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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