The vineyard is where it all begins and after a year of preparations, watching the weather and then dealing with what the weather brings us, harvest for Vintage 2024 is well underway.

This year we welcomed some new faces to the vintage crew; everyone has bonded well with great enthusiasm. We’re fortunate to have a fun and dedicated team with a terrific mix of skills and experience.

All the training, discussions, repetitive tasks, sampling and analysis have paid dividends. We have been able to process many tonnes of fruit, including our Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer and Muscat for Moscato grapes, plus our older Riesling parcels.

We’ve also harvested a select few rows from our Sixties block plantings, while our first Shiraz blocks have surprised us yielding well even post frost damage, making the perfect base for the next
Bobbie Burns Shiraz.

One small block of Durif was affected by frost in October last year, and consequently had a smaller crop, but this ripened early, with great colour and flavour.

For the first time since 2019, the cellar door and office staff joined the vintage crew to hand pick the Shiraz at our Bobbie Burns vineyard. It was a great and social morning, enjoyed by all.

It’s hard to believe we are already months deep into 2024. Campbells Sunset Drinks, Autumn Graze and Easter picnic events have all been well attended and we thank you for your ongoing support of these events.

This year, our annual Bobbie Burns Dinner sold out in under two minutes, a new record. We understand it’s disappointing if you missed out, however we hope to welcome you to one or many of our upcoming events, including the Campbells Cellar Club events in Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney. Further details can be found in this edition or via campbellswines.com.au.

For those who love one of our Rutherglen icons, Durif, there is an article in this edition to learn how Campbells Wines ‘thorough bred’ this legendary red. Thank you again for your support, we hope you can join us soon in Rutherglen at our cellar door to relax under our shady oaks or cosy up by our fireplace with your favourite Campbells Wines and a vineyard platter.

Cheers!