SPIRIT BURNER WICK

In 1894 business partners, and later brothers-in-law, Martin Jull and Mitchell Stewart started a vineyard in the hills overlooking Armadale where they planted several varieties of wine grapes. In 1896 visiting British lord, Sir Arthur Stepney, bought Stewart’s share of the vineyard. Three years later he purchased Jull’s share of the vineyard and named it Derry Na Sura, which reportedly translates from Gaelic to “Valley of the wine”. Clement Edward Pike was the manager of Derry Na Sura vineyard between 1938 and the late 1940s. Clement Pike was born in Magill, a suburb in the foothills in eastern Adelaide, in 1899. He had come to Western Australia from South Australia where he had been a wine maker in Magill. This collection of instruments was used by Mr Pike at Derry Na Sura to test the quality and the alcohol content from the wines that they produce. In 1949 Clement took Derry Na Sura Pty Ltd to court for breach of contract which he won and was awarded 72 pounds. He then moved to East Bullsbrook were he ran another vineyard until 1954 when it is thought he returned to South Australia. He died in Margill in 1981, aged 93 years.
The spirit burner was a portable source of heat used to heat up samples for testing. It could also be used to sterilize some equipment before testing to prevent contamination.
As wine testing equipment improved, glass hydrometers were used at the vineyard. These included the standard hydrometer like the Sikes hydrometer, the acidometer for testing the relative density of a wine and the alcometer, used to determine the volume of alcohol in the wine after fermentation.
Thermometers are an important part to the wine making process as changes in temperature could spoil a batch of wine during fermentation and ruin the flavour that the vigneron was wanting to achieve.
Sherry film yeast “Flor” is a yeast found naturally in southern Spain. It is used in the fermentation of many types of sherry. The yeast is used to help the fermentation process by converting the natural sugars into alcohol and creating a waxy film protecting the sherry from being exposed to the air and ruining it.