The vintage train

It’s five in the morning and the first light is slowly stretching over the vineyards of McLaren Vale. There is a rare moment of quiet as cellar hand Kisani Poole glances up and sees the first rays of dawn coating the winery in an ethereal glow. The energetic thirty-three year old has almost finished an epic vintage night shift. She must be exhausted but she speaks quickly, enthusiastically, using cellar hand lingo. ‘It started with crushing a sauvy (sauvignon blanc),’ she explains. ‘Then, we had to get that pressing, do the adds (additions), while at the same time pressing a couple of red opens (red fermenters), cleaning the crusher ready for the morning, helping my two legend casuals out when they need me, plus unloading fruit from tractors and filling them up with empty bins. My knock-off frothies (beers) this morning will be truly amazing.’ Kisani has been a full-time cellar hand at Haselgroves for five years. She’s full of effervescent exuberance, so it is no surprise that