Author: David White

Vintage at a winery is a bit like a festival, a marathon and a logistics exercise all rolled into one… except it lasts weeks, everyone’s tired, and the stakes are very real.

So, this month, we’re starting the series with the person right in the thick of it: our winemaker, Adam.

And the truth?
During vintage, winemakers don’t just drink wine.

They drink whatever gets them through.

Adam’s Rule for Vintage Drinking
“Keep it cold. Keep it refreshing. Keep it simple.”

Vintage days start early, finish late and rarely go to plan. You taste constantly, fruit, ferments, tanks, barrels, so when it comes time to actually drink, the last thing you want is something heavy or overthought.

Right now, Adam’s fridge looks like this:

Beer (plenty of it)
Yes, really. It’s the unofficial fuel of vintage. After a day in the winery, something cold, fizzy and uncomplicated hits the spot. No analysis. No tasting notes. Just refreshment.

Hunter Semillon
Light, crisp, and perfect in the heat. It resets the palate which is exactly the point during vintage. And it’s the perfect

Rosé
Easy, bright, and made for end-of-day wind-downs when the team finally pauses for a minute.

Chilled reds
Hunter blends and lighter styles, straight from the fridge. Fresh, juicy and made for sharing around the winery once the pumps switch off.

Why Wine Isn’t Always the Star During Vintage
People imagine winemakers drinking grand bottles every night during harvest.
Reality check: they’re exhausted. Vintage is physical. It’s problem-solving. It’s long days, sticky floors, purple hands and constant decision-making.

You’re tasting wine all day already, sometimes hundreds of micro-decisions worth. When the day ends, what you crave is:

• something refreshing
• something social
• something that doesn’t require thinking

That’s why beer quietly becomes a staple in wineries everywhere. It’s the exhale at the end of the day.

The Real Vintage Ritual
It’s not the first fruit arriving.
It’s not the first ferment kicking off.

It’s that moment late afternoon when the team finally pauses, someone opens the fridge, and everyone stands around for five minutes with a cold drink in hand.

That’s vintage.

Messy. Fun. Hard work.
And the reason the wines in your glass later matter so much.

Next edition, we’ll hand baton to another team member to see what’s in their fridge when the pace slows and the season shifts.

The fruit for Vintage 2026 is officially off our vineyards here in the Hunter Valley, and what a ride it’s been.

Harvest is equal parts chaos, adrenaline and magic. Early mornings. Late nights. Watching the weather like it’s a competitive sport. Living off coffee, beer (yes there was plenty of that consumed) and “we’ll eat later” promises. It’s messy, exhausting and completely addictive, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Because this is the moment the year’s work becomes wine.

Every vintage has its own personality, and 2026 kept us sharp from start to finish. Picking windows came fast. Decisions mattered. Instinct mattered. There were times we moved quickly, times we waited it out, and plenty of moments where experience quietly did the talking.

Out in the vineyard, all the hard work we put into soil health, cover cropping and regenerative practices paid off in spades. Healthy vines, balanced fruit and loads of flavour, exactly what we’re chasing at Latitude 32.

The whites are already bursting with freshness and energy. The reds? Deep, structured and full of character. It’s early days, but there’s a definite buzz around the winery about what 2026 is shaping up to be.

Inside, the pace has shifted. The rush of harvest has given way to the slower, more thoughtful rhythm of winemaking. Ferments bubbling. Barrels filling. Decisions made carefully, quietly, deliberately.

This is where science meets instinct… and a little bit of magic.

But the real story of vintage is always the people behind it. Our vineyard crew living and breathing every block. Our winemaker, Adam, guiding picking calls and ferments with calm confidence. Paul, our cellarhand, in the winery just getting it done, day in, day out. And Emma, our owner, often dressed more for a long lunch than a working winery in long colourful dresses, gliding between the vines and the winery, asking questions, lending a hand, tasting a few already-fermented wines from past vintages and calling it all part of “quality control.”

Our Marketing & Operations Manager turning up for 6am sunrise photo shoots, then back again in the afternoon checking tank temperatures and ferments, not exactly in her original job description, but very much part of how we work. And Sean, our Cellar Door Manager, holding the fort during the busiest time of year, pouring juice samples for guests, sharing the harvest story, then popping into the winery at the end of the day to see what magic was created during that day. All focus, all curiosity… Adam has never had this much company in the winery.

Everyone mucks in. Everyone shows up. Everyone pulls in the same direction.

It’s hard work. It’s physical. It’s relentless at times. But it’s also incredibly rewarding because wine isn’t just made to store in the cellar.  It’s made for tables. For celebrations. For long lunches, spontaneous dinners and those “just one glass” nights that turn into three.

That’s what drives us. Wines that feel alive. Wines that people actually want to drink. Wines with personality.

Vintage might look like the finish line from the outside, but for us it’s just the starting point. Now the juice starts to turn into wine, evolve and slowly find their voice before making their way into bottle and, eventually, into your glass.

And if the early signs are anything to go by… 2026 is going to be a seriously fun one to drink.