Wine Making
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Rob “Sticks” Dolan makes wines which are:
- Fruit driven, capturing Yarra Valley elegance
- Easy drinking, terrific with food
- Great Value
White wines – what we do
Sticks white grapes are hand harvested from late February to early March and always in the cool of the morning or night.
Fresh is best, so the fruit is rushed to the winery for crushing, pressing and juice settling.
Fermenting at cool temperatures captures the flavour and personality of the Sticks whites.
The Sauvignon Blanc spends all its time in stainless steel vat, while the Chardonnay is treated to a touch of barrel fermentation and maturation.
See individual wine notes on the order form for more details.
2006 Sticks Chardonnay Viognier
Chardonnay and Viognier are proving great team-mates as shown in this fresh, fruity wine, which has lemon, white peach and apricot aromas and flavours.
Food: Chicken stir-fry.
Ageing: Drink now.
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Sally Gudgeon and Ralph Kyte-Powell, The Sunday Age Magazine, June 3 2007
Red Wines – what we do
Just like the whites, the reds are harvested during the night or early in the morning. The Pinot Noir ripens first – around the same time as the whites – and we’re highly selective about what we accept when it comes to Pinot Noir. After all, it accounts for half of our red wine production and many of our growers exclusively grow Pinot Noir for Sticks.
Shiraz and Cab come in later – towards the end of March.
The main difference between white and red winemaking is that the reds include skins in the fermentation. The skins hold all the flavour and colour.
Once fermentation is over, Sticks reds mature in French oak before bottling.
Take a look at the individual wine notes on the order form to learn more.
2006 Sticks Shiraz Viognier
Slinky, Sexy Red
Rob “Sticks” Dolan’s new range of multi-varietal blends sourced from vineyards across Victoria offers exceptional value. This is vibrant, almost creamy, silky red wine, with heaps of fragrant spice and life. The 2004 cabernet blend’s good too.
Max Allen, The Weekend Australian Magazine, March 3-4 2007