Pressing for red wine
This is where the glamour of winemaking fades a bit for me. The free run wine is drained and transferred from the vats to leave the grape skins and sediment (marc). This material is removed from the vats with a pitch fork, thrown through the vat door into a hopper over a large pump. It… Read more
Vines to vats, Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux 2020 rouge
Grapes for red wine are brought to the winery, crushed and pumped into vats. At Maine Gazin, the building was developed in the 1850’s so the vats are concrete. The ‘moût’ is then fermented to convert the sugar to alcohol. This process is usually completed within a fortnight before commencing the malolactic fermentation. Then it… Read more
Clever Harvest 2020
Harvesting of grapes has developed just in the 5 years we have been at Chateau Maine Gazin. The grapes are now stripped from the bunch and the smaller berries rejected. The bunch stem is left on the vine and a minimal amount of vegetable matter is taken to the winery. https://youtu.be/tcJZUVycVXk… Read more
Harvest Day for Rosé 2020
Rosé was selected from a parcel of merlot and harvested early for colour and acidity. We are in the 3 year transition period to Bio/organic certification for the vineyard. https://youtu.be/gr8aiJfFSVU… Read more
Seeding rows for soil enhancement
Seeded every second row with a legume and cereal mix to control humidity and improve the organic matter for the vines. https://youtu.be/7AuAoPk-gzI… Read more
Weed removal under the vines…the organic way
Organic farming requires more soil work to control weeds and avoid the use of chemical sprays. Here we see the intercep slicing the earth between the vines. Hydraulic arms sense the vines so they are not also sliced. https://youtu.be/6aCenZzkTSs… Read more
Removal of unripe grapes before harvest
Some varieties of vines produce small bunches of grapes after the main bunches have formed. These do not ripen before harvest. They need to be removed or they will introduce a green vegetable taste through the wine. This video is taken in our Cabernet Franc plot.https://youtu.be/9qEo1ZniZtQ… Read more
Aerial view of Maine Gazin
Château Maine Gazin is a property of 7.3ha that includes the vineyard, maison, bungalow and several out buildings. The vineyard has 9 plots, the 2 closest to the buildings are Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc has the 2 plots on the to eastern side and the balance is Merlot. Video courtesy of Wilke Reints…. Read more
Véraison- grapes changing colour
Red grapes change colour usually at the start of August in Bordeaux. In 2020 an early season had véraison commencing in the 3rd week of July… Read more
Vineyard Ambience
Walking through the vineyard is usually associated with work, this video tries to give a feel of environment without work on the mind…. Read more
Vineyard rows- hedging…why?
Rows of vines are trimmed or hedged to allow maximum sun exposure onto the grapes and together with some leaf thinning enable even berry ripening…. Read more
Vineyard leaf thinning
Leaf thinning around the newly formed bunches of grapes allows the sun to evenly ripen the grapes. The grapes in later June (Northern Hemisphere) are green and hard, the leaves are pulled away on one side of the vines at Château Maine Gazin to receive the full morning sun…. Read more
Cabernet Franc & Petit Verdot early June 2020
Hedging of the vines is important to allow full sun into the south sloping rows. Leaf thinning over the bunches follows to enable even berry ripening…. Read more
Red wines bottled at Château April 2020
The gold awarded red wines bottled at Chateau Maine Gazin on 28th April. Grand vin de Bordeaux rouge 2018 & Petit Verdot 2018… Read more
Bottling!
November 2019 Rosé was the first wine to be bottled at the Château for the Cook family. It was made using the organic wine making process so as to learn how. Bottled under cork with a shot of nitrogen it is ready to drink….and it is not all that bad. It was reviewed… Read more
2019 Harvest
September – October 2019 Second harvest for the Cook Family and it was a big one. The vines flowered in early June and followed with a very good fruit set. It was to be a strong crop but it also meant bunch thinning (green harvest). This brings tears to your eyes seeing bunches cut away to… Read more
Our first harvest
September 2018 Early August 2018, the pressure was on; there was definitely going to be a harvest. The volumes were estimated to be modest and the vines not fully grown so it was to be a hand picking harvest. The requirement was to recruit about 20 people, borrow crates from a friendly Chateau and hire… Read more
Maintaining the vineyard and going organic
2018-19 As is the case all over the world grape vines need preventative maintenance against disease and pests. This primarily involves spraying of chemicals. The two types of mildew (fungi) require spray treatments soon after bud burst to just before the grapes change colour (verasion). Pest treatments are much less frequent for Maine Gazin although… Read more
Developing our vineyard
2017 Vines need a great deal of care in the first few years. The chamber of Agriculture have some very fine staff to help with all aspects of viticulture. Soil testing, vine cultivar/root stock selection and fertilisation options have all been sourced from the department. As newbies Geoff & Marion followed directions carefully but the… Read more
Planting vines
July 2016 It was known Maine Gazin had very special terroir; the soil limestone clay mix, sloping south to north and the moderating influence of the Gironde. However, the vineyard had developed in an ad-hoc way over the generations. The advice was to replant vines to modern standards. Re-planting was completed in 2016. It was… Read more
Renovations
January 2016 The château (translates as castle) is actually an 1850’s building with half the roof cover for accommodation. The winery is the other half of the building. The combination of château, winery and vineyard has been the fundamental requirement to establish a Château brand in France for a very long time. It is also… Read more
Chateau Maine Gazin begins
April 2015 From Bondi Beach to Boredeaux region, Geoff and Marion had the yearning to get back to a rural pursuit after retiring. They had some farming experience and an involvement in a vineyard project in Pemberton, South West Australia. France was the target. The search began in September 2014 in south eastern France. Some… Read more
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