Handpicked in early February (10 February), the grapes were chilled overnight. The following day, approximately 3% of the fruit was de-stemmed, with the whole berries transferred to one 600L Terracotta Amphora for ferment. The remaining fruit was softly pressed to stainless tank.

The juice in tank was inoculated with an existing ferment. Post ferment, this was racked into the 600L Amphora for 6 months. The whole berry portion of this wine (in Amphora) was pressed after 2 weeks of ferment, and then aged in a French barrique.

Blending the whole berry component with the traditional ferment, the juice was bottled in early September 2024.

Emily Kinsman’s ECK Wines is based out of her small vineyard and winery in central Heathcote, where she organically farms less than half a hectare of shiraz. That modest holding is supported by fruit – shiraz, chardonnay, pinot noir, marsanne, cabernet and riesling – sourced from across Heathcote and Mount Alexander, in the Bendigo region, with a greenfield site in Macedon recently purchased, which will soon be planted to vines. A lawyer by trade, the pull of making something with her hands and a simpler, more connected life captivated Kinsman, and her wines follow that attraction, with a traditional approach, incorporating old, larger format oak and amphora, along with low sulphur additions and no fining or filtration.