By Eliza Brown, CEO/director

Throughout history, picking grapes has brought people together. And if you’re stuck in an office most of the day, working in a vineyard is not only satisfying but nourishing for the spirit.

Starting at 6am and watching the sun rise over the parched fields in the silence of the morning is soul-enriching. My brother Nick said that there was no need to get contract pickers in, as the Mount Ophir Shiraz block is small and we could get our friends to help us.

When looking for said friends, they seemed to ‘unfriend’ us quite quickly when the invitation was for a day of hard labour in the vineyard!mBut, thankfully, two friends took up the challenge: Philip, a very tall (not very good to be too tall when you’re a grape picker) architect, and Alastair, a local truck company owner. We picked those very first Shiraz grapes like they were our firstborn and delivered them to All Saints Estate to be processed.

It was a day of history-making for us. Bringing back the Mount Ophir Estate wine brand is essential to get right for our first vintage. The label is nearly finished, and it will be an exciting time in May 2021 when we re-release Mount Ophir Estate’s brand wine.

If you are interested in registering your interest in the wine, please subscribe to the website: www.mountophirestate.com.au.