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 Yering Station wines
Yarra
Valley, Victoria, Australia
Winemaker: Tom
Carson
Yering Station wines:
Background...
William Ryrie pioneered grape growing in Victoria
in 1838, planting the first vines on his Yarra Valley property, Yering Station.
In less than 30 years, the property received international acclaim when, in
1889, Yering Station was the only wine from the southern hemisphere to be
awarded a Grand Prix at the World Exhibition in Paris. This completed the
transition from cattle property to vineyard and winery.
The 20-acre
estate was replanted in 1988, and 8 years later a further 100 acres were
planted. The following year a state-of-the-art winery became operational. There
are now approximately 272 acres of vineyards over five sites in the Yarra
Valley with the reserve wines coming from the older plantings. The site now
includes the old cellar door, a bar, a produce store, an art gallery and the
stunning wine bar and restaurant. Other strong traditions at Yering Station
include the annual Dig-out, which involves shovelling all the grape skins from
the open vat fermentors into the press. A new system has been introduced,
called the 'Snow Plough': this particular technique involves using the whole
body like a snow plough and forcing the grape skins out that way. Perhaps not
the most time-effective method, but certainly one which produced the most
laughs!
We are delighted to also be able to offer small quantities of
the Reserve label wines, produced only in an exceptionally good vintage,
and the Méthode Champenoise Yarrabank.
Yering Station wines: The people...
The wines of
Yering Station are made entirely from grapes of the Yarra Valley. The
winemaking team, led by Tom Carson, is committed to producing wines
which express the characteristics of the region with particular emphasis on
varietal flavours, structure and balance. When a variety performs exceptionally
well during a season, a selection of the most outstanding parcels are released
under the reserve label.
Since joining Yering Station in 1996, Tom has
been an integral part of its growth. He began learning about wine at home where
there was always wine with dinner. His interest turned professional in 1987
when he began working at a vineyard in the Yarra Valley, planting vines at the
Greenpoint vineyards of Domaine Chandon. He has had a great respect for the
importance of the vineyard ever since.
He studied oenology at Roseworthy
Agricultural College and then spent two vintage at Tim Knappstein Wines in the
Clare Valley where he was involved in the first two vintages of Lenswood
Vineyards pinot noir. There was pinot noir, French-style in Burgundy, for the
next two vintages.
Back to the Yarra Valley to be assistant winemaker to
the legendary James Halliday at Coldstream Hills, then to Yarra Edge where he
was in charge of everything before he joined Yering Station.
What does
he like about Yering Station? "A lot of things — the crew of people, the
dedication, the excitement of the project. We’ve had success but
we’re really just at the beginning."
John Evans, Vineyard
Manager, grew up in Margaret River although his home is now in the Yarra
Valley. He has responsibility for all the vineyards, and the people who take
charge of each site. Understanding the microclimates of the individual vineyard
sites in the Yarra is an important issue. "Even within vineyards there are
microclimates," says John. The important issue is to control cropping levels to
optimise flavour.
The other factor is one over which he has no control:
"All the procedurs are based around the weather."
More information (Click on
links):
Yering Station wines from the Yarra
Valley: Regional map
(Click
on map to see all wines on our list from Yarra Valley, Victoria,
Australia):
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