Latest Newsletter
WELCOME
It’s Autumn already – and what beautiful weather we are having.
We are in the middle of harvest and its going well – see details in this newsletter.
Read on to catch up on the latest and what’s coming up in the next few months.
AN UPDATE ON VINTAGE 2024
Mid-way through harvest and its looking great.
This is our 36th vintage. People told us we were mad when we started planting grapes back in 1986. And at times we thought we were too – such hard work! But the science was there and all those beautiful vintages provide the evidence of just how good our environment is for wine grapes.
That’s not to say all goes well all the time! After losing everything to smoke-taint in 2020 and then three challenging years weather-wise, we are so excited with both the quantity and the condition of the crop this year.
Despite an El Niño period being declared, we have experienced reasonable rains for most of this growing season. Those rains provided good soil moisture levels and assisted in excellent growth in the vineyard. So much so that we needed to hedge some of the varieties twice to control the growth.
We are three weeks ahead of the normal harvest timing. It started with a mild winter in 2023 and all the key viticultural events were three weeks early – budburst, flowering and veraison. So it is not at all surprising to see harvest start early as well. We picked Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for sparkling wine on 14 February. And then the picking of both of these varieties for still wine quickly followed. Arneis was next. Quality is so so good – with very clean fruit and excellent flavours.
Sangiovese has just been picked for Rosé, and ourTempranillo was picked this week a well – lovely flavours! Next week, it looks like Marsanne, Sangiovese for red wine and the Cabernet Sauvignon will quickly follow.
COMING EVENTS
Easter – 29th March – 1 April
We will be open every day over Easter 10am to 5pm.
Come out and enjoy tasting our wines while relaxing with a cheese platter and our lovely views.
STOMP Festival and Wine Week
STOMP Festival is 20-21 April 2024. Put it in your diary!
Lunch by Olive at Hawker and live music by B. Coming on both days 12pm to 3pm.
Wine Week follows – 22 -26 April 2024. Details are being planned and you will be able to find out more on our events page in April and on https://www.canberrawines.
Mothers Day – 12th May 2024
Mums (and everyone else) can enjoy a special tasting of past vintages of a number of our earlier white wines – Chardonnay, Semillon and Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc blend. Its amazing how well these have aged – even vintages back in the 1990s. We will enjoy bringing them out of the cellar and tasting them after all these years!
Lunch – See more details on our website closer to the date
ENJOY OUR LOVELY AUTUMN
While Autumn is theoretically here and we note some cooler night temperatures, we are still experiencing hot days. That cool night/warm to hot day situation is good for the acid to sugar balance in our wines, producing the elegance we note in cool climate wines.
This is a great time to sit on the deck and enjoy our views and environment while tasting our latest range of wines.
Cheese platters are available to enjoy with your wine tasting, at $30 for a platter, which normally suits two people.
Bookings are preferred so that we can look after you the best. Phone (0418 667433) or email on allanandchristine@
NEW RELEASES
2022 Christabel Sparkling
We have recently disgorged the final batch of the 2022 Christabel and it displays bready characters from sitting on yeast lees a while and at the same time being vibrant and lively.
2022 Marsanne
The 2022 Marsanne follows our well known style. It was stirred on lees for a number of months before bottling – giving it a good palate weight and long finish.
2023 Chardonnay
Our Chardonnay has been so popular, our 2022 vintage has sold out at cellar door and is still available in some retail outlets. So we have released the 2023. It displays the tropical fruit characters often seen in Chardonnays from our vineyard.
2023 Sangiovese
Yes, Sangiovese is back in our portfolio of available wines with the release of the 2023 vintage. A lovely smooth style with those typical savoury characters.
2022 Pinot Noir
Gold Medal and Trophy for Best Pinot Noir at Canberra Wine Show 2023.
Lovely soft palate displaying layers of complexity including gamey and sour cherry/plum features.
2022 Dorothy May Cabernet Sauvignon
Gold Medal and Trophy for Best Cabernet at Canberra Wine Show 2023.
Lovely rich fruit with smooth tannin support and great length on the palate.
GIFTS
Cellar Door Experience
Gift vouchers are available:
for your friends to come to cellar door and enjoy a wine tasting
for two and an accompanying cheese platter.
$50 for a Gift Voucher for two people.
for a selection of wines
$ amount of your choice.
Email us or phone us on 0418 667433 and we can send one to you.
Helicopter Flights
Enjoy a flight with pilot Chris followed by a wine tasting and cheese platter.
Phone us for a price (0418 667433).
JOIN OUR VIP CLUB
Our VIP six-packs and twelve-packs will be going out soon. We will contact members soon on preferred wines in those packs.
Being a VIP Club member allows you to:
Receive wines on a regular basis – you can determine how often, and how many bottles of what wines you want;
A 10% discount on six-bottle purchases and 15% on case purchases;
Have free freight on purchases of six bottles or more; and
Receive invitations to any special tastings or events.
Join the club via https://pankhurstwines.com.au/