Hi Everyone,
We hope you’re enjoying the long summer days. We certainly are – although like our vines, the cool evenings up high in the hills are a welcome respite.
Welcome to “Along The Track”, a regular update of all things Clarrie’s Track. We would love to know what you’d like to hear about, and any thoughts you have on our progress. Please reach out via our contact details below. We hope you enjoy!
At Clarrie’s Track, we believe the best wine is made in the vineyard. So, what better place to start our update than that. The 2026 season started slowly with budburst 4 weeks behind the previous year. We were on track towards a mid-May harvest and potential fruit thinning to ensure we could ripen the crop. Towards early November the Macedon Ranges suffered from a late frost event. Unfortunately for many of our fellow growers, the result was devastating and yields for 2026 were severely impacted. Thankfully, our frost system did its job and we got through with minimal impact. As they say, who would be a farmer?
The seasons shape everything we do — from the vineyard to the glass. Things have moved along nicely from this point despite lower temperatures than normal. For comparison, our soil temperature in the early 2025 December summer was lower than at the start of November 2024.
January finally saw the arrival of summer and the vines started moving. However, it also saw the arrival of bushfires through much of Victoria and another devasting time for those around us. Our thoughts go out to those that lost property and stock, including in the Harcourt fires that ripped though local cool stores. We’re sending best wishes and love from our family to yours as you get back on your feet.
Our vines were still flowering as the north-westerly wind came through on the days of the fires. Perhaps it was Mother Nature reducing the fruit load for us heading into the second half of the season? It is a little too early to tell the impact on yield, but we will cross our fingers in the meantime.
The weather has continued to be dry and warm, allowing the vineyard to recover a few weeks of lost time. Maybe we will get to harvest in April after all!
At Clarrie’s Track, we believe the best wine is made in the vineyard. So, what better place to start our update than that. The 2026 season started slowly with budburst 4 weeks behind the previous year. We were on track towards a mid-May harvest and potential fruit thinning to ensure we could ripen the crop. Towards early November the Macedon Ranges suffered from a late frost event. Unfortunately for many of our fellow growers, the result was devastating and yields for 2026 were severely impacted. Thankfully, our frost system did its job and we got through with minimal impact. As they say, who would be a farmer?
The seasons shape everything we do — from the vineyard to the glass. Things have moved along nicely from this point despite lower temperatures than normal. For comparison, our soil temperature in the early 2025 December summer was lower than at the start of November 2024.
January finally saw the arrival of summer and the vines started moving. However, it also saw the arrival of bushfires through much of Victoria and another devasting time for those around us. Our thoughts go out to those that lost property and stock, including in the Harcourt fires that ripped though local cool stores. We’re sending best wishes and love from our family to yours as you get back on your feet.
Our vines were still flowering as the north-westerly wind came through on the days of the fires. Perhaps it was Mother Nature reducing the fruit load for us heading into the second half of the season? It is a little too early to tell the impact on yield, but we will cross our fingers in the meantime.
The weather has continued to be dry and warm, allowing the vineyard to recover a few weeks of lost time. Maybe we will get to harvest in April after all!
In January, our family celebrated 3 birthdays – Happy Birthday to Tess, Sam, and Emma! We enjoyed more than enough Freddo Frog Ice Cream cakes to tide us over until my birthday in November.
Now with the holiday season over we’re getting back into the swing of the year – Emma is getting close to finishing the PhD, Tess has returned from a month travelling Europe to her new job in Canberra, and Sam is back into design for the 2026 Melbourne University Racing car. (apparently his degree is happening too!)
Our rambling garden is thriving – even despite receiving a fair bit less attention than our vines! Look at the amazing purple Hydrangea, apparently the colour comes from the acidic soils.
Emma and I are looking forward to the kids coming back for netting and harvest. We need the help!
From our family to yours, we wish you good luck as 2026 gets underway.
Dean, Emma, Tess and Sam
