Moon plants stars soil trees microbes fungi mammals bees, we all are, URLAR.
URLAR = of the earth. As we step into spring, the vineyard is stirring back to life, and with it comes a season of renewal, energy, and anticipation.
Cellar Door
As the seasons change, so too does our menu. Next weekend, our new Cellar Door menu will be available, with new seasonal country fare designed to pair beautifully with our wines.
This menu features beetroot and potato rosti with smoked salmon, a cheese platter for one, and a classic slow-cooked Homegrown Butchery pulled pork burger, alongside favourites such as baked brie and our seasonal platter.
We’re delighted to introduce Seasons at URLAR – a monthly pop-up market celebrating the growers, makers and artisan producers of our region. Wander the stalls, meet the people behind local products, and enjoy a relaxed morning amongst the vines with coffee in hand. Stay on for lunch if you like, it’s the perfect way to spend a Sunday and welcome the warmer seasons.
Please note that bookings are essential for Cellar Door lunch service on these days.
The Winery
Inside the winery, the team is carefully tasting through the 2025 barrels — appraising, topping and restacking. Every barrel is checked and every wine nurtured to ensure it meets the URLAR standard. The 2025 Sauvignon Blanc destined for Sur Lie is already showing great promise.
We’ve just bottled the first wines of the 2025 vintage. This is particularly exciting, as they are the very first produced solely under Aaron’s guidance as Head Winemaker, marking the start of a new chapter for URLAR.
Looking ahead to October, we’ll be bottling more of this season’s best, including Sauvignon Blanc and Noble Riesling, while also beginning tiraging of the 2025 Méthode. A few experimental creations will join them too, bringing an extra layer of excitement.
Aaron’s recent trip to France brought valuable insights into sustainable barrel production with the Sylvain family, and a special opportunity to share our 2021 URLAR Pinot Noir at a Winemakers’ Dinner in a converted cathedral in Moulins.
We’re also delighted to be sending Grace to a Biodynamic Workshop this month, deepening our ongoing commitment to biodynamic practices and learning. We’re looking forward to her sharing what she has learnt with the winery team.
The Vineyard
Signs of spring are everywhere, with bud burst beginning in the Pinot Noir blocks and Sauvignon Blanc expected later in the month.
It’s been a wet start to the season, so while tractors haven’t been able to get on the rows, the sheep have been busy tidying the grass between the vines. Staying true to our values, mulched prunings and compost from winery leftovers such as skins and stems, together with added manure, are being returned to the earth for nourishment.
The team is also preparing for the challenges that spring brings – namely, frost season. This means checking the sprinklers and getting ready for a few very early mornings. If you’d like to learn more about our frost-protection strategies and how our lake plays a key role, check out this post.
At the same time, we’re planting 6,000 new Pinot Noir vines to strengthen and future-proof our vineyard for the years ahead. It’s a busy time as we gear up for what we hope will be a long, warm summer.
