The summer harvest season is upon us, bringing with it a wonderful energy, colour, and transformation in the vineyard.

Head Chef Santi Fernandez and Sommelier Claire Tonon have weaved their magic to create a culinary journey that pays homage to this exciting time at the Estate.

Cape gooseberries, Western rock lobster, figs, zucchinis, and Society Garlic from the garden are just a few of the pristine local ingredients featured alongside a selection of Voyager Estate’s current releases.

“The height of summer is our busiest and most exciting time of the year – our organically farmed grapes swell, increase in sugar and develop their distinct character. The anticipation is high, as is the sun, with cooling afternoon sea breezes a reminder of our coastal influence. And then, it’s time for the magic – Harvest, as the team gears up to transform beautifully ripe grapes in the winery into wine. Using fresh fruits, summer berries, and pristine produce from across our region, our BACCA Menu pays homage to this vibrant time across the Estate. Our sustainable food philosophy is front of mind, heroing food of place and the wines that inspired these dishes” – Santi Fernandez.

   

We’re excited to share the next step in our sustainability journey – we have joined International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA), confirming our commitment to taking immediate and long-term action to reduce greenhouse emissions. Through this collaboration, we join leading producers in decarbonising the global wine industry.

IWCA was founded in 2019 by Familia Torres (Spain) and Jackson Family Wines (USA) – two leading wine families deeply committed to environmental stewardship and to preserving the world’s great wine heritage in the face of climate change. In addition to our Net Zero by 2050 commitment, as an ‘Applicant Member’ we have met the minimum renewable energy targets and are on the pathway to having our greenhouse gas emissions audited annually.

"We have been carbon neutral in our operations for many years, and working our way through various energy efficiency measures, not to mention our organic farming practices,” says Michelle McManus, Head of Sustainability for Voyager. “We see this as a natural and critical step to work with other sustainability leaders in the industry to contribute to an even greater impact.”

For more information, visit the IWCA website.

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A flock of 50 baby Muscovy Ducks have officially joined us as the newest members of our Vineyard Team...

For the last two weeks they have been acclimatising in their custom-built home, and recently made their very first foray into the great outdoors.

Vineyard Manager, Glen Ryan, explained the introduction of our feathered friends is a vital step forward in Voyager’s sustainability mission. 

“Ever since the infamous ‘kicking the dirt’ conversation that started us on the path to organics, we’ve talked about the important role animals would play in this journey. I remember Alex Burt sent me an amazing picture of Indian Runner Ducks in Stellenbosch pouring into the vineyard, and this inspired us to think about how we could do something similar in Margaret River.”

Ducks bring biodiversity into the vineyard, which over time, helps to build vine resilience and naturally return life back into the soil.

“These beauties will also help with insect and snail control. We plan to let them into the vines to scout for bugs each morning, before returning home at dusk to be housed safely away from foxes” Glen continued.

The Vineyard Team have also assigned a Mother Duck to steward and care for the babies. With time, the hope is that they will breed, and the crew will have a new cohort of winged warriors to roam the Estate and ‘quack down’ on those bug hotspots!

 

As the summer sun soars and the Marri trees blossom, we set our sights on vintage 2022… 

Our winemaking and vineyard teams are eagerly awaiting that magical moment when the first white grapes are ready to be hand-picked in the cool stillness of the early morning.

At this time of year, our special patch of land in Stevens Valley is a hive of activity. Our Vineyard Crew is passing through the cabernet, chopping the wings and shoulders off the bunches to assist with even ripening. Each day, the chardonnay grapes are lovingly draped with nets to protect them from our winged friends – the Silvereyes – who love to dart about the vineyard, feasting on the plump berries.

Yet, among the commotion, there is a quieter process taking place. The vine has turned its focus from growing leafy foliage, to gently ripening its berries. As the sugars accumulate and the acids reduce, the berries soften and slowly change from green to purple. This colour transformation is called veraison and gives our flourishing North Block Cabernet vines their stunning, dappled appearance.

Not long now until the North Block is hand-harvested, and the fruit destemmed, fermented, and laid to rest in barrel, destined for the next release of our Voyager Estate Cabernet…

 

Recently our Cellar Door became 'virtual aquarium' as we hosted an opening for talented local artist, Ian Daniell.

Precious, playful and gleaming, Ian's new pieces form part of his iconic collection, Life-size Ocean Art – a fascinating exploration of our unique Western Australian marine fauna.

Tickets included a glass of Voyager Estate wine on arrival and a selection of delicious canapés from Chef Santi and the team. It was a fantastic evening of stunning visual discovery, immersing guests in a vivid oceanic world bursting with colour and dynamism.

Life-size Ocean Art is the first in a series of exhibitions celebrating Western Australian creatives that we will be hosting at the Estate in 2022 – stay tuned...

   

Our Head of Sustainability, Michelle McManus, talks to the here and now of our future in sustainability.  

“What I love about the aspiration, the practice and the promise of sustainability is that it weaves together stories of science and stories of place. Science helps us understand the issues as well as the solutions, and the case for hope. It grounds our work in both the 'here and now', stretches us forward to think of future generations.

The care and stewarding of the land and soil has long been at the heart of Voyager's vineyard practices – and that sensibility carries right through to making our beautiful wines for you to enjoy.

Just a few ways we are driving our commitment to the long-term sustainability of our special part of the world:

- We now generate around 25% of our operational electricity from solar

- For 10 years we've been active, certified members of Sustainable Winegrowing Australia

- We offset the remaining non-solar operational activities by purchasing verified carbon offsets

- The pathway towards organic certification across the vineyard continues to forge ahead – and now we're taking organic practices more and more into our gardens

- In 2021, our kitchen team started taking steps towards radically reducing single-use plastic

- We've planted over 60,000 indigenous trees and shrubs in the last 10 years and have more plans to keep restoring and linking up to precious local ecological areas

We're about to take a closer look at our carbon footprint and take the next steps towards contributing to climate change and emissions reductions. We're examining and working out everything from growing more of our food, the way the essential materials and ingredients for our business come in and the way our wines move about the place.

We know we'll need to work with others in our desire to create and leave a sustainable legacy – that means working with our suppliers, our customers and our community to create sustainable business ecosystems.

So, the next chapter of our sustainability story calls on more looking 'outward' to better understand things that matter to our customers, our community, and all of us. Like all living things, it's always in the process of unfolding."

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