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Yarra Yering
Planted in 1969, the unirrigated vines at our Yarra Valley vineyard produce elegant, complex and powerful wines. Approachable as young wines, they have the ability to develop in the bottle for many years. Yarra Yering is one of Australia’s most iconic wineries with an outstanding international reputation. The cellar door is open seven days a week with some of Australia’s most collected wines on tasting. Contact us for cellar door bookings.
The better the fruit quality and condition the less winemaking influence is required to deliver premium wine that lasts through the ages.
All fruit at Yarra Yering is hand-picked into 10kg picking buckets in the cool of the morning, and delivered direct to the winery. The fruit is sorted, then either destemmed or crushed into the traditional Yarra Yering “tea chest” 0.5-tonne open-fermenters. Depending on the variety, stalks may be added back during the fermentation stage in baskets for easy removal when there is just enough stalk tannin present.
Occasionally there will be some 100% whole bunch fermenters for use as a blending component. The stainless steel lined wooden tea chest fermenters were designed by Dr Carrodus to hold just the right amount of fruit to fit into the basket press. During fermentation they are hand plunged for gentle tannin extraction, initiated naturally or sometimes with a specific cultured yeast strain.
Once fermentation is complete they will be basket pressed, preferred for its gentle separation of wine from the grape skins and seeds before being transferred via gravity to barrel.
Here in our underground barrel cellar the wine will complete malolactic fermentation in French oak barrels. The barrel age, size, shape and maturation time will be dependent on the variety and wine style before blending and bottling.
Great wine is made in the vineyard.
The 70 acres of vines at Yarra Yering are grown without irrigation on a northerly slope at the foot of the Warramate hills. Good drainage, all day exposure to the sun, and enough elevation from the valley floor to avoid the spring frosts produces wines that are inherently balanced, precise and elegant.
The yield is low, 1-2 tons per acre, resulting in fruit with great intensity and concentration of flavour and with an abundance of natural acidity.
The rows of vines are planted three metres apart, but in-row vine spacings vary across the vineyard, depending on grape variety and suitability to soil type.
Hand-pruning is undertaken over winter by the vineyard staff, regardless of the weather in the Yarra Valley. As the vineyard has grown in size from the original 30 acre block to the current 70 acres, new varieties have been planted to supplement the traditional cabernet, pinot, shiraz, and chardonnay.
A steep west facing hillside purchased in the 90s was terraced and planted with Portuguese varieties to take advantage of the hot afternoon sun. An East facing slope below these varieties is planted to merlot, mouvedre and petit verdot.
Yarra Yering has not stood still, the endeavor to produce better wines is pursued constantly in the winery and vineyard, maintaining its status as one of the best in the Yarra Valley.
Visit our online store to purchase Yarra Yering wines.
Sarah began her wine industry career in 2001 when she joined Brokenwood in the Hunter Valley initially working in the vineyard.
Beginning a Bachelor of Applied Science in Viticulture in 2002 she also completed her first harvest in the winery where her future would be.
After working her way to Assistant Winemaker in 2004, Sarah began to oversee the processing of Brokenwood’s Victorian fruit from the Beechworth region.
Sarah started exploring the world of wine via international harvests working in Oregon in 2004 and 2006 focusing mainly on Pinot noir and Chardonnay at Adelsheim Vineyard and Ponzi Family Vineyards, and the Rhone Valley in 2008 working at Paul Jaboulet Aine working with Viognier and Shiraz.
In May 2009, Sarah was the recipient of the Hunter Valley Wine Industry Association’s Hunter Legends “Rising Star of the Year” Award. This award instigated a new job opportunity with Swish Wine where Sarah was at the helm as Chief Winemaker constructing a new winery for the young company.
In September 2010, Sarah joined the team at Bimbadgen, to the position of Senior Winemaker. Here Sarah enjoyed making many varieties from across Australia’s premium grape growing regions in a range of wine styles from sparkling to table wine and botrytis and fortified wines.
“My philosophy has always been: Drink less, drink better.”
Throughout 2010 Sarah took part in the Future Leaders of the Wine Industry Program as well as being accepted as one of only twelve people into the prestigious Len Evans Tutorial Program.
Wine Show judging is an integral part of Sarah’s calendar year with up to five wine shows judged to expand her palate and knowledge of industry trends.
Sarah joined the team at Yarra Yering in September 2013 as Winemaker and is excited to be focusing on a single iconic vineyard site and giving the individual blocks and varieties the time and attention they deserve.
In August, 2016 Sarah was awarded one of the wine industry’s highest honours, being named by James Halliday as Winemaker of the Year for 2017 at the QANTAS epiQure Halliday Wine Companion Awards.
Now at the helm of one of the Yarra Valley’s best wineries, Sarah will continue the tradition that Dr BB Carrodus started in 1969 with the first vineyard plantings at Yarra Yering.
