“We are close to McLaren Flat with two creeks running through the property on what would have been a floodplain at some point in time,” says Richard Leask. “This provides lots of large gum trees, and it is where we have planted thousands of natives in our commitment to continually improve the property’s biodiversity. Our vineyard, I would think, is more diverse than any other in the region, with 19 varieties across 23 hectares, it gives us tremendous flexibility and resilience.”
The Sand Road Vineyard was first planted in 1983. Frequent grafting to new varieties and further planting began in 2000, with the youngest vines planted in 2019. Today, there is shiraz, cabernet sauvignon, malbec, carignan, muscat blanc à petits grains, greco, montepulciano, nero d’avola, grenache, mataro, tempranillo, touriga, mencía, aglianico , fiano, vermentino, greco, sangiovese, falanghina and lambrusco maestri in the ground. The site is drip irrigated with a combination of bore and recycled water.
“At this stage, they all seem to work and will have a place into the future. We don’t really know what the climate will throw at us, but we need to adapt, as it is going to be different. Overall, what we have found is that these larger berry varieties have a much slower ripening curve when we get heat spikes – shiraz and cabernet tend to race to sugar ripeness but not flavour ripeness. We are finding that we have greater control on picking times.”
In restructuring the vineyard from a fairly classic Vale mix of French red varieties, Leask pursued heat-tolerant varieties that would handle the changing climatic conditions. “We are in some ways writing a new chapter in varieties and wine styles for the region as we transition away from the traditional varieties to more climate adaptive Mediterranean ones.
“At this stage, they all seem to work and will have a place into the future. We don’t really know what the climate will throw at us, but we need to adapt, as it is going to be different. Overall, what we have found is that these larger berry varieties have a much slower ripening curve when we get heat spikes – shiraz and cabernet tend to race to sugar ripeness but not flavour ripeness. We are finding that we have greater control on picking times.”
Leask also targeted varieties that would return medium-weight wines that worked well with food. This has very much become the style at Hither & Yon, with a focus on approachability linked with distinctive varietal character. “We think the wines show a real brightness and freshness, just like the vineyard, but also an earthiness and that the flavour profiles of each wine are true to the variety being grown,” says Leask, who notes that they replaced a trial planting of tannat not because it was unsuccessful, but because it made wines that sat outside the style that they were pursuing.
This kind of focused thinking very much characterises the Hither & Yon operation, from maintaining a clear direction across 19 varieties and currently about 15 wines – though that roster will grow – to long-term goals of ensuring sustainability for generations to come.
“Being environmentally and economically sustainable is an obvious goal; it should make our business multi-generational,” says Leask. “We feel the best way to achieve this is with landscape regeneration and production system transformation. Working within the natural ecosystems, not against them. Our mission now is to develop a diverse, robust and ultimately resilient production system capable of rolling with these challenges.”
While working with a range of climate-appropriate grape varieties was a founding principle of the project, and will be an enduring one, that focus on regenerative agriculture is the bedrock of the operation. With 24 soil cores taken from across the vineyard to baseline their soil carbon level, Leask has also measured and classified the soil biology and will document any changes over time to direct further actions. “All vineyard operations are now considered after asking two questions,” he says. “‘Does this improve or degrade our soil carbon levels?’ and, ‘What does it do to soil biology and its habitat?’ We are constantly re-evaluating how we manage and operate our system through this lens.”
“In reviews and notes there are recurring themes about all the wines. Characteristics such as saline, minerality, tension, savoury, freshness, balanced and density are all regular descriptors… What’s driving this? It’s the sum of all parts, from respecting our natural environment and resources, and attention to detail in the vineyard to the same commitment in the winery. As with all brands we are on a journey that may not have a destination.”
The change in farming system to a regenerative model is something that Leask notes takes time to see the results, but they are becoming increasingly apparent. “As we transition away from using machinery as much as we have traditionally, it has been interesting to see the vineyard come into balance with the under-vine vegetation we are now leaving. It is cooler on hot days, and we have seen increased water infiltration with intense rain events …plus a large amount of living diversity at the soil surface.”
The management and regeneration of the broader property is something that Leask puts on equal footing with the vineyard. “To me, it is especially important,” he says. “We need to reduce our impact and regenerate our production areas and utilise our non-production areas to be more synergistic, not separate from our vineyard systems. If we want to pass it on in better shape, then we need to do some restoration, not just hold our ground.”
Part of that process has seen nearly a kilometre of creek-line rehabilitated by 2020, with weeds removed and over 2,000 native plants, many of them insectary – that attract beneficial insects, which prey on pest species – were planted instead. By early 2023, that figure had more than doubled to 4,500 native plants, with more in the pipeline.
Mid-row cover crops are part of Leask’s approach, with up to ten species planted to increase biodiversity both above and below ground, along with the cooling properties and water retention it brings to the soil. Additionally, having roots – other than those of vines – in the ground all year round provides an active microbial habitat. Livestock is also rotated through the vineyard “to help drive soil health outcomes through managed cell grazing”.
No synthetic sprays are used on the property, with Leask experimenting with alternative measures to tackle disease pressure, with the aim of “total removal of sulphur and copper from our system. We are developing a biological-based program that gives us multiple environmental and production benefits.”
A consistent theme with viticulturists across the country is the urgent need for long-term management to cope with an ever-warmer climate, and Leask also lists it as his biggest hurdle. “The new climate and its extremes – heat, wind, erratic rainfall – are the biggest issues facing our industry. Our production systems must change. We are working across multiple areas – improved soil health, state-of-the-art water management, varietal diversity, reduced energy inputs, biological diversity. It won’t be just changing one thing; it will be many new things.”
This approach to farming may be the most effective way to bolster the vineyard to handle a changing climate, but at its core, the methods are also simply key drivers of fruit and wine quality. And Leask believes the matrix of changes is resulting in wines of greater expression of both variety and place. “We really want the vineyard site and the variety to shine through, and we hope that the respectful and holistic way we farm does that,” he says. “We are dealing with many new varieties to Australia, and they are still developing their characteristics as they age, coupled with the soil health system we are implementing and still developing, we look forward to the journey and development of the wines.”
Leask notes that while still a work in progress, the wines are certainly developing as the vineyards age and their understanding of each variety continues to grow. “In reviews and notes there are recurring themes about all the wines. Characteristics such as saline, minerality, tension, savoury, freshness, balanced and density are all regular descriptors… What’s driving this? It’s the sum of all parts, from respecting our natural environment and resources, and attention to detail in the vineyard to the same commitment in the winery. As with all brands we are on a journey that may not have a destination.”
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