A Picking Party with Gentle Folk
March, 2016 [Adelaide Hills]
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Photography by Daniel John Purvis
The Fruitful Pursuit was initially a collective focused on wine tours. Wine tours of a slightly different kind. We'd grown tired of the usual over-boozed and bougie splash-a-thons our industry had come to endure. We wanted something real; something we could really connect with. So we’d saddle up thirteen eager heads (as many as Frank's bus could squeeze in) and set off just after breakfast to spend a day amongst the vines, in cellars, kitchens and backyards—wherever the winemakers would take us. Throw a private cook or caterer into the mix. The experiences we amassed were unimaginable fun. We formed deep connections with our local regions. Lifelong friendships were built. It’ll be hard to replace these memories.
Just as vintage twenty sixteen was drawing to a close, we decided to give Gary (commonly known as Gareth Belton) a bell. He mentioned he had one vineyard left to pluck and could do with a spare set of hands. We put the word out. A few days later we approached the driveway of Scary Gully vineyard in the Adelaide Hills.
Truly one for the books. The photos above will tell the story.
Infinite shouts to Amelia Moyes and Nick Chapman for the spread that day—some of those flavours still linger.