Anna and Sean fussed over Keely all the way to the car. She thanked them again for their hospitality, rejected their offers of help and climbed inside. There was a pained expression on her face as she sank back into the old leather seat. The sheet of tablets Anna had pressed upon her were clutched tightly in her hand.

Euan turned on the radio, not sure what to say. Keely tipped her head back and closed her eyes, saving him the trouble of conversation.

Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

The sun was just a hint of light in the eastern sky as Flynn made his way up the track towards the house. He hummed softly as he walked but at the same time his mind raced over the plans for the week ahead.

The blending they had done the day before had gone well. Euan had declared the sauvignon blanc semillon was ready to bottle. Flynn was relieved. Their ideas differed. Euan still liked to store the wine in oak once the fermentation was complete and it was a process Flynn didn’t feel confident with. Euan’s protracted time away had Flynn worried the wine had been left too long but everything appeared to be going to plan.

Flynn almost bounced as he walked. This was the best part of winemaking. After the nurturing, the harvest, the maturing, each stage fraught with possible problems, the bottling was, for him, the crowning glory, the moment when man and nature had done their best to create the perfect wine. He and Euan had, amazingly, come to the same conclusion. The wine should be bottled.

He dug his hands deeper into his pockets and stopped to look back towards the river. Normally he loved this time of day but it was a particularly cold morning.

The chardonnay from last season was ageing well. The last summer had been a cool one and the wine in the oak barrels had developed great texture and weight and was getting ready to come out of barrel. He was hopeful they would be able to reproduce it again with this coming vintage but there were no guarantees.

He stamped his feet and exhaled. His breath formed a small white cloud in the nippy air. Thankfully, they didn’t get frosts in their region but there was nothing as unpredictable as the weather. Anything was possible. He’d seen the damage the freezing conditions could do, during his time in South Australia. Frost was not good during bud burst.

Light shone from the kitchen as he approached the house. He hoped his father would be alone. There were several things they needed to sort out before Hugh and the rest of the workers arrived.

Euan was standing behind the breakfast bar, a coffee cup in his hand. He waved it at Flynn. “Want one?”

“Thanks.”