#mybarossa

Frontignac is an aromatic white grape varietal that I have never worked with before, and admittedly, know little about. I conduct a light Google search and soon realise I know more about Fronti (it’s Aussie nickname) than I think. Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains is the traditional name for the variety, the label which I am more familiar with. Considered one of the oldest grape varietals still being planted, it is believed that the ancient Greeks and Romans had grown and vinified this fruity, aromatic grape. Today, it is a popular varietal grown in Australia under the pseudonym Frontignac-Muscat. It ripens earlier than other varietals which is why it is the first fruit we receive. Its light, fragrant, and tropical characteristics make it an approachable wine which we will eventually turn into a sweet, low alcohol, lightly sparkling Muscato d’Asti style aperitif. Eventually. But for now, it is still fruit in a bin.

The bins are fork lifted in twos and carted to the crusher where they are gradually tipped into a wide and hungry mouth of stainless steel. Whole bunches of Frontignac roll and thump and bounce into the silver hopper. All fifteen tonnes are loaded in, where they are weighed, destemmed, crushed, and pumped into our bladder press. The bladder inside the press slowly expands, pressing the berries against the sides of the press. They gently burst, releasing sticky juice which begins to flow into a catch tray. I hurriedly dig a scoop of dry ice from a cooler and dump it into the juice. The steaming carbon dioxide hovers over the must, a billowing and misty cloak protecting it from oxygen. From here, we pump the must into a fermentation tank where it will sit and chill overnight. Someone swoops a wine glass into the juice and we all take a sip of the sticky thick must. It tastes sweet, juicy, and tropical. We congregate around the press with sticky hands, dirty boots, and exhausted eyes, but we are revelling in our first press of Vintage 2014. After a slow start to harvest, everyone is delighted that we have finally received grapes.