Hi all,
Welcome to the next edition of the Clarrie’s Track newsletter, we thought it was time to share an update on the 2026 harvest and the arrival of the 2025 release into the cellar.
We should perhaps change the newsletter title to “who would be a farmer?” after the events of the last few months. It has been a difficult season for many local Macedon Ranges vineyards with an early frost, a very late ripening year, bushfires, smoke, and a final unseasonal frost before many had picked. With the 2026 Harvest complete, we have an overdue opportunity to slow down and reflect on the challenges and progress since our last newsletter.
We completed our last update just as flowering was happening, and we were worried that recent hot winds had impacted the yield. As it turns out the problem was a recently identified, naturally occurring bacteria called Psuedomonas Syringae. This bacterium loves cool climate and damp vineyards with lots of vine vigour (that’s us!), potentially causing yield loss during flowering. The impact this year was substantive and we are in the process of researching how best to manage this risk in future years.
After receiving this news, we then had a very damp and cool March which resulted in botrytis on many of the Chardonnay bunches. Things dried out in April and we were heading toward a mid-May pick of what was remaining. However, on 20 April, the region experienced a devastating -4 degree morning and significant frost. The vines were all badly impacted by the cold, and we had to pick as soon as possible – even though the grapes were not yet ripe enough for table wine. We are about to learn about making sparkling wine out of our 2026 vintage!
While the last few months have been challenging in the vineyard, the opposite is true for the 2025 vintage. Having come along really well in the winery, the wine is now bottled and in the cellar for another 15-18 months of bottle age before release. We are super excited about what we have seen in bottle already for both the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Meanwhile, the 2024 vintage is almost ready for release. It is really amazing to think about people drinking our wine, talking about the story of Clarrie’s Track, and – we are hoping – enjoying what we have created. We are busy working on the website to allow online sales, and will provide more information here and on our Socials when sales are almost ready to go live.
Our little community in Newbury has taken on the task of clearing the local creek of blackberry bushes and other weeds. You can view the before and after photos below. While it has been hard work, it is both rewarding and also a great way to meet more locals. We even managed to barter some wine for a supply of Garlic to plant!
While the last period has been a little challenging, it has also reminded us just how generous the Macedon Ranges people and the broader wine community are. Many people have offered help, advice and support over this difficult time in the vineyard. We could not be more grateful for the people that have gathered around us.
Thank you to our friends and family that helped over the Harvest period, and for all those we’re fortunate enough to work alongside.
Looking forward, we’re excited to add a Sparkling wine to the Clarrie’s Track stable and to move onwards to new harvests.
We’re so proud of everything we continue to produce on our family’s little vineyard, and we can’t wait to share our first Vintage with you very soon.
Wishing you all the best, from our family to yours.
Dean, Emma, Tess and Sam
