Some will be familiar faces in the broader industry; some personal gems we have come to cherish and the remainder, just celebrities down on their luck. And Michael Manners. They all have been important in humanizing what at times seems a less than compassionate industry, and for that we are both immeasurably grateful.
Visitors and Friends
Catriona Rowntree
Madam, I have absolutely no idea who you are, but you are doing me a power of good.
No that's not true. In fact it is so not true that it could technically be called a lie. But the truth is, when MS Rountree turned up at Bloodwood with a film crew in tow, I wasn't lying when I said I hadn't the faintest idea who she was. That's what happens when you don't watch commercial television for a decade or so. However, I am a quick learner, and now realize that for the best part of that decade or so, Catriona has been wowing commercial television watching audiences across Australia and beyond with her work on Getaway and many other very popular TV spots. I also vaguely recall someone with a very similar sounding name hosting some JJJ programmes a while back before my tablets kicked in. Whatever the facts of the matter, and there surely must be some here I have overlooked, let's just say she doesn't travel unaccompanied. Not only that, but the totally charming and damn fine sport that she undoubtedly is, was tickled pink when I suggested she sit on her date..on the Bloodwood celebrity stool. Thanks Catriona, you're welcome at Bloodwood anytime you need a getaway. ( The bottle of Bloodwood Chardonnay, or one of many quite like it we prepared earlier, is available through the stunning Cellar Door section above where all our wines are hot, hot, hot at the moment and so are their prices, from a bargain for the 2010 BMIT including taxes, to the absolutely stunning 2009 Pinot Noir at until the end of this special promotion going forward.)The Bloodwood Quartet
Rehearsing in the cellar
The Bloodwood Quartet consists of Gemma Laing (violin), Christina Morris (violin), Laura Curotta (viola) and Robert Jackson (cello). When Robert and Laura approached us in 2006 with a request to use our name for their new Quartet, we were thrilled. We called for an audition (because we Bloodwood types can be extremely annoying) to make sure that they played as well as we made wine. We needn't have worried. They played beautifully, and we have become firm friends and supporters in everything they do as The Bloodwood Quartet. In retrospect, we only wish we could make wine as well as they play. And as we are both un-reconstructed hippies, Laura took it upon herself to arrange Lennon and McCartney's Eleanor Rigby just for us. This is what it sounded like live recently at a concert they gave before heading off (incognito) as Quartet Australis on a love-boat tour of the Pacific. Enjoy and thanks guys. Click here for their rendition of Eleanor RigbyBoot Men
Broadsheets still have a use
Attention - this is not a holden..and it doesn't fit standard wine cartons in the boot. But do not fear, if you have a few blankets and a supply of broadsheet newspapers you can singly pack an impressive number of bottles in even this boot. The trick is to wrap each bottle individually and position a blanket between each layer of bottles.You wouldn't read about it.Bloodwood Brains Trust
All Seeing, All Knowing, All Powerful.
Brian Riesling
Some people visit us at Bloodwood and bring enlightenment and joy in to our lives.
They appear irregularly and, often without our asking, solve annoying problems which have been bugging us in the interim. We don't usually understand that they have been bugging us to any great extent, and we certainly have absolutely no idea of how important it always is to fix them immediately, but it is patiently explained to us that, apparently, the interim is a painful place for any problem to bug one, and so it is always a huge relief when these systemic problems are, without complaint, investigated, assessed and as often as not,completely cured.
And then there's Brian. He became a firm friend of Bloodwood at about the time the first real problem appeared, and he's been here when needed to fix them, almost as they appear, ever since. His latest bit of investigation centres around the relationship between the temperature of the Bloodwood sheep yoghurt and raspberry ice cream you eat and the possible effect this has on post-menopausal folicle growth in an outdoor setting whilst wearing a gun holster. We will publish the results in the Bloodwood Bible as soon as they become generally available.
The Dancers
Wine is a celebration
Apparently there are television programmes in which people dance. When we innocently announced to two visitors to the cellar door that we hadn't seen any of them, this was the result. The cellar door furniture was re-arranged and off they went. And it was energetically charming. I do hope pig sticking remains off mainstream media.Mrs Margaret Whitlam (AO)
Well may we say that everyone eventually visits Bloodwood.When Mrs Whitlam breezed in, Bea Miles like and positively requested to taste our wines, we automatically reached for the big glasses. I felt a bit like one of Bea's cabbies. I turned into a doting fuss pot inquiring after Gough's health and her own recent battles with the press and generally smoothing her way where ever I could. Not that Margaret threatened to rip the doors of the Bloodwood ute or demand I drive her to Perth while she doggedly sang her latest version of the Internationale as the third bottle of Bloodwood Cabernet Franc took over. No, she did that long ago 19th November proud..right down to her imperious and commanding pose on the Celebrity stool. Maintain the rage Mrs Whitlam..maintain the rage.Michael Manners
Dogs look like their owners
Let's examine that proposal for a moment. Does HRH look like an angry corgi? In later life, did Arthur Schopenhauer look like a rabid standard poodle as he stumbled about Vienna muttering inconsolably about "will" and "the fourfold root of the principle of sufficient reason?" . Could it be that Mariah Carrey is as hyperactive as her own Jack Russell and could it really be that Christopher Pyne owns a poodle which likes mince? Above is an action shot of the international celebrity Jack Russell, Russell Manners and his well mannered carer Michael Manners. Michael is trying to teach him (Russell), the Jack Russell, the manners he (Michael Manners) expects of Russell,( the Jack Russell), when he (Michael Manners) wants him, (Russell Manners, the Jack Russell) to pee in public. At Bloodwood we have an Australian Kelpie called Biff.(by Karana Rambo, out of Karana Scar). Biff is all teeth, attitude and bad breath. He looks nothing like Rhonda. I think I'll rest my case, just in case.Mrs Kathryn Greiner (AO)
Eric the House Builder
Architect and Bottle-Opener Eric Yuen
Master of bricks and porker.The House That Eric Built
Eric Yuen, who doubles as bottle opener at the annual F.O.O.D. Affair, had his job description re-written by Carol, the most intelligent person in our universe, to include that of architect extraordinare for Bloodwood. And from the flash picture of the cellar door below it's easy to see what astounding talent he has. We saw a bare hill in need of a brick veneer to get the local Council inspectors off our backs. You see, they maintained we were, against multiple Council health directives, making wine in our bedroom in what is now the winery, whereas, from our real world (ie broke) perspective, we were sleeping in the winery. So something had to be done to get the bureaucrats off our backs and ease the impasse. Eric imagined a home over an underground cellar..with a wide varendah, and flying multiple level awnings linking the winery into the cellar door and the whole structure into the very earth of Bloodwood. Not for Eric a lonely edifice perched on a hill in the mountains of Central Western NSW which will really only look a part of the place when the tide finally comes in. He could see a solid, solar passive practical space with some style and with just enough class to make visitors and inhabitatants feel comfortable and welcome. That's exactly what he delivered in consultation with local builders Lewis & Daniels and more or less against the wishes of our humourless bank manager. And we are very grateful he stuck to his guns. The place really does look better with skirting boards and an eastern wall. You never know, some day we may even install the front steps.
Eric And Carol Yuen
You can't choose your family but you can choose your friends. And we are indeed lucky to have had Carol and Eric Yuen choose us. Our lives at Bloodwood can be hectic and confusing at the best of times so it is special to us that Carol and Eric are there in the background to generously provide some welcome stability in our sometimes weird world. What would we do without you both?
Geoffrey Chapman AC/DC and Bar
There's no accounting for some people. Just when you think you've gotten their number and you've figured out what makes them tick, their unbalanced approach to the ledger of life leaves you completely at a loss. GC AC/DC and Bar is one such individual. In his professional life he is all about balance and forecasts and planning ahead; in short, inside the office, for Geoffrey, things add up. His is the type of professional activity which is best carried out in a well-tailored suit and patent leather shoes. In his work world, Ray-Bans and silk ties are mandatory. But take one step away from the agricultural abacus and his true Op Shop self emerges. Give him the inside information on the latest pile of pre-loved Bric-a-brac down at Vinnies or access to a power washer and a pile of sticky picking buckets and he's as happy as an accountant with an unexpected reconciliation. Vintage looks early this year Geoff.
Bloodwood Canopy Management Crew
At Bloodwood we demand the best from our staff.The correct attire and attitude during shoot positioning across the entire outdoor staff is a pre-requisite to the successful completion of every foliage training session. In fact, we've become quite superstitious on this point. At this time of year there are quite a few ice laden bilious clouds with indigestion rolling about the firmament. And it takes not a lot to upset the cosmic balance. Hard rain and small berries on immature bunches are not a good mix. So when this mob of imports, dressed up to the nines, leaning on their shovels and blatantly drinking on the job turned up pretending to be professional vineyard labourers, we knew the gods would be tempted..and they were on the 08/12/2004. We have pictures of the hail stones and the smashed bunches to prove it! It's enough for us to apply for a subsidy from the EEC.
Hamish and Jack
They both grew up of course.But on that day, in that instant, Jack Greenough and Hamish the black-baldy seemed to me to represent possibility for this world. Abattoirs and adolescent angst were over the horizon and what better use could be found for the luggage department of a newish Land Cruiser? No doubt for G25 his number is up by now, but I hear Jack is just entering the race and crush of life in the 21st Century. Keep your friends close Jack.Speak no evil See no evil and Feel no evil.
aka Ian Cook, some wierd dude and Peter Bourne
Would you trust Bloodwood wines to these three retrobates? In effect you already do. The magnificent Ian Cook of Five Way Cellars in Paddington sells the wine, the bloke in the middle makes it and the bloke on the right, Peter Bourne writes about it so you can visit Ian Cook on the left to buy the wine so the bloke in the middle can go on making the stuff for Peter to review. So it is you, dearest customer, who makes all our worlds go round!Irene Finneran
Irene playing drums with her band The Jam Tarts.
She insists she's the jam. Our particular friend Irene is always on hand to do impersonations of us if we need her to and she is just the best person to be around. In fact, if you are a regular visitor to Bloodwood, you may well have had the pleasure of a wine tasting conducted and performed by Irene. Not only does she conduct, but she also expertly plays most of the parts in any drama. One of our favourite wine tasting stories of hers concerns a hyper-active and over sexed kelpie of ours and his attentions for a confident ten year old son of a mature aged wine tasting father. I'll leave you to connect the dots, but the father, pausing mid-slurp over a particularly inviting Bloodwood Shiraz, catches the arching commotion out of the corner of his world weary eye. He pauses for but a brief moment, sighs the sigh only long lost memories evoke, and mumbles resignedly into his tasting glass."I know exactly how he (the kelpie) feels. OK, you had to be there, but try and get that sort of wine tasting experience at Dan murphy's. Irene is a wonderful observer and participant in life generally, and a completely entertaining, caring and welcome visitor in ours. It is little known that Orange was named after Irene's hair and it is a better place for that fact. Thanks Rene..youknowwhoyouareandwearehappytoknowyou!Jancis Robertson OBE MW
Everybody who is anybody in wine eventually makes it to Bloodwood.
Some arrive to great fanfare and ceremony after their people have talked to our people who have responded to their people talking to our people about the imminent arrival of their people at our people's place. We make them welcome of course, but we are always rather relieved when their people move them on to the next people's place. Others arrive with a smile and a notebook. They show genuine interest in what we are trying to do here at Bloodwood. A very select few also bring intelligence, wit and charm with them when they visit; add generousity of spirit and grace to the list and you begin to understand the privilege of a visit to your winery by Jancis Robinson, OBE., MW. Rhonda and I have enjoyed that experience at Bloodwood, and it is memories such as these which sustain us in this continually challenging industry. A warm thank you Jancis from both of us for your continuing encouragement, support and criticism of Bloodwood wines over the years.Joe Corrigan
In a previous life, Stephen had a modicum to do with a deceased educational institution which will remain nameless. Orange Agricultural College was a wonderfully appropriate place for a librarian involved in the physical development of a new vineyard. It had a ready supply of strong young rural blokes in need of a good workout and a good, home cooked feed. One amongst many of those lucky chaps and chapesses who continues to visit the old folks at Bloodwood is Joe Corrigan. Now while we all know Howlong is, contrary to popular perception, a town in the Riverina and not a piece of string, if I told you that Burrumbuttock is but a string's throw away from Howlong, then you'd be pretty close to where Joe hangs out. He is into sheep and crops and is now quite an old man. I delight in telling ex- students of the era that they are, today, around seven years older that I was when first I taught them. I was an old 34 year old coot when first we met, and now thew are all over 40 and feeling it. I blame it on the sun coming up every day!
Lyndey Milan
Grasp, I beseech you, in both hands,, I'm so sorry Madam..Now look here!!!
MS Lyndey Milan has long been seeking balance in all she does. In fact, she's even written a food and wine matching book of that name. We like to think the reason she visits Bloodwood is that she has created so many fabulous recipes from so many superior locally sourced non-food-mile-challenged biologically ascendent ingredients in such an ecologically sustainable manner that she needs to match them all with the best wines available on what's left of the planet. And that's where we come in. Our 2007 Shiraz makes her ultimate mushroom risotto sing..And as for her chicken pie and celariac mash..what would it be if not balanced by our 2007 Bloodwood Chardonnay. As MS Milan reminds us in everything she does, since time began, it has always taken two to tango. If you would like to learn more about this icon of Australian quisine, visit her at http://www.lyndeymilan.comMark Cameron
If he agrees with your broad philosophy on life, winemaking and the importance of giving young blokes a bit of a go, he says "yep!". If he disagrees about the state of the nation or your approach to arrangement of barrels in the barrel hall the exclamation is invariably "Nope!" "What-The" is reserved for those extremely rare occasions where he is genuinely caught short of a "Yep" or a "Nope". You can probably deduct from this that Mark is a man of few words. He is, in fact a man of action....when circumstances require. He is capable of doing the jobs of ten people half his age while he works his way up to another "Yep" "Nope" or "What-The" He is Bloodwood's philosopher in training..all he really needs now is a couple of large white standard poodles and a map telling him where other people think Vienna is. It won't be exactly there of course, and the spelling will be all wrong, but that, too is a problem Mark can fix. Like that other bloke philosophising around a few words like "will" and "life", he is an unattached late bloomer. And about the best friend Bloodwood has ever had the luck to encounter. Opposites, you see, do attract. Thanks Mark.
Mark Cameron and some other dude
The long and the short of it.
If the hat fits...Big Hat, no cattle.Big head, no brainBig snake, no rattleI forever remainbig hat, no cattleI knew from the startBig boat, no paddleBig belly, no heartR. NewmanMark Lloyd of Coriole
The last time I saw Mark lloyd of Coriole Vineyards was at his winery when Rhonda and I were travelling around Australia in 1975. Unlike me, (he's the old grey bastard on the right of the picture) he seems to have aged gracefully since last I met him. But I was impressed with his great Shiraz wines then and remain so today. Everyone eventually makes it to Bloodwood, and you are most welcome Mark, even if it took you thirty-four years to find your way. Bloodwood today it seems, is about where Coriole was all those years ago. Thanks for taking the time to visit, Mark, and for your generous comments.
Max Allen - Before Chardonnay
http://bloodwood.biz/images/53/MaxAllen_BeforeChardonnay.jpg
Max Allen - After Chardonnay
"Ah, Geoffrey, those were the days, as my great mate Hugh Johnson was wont to opine whilst sipping a startling young Mosel on the banks of the Rhine (or was it a Rhine on the banks of the Mosel) and watching the sun go down yet again over the lilting and slightly decrepit tiled roofs of Bad Zreushammerundstrang ...
The King and Queen of Cuisine.
We are pleased to report that the sartorial and culinary tone of the good chefs of Orange continues to impress into the 21st Century. After 150 years of outstanding restauranteurs and sommeliers sating the palates of the many discerning local diners of Greater Orange, it is wonderful to report to you all that Michael Manners and his main squeeze Josephine Jagger-Manners (formerly of the nationally renowned former Selkirks Restaurant, Orange) have gone out of their way to meld inconspicuously into the Orange food on-selling scene going forward. Not for them the quiet life of a two-hatted country restaurant and the thoroughly well deserved plaudits associated with Australian culinary celebrity. No, now they've now taken up the sausage challenge. You may never have experienced anything like their Selkirks House petit fours de rolled oats et infusion de te au lait but don't miss out on their Mick Borg inspired road kill verjuice matured chippolata de aujourdi, or any of the many mince inspired pasta themed delicacies. If you'd like to catch up, Michael and Josephine's current salon de tucker can now be found out the back of the Woollies carpark under the big green Manners and Borg sign.
Mike de Garis
I first met Mick De Garis six years ago when we, alongside Charlie Whish were washed up on the potentially barren and treacherous shores as judges at the inaugural New England Wine Show. How wrong could we all have been! Now Glen Innes is a cold and lonely place for the uninitiated. The town is perched (that's real estate speak) at 1062 metres down the Black Range below Guyra in North Eastern NSW on the junction of the Gwydir and New England Highways. Even though the population is allegedly 8,793 souls, on the many occasions I've driven through GI over the years, this vast majority has successfully avoided me; even though with a Celtic name like Doyle and a beardy all of my own, you'd think they'd welcome me with outstretched, hairy arms. At least, unlike Armidale, I am faintly proud to report here that it is almost impossible to find a true Glen Innes local wandering about Meade Street in their slippers after mid-day. Nevertheless, they must be about the place somewhere. All I can think of is that with that elevated, spirited population representing 8.279 persons per meter, (that's Severn Council tourism Regional development speak) a lot of their activities in such a cold climate, must be conducted behind closed doors. And that seems only right and proper and very, warmly Celtic. I'd heard of Mick before that fateful show meeting of course. He was creating quite an impression at Roseworthy several years before my own attempt at breaching the ramparts of that peculiar citadel, and his name as winemaker cropped up alongside a long series of fine wines over the decades. In fact, unlike me, he has a distinguished future spread out behind him which includes being shouted at for over a decade by the Mouth of the Hunter, mastering the cellar at Cellar Masters and, more recently, controlling his wrath as Chief Winemaker at Rothbury. More importantly for Charlie, me and the New England Wine Show, he is very much in demand as a skilled palate in shows on both sides of the ditch. He is also a very personable chap who has an intrinsic charm complimenting his open and gregarious nature alongside a warm way with words which impresses the lads and ladies alike. What's more, he remembers everyone's names and their relationships to each other and does so with the quiet confidence of a trusted family dentist. With his immaculate manners and private school background, it is obvious to all that Mick and I have a lot in common. Even though he is substantially older then me, (I still have my own teeth) he is an exceptionally fine fellow who has well and truly earned his date with destiny on the Bloodwood celebrity stool.
Mike de Garis and Geoff Cowey
Geoff Cowey (AWRI) A Local Beardy and Mike De Garis at the 2009 Duckless New England Wine Show
"Ye gods - are you talking about the same person- I don't resemble him....well- the teeth maybe - but they were substituted for a meal of New England duck, which is still winging its way to the ....I'm not sure.It's a bit strange when you see grown men wandering around calling 'ducky, ducky - where are you' or because it was in New England - 'here ducky, ducky - where hast thou'!
Ciao
El Shaky Spear" M. De Garis 31/10/2009
Learn more about Mick and his strange life at : http://www.private schools for all.con.Hey YOU!
Learn About Geoff and his running madness at: http://www.Geoff Goes Running for some obscure reason
New England Duckless Wine Show Contacts: http://www.duckless wineshow.htm
Minimal Mick
The Greselda Who me? of Australian wineSome people operate at 2 or 3 on a scale of 10. Mick's world begins at 11. That's why he looks so pleased with himself here dropping the free run wine through the press tank prior to pressing the marc. It all looks a bit excessive but such indelicate handling (macro-oxygenation) at this sage actually helps finish the primary alcoholic fermentation off to dryness and invigorates the malo-lactic conversion beginning in the new wine. But don't tell him that, he'll get the right idea.Noel Parkes
Noel Parkes from near Parkes parks with a load of fire wood for the Cellar Door This bloke..well actually his father whose name was, yes you guessed it, Noel Parkes, cut all the original posts (seen in the background to this picture) for the vineyard..and now he, Noel Parkes the son, keeps us supplied with fire wood for the cellar door. As is the way in some Australian country families, Noel Parkes the son, has.. a son..any guesses as to his name? The original posts for the vineyard mostly come from Yeoval State forest near, um, ... Parkes. They are an untreated Australian hard wood called Iron Bark and have stood for the best and worst of thirty years in our vineyard. They will be gradually replaced as they are, ahem, written off over the next ten years or so by similar posts cut by Noel Parkes Junior. That's the junior son of the bloke above who is the son of Noel Parkes from Parkes. Are there any questions? There is a wonderful country effeciency in this sort of arrangement here at Bloodwood, and as far as the Taxation commissioner is aware, that's the way we like to keep things. Is that all clear?
Nude Pruning
As many of you are aware,we have a very direct and uncompromising approach when it comes to the production of healthy grapes on our vineyard. Since we first planted vines on Boodwood in the spring of 1983, many things have changed in Australian viticulture. In those dim, dark days when Stephen was still a brunette, the use of insecticides like DDT and Kelthane to remove insects and mites from the vineyards of Australia was commonplace. It was usual for chemically-enhanced grape growers to be invited to barbecues and outdoor nocturnal functions to act as mobile human insect repellents for the remainder of the guests while the overtime your common vineyard spray cart driver earned as casual assistant sheep dip handler was often much more than the income derived through his full viticultural pursuits. At Bloodwood we have never used insecticides on the vineyard and have an unbending policy of using only non-synthetic elemental sprays to ward off the various fungal blights which are sent to annoy us. This means we spend a good part of the growing year spraying soft chemicals like copper and sulfur about, and we have never glowed in the dark. That's why it is SO annoying to have the young people of today turn up at Bloodwood and expect to get a job pruning in our precious vineyard dressed in SYNTHETIC blend apparel. With all the hard work we've done in maintaining the ecological health of the place, there's no way we will let anything artificial get within cooeee of our beautiful and vulnerable grapes...and we don't care a jot how difficult it is to find the stone when you need to sharpen your secateurs.
The Odd Couple
Attila the Hun never suffered erectile dysfunction, and anyone left of Genghis Khan is suspected of being a perfume-wearing labor-voting nancy boy. These prominent and very relaxed ex-public servants have tweaked argument to an art form and have found fame in their own long-running un-reality TV series "NO, wot I mean, Minister". We're thinking of offering them a job as gardeners. Warwick and Rod like to plant trees and lefties at Bloodwood. The trees seem to be prospering even more than the resident piquant Proletariat. This is very good for all of us who are Left. Am I right or am I Right?
Pete and Carol
Big Men with Big Tights to fill.
As often as not when we make an outside appearance with the Bloodwood tent you'll find friends and neighbours doing personal impressions of Rhonda and myself. These are big tights to fill, but with Carol and Pete Nettel in the roles ably directed by Eric or Rhonda at a distance there is often only standing room in the wings at a Bloodwood wine tasting.Philip Shaw and Michael Manners
The Beardies have it.
Occasionally we invite the best chef and the best winemaker in the land around to dinner. At other times we invite Michael Manners and Philip Shaw around to Bloodwood and make them eat Bloodwood food and drink Bloodwood wine. And then we make them sit still while we photograph them pretending to enjoy themselves. This is called hospitality in the Australian wine industry. There's a lot you'll never know about Michael Manners and Philip Shaw.http://bloodwood.biz/images/53/PhilipShawAndMichaelManners.jpg
Professor Tim Unwin
Over achievement is only part of the story.
Tim Unwin is a long term friend of Bloodwood. You see, as his hobby is to play the role of an Academic Advisor and External Examiner for the Institute of Masters of Wine he knows good wine when he sees it. Well that's what we tell ourselves. He is a true polymath and if you have a spare few hours, look up his CV on the net. You'll be amazed. This, apparently is the only recorded picture of Tim sitting still.His Eccentricity, Liege Raymond Johnson QC; BSE; ACDC and Bar
Ray Johnson, Emeritus Mayor of Hamilton Island, and learned defender of the bewildered.
I grow old, I grow old, I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled. 2009 is a year of anniversaries here at Bloodwood. However, even though it's 27 years since we planted our first Merlot Noir vines in the Blend Block, commemoration of this little viticultural achievement pales into triviality when we are reminded that this year marks the 76th anniversary of the visitation to this lonely planet of His Eccentricity, Liege Raymond Johnson QC; BSE; ACDC and Bar, President of Hamilton Island, defender of the incontinent and paladin of the great Concessionaires battle of 98. From a long line of snappy chiffonniers, El Presidente insists that three score years and ten (plus GST) is but a warm-up session for the real thing and offers us incontrovertible photographic evidence of his older brother's continuing good health and composure. May our sycophantic felicitations assuage Your Resplendence for countless years to come.Clean Heart and Clean Mind
Merla and her main squeegee, Keeth
There are people in the life of Bloodwood who really make a difference.. to wine sales in Queensland. Too occasionally, they appear un-announced at the cellar door and while the winsome one on the left begins absent-mindedly swabbing the furniture for human detritus and traces of tasty meals past, the personable one reclining begins poisoning our paths and re-arranging our rockeries. Not that this is done casually or with any lack of professionalism; no they always travel prepared. Mops and buckets, glyphosate and glen 20 at the ready, they set about sterilizing theirs and our immediate environment with effortless efficiency and poise. In fact, if you want to see what the celebrity stool looked like before they recently arrived, take a sniff at the itchy mess incarnate under and surrounding the very unsuspecting .Brian Riesling It is difficult to believe, but there was a bare seven minutes between photographs..hardly enough time for a mere mortal to focus on the aberrant weedy problem at hand, let alone design, deliver and disinfect the stool and its stumps. We still don't know how they of all people ended up living in Crapalaba. Rhonda and I were trying to remember how many times we've met Keith over the years. I first ran into him over a half-bottle of warm and curdling tuck-shop milk, half century ago (which shows you how really old he is) and then there was an absence of 15 years before he again appeared on July 14th 1972 clutching a half-slab of Cairns Bitter Ale, muttering something about how BobDylan ripped off Phil Ochs and hiding under the same red wig Merla wears today. Another thirty-two years passed by and up he popped again, this time clutching a half case of Big men In Tights in one hand and Merla in the other and all the while demanding that we clean up OUR act. That's when the squeegee and the squeeger re-entered our lives, to our mutual and enduring benefit...or as Phil Ochs should have written, they are inside a small circle of clinical friendsRemy Chiswell
Hand picked hand pickers.
We've had a team of grape pickers working at Bloodwood for all our thirty odd (sic) years. The core has been a group of Filipino brides and their offspring. Remy is a special part of the group. Always well dressed in bling and fly nets, this hard working, honest community is a joy to be around and we'd be lost without them. Here she is in early June picking the remnants of our late harvest Riesling.Sarge Barker makes an arrest!
‘Ello ‘ello ‘ello.
How do you separate a calf from its herd? With a great deal of difficulty in this case. This particular fellow needed to be in a different paddock to his mother but he didn’t like the idea at all. There is a reason cows and calves are described as units. They travel together, the calf shadowing every move his mother makes. This called for the professional approach of Sarge Barker and his executive extensor cage fitted box trailer. Only trouble was the calf didn’t recognise our superior cattle handling equipment and sarge Barker was forced to collar the calf and ride in the trailer himself. I rest my casa yer ‘honour.The Celebrity Stool
The celebrity stool is an integral part of the Bloodwood experience.
For a start, if you can find Bloodwood cellar door without using GPS technology, you automatically qualify as a Bloodwood celebrity. That means that you will be asked to give your own existential interpretation of the meaning behind the amazingly ambiguious etchings displayed below. Over the years, we've noticed that there is an inverse co-relation between the time it takes an individual to crack the code and their IQ. Shallow simple types with a gift for the bleedin' obvious get it straight away, whereas wine makers and other deep philosophical types stare at it for hours before it either jumps out at them, or the sun goes down on their egoes. Either way, the Eureka moment is just as rewarding, especially for us as we pretend to be sympathetic to their torment. We'd blame Ian Marr the local stone cutter and artist if we were you. Which we aren't. As far as we can tell.Wayne Harris
Bloodwood's distinctive label, packaging and stationery design is by our highly talented friend Wayne Harris. (Phone/Fax 02-95172896). Wayne is a sublimely talented and internationally recognised graphic designer, children's book illustrator and author, fine artist and even finer friend who has been an integral part of both our lives for over 40 years.
The Bloodwood Mural
The Bloodwood Mural
Visitors to the Bloodwood cellar door have had the pleasure of witnessing his magnificent, steadily growing mural which is being periodically painted by Wayne. It is a reflection of the stories which underscore our story at Bloodwood over almost three decades, stories which would be incomplete without the presence of Wayne in both our lives.Ada and Kathleen
Ada and Kathleen are extreme artists.
In fact they are, in these days of rampant consumerism going forward, rare examples of individuals in our decaying society. Kathleen uses cotton and thread and cloth to make the most wonderful garments and hats, while Ada simply does what Ada does. This involves oil and water colour painting, pottery and living. When Bloodwood suffered a severe hail storm in 2000, before the smashed tissues of the vines had had time to dry and fall, a battered station wagon appeared on the road between the Riesling and the Chardonnay vineyard. A couple of hours later, Ada presented Rhonda and I with a magnificent wind swept, impressionistic vista over our sad vines as a permanent memory of the vintage we had, that day, lost to the elements. I fancy it was still drizzling on and off during the creation of the picture, and I am sure that sweet and very human gesture did a lot to help us regain perspective on that terrible day. But then again, Ada enjoys a challenge..In the face of the recent dust storm across eastern Australia, reportedly the worst in 70 years, Ada was attempting a landscape from the precipitous top of Mount Canobolas until gale force winds and driving dust tore the bull clips holding her picture to a convenient fence away in the storm. At times like this, says Ada, it is important not to grasp into the abyss for your disappearing work of art. Let this be a lesson to us all. Ada's Contacts: Ada's place (Wednesday to Saturday 9am to 5 pm) 5 William street MILLTHORPE, NSW 2798 landline: 02,63663108 mobile:0412663114Indira Naidoo
Some people are just born georgous shoe salespeople.
When I asked MS Naidoo to please sit on her date on the Bloodwood celebrity stool, her internationally recognised commercial temprement clicked in. Quick as a flash..(in fact, quicker than the flash on the Instamatic) up went her pins and out popped a pair of shoes classy enough to make Stuart Weitzman weep. Now I know nothing about shoes, but I do like what I know.. when I know I've seen it...and these shoes scream exclusivity at me; so indigo, so flat, so July. Thanks heaps Indira, and I hope, when next you visit Bloodwood, to be exposed to your hand bag. if your people's fashion sponsororship arrangements permit.
