Our open-top concrete fermenters built by fourth-generation winemaker Cyril Henschke in the 1950s are now empty, marking the end of vintage.
The mild and dry 2024 vintage will be remembered for optimal maturity and ripeness in our white varieties, with pure and intense primary fruit flavours and stunning acidity, particularly in the Eden Valley rieslings. Our focus on canopy health in the vineyard was vital in producing vibrancy in our red varieties with impressive colour and intensity of fruit character, good tannin ripeness and evocative aromas. Both shiraz and grenache were standout red varieties across the Eden Valley and Barossa Valley respectively.
In the Henschke vineyards, our first biodynamic compost heap for the year has been created, utilising the winery vintage waste (bunch stems, skins and seeds), straw, lime and cow manure collected from our herd of cows at our Eden Valley vineyard. These components are layered to form a long mound, to which we then add the biodynamic preparations. Over the next few months the compost heaps will be turned over, mixing the components together and re-stimulating microbial fermentation activity. The resulting compost will be applied to targeted vineyards in 2025, enhancing vine and soil health.
Our annual biodynamic soil application program began at the beginning of May and the fully fermented cow pat peat is being stored in clay pots, ready for spraying out in the vineyard in early spring. While many of our vineyard teams are taking the opportunity for a break between vintage and pruning, there is still much to be done in the vineyard, including foliage wire management, trellis repairs and weed management in the native flowering plant vegetation areas of our Eden Valley and Lenswood vineyards. These native flowering plants increase the activity of predatory insets to help manage vineyard pests.
You may have noticed when visiting the winery that we are upgrading the layout and efficiency of our red wine cellar, ready for vintage 2025. The redevelopment will include additional barrel storage, an improved grape receival area and additional winemaking facilities to complement our historic fermentation area.
