We have some many visitors to Passing Clouds, and during there time here they will meet one very special dog who has a very important job at the winery.
Magnus the Maremma, is a our guardian sheep dog. He has been with us since November 2021 and we welcomed him to the Passing Clouds team. As part of the Passing Clouds regenerative agriculture plan we run Babydoll sheep or Southdown sheep in our vineyard during the winter and spring months. This means we use less machinery to mow the vineyard and the sheep provide us with rich fertilised soil. As part of our flock we have 4 Rams who are allowed to hang out with the ewes for a short amount of time to hopefully 'do their thing'!
So in the Spring months we open our Passing Clouds maternity ward paddock and await the arrival of baby lambs, which is a very exciting and nerve racking time of the year. Hence, we bring in Magnus! Magnus the Maremma protects our ewes and baby lambs from potential predators, namely foxes.
Maremma's originated from Northern Italy, who would protect flocks in the wild. Maremma's are also used to protect chickens and even the penguins in Warnambool on middle island.
Magnus, is a very friendly dog, but he does bark at strangers who are not doing the right thing around the property. In August of 2022 he will be turning two years old, he is still very much a puppy but we are delighted that he is part of the Passing Clouds family.
When you are next visting the Cellar Door, at Musk be sure to keep a look out for Magnus and say hi and definitely give him a pat!
