Vintage 2020 Wrap Up With Idyll Wine Co Senior Winemaker Toby

Vintage is always an action packed time at Idyll Wine Co, and 2020 was no exception. This year we crushed over 13,000 tonnes of fruit, pushed through problematic rain and navigated our way through Covid19. We caught up with Senior Winemaker Toby as we close out another Idyll Wine Co Vintage. 

How much fruit did we crush this year?

Toby; This year we crushed over 13,000 tonnes of fruit, this is in a similar ball park to the last couple of years. 

Which varietals did we process the most of this year?

Toby; Shiraz reigned supreme in 2020, as it has done in most recent years. We also processed a number of varietals as part of our Moscato program, including Muscat Gordo and White Frontignan. We always produce a decent amount of Cabernet Sauvignon. 

How much Marc did we contribute to the community compost program?

Toby; We processed 800 cubic meters of compost on site at Idyll for our own usage, and contributed 2,119t of marc to the on farm composting program we are a part of. You can read more about our local composting program here.

What was the highlight of this year’s vintage?

Toby; The team itself was the highlight of this year’s vintage! Our team for vintage consisted of 40 people. The team came from 13 different nationalities sharing their diverse experience across the cellar, lab and winemaking teams.

Was there anything especially challenging about this year’s vintage?

Toby; This year we experienced low temperatures throughout our growing regions, which lead to reduced crop loads and a slight reduction in crush numbers compared to last year. There were also a couple of significant rain events in several of our vineyards, and that always make life a little trickier. Thankfully Covid19 did not impact us too greatly. We were quick to implement increased measures to maintain social distancing and continue to put the health of our people first. We did lose a few members of staff in the last couple of weeks who decided to make a break to get back home before the international borders were closed!

Now that Vintage is over, what’s the focus for you and your team?

Toby; The clean up! Once the initial rush of the vintage period is over, the wine still looks nothing like the end product. There is still plenty of work left to do with the wine, including stabilization, clarification, fining and blending. There is still a way to go with the red portfolio, but in the meantime our Idyll Victorian Chardonnay has just been packaged, as has our 2020 Pinot Grigio - both have come up very well.

Keen to get your hands on some of our Idyll Wine? Our Cellar Door is still closed for now, but you can join our contact list to be first to know when we do reopen! Email reception@idyllwineco.com.au or get in touch via Instagram or Facebook so we can add you to the list!