Celebrate – Sauvignon Blanc Semillon and Arneis

With all the happenings in the world we are focusing on the little things to celebrate. After a great 2020 vintage that was completed just as the Covid-19 crisis became fully understood, and a reality, we are pleased to release the first of our 2020 vintage wines – the 2020 Sauvignon Blanc Semillon and the 2020 Arneis.

Available now at the cellar door and online.

December saw some of our hottest days ever, our warmest nights and driest times since 2008. The season started considerably earlier than usual with our harvest starting in the last week of January, up to 3 weeks earlier than normal. Many of our white varieties were harvested in quick succession throughout February, without any drop in quality, making for a busy time for us. A slight cooling off in March and some sporadic rain events slowed down reds to ripen on a more usual schedule.

We encourage you to celebrate with us and enjoy our new wine releases. Pop over to the website to buy wine.

2020 Sauvignon Blanc Semillon

This follows on from previous vintages. It is passionfruit on the nose, with dry citrus and lime on the palate.

The Semillon adds length and texture. Drinking beautifully.

$20.00 per bottle

2020 Arneis

A soft and aromatic vintage, with a rich textured palate of nashi pears to hints of citrus, with a crisp finish.

Drinking young and fresh or will cellar for 2-3 years.

$28.00 per bottle

Month of May

Celebrating all Mothers in May.

During the month of May if you purchase 6 or more bottles of wine from us here at Vineyard 28 then you’ll be in with a chance to win this gorgeous handcrafted Lap Quilt made by owner, Pippa Nielsen.

The quilt is approx 1200mm square and made from 100% cotton fabrics.

So don’t miss out, pop across to the website and place your order. Last orders will be until 31st May 2020 to be eligible.

(Available only for wine purchases and deliveries within Australia)

Order your wine here

Vintage 2020

The 2020 Vintage here at Vineyard 28 in Geographe kicked off a little earlier than usual. On the 29th January we commenced with harvesting the Muscat Petit a Grain fruit destined for the 2020 Moscato Rosa. Sampling and testing in the weeks prior had suggested we’d be underway around first week of February, but a few warms days pushed the fruit along and Vintage 2020 began.

What followed next was 13 harvests of fruit spread across a short window of 5 weeks, at both Vineyard 28 and up at the Wildwater Vineyard. This made for quite a compressed vintage compared to previous years. It meant a busy time in the winery for Mark and the new wine tanks purchased this year have been put to good use. The Cabernet Sauvignon was picked on the 24th February, and then we saw a weather change. Some rain, cooler days and nights slowed down the ripening of the Nebbiolo. We were a little concerned it might be damaged by the rain, but it robustly came through to be harvested as normal on 25th March.

Overall 2020 has been a great vintage, the quality and yields of the fruit have been exactly where winemaker, Mark wanted them to be. There are some great flavours to be sampled once these grapes make bottle. This year Mark is increasing his use of wild yeasts from the vineyard. They increase the texture and character of the wines that are produced. So there will be some very interesting drops from Vintage 2020.

Throughout Vintage Jasper was everywhere. He loved being up early and out with the crew harvesting. But age has caught up with him, as generally by the afternoons he’d be found sound asleep somewhere.

Vintage came to a quiet finish this year amidst the Corona virus crisis. Normally we would have celebrated with our crew. Many of them have picked for us over 10 years now, Bruce Jones in particular has been with us for 15 years. For now we’ve postponed the celebrations and look forward to gathering the crew together once it is permitted and celebrate Vintage 2020 with a few wines and some great food.

Open Online for Business

22nd March 2020

These coming months are going to be some of the most challenging and strange times for many of us. The Corona Virus is impacting us all, and in particular small businesses like our own.

As of Monday 22nd March 2020, our cellar door is closed to visitors.

You can still order wine online or by giving us a call on the phone or by email. We will happily freight wine, whether it be 1 bottle or a case of 12.

As business people and winemakers, we, Mark and Pippa, appreciate the support we receive from our customers who enjoy our wines, and we look forward to this continuing.

Autumn New Wine Releases

Just as the weather begins to cool and we head into the Autumn months, we are ready to share our new wine releases – the latest vintages of Cabernet Sauvignon and Nebbiolo.

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon is our usual fruit driven style. Lots of great berry fruit on the palate, luscious with a dry finish. $25.00 per bottle

The 2018 Nebbiolo is quite special this year. A slight change in winemaking practise, with 30% of the fruit undergoing wild ferment has added great depth to this wine. It was recently awarded 4 stars in the Winestate Italian/Spanish Tasting, of which the results can be seen in the March/April edition of the magazine.

As per the notes in the Winestate Magazine – “A bright nose of tar and rose petals with a well focussed longer vibrant palate of dried herbs, oak spices ad rose petals.”

$28.00 per bottle

We are looking forward to sharing these new wine releases at our Cellar Door, via our grazing and tasting experience, and also out and about as the opportunity arises.

We are planning to take them along to the Toast to the Coast Event being held at the Mindarie Marina on Saturday 4th April 2020.

The wines can also be ordered online via our website.

Join Vineyard 28 on the Boardwalk.

At the Boardwalk Cafe, Mandurah.

Saturday 22nd February 2020 – 4.00pm to 6.30pm

Come and join our winemaker, Mark Cumbers for Vineyard 28 on the Boardwalk, a “Trip to Italy” with a side trip to “France”, as he showcases current and new release wines. All will be accompanied by delicious morsels prepared by the chef at the Boardwalk Cafe in Mandurah. Enjoy a summer evening on the Mandurah waterfront, whilst enjoying our wines, food and good company.

The current wines will be on offer along with some of our new releases.

The line up will be : Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2019, Arneis 2019, Dolcetto 2018 and 2019, Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 & 18, and the Nebbiolo 2017 & 18. The new 2019 Moscato Rosa and the 2019 Dolcetto Freddo.

The Chef at the Boardwalk Cafe will providing some delicious morsels of food to accompany our range of wines. Mark will be on hand to talk about the wines and answer all your questions. You’ll also be able to place orders for your favourites.

Where: The Boardwalk Cafe, 5D Mandurah Terrace, Mandurah

Tickets: $40.00 per person

Bookings are essential. Limited places available.

BOOK HERE

for your Vineyard 28 on the Boardwalk Experience.

Vintage Leap 2020

Winemaker Mark with visitors on a vineyard walk.

This is going to be a great opportunity to celebrate the 2020 Leap year, with our Vintage Leap Experience.

Saturday 29th February 2020

Come for a walk in the Vineyard with our winemaker, Mark. Sample the grapes and gain an understanding of how we decide when to pick and why. Learn what the words “baume” and “brix” mean. Taste the flavours of the grape before they become wine.

Mark will then take you into the winery where it should all be happening. A peek into the world of a winemaker amidst the season we refer to as “vintage” or in Italian – “la vendemmia“

By this time we will have some wines in tank and at different stages of the wine-making process. Get to have a sneak peek and early taste of 2020 vintage wines. Mark might even tempt you with some barrel tastings of the 2019 reds.

This will be a small group experience. (Limited to 8 persons per session)

When: Saturday 29 February 2020 between 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM

Cost – $25.00 per person (for Non Cellar Club Members)

Bookings are essential.

After your Vintage Leap Experience you are then welcome to taste wines at the Cellar Door and restock on some favourites. You are also invited to order a grazing plate or bring your own picnic to enjoy with a bottle of your favourite wine.

Note: Cellar Club Members please check your emails as there will be a promotional code provided for you to book with to obtain a discount.

BOOK HERE

Wine Show Season

September through to November each year is often known in our industry as the Wine Show season. The time when we send our wines off to be benchmarked against others. We hope to receive back a few awards, some medals and lots of constructive feedback on the wines we have entered.

Here at Vineyard 28 we are quite selective of which wine shows we enter. Not all wine shows are equal and suitable for our lesser known Italian Varieties. One show we always support though is our own local show, the Geographe and WA Alternative Wine Show held in September each year. This year we came home with a swag of Bronze medals for our wines, so although not an award or trophy, we got some great feedback.

Another great show we send our wines away to is the Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show. This show has been going for 20 years now and is not only a forum for wines that fall outside the mainstream. It encourages cutting-edge judging procedures and provides a host of social and educational events that promote knowledge sharing and the ferment of ideas around lesser known grape varietals.

Mark is very pleased to have received a Gold Medal, for the 2019 Dolcetto (dry) at this years Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show. It makes it two years in a row for this wine. (The 2018 Dolcetto winning Gold last year and then going onto to win the Best Italian Red Varietal Trophy) The 2019 Dolcetto would have been in the running for the trophy again, but this year a Sangiovese from De Bortoli came up tops.

Wine shows are a fickle thing, and sometimes you don’t get the results you hoped for, but it doesn’t mean the wine isn’t good enough. Consistently achieving medals indicates excellent quality wine with no faults. It provides us with an opportunity to see how we are going with our peers. But at the end of the day it really comes down to the individual, which wines you like to drink, and the characteristics and flavours you like in your wine.

As well known Spanish American Chef, Jose Andres states, “Every time I open a bottle of wine it is an amazing trip somewhere.“

At Vineyard 28 we want our wines to take you on an amazing trip as well, hopefully on a little journey to experience something of Italy here in the Geographe Wine Region.

Wine Show Results 2019

Gold Medal at the 2019 Australian Alternative Wine Show for:

2019 Dolcetto (dry)

Bronze Medal at the 2019 Australian Alternative Wine Show and 2019 Geographe & WA Alternative Wine Show for:

2018 Nebbiolo (not released yet)

Bronze Medals at the 2019 Geographe & WA Alternative Wine Show for :

2019 Sauvignon Blanc Semillon
2019 Arneis
2019 Dolcetto Freddo
2019 Dolcetto
2018 Cabernet Sauvigon (not released yet)

Bronze Medal at the 2019 Wine Show of Western Australia, held in Mt Barker WA each year for:

2019 Moscato Rosa (not released yet)

Discover Italian Vino

Saturday 16th November 1.00pm to 4.00pm

at the Vineyard 28 Cellar Door.

Booking Essential – $30.00 per person BOOK HERE

Spend an afternoon with our winemaker Mark, on a journey to discover Italian Vino. Be the first to try some of the new releases. Tempt your taste buds with samples of the new grape varieties we will be introducing in the future.

Begin your afternoon with an introduction to an Italian Sparkling wine from the Emilio Romagna region of Italy. Take a short trip to southern Italy to Campania as you are introduced to the Fiano grape. Vineyard 28 is looking forward to producing their first vintage of this in 2020.

You will be amongst the first to try new vintages of Arneis, Dolcetto and Nebbiolo. Compare with their predecessors. Which will be your favourite? Finish up your afternoon on a sweet note with our new release 2019 Moscato Rosa and 2019 Dolcetto Freddo.

All of this Italian Vino will be accompanied by grazing table of local fresh produce – fruits, cheeses, olives, charcuterie and Lou’s awesome artisan crackers.

A great day out at UnWined in Subiaco.

Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th October, Market Square Park, Subiaco – 11.30am to 5.30pm each day.

Come out and catch up with us at UnWined, one of WA’s premier Food and Wine Festivals in the Market Square,Subiaco.

A great day out where you can sample our new wine releases and restock with your favourite Vineyard 28 wines. You can even buy a glass of our wine to enjoy with your lunch on the picnic lawn.

Throughout the day you can listen to live music, sit in on a wine & food pairing session or wine appreciation class and buy some delicious tapas from Perth’s best foodies and Subiaco restaurants.

No matter what you do, it’s a great day out with friends and family where you can discover new and unusual wines, taste great food and enjoy indi tunes in the heart of Subiaco!

Tickets are available online now – BUY TICKETS

This year the organisers are also hosting a Culinary Series in the week leading up to UnWined. The series will be made up of dinners, functions and tastings commencing the Monday prior to UnWined Subiaco and continuing through to the weekend. You will be able to enjoy the journey of the wine regions of the state, understanding some of their signature wines while pairing the experience with WA produce.

All the information on this – CULINARY SERIES