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  • La vendange

    In France, the time of harvest is known as la vendange.

     

    During this time, the French countryside is bustling with activity and anticipation as vintners work to haul in the harvest. Grapes all ripen at different rates depending on their varieties, and usually, the season of la vendange spans about two months – from August to October.

     

    In Australia, in the southern hemisphere, our harvest season falls between January and March, and on Sunday the 6th of February, we hosted our own Bonvilla Estate style la vendange event.

     

    What an eventful day, our guests loved wandering through the vineyards, rolling up their sleeves and harvesting grapes firsthand, with whites picked first, followed by the reds.

     

    There was a real buzz around the place as everyone chipped into harvest the ripening grapes, a light sprinkling of rain didn’t damper spirits, and soon, it was time to get messy and start stomping.

     

    The laughs and squeals (of delight mainly) rung out through the estate.

     

    We certainly earned our lunch, enjoying the fresh food, music, games, appreciating the wines, and seeing all the hard work that goes into producing them.

     

    Carol wrapped it up perfectly. “Bonvilla Estate was a lovely place to be for a good time.”

     

    All our guests received a bottle of wine from the handpicked grapes at la vendange.

     

    La vendange will be celebrated every year, and we look forward to welcoming you all again.

     

  • Things are really growing

    We heard from our Viticulturist Liz recently and the good news was that despite really dry conditions, Bonvilla is experiencing moderate canopies and solid crop loads.

    The Shiraz, Muscat, Semillon and Verdelho are all flourishing and Chardonnay while having smaller canopies than desired has put on a small burst of growth over the last week.

    We’re new to this world of wine making, but are working with trusted experts to get the best results. We are excited to harvest in January and start to explore our range for 2020.

  • New dam for dry days ahead

    We’re getting a deeper understanding for the climate now, and understanding the challenges presenting many Vineyards across the Hunter, with drier days. Our new dam reservoir will help us hold larger reserves of water and give our property the best opportunity to thrive.

  • Sunrises on the Estate

    We are spending more weekends down here, getting our plans in order, watching the vines progress. We are absolutely loving these sunrises and seeing the Hot Air Balloons get up in the morning. A celebration of everything wonderfully Hunter.

     

  • First Shoots

    Its been exciting watch our very first shoots start to sprout in the Vineyard amidst a very dry winter. We’ve got big plans for these humble beginnings.

  • We bought a vineyard!

    In June 2019, we bought a Vineyard! What an exciting time.

    Having raised families in Newcastle the Hunter had a special place in our hearts, and the opportunity to make a slice of it our own, was irresistible.

    We called her Bonvilla Estate and cannot wait to sink our teeth into reinventing her into a must-visit destination.

    Exciting times are ahead.