The light is fading and a light breeze rolls in across the vines.

The grape harvester hums in the distance.

It straddles a steep row of shiraz vines and spits out bunches of grapes into the chaser bin.

Jim Coe follows the pair of tractors closely behind, checking everything is in order.

His small team of pickers are anxious to get the last of the crop off at Cooba East Station before the storm rolls in.

The property he owns with his wife Karen is nestled behind Cooba Mountain near Eurongilly, about 30 kilometres north-east of Gundagai in south-west New South Wales.

They purchased the 1,800 hectare farm in February 2002.

“I remember the first week we bought it, my son was born,” Mr Coe said.

“The clouds opened up and it rained and rained and rained and everybody said, ‘oh wow you’ve bought at the perfect time’.

“Then I can honestly say for the next seven years, I don’t think it rained again.”

Nevertheless, the pair planted chardonnay and shiraz grapes in 2004 and supplied them to Casella’s in Griffith until 2011.

They are now putting all of their energy into developing their own label, Leaning Cow, which they released late last year.

The Angus cattle grazing in the paddock, adjacent to the 50 hectares of vines, might have helped with the inspiration.

“The day that we stop harvesting here, the gates will be opened and the cattle will come in,” Mr Coe said.

“They’ll be leaning into every vine they can see for the next couple of weeks until they’ve cleaned up any of the sugary berries that were left over.

“They just love it.”

The stock is managed on a rotational grazing system to maintain groundcover and conserve soil moisture.

The Coes have been awarded a NSW innovation fund to help convert diesel powered-pumps to renewable energy.

The four mobile solar power units will enable the vineyard to pump water from its bores during the winter months and irrigate the grapes during the summer months.

Any water the grapes do not utilise will drain back into the water table.

This season, the farm picked up ample rainfall in November and December, just enough to escape any disease.

“We have the most fantastic ripening conditions with temperatures barely exceeding 30 degrees for the last six weeks,” Mr Coe said.

“As far as the grapes are concerned, the sugar levels are there, but there’s still good acid and I think it’s going to be a great vintage.”