Rent a Vine Words by Charlotte D. Nay. Pictures by Sarah Frank Photography.
Fancy yourself a wine enthusiast? You ain’t got nothing on this bunch (pardon the pun) of vino devotees…
This year, a select group of wine lovers have been given the chance to
make all their wine-related dreams come true, with the opportunity for a
taste of the viticulture life at a 5-star Halliday Winery, Austin’s Wines – in the Moorabool Valley.
Commencing in February 2020 and running for 12 months, participants in Austin’s region-first Rent a Vine program, an exclusive, hands-on
winemaking experience, will have the opportunity to rent a row of vines and create their own personalised vintage of Pinot Noir.
Our intrepid wine reporter, Charlotte D. Nay, is one of the lucky few and is
giving us exclusive, behind the scenes access to all the wine goss and nittygritty of this very special program.
Originally planned at a maximum of fifty participants, the team at Austin’s
copped a fair amount of scepticism when they launched the plan for Rent a Vine, “We thought we’d be lucky to get 12-15 (participants),” laughs Richard
Austin (the Austin’s founder and patriarch), but the numbers kept climbing and when the sign-ups hit 75, they had to start “turning people away,” explains Duncan Lowe, the winery’s Head Winemaker.
At least that bodes well for the program continuing next year… and maybe
with some other varietals on offer (*ahem* Shiraz and Chardonnay maybe have been mentioned in passing) – don’t tell anyone we told you that though.
Workshop 1: Introduction and Pinot Noir Tasting was held on Saturday, Feb 1st, under a Tipi in the midst of the rolling vineyards at Austin’s Sutherland Creek site. Forty-five wannabe somms, viticulturists and booze hounds torn between whether to huddle under cover against the impending
thunderstorm or take the chance on a cool breeze after the last day of
January’s record breaking heart wave attempted to dissipate, waited with bated breath to begin the winemaking journey of a lifetime.
It’s no secret that you’re more likely to meet like minded people when you’re doing something particularly niche. What do hunting polar bears in the
Arctic Circle, rock climbing in full drag, and winemaking all have in common? Well, they attract a… certain type of people.
No matter whether you’re an AFL player, a government worker (*cough* spy *cough*), a chartered accountant or a part-time kidswear designer who
moonlights as a social media marketer and wine writer; being passionate enough to drop 2K on a year-long winemaking course is something that’s going to bring you together. >
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