Matt grinned across the bar. “Make that two, please, Nina.”

“Sure thing, Matty.”

As Jules swirled the two glasses of pinot noir and held them aloft to compare their colour, Matt explained the characteristics of the different vintages. “See how this one is a brighter colour,” he said, indicating the glass in her left hand. She nodded. “This is the younger of the two and as pinot ages, you’ll see more of a rusty brick colour, like this one. So, the one in your left hand will be more fruit forward and this one will be more complex, earthier even. Try them.”

She did, taking time to inhale the bouquet with her mouth slightly open, as Matt had shown her, then having a sip and letting the wine coat the width and breadth of her tongue. Only then did she swallow. “That one’s delicious,” she said after the younger wine.

“Now the other one.” Matt watched her face as she repeated the ritual with the second pinot, almost as if he hoped to catch the nuances of the wine reflected onto her face.

“Hmm,” she said after she swallowed. She went back to inhale the bouquet again and took a second sip. “It’s almost like a completely different wine. I like it, though. It is earthier, like you said, but it also has a spiciness that the first one doesn’t.”

Matt’s smile oozed with pride. “Precisely. That’s the magic of it. As a winemaker, you use your best judgement to make decisions about each vintage—and there are so many factors that go into those decisions—and then you pretty much hope for the best. Sometimes it’s lightning in a bottle, and other times …” He shrugged.

“Why don’t you have a tasting room?”

“It’s next on the list.”

“Really?”

“Definitely. Twoey and I have already got an architect booked to come see us in mid-Jan.”

“That’s exciting.” She grinned at him.

“Yeah, it is. Slightly terrifying too, but it’s the next logical step. I mean, I showed you yesterday where we do tastings from the shed, but that’s only on request and it doesn’t happen much. As I said, we already sell most of what we produce to local restaurants and shops. The tasting room, that’s next level, you know?”

“Will you have to produce more wine then?”

“Yeah, it’s a bit ‘chicken and egg’. The timing can be tricky, and we reckon we’ll have to buy in some grapes for the first couple of years, maybe launch a table-wine label. Anyway, this is all really boring.”

“No, not at all. My brother, Will, he started this company that works with local distilleries—boutique ones—and they have similar kinds of decisions to make. When to expand their range, when to open tasting rooms, that sort of thing. I find it really interesting; there are so many moving parts.”

“Yeah, yeah, exactly.”

They were pulled from their conversation by Jase. “Okay everyone, if there was anything you liked, you can give Nina your orders, settle up, and we’ll have someone come collect them. Your wine will be waiting for you at the stables when we get back.”