Nietschke Moppa Estate Combines Dairy Farming and Vineyards

Nietschke Moppa Estate combines two agricultural activities on one family property: dairy farming and grape growing. The arrangement is unusual in the surrounding region, where the Barossa Mid North Dairy Group includes about 14 dairy farms, but only a small number of them also cultivate vines.

The estate’s milk continues to be delivered to Barossa Valley Cheese Company. Its grapes are used mainly by Penfolds, a producer of premium wines. The property therefore supplies both a regional cheese company and a major wine producer, although the two activities remain separate agricultural operations.

Shiraz is the principal grape variety grown at the estate. The vineyards also include Graciano, Durif and Saperavi. The family monitors the crop each week by taking samples and checking Baumé, acidity and pH. For shiraz, the wineries’ target is 14.5 Baumé.

Some of the vines are more than a century old. They must be harvested entirely by hand. Another section is planted in a traditional bush-vine system, which predates the use of supporting structures. Machinery cannot be used in that part of the vineyard.

The family expects the recent harvest to be above average after an unusually wet spring and summer. The account does not give a forecast volume or a final production figure.

At Nietschke Moppa Estate, the dairy herd and vineyards occupy the same property and are linked to the same family history. The combination distinguishes the farm from most other members of the regional dairy cooperative, where dairy production is the principal activity described.