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GOLD MEDAL 2003 Australian Small Winemakers Show |
Our Vineyard
The key to Symphony Hill’s success in producing super premium wines of unique style and flavour lies in the vineyard. The factors that contribute to our success are as follows: Our Soil Our Climate Control of Water to Vine Roots Research and Development Projects Our Viticultual Practices Symphony Hill’s viticultural practices are world class. A detailed soil survey was undertaken pre-planting. This consisted of digging 45 pits with a backhoe within a 20 acre area. The soil profile at each pit was described in detail and laboratory tests performed to analyse the properties. The results of the survey were used to determine best locations for each variety planted and what soil amelioration was required pre-planting. Super fine lime and single super phosphate fortified with zinc sulphate was inserted into the soil along each vine row at two depths in the soil. This was achieved by a purpose built machine which fed the ameliorants behind a 1 metre ripper tine towed by a D6 Bulldozer. All vines are trained with unilateral cordons on a Smart-Dyson trellis system. Shoots are positioned to grow both up and down along the cordon to create a vine that is balanced and with an open canopy that allows wonderful amount of sunlight penetration to leaves and fruit and air flow through the canopy to reduce disease pressure. The vine shoots are allowed to grow to full length so as to produce a higher leaf to bunch ratio. This aids in ripening. Although hedge pruning is popular among other vineyards because everything looks neater, this practice is not employed as we believe the quality of the fruit is more important than a ‘short back and sides’ appearance of the vines. When the vines are pruned in Winter, one cane is left uncut on each vine. This is termed a ‘sacrifical cane’ and is cut off at veraison. This practice has the effect of reducing vine vigour and slow ripening of the fruit. A longer ripening period produces more complex flavours in the berries and higher quality wine in the bottle. During the growing season regular leaf and petiole analysis is performed to monitor the nutrients within the vines. Bird netting is installed at veraison each year to remove the chance of bird damage. Fruit yields are kept low which is essential to produce quality grapes. All fruit is lovingly hand picked with any damaged or unripe fruit discarded in the vineyard and during a final sorting during the crushing process in the winery. The fruit is picked into small 20Kg plastic crates and the crates are taken to a cool room as they are filled. Picking into small crates stops the fruit getting squashed from the weight of other bunches. Maintaining the grapes at a cold temperature dramatically reduces the chance of oxidation occurring before the fruit is crushed at the winery. Great care is taken during picking and transportation such that the fruit arrives at the winery in exactly the same condition as existed on the vine.  back to top
 Our Soil Our soils are a result of granite boulders decomposing over thousands of years. The soil consists of the following layers as you travel down through the profile: sand, loamy sandy, sandy loam. There is very little clay content. These soil types provide excellent drainage which is essential for quality wine grape growing. The soils are nutritionally poor and require inputs during the growing season. We have been successfully working each year on improving the soil structure and thus improving its ability to store nutrients with increased organic matter content. Considerable effort went into improving our soil pre-planting. Jumbo Sorghum grass was grown in the summer and canola in the winter. These crops were disced into the ground at the end of each season. This had the benefits of improving soil structure, increasing organic matter levels and reducing nematode populations. Our vine mid-rows are grassed with many different types of grasses and legumes. We mow every alternate mid-row, so as to keep the grass in every second row high and flowering. This has a wonderful effect of increasing the diversity and numbers of beneficial insect populations. Beneficial insects are those that feed on the insects that can damage the vines’ leaves, shoots and fruit. This removes the need to spray insecticides. We maintain a thick covering of sugar cane mulch along each vine row. Mulching is wonderful!! Mulch keeps the soil under each vine at a constant cool temperature, dramatically reduces the amount of water that evaporates from the soil, allows microbes, insects and worms to thrive in the top soil and thus dramatically improve the soil structure and organic matter content. Soil tests are performed each winter to gauge our nutrient requirements for the season ahead and to monitor our soil improvements each year. A manure compost is broadcast throughout the vineyard before Spring to assist the vines and mid row grasses to thrive once Spring arrives. back to top
Our Climate The climate is unmatched elsewhere in Australia due to an elevation of over 1000 metres. The climate is well suited to most cool climate varieties and ripening is reliable, provided the fruit is exposed to light and there is no over cropping. The cool climate vineyard experiences four distinct seasons each year. Our winter temperatures drop below –10°C and our mean maximum January temperature is only 26°C and our mean minimum January temperature is only 14°C. Warm days and cool nights are essential to build complex flavours in the grape berries. Overhead frost protection is employed to protect against late Spring frosts. back to top
Control of Water to Vine Roots Control of plant available water is essential in growing quality fruit. During the growing season there are periods where the vine must not struggle to find water, whereas during ripening (or ‘veraison’) a little bit of water stress will promote higher quality fruit. Major earthworks were undertaken pre-planting to create headlands and waterways which divert water run-off away from each vineyard block. Sub-surface drainage was installed in each block so as to increase the speed that rainfall which percolates through the soil will run out the drains. The soils are very sandy and so have excellent drainage properties. In addition all vine rows are hilled up and the grassed mid-rows have a slight ‘V’ shape. This combination helps in diverting rainfall away from the vines to the middle of each row and then down the rows out of the vineyard. The result is that we can control the amount of water that reaches the vine roots through drip irrigation. Soil moisture is monitored closely and accurately with capacitance probes through the growing season. back to top
Research and Development Projects We will never be accused of resting on our laurels. Latest theories in viticulture are examined for whether they would be beneficial to our vineyard. Some of the research work undertaken consists of partial rootzone drying, use of worm compost under the mulch to improve grape quality, and analysing the benefits of green compost waste as mulch. back to top
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