, we prefer the grass to grow to its potential, to allow it to set seed, then we mow it, usually in November, leaving protective mulch and plenty of seed for regeneration. A conservative approach to herbicides is better for the soil. FungusThe open environment enjoyed by each shoot is our most important insurance against fungus. We must spray against powdery and downy mildews. Elemental sulphur and copper oxychloride are low in toxicity. PestsThe organic approach favours intervention as a last resort. We favour the natural predators. Where practical, ducks and fowl consume snails and grasshoppers. Kangaroos demand fencing. Birds require netting, a labour intensive activity that we have refined after years of practice.
Dry Farming We have observed that green leaves at harvest time mean immature seeds and green flavours in the fruit. We look for autumn colours in the leaves and mature flavours in the fruit. Dry grown vines have a bigger root system so they store more carbohydrate than irrigated vines. A dry grown vine accommodates to natural processes and is more self reliant. A drip fed vine is dependent, like an invalid.
Fertilizer What we produce is in the main a gift from the sun and the rain. However, our soils are amongst the oldest on the planet and are deficient in key elements. The important soil derived compounds harvested with the crop must be replaced. We apply rock dust, carbon in the form of coal dust, Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium with trace elements like Magnesium, Boron, Copper and Manganese. We spread straw in the rows and also sawdust and ribbon weed from the sea. All waste from the vines and the winery is returned to the soil. We do not agree with fertilizer banding but prefer to broadcast it. We feed the grass to feed the vine. Our aim What goes into the bottle is important. It should be full flavoured, an agent provocateur for pleasure, contemplation, relaxation and fun, and as healthy a product as we can possibly make it. Upcoming Events by Jacquie Happ Romeo & Juliet at Happs Saturday November 11th 2006 at 1pm.
Be one of the lucky ones and come and enjoy Bare Naked
Theatre’s season
Check out the extensive range of hand produced art and crafts, including a
varied range of quality jewellery, toys, gourmet products, wood craft and
paintings. Perfect timing for Christmas - find something a gift for the person
who has everything!
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Three Hills Shiraz 2003 
Three Hills Merlot 2003
Three
Hills Charles Andreas 2002
finale. Bring a blanket and picnic, or pre-order a platter from the Goose Cafe
(9754 7700).