Quartz Reef owner and winemaker Rudi Bauer said winemakers in the region had been delighted with the quality of the 2023 harvest and held high hopes for this year’s crop.
"So far this season of [20]24 has held indications that it will be a very good harvest.
"Of course, we cannot predict the next six weeks, but everything that’s happened so far is very good."
Quartz Reef had 30 people working on the harvest across 25ha of vines in two teams, made up of predominantly of recognised seasonal employer (RSE) workers and international backpackers.
Because the vineyard was relativity large, environmental factors affected the vines in different ways, leaving winemakers to decide when to pick the fruit.
"That’s basically my day-to-day decision," Mr Bauer said.
"You’re looking for clean fruit," he said.
The vineyard would continue to fine-tune what worked best for particular vines throughout the season, he said.
"We’re hoping for consistently high-quality and consistently improving viticultural practices."
Mr Bauer said harvest would continue for about two weeks, depending on the weather.
Those grapes would be used for Quartz Reef’s specialty sparkling wine.
"You pick a bit earlier and you make sure you retain the acidity — that’s the two key factors [for sparkling wine]."
The fruit picked in Bendigo yesterday would appear on shelves, as sparkling wine, in early 2027.
Once these grapes had been picked there would a pause in the harvest until about Easter, when still wine grapes were ready.
