The sunflowers have been pulled out and the seed saved for next spring. Some seed has been sown to provide sunflower shoots in the restaurant. This has given the new citrus varieties and fruit trees room to flourish between the mulberry trees.
Steph is leaving us for a new adventure and has handed over the gardening gloves to Stuart, who we all welcome to Cullen Wines!
This week Stuart has been sowing radishes, parsley and rocket. The picking of beans, cucumbers, zucchinis and salad greens continues daily for the restaurant.
The tomatoes are now starting to pump out in numbers and colours with a small fight to get them before the silvereyes have a little peck. The strawberry guava look fantastic and it could be only a couple of weeks away before we start to see some ripe ones. Steph says the feijoa's are the best they have been and a good crop is to come!
Broadbrush. Fresh - The West Australian Thursday 17 2013
Good news from Cullen too. In a region where you're hard-pressed to find an evening meal - most winery restaurants open only at lunch - Cullen Wines is now opening for Saturday evening service. Winemaker and Managing Director Vanya Cullen says they'll try it over the summer and depending on how well the public responds, the offer may be extended.
The sunflowers have bloomed and are now setting seed. They have provided a beautiful mass of colour and have been decorating the Cullen’s dining room. It has been hot and muggy and it’s always a challenge to keep everything happy and healthy at this time of year. (people included!) However, our summer crops are now established and producing.
The zucchini’s are loving this years conditions with an abundance of golden, tromboncino and black beauty varieties. The kitchen is making a beautiful zucchini pickle to feature on the Vineyard Platter in the restaurant.
It is the aim of Cullen Wines to minimise the impact of our activities on the global environment. To compensate for our emissions created from vehicles, tractors, forklifts, LPG use and air travel, Cullen Wines engages the Carbon Reduction Institute to measure, reduce and offset our climate change impacts.
Which game-changing women hold the most power in the wine world today? Lucy Shaw rounds up the top 50 women shaping wine styles and influencing consumer palates around the world.
Cullen Wines planted Mulberry trees in 1983 down the driveway entrance to the winery.
These wonderful trees are now in full production and we serve these delicious berries with our even more scrumptious Chardonnay blossom biodynamic honey icecream.
If the early ripening of the mulberries is anything to go by we will be in harvest earlier than usual!
Our garden harvest right now are green beans, swiss chard, greens, heirloom zucchinis, radish, herbs galore, carrots, summer squash, fennel and edible flowers.
On The Grapevine by John Fordham - Sunday Telegraph 16.12.2012
Vanya Cullen is about to celebrate her 30th anniversary (with the 2013 vintage) at the family's iconic Margaret River winery, having impeccably followed in the footsteps of her illustrious late parents Kevin and Diana.
Last week there was an awards dinner at Vasse Felix Gala Dinner for the recent Margaret River Wine show. At this dinner Cullen wines and Moss Wood presented the rights to Dr John Gladstones proposed sub-regional map to the Margaret River Wine Industry Assosication. Below is a picture of Vanya at the awards speaking about the map.
From the Margaret River Wine Industry Association's press release:
