VIneyard Work

The vineyard work carried out at Providence is aimed at producing the highest quality fruit with emphasis on utilizing only natural methods and materials. 

Accordingly, no herbicides, synthetic fertilizers or chemicals are used. All materials applied are natural and sustainable. 

We strive to enhance the natural defensive mechanisms of the vines against pests and diseases. We are fortunate in that we have very few pests and therefore have little requirement for treatments. 

In spring, under-vine cultivation is undertaken for weed control and to aerate the clay soils, which tend to become compacted with the winter rains. Small amounts of copper spray are as necessary to protect against fungal disease. 

Shoot thinning and green harvest are carried out in summer to maintain optimal quality. Vine trimming and leaf plucking are also carried out to encourage this quality and ensure maximum sunlight and air circulation. When necessary, a talcum powder treatment is used to protect from Botrytis.  

Early autumn sees pre-harvest removal of uneven bunches and ensures quality of the final harvest. Harvest is completed by the end of April. After harvest, soil cultivation is used to ready the soil for winter. Vines are left to defoliate and go dormant.

Winter time is for pruning. All pruning is done slowly by hand. The canes are removed and used for Barbeque purposes. The fruiting canes are laid down and attached to trellis wires, ready for the next growing season which begins again in September.

Harvest commences during the first week in April, though in exceptional years it has started during the last week in March.

Grapes are picked after 10.30am to ensure they are free of dew and at optimum temperature for natural fermentation. 

The grapes are picked by hand and placed in eight kilogram bins so they arrive at the winery in perfect condition. 

The bunches are inspected thoroughly. Leaves, sticks and any imperfect fruit are removed. 

They are then gently de-stemmed and transferred to wooden open-top fermenting vats. 

A bunch of grapes will travel from vine to vat within an hour.

Once the grapes arrive in our wooden open-top vats, the fermentation stage begins. 

The yeasts that are indigenous to Providence commence and complete the fermentation. In keeping with our ultimate goal of creating a natural wine, nothing is added to the must at any stage. 

The character of the vintage is determined entirely by the terroir and the climate, uncompromised by any additions. 

The cap is hand-plunged every four hours for the duration of the fermentation. 

The fermentation process takes three weeks to complete. The vats are drained of wine, leaving the skins to be slowly and gently basket-pressed. 

The wine is then carefully transferred into 100% new French chateau model barriques from Nièvre Oak. The barriques are new each vintage to develop complex, elegant and long-aging wine. 

100% New French Oak for 24 Months. No Exceptions. 

Once in the barrel, the wine undergoes its malolactic fermentation. The barrels are loosely sealed to allow for the slow release of the gasses produced in this fermentation period. 

The barrels are topped up twice-weekly to replace the wine lost to wood absorption and evaporation. 

Upon completion of the malolactic fermentation, the wine is racked to remove sediment, before being sealed and rolled to the side for prolonged aging. 

Throughout this time the wine is periodically racked and egg white fined to naturally increase clarity and brightness. 

The wine will usually stay in barrel from 21 to 24 months, depending on the vintage characteristics.

The final blend is determined after about 18 months in the barrel. 

Prior to bottling, the wine is prepared in large blending tanks. This ensures an even blend and the same high quality in each bottle. 

The bottles are filled using gravity and the wine is not subjected to any pressure. 

The corks used are of the highest quality, hand selected in Portugal and selected again in Germany. This ensures the wine will develop and mature to its maximum potential and will drink perfectly for at least 20 years.