We were looking at a ‘Hat trick’ of wet harvests for the Ruby Cabernet, but thankfully someone was smiling from above & we had a marvelous, relatively dry day. There was a fantastic turn out of more than 40 Cork Club members & guests and even though the conditions were rather humid & muddy, everyone made short work of the picking.

Once the picking was complete, everyone ventured up to the winery where the bins were weighed & the harvest tonnage was calculated. Matt then gave an overview of what happens once the fruit comes back to the winery & everyone was able to watch the fruit being de-stemmed, crushed & pumped back into the bins. A few of the more ‘adventurous’ participants tried their hand (or should I say feet) at stomping the grapes. We had a ‘Guess the Harvest weight’ competition and the winner was Kerry Baxter, receiving two bottles of Wandin Valley wine.

Once the fruit had been processed, most people went back to their Villas to freshen up & then came back to the Cellar Door for a great lunch. Belposto Café assisted with the catering for the day & Dave, from the Cellar Door, was the designated BBQ cook for & did a great job.

Gauging by how long the members & their guests stayed around after the lunch, I have concluded that everyone had a thoroughly enjoyable day. I do hope to see most people back again next year as well as a few new faces.