Capturing the essence of Mount Tumbarumba Vineyard across all the seasons and elements...
Tumbarumba is where we currently live. It is located in the cool climate mountain region in the Snowy Valleys of New South Wales. "Tumba", as called by locals, is surrounded by farms, forests and vineyards. Yes, vineyards! Have you ever heard of any of the Tumbarumba wines? If not, you’ve absolutely gotta look for them. But I'll get back to the whole wine region later on. In my first years living in town, Mount Tumbarumba Vineyard offered my husband and me one of my first photography assignments. I met the lovely vigneron couple Elvie and Richard while doing markets, and I was delighted to work on this 4 season's photography project for them. I was already building up on photography commission work but was mainly offering graphic design at this stage. I discovered then this was going to be my new passion. Capturing where the produce grows is amazing as you learn where it comes from and the processes involved. It also has challenges: weather forecasts, the timing for the best available light and extreme events organised by Mother Nature... We certainly learned from this after a freaky hailstorm and bushfires. The project has taken more than 4 seasons to achieve, but we made it and here's the story!
Spring morning light in the vineyard • Photography © Bottle and Brush Studio 2018
SPRING AWAKENING
Mount Tumbarumba Vineyard is located on the land that has been in the Cottam family for 3 generations and is one of the oldest and smallest vineyards in the Tumbarumba region. It is the closest vineyard to our place at the edge of town. This was convenient for early morning or last-minute shoots as we live an approximate 5-minute drive away. As Richard and Elvie were living in Canberra (now moved to Tumba), we were allowed access to the vineyard at any suitable time, so most of the time, we were on our own with the vines and the birds. These photos were taken in the spring of 2018 when the vines started shooting. Spring morning light is stunning in a vineyard when the sun reflects on the cables. It was nice that Richard was doing some work that day, so we got a few shots of him working. Spring is the time to guide these pretty green shoots so they produce good fruit.
Before and after the hail storm • Photography © Bottle and Brush Studio 2019
SUMMER OF ICE
Summer in Australia is almost like it was two seasons in one. The weather in the mountains is quite normal and enjoyable for most of December but then comes the heat during the holidays. Things can turn quite extreme when January and February come. The first summer shoot at the vineyard started well, we captured the flowering and the start of fruiting. The vines were so green and lush. One afternoon in February 2019, I was at home, and a big hailstorm suddenly shredded our garden and all my promising veggie crops with huge balls of ice. I thought about Richard and Elvie's vineyard, and knowing they were not in Tumba, I sent them a message to notify them about the storm... They later evaluated the damage, and it was clear they would not be harvesting. Elvie sent us to capture and document the unharvested vineyard while the grapes were in fruit. Cockatoos were having a feast while expressing their joy loudly. I would have preferred to experience this "vendange" season, but sadly, it had to wait until the next year...
Ending the season on a colourful note • Photography © Bottle and Brush Studio 2019
AUTUMN COLOURS CHEER UP
Autumn is the most beautiful and comfortable time of year up in Tumbarumba. The season always begins with Tumbafest, a festival celebrating local wines, but at the same time, the new vintage harvest is on. It was a sad year for Mount Tumbarumba Vineyard not to harvest the grapes, but they kept a good spirit, and the photography project continued. We captured their beautiful stall during the festival and photographed a family reunion in the vineyard. The colour of autumn can only bring a "cheer up" and hope for a better year. Good thing we had no idea what was coming up in 2020...
Happy winters in the vineyard • Photography © Bottle and Brush Studio 2018-19
WINTER GOOD DAYS
Winter in Tumbarumba is pretty chill for the vignerons. There is still work to do, like pruning the vines, planting new rows, planning for next year, and updating the new labels. But spending time with family by the fire with a glass of wine is also on the list. The first winter of 2018 was when the shoot project started. I loved the bare vines and their beautiful curves. This is when I came to the vineyard for the first time and discovered the beautiful little vineyard surrounded by cows, magpies, gum trees and Mount Tumbarumba itself. We captured the pruners cutting the vines, but we did not get the snow as I was overseas when the snow fell in Tumbarumba in the winter of 2018. The following one was family portrait time with their 3 daughters, Caitlin, Sigrid and Briony, and that was a really fun shoot!
A treat before the threat • Photography © Bottle and Brush Studio 2019
SUMMER GONE IN SMOKE
The following early summer, we were invited to photograph a little cocktail the family and friends were having during the holidays. Was it before or after Xmas, I'm not sure, my memories of that time are as hazy as the air was. It was hot and dry. We were getting the haze of smoke from the bushfires happening further away in the state. A little storm came to freshen up the air one late afternoon. The rain was good. But a lightning strike lit up a fire somewhere on Dunn's Road near Holbrook, which would become a monster flaming up the pine plantations and national parks in many directions across the region. We evacuated our home on the morning of 2020, New Year's Eve. The fire passed on the hills just in front of our house and devastated many parts of Tumbarumba, including some vineyards. This was my first bushfire and disaster trauma experience, something we are all still sensitive to talking about. Mount Tumbarumba Vineyard was luckily spared. While the town lacked power and water, some family members stayed to protect the vineyard and look after things while a second threat arose. I felt so grateful that Richard came to check on our place while we were away and we offered him to pick as many veggies he could find in the backyard for supply. After the fires, it was the beginning of recovery. There was damage at all levels. The smoke taint in all of the grapes meant that no wine was able to be made in 2020. The test results came around March. And then Covid...
A successful harvest of vintage 2021 • Photography © Bottle and Brush Studio 2021
THE SPECIAL HARVEST
Summer 2021 was mild and wet, which was a relief after the "black summer". Vignerons of Tumbarumba enjoyed a successful harvest, including Mount Tumbarumba Vineyard, after a tough couple of years. I was so happy for them and grateful to complete the project with grapes and the vineyards in harvesting action. International borders were still closed, and we were not out of the woods yet with the COVID-19 pandemic (vaccination and Delta spread were about to begin slowly). Richard and Elvie sold their home in Canberra and moved to Tumbarumba just in time before the new lockdown. They have re-stocked their wine and have exciting projects like building a cellar door and boutique accommodation!
"On the fly" wine bottles • Photography © Bottle and Brush Studio 2021-22
THE WINES I'm a big fan of all their "On the fly" wines. The Pinot Gris (featured in this Pumpkin & Saffron Risotto), the Pinot Noir, the Rosé, and the Chardonnay are all sublime! They have won awards for their wines, and I won a selection in an international food photography competition (Foodelia) featuring one of their bottles. I look forward to tasting the upcoming sparkling!
On a last note, we have kept working together, and I finally captured some snow shots! Thank you so much to Mount Tumbarumba Vineyard. This project has brought us other opportunities with the Tumbarumba Vigneron Association and my new life as a terroir and food photographer.
Follow them on Instagram and Facebook, and visit their website for more info about the wines, the vineyard and their story.
