Growing Grapes Might be Fun: How we made a vineyard out of a junkyard at Cockatoo Hill

by Deirdre Macken

An honest, very funny account of a couple's move to the country for a fresh start. Bursting with optimism and a can-do attitude, they're on a steep learning curve as they establish a vineyard and learn how things are done in the country.

I imagined lounging on a veranda overlooking folds of hills striped with vines. I'd be clothed in linen and surrounded by friends. On the table would be tumblers of wine we'd picked in last year's harvest. Then we arrived at Cockatoo Hill and discovered a dump.

When Deirdre and her husband Roger decide to turn a sheep paddock into a vineyard, they are following the centuries-old tradition of family winemaking. Bit by bit they clean up the land, plant vines, protect them through storms and drought and turn a shack into a cottage. Slowly they start to read the landscape, appreciate the talents of locals and learn what to do when a snake passes by.

This is a humorous memoir with larger-than-life characters, hard slog and sweet triumph. It is also a story of a deepening awareness of our connection with the land and the rhythms of farming life.

'Deirdre Macken's memoir is more than a lively account of turning unpromising, trash-strewn hectares into a productive vineyard. It's a reflection on family, community and the rewards of caring for the land that sustains us.' - Geraldine Brooks, Pulitzer Prize winning author

'I simply adored reading this account of a life-change with a purpose, laden with honesty and Deirdre's characteristic wit. Above all, I won't forget the love on display or city-rural wisdom gained. All that's left is to try the wine!' - Geraldine Doogue, ABC presenter

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Audiobook

259 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 4, 2023

About the author

Best known as a journalist and columnist, Deirdre Macken wrote on business and marketing for The Australian 1975-1979, worked for The Age 1979-1987

Reviews

[SS · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened as audiobook

Deirdre and her partner go to the Yass Valley to grow grapes on her mother's property, but this is like a weekender activity of the privileged middle-class Sydney-siders.

The ramshackle propery and house are saved and the land returned to productivity by Dierdre, partner, several local trades' folk.

Perhaps because of the narrator of the story, or maybe the book in its essence, the privilege of Dierdre's story was evident and crass.

Becoming winegrowers is discussed at the end of the book as a bad tax write off, considering she isn't earning huge dollars as a freelance journo/writer. Poor thing.

Trapsing back and forward to between Hunter Valley and Sydney is another privilege Dierdre has, because she just can't commit to the country.

Easy to listen to but a shadow of white privilege throughout. I have listened to other such tree change books and I am not sure why this one has irked me so much. Is it the inbuilt societal bias against women. Mmmmm.

[Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a delight to read. Escapist and light. After all who wouldn't have liked to spent the Covit lockdown, developing a vineyard, chasing sheep and bringing an old farm to life. The author, Deirdre Macken is a well-known and experienced journalist and brings a lovely light touch to the narrative and is so descriptive that you can close your eyes and imagine that you are also looking across Cockatoo Hill. There is much in this book to remind me of Peter Mayle's 'A year in Provence' which was a sensational best seller a few years ago and I am sure the Deirdre Macken would be pleased if her book reached the six million dollar sales achieved by 'Provence'. My only disappointment is that after feeling every step in the bringing of the bare grape sticks to life with abundant bunches of grapes, that I haven't managed to taste the fruit of their labours, but I will be looking out for the label to give it a try. I heartily recommend 'Growing Grapes Might be Fun:' as a delightful escapist read.

[Gretchen Bernet-Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perhaps not as rollicking as one would expect from the title but it is truthful. There are ups and downs and interesting insights into creating a vineyard from scratch. This is interspersed with environment, ecology, landcare, planting trees, fighting against weeds and thistles, the soil, poisonous glyphosate, unpredictable weather and, of course, planting backbreaking row upon row upon row of grape vine plants. Page 229 has some interesting stats on hard work and what it does to the body and author Deirdre Macken says “I won’t be dead, but meantime I will Google to see if hard work kills people early.” She aptly proves that nature and the great outdoors can get pretty harsh. Along the way, tonnes of junk was carted to the tip, a shed was knocked down by a tornado, rooms were renovated, and sheep were introduced; I am sufficiently put off owning a farm (a small B&B in well-tamed countryside maybe) yet all the while the grape vines are tended and slowly maturing.

There is angst when guests are invited and Deidre talks honestly about her feelings and her reaction to their visit. She has interesting thoughts on trees, companion planting, and how we must nurture them for the future well-being of the land. She makes mention of back-to-the-land movements, people seeking solace in “wine, bread and country living” and certainly post-Covid in Australia has seen a shift to inland regions and coastal areas but not as a holiday destination, as a life-change. It will be interesting to see how long the boom lasts since the majority are devoted to artificial life on their screens. The photographs in the middle of the book tell the struggles from go-to-whoa. Literally “drought and flooding rains”. However, the image of Georgie smiling over a newly harvested bin of sangiovese full to the brim with luscious grapes is heartwarming. I am glad such a triumph emerged from the earth and hope farmer Deirdre and her family have many bountiful harvests.

[Heather Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you’ve ever flirted with the idea of trading your desk job for the romantic life of a vineyard owner, Deirdre Macken’s Growing Grapes Might Be Fun will have you bolting for the exit before you even uncork your first bottle.

Macken’s book - less an ode to viticulture and more a relentless checklist of vineyard catastrophes - turns out to be a surprisingly effective antidote to the “let’s move to the country and start a winery” fantasy. She and her husband endure a parade of indignities that make you wonder if Bacchus himself held a grudge. From droughts to gale-force winds, hailstorms to a pandemic, they are beset on all sides by elements and misfortunes that no amount of grape-growing optimism could offset. Their living quarters? An asbestos and mould-riddled shack with carpet so horrendously green it could serve as its own deterrent to visitors.

And while tales of rustic hardship often end with that silver-lining moment - when hard work yields a precious harvest - Macken’s first vintage clocks in at a mere 779 bottles, priced at $28 apiece. This puts their revenue at just over $22,000, an amount that would hardly cover a vineyard owner's annual allotment of aspirins. They also sold 1.5 tonnes of grapes to an established winemaker for a modest $2,500, enough to perhaps buy approximately one-third of a second-hand tractor tyre.

To be fair, Macken and her partner do emerge with a respectable winery name, “Gounyan,” after the unfortunate near-miss of “Gang Gang.” The name reflects the area’s colonial roots, with Gounyan representing the local history. In the end, Growing Grapes Might Be Fun is perfect for any reader who needs a strong reminder of how gruelling rural life can be - no washing machine, no stove, and barely a sniff of profit. It's a sobering tale for aspiring vintners, suggesting that romance might be better left to the wineglass than the vineyard itself.

[Anneb · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was read well and good for the most part, but it got a bit tedious and, frankly, twee. The pandemic came along, and the author spoke of self-sufficiency and city verses country living, but her country living: grapes to wine, lambs for slaughter and figs - none really a necessity to survive... really. Putting up with sexism in the country and worrying what the entitled city friends thought about their asbestos shack..
Whatever...

[Pearl · Rating 4 out of 5]

How to grow a vineyard, on a ramshackle property - then COVID came.

I wonder if Deidre and her husband have now totally moved to their vineyard? If so, I hope they are enjoying many more delicious wine 🍷 seasons on their family property.

I was very interested to learn about how this vineyard started, from newly planted vines, to finally tasting that very 1st vintage grown with so much love.

An enjoyable read.

[Steven Kolber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good fun, not my standard fair, but it covered the view of viticulture from both an insider and outsider perspective. I think everyone living in a city would take something interesting out of reading this.

[Anorina · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good read - funny in places, but in saying this, I found it a little condescending at times. City vs Country was a main theme throughout the book, not just the grape growing and wine making.

[Denita · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading about the author & her husbands endeavours into growing grapes, making their own wine and all that entailed. The story had many laugh out loud moments as well as thought provoking ones.

[Erin Chivers · Rating 4 out of 5]

While memoirs may not be my cup of tea, after reading Dierdre's, maybe they are.

A delightful read with great insight into country life in Australia.

[heidiv zero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. Easy to read and made me giggle. Very inspiring to just do what you want in life and enjoy the hard work. Made me very nostalgic for the years I grew up on a farm.

[Kirsty McMurtrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pleasure to read.

[Dragana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light and entertaining to read, with a peek into one's daring move from one lifestyle to another.

[Samantha Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was okay, a little flat in places.

[Deb Kingston · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good lighthearted read.