By Michael Doran
It is almost impossible to drive through the Yarra Valley without coming across a winery with a popular brand name.
Domaine Chandon, St. Huberts, Rochford and Oakridge are just a few that regularly draw large crowds of visitors to their cellar door. Willow Lake vineyard, located in Gladysdale, grows grapes but does not make any wine or have a cellar door.
Its grapes were used by winemaker Adrian Rodda, to produce this years winning wine in the national James Halliday Chardonnay Challenge, scoring 97 out of a possible 100 points.
Since 1996, Tim Wray, has been the viticulturist at Willow Lake and is the man behind the label, providing grapes to a select few high profile winemakers.
Speaking to Tim at the vineyard it is clear that he has a deep affection for every one of his vines and is proud that the grapes grown there are used in many prestigious brands.
“In the last decade the Upper Yarra region has become the most popular place in Victoria for producing cool climate wines like chardonnay, pinot noir and sauvignon blanc,” he said.
When he arrived at Willow Lake the first thing he did was to conduct soil testings at various parts of the 30 hectare vineyard. “These were some of the earliest vines planted in the Yarra Valley so I wanted to learn more about the soil.”
“We found we had fantastically well-balanced soils so we trialled a number of grape varieties to see what worked best,” he said. “Our slopes are at an altitude of 300 metres and are slightly north facing so frost is not an issue here.”
“Also in this part of the Upper Yarra we generally get higher rainfall during late summer and the slow-ripening conditions contribute to the high-quality high-yield fruit we produce.”
Willow Lake produces around 250 tonnes of grapes a year and it is all spoken for by three customers. “I am often being approached to supply fruit but everything we grow here is already contracted.”
Tim Wray has a balanced approach to managing pest and disease and this is something he believes very strongly in.
“I minimise the use of chemicals to specific parts of the vineyard only when it is absolutely necessary,” he said. “I am a bit of a greenie at heart.”
“I want to co-exist with the natural fauna, to encourage the insects, the spiders and the ladybugs to keep pests at bay and maintain the whole eco-system in a balanced state.”
“A strong, healthy vine is not as susceptible to pests and having more of the ‘friendly’ bugs around is a key part of the process.”
The vineyard has a team of around 30 pickers who have been returning for close to 20 years, and another team that looks after the vines, pruning and canopy management.
On the picking side he said that, on average, each picker fills a 450kg bin a day with quality, undamaged fruit and the whole crop is harvested in around one month.
The Willow Lake property was originally a family holiday camp for five brothers, their families and workers from their Abbotsford shoe-making business.
The Opat brothers bought the property in 1936 and each built a holiday house around the central lake. They also built holiday huts and common areas, which were available for their employees to use for Yarra Valley holidays.
Award winning winemaker, Adrian Rodda said, “This result, first and foremost, is a testament to the Willow Lake Vineyard and the hard work of viticulturist Tim Wray and his crew to grow such high quality chardonnay.”
With such satisfied customers and award-winning accolades it’s no wonder next years crop is already sold out.
