Gold Medal Winners from the New Zealand International Wine Show October 2023, Apr ’24

Michelle Fraser from Clearview
Michelle Fraser from Clearview

What a brilliant evening! Organised by Wayne and hosted by Michelle Fraser from Clearview, a wine judge in her own right, plus with an extensive knowledge of viticulture and wine making.

Due to illness and holidays, we had only 27 attend the evening, but book your diaries for next year, as this may be repeated with next year’s Gold Medal Winners!

Michelle filled the evening with knowledgeable tips about the different growing regimes, different classes of grapes, the different way grapes are treated/processed, i.e. in stainless steel or oak barrels, skins in or out; plus her sayings that kept us laughing:

  • ABC – Anything But Chardonnay
  • Pinot Gris – Puma wine, younger girls juice
  • Chardonnay – Cougar wine, older women’s juice
  • Gewurztraminer – how to says this: Girls Get Meaner

She gave us updates on what some of the bigger personalities in the Hawkes Bay area are now doing, with Gordon Russell now in retirement, until he decides what his next project will be. However, his daughters are now up and running through their new brand Three Fates.

This was an evening that was full of surprises, and to those of you who couldn’t make it, the below wines that we tasted are available from New World, The Good Wine Company, and other NZ locations.

  • Lindauer Special Reserve Rose NV -Gold Trophy from a female wine maker, Jan DeWitt.
  • 2023 Giesen Estate Riesling – Double Gold Trophy For Champion Riesling
  • 2022 Leefield Station Gewurztraminer -Double Gold Trophy for Champion Gertz this is owned by the same family who own NED wines.
  • 2022 Brancott Estate Letter Series O Chardonnay – Double Gold Trophy for Champion Chardonnay + Champion Wine of the Show again a female wine maker, Laura Kate Morgan
  • 2021 Daisy Rock Reserve Pinot Noir – Gold Medal
  • 2021 Esk Valley Artisanal Hawkes Bay Malbec Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon – Gold Medal sadly Esk Valley is now more, so snap up this one if you like Bordeaux style wines.

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Clearview Tasting – Sept 23

The evening was well attended, and our presenter was Tim Turvey, winemaker, vineyard owner and the person who had returned tanned from Australia the day before after planting a pineapple plantation.

Tim regaled us with the history of how and why he set up the vineyard, built the house, established a native tree nursery and the expansions through to other regions of New Zealand for the different grapes he wanted to be able to use. He has 28 grape varieties they currently work with, plus a 100-year-old Olive tree that the original property owner, Vidals, planted.

He told us how the ‘White Caps’ range got its name, simply by white caps being the only colour available at the time for the new wines.

Our special treat was the extra tasting of their 2022 Reserve Chardonnay with a big buttery nose and taste from a challenging vintage, so it is in short supply.

The evening was finished with their Sea Red Dessert wine, a nice sweet touch.

A reminder of the wines we tasted during the evening:

  • 2021 Clearview Sparkling Blush arrival wine
  • 2023 Clearview Coastal Pinot Gris
  • 2022 Clearview White Caps Chardonnay
  • 2020 Clearview Reserve Semillon
  • 2021 Clearview Martinborough Pinot Noir
  • 2021 Clearview Cape Kidnappers Syrah
  • Clearview Sea Red Dessert Wine [500ml]

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Maison Vauron ‘Le Tour’ – Oct 23

French Wine Merchants, Established 1999
Dedicated to bringing the best of French wine and food to New Zealand

Presented by Scott Hurrell, Wednesday 11th October, 8 pm Start

Door Price: Members $18 / Guests $22

For our newer members, Maison Vauron is a French Wine Merchant company set up in Auckland in 1999 to bring the best of French wine and food to New Zealand. They have presented their wines to our club several times previously and we are very lucky to have them do so again.

Pierre Vauron’s original business card in 1918. ‘A la grappe dorée’ (‘The golden bunch’) was the name of the business then, established and based in the town of St Etienne (South West of Lyon) since 1879. The card mentions that Pierre was specialising in white wine from all regions and red wines from the Beaujolais.
Pierre Vauron’s original business card in 1918. ‘A la grappe dorée’ (‘The golden bunch’) was the name of the business then, established and based in the town of St Etienne (South West of Lyon) since 1879. The card mentions that Pierre was specialising in white wine from all regions and red wines from the Beaujolais.

The company resulted from a visit to NZ in 1991 by Jean-Christophe Poizat who wanted to learn more about NZ wines. Jean-Christophe is the great-great-grandson of Antoine Vauron who in 1879 set up a wine merchant business in Saint Etienne, 50kms southwest of Lyon, the city scheduled to host the All Blacks last 2 pool games in the 2023 RWC.

Six months after arriving JC [as he is often called] would meet his future wife and then some years later, his business partners, Peter & Scott. The importance of family is central to Maison Vauron’s operation, with siblings of JC and Peter involved in the business, as are the partners of JC and Scott.
Every year Maison Vauron likes to return to France to taste the wines and try the cheeses, meet their producers and most importantly, make new discoveries. This year, wine mentors, Jean-Christophe and Will are also attending the Rugby World Cup, hosted by France.

As a result of their absence, Scott [responsible for trade sales] has agreed to step up to the batting plate and will lead us through a tour of French vineyards that will reflect various grapes and wine styles.

Scott is well qualified to present these wines, as he previously trained for 11 years as a winemaker in the Bordeaux area of France.

The wines to be tasted are:

  • Monmousseau Brut “Etoile” NV (Loire Valley – Chenin Blanc, Ugni Blanc)
  • Chateau le Cedre Blandine le Blanc 2021 (Colombard – Ugni blanc)
  • Cave de Lugny Macon-Villages 2021 (Burgundy – Chardonnay)
  • Château Roubine Cotes de Provence Rosé 2022 (Provence – Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault)
  • Burgaud Beaujolais Villages 2022 (Beaujolais – Gamay)
  • Vieux Lazaret Chateauneuf du Pape 2020 (Rhône Valley – Grenache, Syrah)
  • Château Baulac-Dodijos Sauternes 2020 (Bordeaux – Sémillon)

We look forward to seeing you Wednesday 11th.

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Fat & Sassy goes to Marlborough

Sophie Preece, RuralNewsGroup | 12 April 2023

Fat & Sassy by Tony Bish
Fat & Sassy by Tony Bish

It’s a steaming 26.5C in Hawke’s Bay as a retired King’s Counsel handpicks Chardonnay grapes in the wake of a cyclone.

He’s one of a team of volunteers who heeded the call from winemaker and Chardonnay specialist Tony Bish, who’s lost 75% of his intended intake to the rain and floods this season. “We’ve written off about 150 tonnes out of a 200-tonne intake,” Tony says on 9 March, about to drive his trailer of freshly picked fruit back to the winery. “It’s been a hard season.”

But despite knowing he won’t meet export orders, which take up half his production, Tony is heartened by the response from his local community, with people of all ages joining the harvest, alongside a team of seasonal workers from Vanuatu.

Tony Bish, Winemaker
Tony Bish, Winemaker

The wine community has pitched in too, with Marlborough growers offering a lifeline for Tony’s Fat & Sassy consumer brand. On realising the extent of crop losses, Tony emailed his contacts in the region and revealed he was “desperate for Chardonnay”.

The response was good, both from those willing to part with their fruit, and others offering moral support. “It’s a case of Marlborough helping Hawke’s Bay,” he adds. “Basically the story will be Fat & Sassy goes to Marlborough. Thanks to our colleagues in Marlborough helping us through a cyclone, we’ll be able to keep continuity in the domestic market.”

In the meantime, he’s excited about the quality of fruit still hanging on the vine, to be picked at the end of March for his premium labels. “We are going to pick some really good fruit, so there’s a happy ending in sight. It’s going to deliver something delicious.”

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Esk Valley and Gordon Russell tasting – August 2022

The Committee is excited to present Esk Valley wines with presenter and renowned winemaker Gordon Russell on Wednesday, 10 August 2022.

Range

An interesting range of wines will be presented, including a rose, three whites and three reds. These include several of Gordon’s recently released “Artisanal” ranges, which will be new to many of you. These wines will be available to order on the night at very special prices.

History

Esk Valley, Another Prestige Tasting for August
Esk Valley, another prestige tasting for August

Esk Valley winery has come a long way since Sir George Fistonich purchased the historic Glenvale Winery from the Bird family in 1986. Esk Valley broke boundaries by introducing new grape varieties and wine styles to Hawke’s Bay. From its original cellars in north Hawke’s Bay to the new purpose-built winery in the Gimblett Gravels area, Esk Valley has produced a collection of wines regarded as among New Zealand’s finest.

About Gordon

Gordon Russell, legend, winemaker
Gordon Russell, legend, winemaker

Gordon Russell was born in New Plymouth, and his desire to travel took him to England and Europe for three years after university. During that time, he expanded his interest in different flavours and food to include an appreciation for fine wine.

Gordon was appointed Esk Valley’s winemaker in 1993 after working as a cellar hand for Villa Maria in Auckland from 1987, then as assistant winemaker to Grant Edmonds at Esk Valley from 1990. Gordon produces a natural style of wine, paying attention to detail in the vineyard, using wild yeast and long-term lees ageing. These are modern styles of wine hand-crafted by a master.

This promises to be a great tasting by one of the legends among the country’s winemakers. We look forward to seeing you there.

 

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Some of New Zealand’s best wines are being made by producers who don’t actually have their own vines

Jonathan Brookes – Stuff | Jan 23 2022

Kiwis motivated to make delicious and interesting wines under their own labels are changing the way we think about negociants winemaking.
Kiwis motivated to make delicious and interesting wines under their own labels are changing the way we think about négociant winemaking.

The business of winemaking can be, well, a little dry. Especially if what you are looking for is just something good to drink. But the truth is, who owns and does what can make a qualitative difference to what ends up in your glass.
My first job in wine was in a shop that proudly only sold “estate bottled” wine, which meant that all of the wines were made by the same people who grew the grapes. The alternative is probably best described by the French term négociant winemaking, where wine is made with grapes grown by someone else.

In the old world (Europe), a lot is made of the difference between these two models, and despite winemaking being the endpoint of both, they are – for legal and taxation purposes – recognised as different types of businesses.

The cost of land and plant can act as a prohibitive barrier to entry for young adventurous winemakers.
The cost of land and plant can act as a prohibitive barrier to entry for young adventurous winemakers.

In terms of quality, the general consensus is that wines made by the people who grow the grapes on their own land are better. It makes sense; the farmer who is also the winemaker is invested in the final product from start to end, they understand best how the quality of the fruit they grow determines the quality of the wine they make.

It is also a fair assumption that the grape grower and the négociant winemaker might have conflicting financial motivations that don’t add up to better wine. Beyond this simple idea of quality control, there is also a sense in which an “estate bottled” wine is a unique expression of the specific place and people that it came from, in a way that wine made from purchased grapes won’t be.

In Aotearoa, there is less focus on the difference between these two models of how wine gets made. That is probably to do with small artisan farmer-producers, including winemakers, cheesemakers, and other producers, not historically had the same status here as in Europe.

It is also the case that our winemaking history is simply shorter, and so it makes sense that we’ve looked for trusted brands and flavour profiles, rather than focused on place and tradition as markers of quality, as those places and their traditions are still being established.

What’s more, the accessibility of vineyards and winemaking facilities is not the same here as in the Old World. Where in parts of Europe, forgotten or neglected wine regions have provided an opportunity for young adventurous winemakers to establish themselves at a relatively low cost, here the cost of land and plant can act as a prohibitive barrier to entry.

Kiwis motivated to make delicious and interesting wines under their own labels have however found another way and in doing so, are changing the way we think about négociant winemaking.

Corofin

corofin.nz
corofin.nz

Mike and Anna Paterson of Corofin in Marlborough, like the other producers featured here, have neither a winery nor vineyards. Perhaps counterintuitively, it is precisely this lack of a stake in a vineyard that is fundamental to them making wines that are uniquely connected to the sites they come from.

Corofin works mainly with Pinot Noir, with a little chardonnay, and each of their wines come from single sites, small corners of vineyards, all located in the foothills of the southern valleys of Marlborough. Their approach to winemaking is to dial back fruit character and varietal expression, believing that more reserved, savoury wines show better the differences made by the specific geography and geology of the vineyard sites that they want to promote.

Corofin, Wrekin Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2019 - $49.90
Corofin, Wrekin Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2019 – $49.90

This model for making site-specific wines is reflective of the best parts of the négociant model in Burgundy, where law and tradition codify the unique nature of specific parcels of land, and farmers and négociant-winemakers are left to focus on their part in allowing those places to best reflect themselves.

The Patersons go a step further by promoting not just the physical growing conditions of their chosen vineyards, but also the family winegrowers who farm those sites. Not only are they in this sense advocates for the most interesting places to grow grapes in their region, they also shine a light on growers who are committed to best quality farming practices.

The best Corofin recommendation I can give you is to take the opportunity to taste each of the site-specific Pinots of a given vintage. The differences between each of the wines tell the story of those unique sites. A fascinating and delicious exercise.

This particular one from the meticulously farmed Wrekin vineyard is bold, savoury and concentrated, reflective of the relatively low yields taken from the site.

A Thousand Gods

athousandgodswines
athousandgodswines

Lauren and Simon Sharpe’s story is increasingly familiar. New Zealanders who spent a significant part of their lives and careers learning their craft overseas, in their case France, returning with their young family to put those skills to use in their homeland.

Of course, a return home can be challenging for a number of reasons, not least of which is the cost of starting afresh and wanting to establish your own business.

A Thousand Gods, Blanc, 2020 (Athousandgods.com) $36
A Thousand Gods, Blanc, 2020 (Athousandgods.com) $36

The opportunity to purchase fruit from Churton vineyard in Marlborough, one of the best growers and vineyard sites in the country, and to lease space in a shared winemaking facility, meant that the Sharpes were able to establish their label A Thousand Gods relatively quickly after their return, and without the prohibitive capital outlay of purchasing a vineyard, or the lead-time of planting one according to their no doubt exacting standards.

Which is all the better for us, as already their wines are some of the most thoughtful, interesting and delicious in the market.

Being able to get their label underway has also allowed them the time and resources for what is next, which is establishing their own small winemaking facility, opening up further opportunities to experiment and show off their well-honed craft.

Sauvignon blanc, but not as we know it. A precise balance of texture, perfumed aromatics, and just right acidity that adds up to a glass I just can’t put down.

Bryterlater

Some of the freshest and most interesting new New Zealand wines are being made under labels that are a side-hustle for their talented producers.

James + Olivia vintage '21. ⁠
James + Olivia vintage ’21. ⁠

Ambitious young winemakers, such as Bryterlater’s James Graves Opie, are holding down demanding viticultural and winemaking jobs and making their own wine on the side. Connections made in the industry through their ‘day jobs’ provide access to both information about where to source the best fruit, as well as access to expensive equipment and unused space, not to mention a network of seasoned professionals willing to lend advice and the odd hand where needed.

Bryterlater, Swell, Sauvignon Blanc Pet Nat, 2021 - $39
Bryterlater, Swell, Sauvignon Blanc Pet Nat, 2021 – $39

Opie, situated in North Canterbury, sources premium organic fruit from local growers, and with it is crafting some impressive wines. His work with Sauvignon Blanc, especially in his sparkling wines, show new and delicious sides to a varietal many of us may have tired of.

I believe it’s partly the freedom of financial pressure associated with buying land equipment that gives Opie’s approach an air of experimentation, trial and error, and ambition. Like an increasing number of similarly minded winemakers, he’s not letting the absence of his own vineyard and winery stop him from producing his own wines.

The result is more exciting wines to drink, which is always a good thing.

Yeasty creamy texture and fine bubbles in this delicate sparkler are complemented by gentle pear flavours, all of which offset the shouty fruit-forward character normally associated with sauvignon blanc. Really impressive, and super refreshing.

 

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Light ‘n’ Lovely: Low yields but high quality in vintage 2021

Sophie Preece | 08 April 2021

Nautilus harvest 2021. Photo Credit: Richard Briggs
Nautilus harvest 2021. Photo Credit: Richard Briggs

Grape yields across the country have taken a hit from poor flowering, but growers and winemakers are welcoming beautiful fruit and a kind ripening season.

Nautilus Estate Winemaker and General Manager Clive Jones said on 18 March that vintage ’21 in Marlborough was progressing well. “The fruit is pristine in quality but down across the board in quantity – particularly for Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris,” he said.

“At the halfway stage through the Sauvignon harvest, crops are moderate but flavours are fantastic.

Clive said the weather had been close to perfect, “with barely a glance required at the weather forecast”, and Nautilus was on track to have completed picking before the end of March, “our earliest finish ever”.

Jules Taylor, Gourmet Traveller Wine’s 2021 New Zealand Winemaker of the Year says all varieties are lower than the long-term average and agrees Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris are particularly light, “which is a shame”, but is also the reality of horticulture.

The silver lining is that the fruit is beautiful and clean, thanks to a great summer.

“The weather is playing the game and the mood is so different to last year, with Covid,” she says. “It’s back to the old days, with all the banter in the field.”

Jules says the 2020 harvest was a case of keeping the panic at bay and getting the fruit off as fast as possible, “in case Covid decided to rear its ugly head”.

The contrast with 2021 is extreme. “This year we can pick exactly when we want to, in terms of capturing the essence of Marlborough at its best – it’s a delight.”

In Central Otago, Viticulturist James Dicey says yields are variable, with some subregions doing “really well”, while others are “exceptionally” low, with expectations of as little as two tonnes to the hectare predicted for some blocks.

That’s due to a cold initiation period that resulted in smaller bunches, and unsettled weather during flowering, causing some hen and chicken and poorly set bunches.

He says the weather averages for the season look typical but have resulted from big blocks of extreme conditions. “We have been seeing quite big swings in weather variability, which has stressed the grapevines and stressed out the viticulturists.

However, he has been pleased by a “really nice” and consistent ripening period and “coolish” nights and says the positive of the small yields is the “really high-quality fruit” and lack of disease pressure.

That gives growers “the luxury of time with picking decisions”, and the option of leaving fruit out for longer, if required. And that could be key to getting fruit in this harvest, with labour at “dire” levels due to border closures, he says.

James has spent more time and money than ever before advertising harvest roles, including to viticulture and oenology students, in backpacker lodges and on all bulletin boards, and directed to the remaining hospitality staff in the area.

The main pressure is on staff for hand picking, with little of the area suitable for machine harvesting.

James says some blocks that have never been machine picked before now have that option as a backup plan, but in many cases, a handpick is the only option, because of a steep aspect or small size. Two of the blocks he works with, for example, are 0.3 hectares, “so it’s not economical to have a machine turn up”.

James says staff are “trickling” in, “but if we don’t get what we want or quite what we need, then the harvest will be delayed or protracted… we are encouraging wineries to pick early and pick hard”.

In Hawke’s Bay, Esk Valley Winemaker Gordon Russell says they have experienced lower yields, with a general drop of around 20 per cent, due largely to poor flowering.

He says Sauvignon Blanc yields have done better than Chardonnay and the reds, which have small berries and loose bunches. The low yields and lack of rain means there has been no disease pressure, and cooling conditions are creating an enviable ripening period, allowing acids to drop without sugars climbing too high. “There seems no hurry at the moment.”

Esk Valley picked white varieties up to 19 March, and Gordon says the harvest to date has delivered grapes of excellent quality.

He expects wine to be “bright, fresh and pure”.

The labour situation has been manageable in Hawke’s Bay, with viticulture sharing picking gangs with other horticulture industries, he says. “We seem to have been able to get in what we wanted when we wanted it, so it hasn’t been an issue.”

However, that’s also down to a strategic approach, which has seen handpicking tonnages drop slightly, allowing selective machine harvesting to ease some labour pressure.”

At Matawhero, Owner Kristen Searle says tonnages are about average for a Gisborne season “and with great ripening weather it will be a great vintage for Gisborne wines”.

Kirsten says apart from some frost damage at budburst in some vineyards, the season generally has been good and has produced “some exceptional fruit”.

Matawhero began picking on 22 February, which is their earliest start ever.

“The season saw higher growing degree days and heat summation during the season which would have ensured the early pick. We also experienced low disease pressure and good brix, acid and Ph balance at harvest.”

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Tuku Māori Winemakers Collective

nzwine.com | 26 Apr 2019

Tuku is the world’s first Māori Winemakers Collective, bringing together awarded Māori wine companies based on their shared values of land, family and hospitality.

TUKU Māori Winemakers Collective
TUKU Māori Winemakers Collective

The collective is made up of majority Māori-owned, NZ-owned wine companies: Kuru Kuru, Ostler, Steve Bird, te Pā and Tiki Wines, offering a wide range of premium varietals from the most famous wine-growing regions of Aotearoa.

The name Tuku comes from the Māori art of Tukutuku weavings, which are decorative wall panels. These panels were lashed or stitched together by people working in pairs from either side, passing the stalks back and forth. The members all share the same values of the land, family and hospitality and by working together, hope to strengthen indigenous winemaking as a whole. There are very few companies that work collectively in this industry that will share ideas, share market resources and share a meal together.

The Tuku collective is united by a common ethos to winemaking, business and life. At the heart are the Māori values of:

KAITIAKITANGA – guardianship of the land and people
Like the majority of New Zealand winemakers, TUKU is all certified sustainable, but they take it a few steps further than that. The collective is all about family, and they want to ensure that they look after our land and people, to make sure future generations get to experience Aotearoa in the same way we have.

The collective supports several organisations dedicated to Kaitiakitanga. In the vineyards, they use various methods to enrich vineyard soils, such as compost, liquid seaweed, molasses and beneficial bacteria and fungi for ground drenching and lambs to graze in the winter. They have a strong focus on re-using and maximise recycling opportunities wherever possible. They all strive to ensure all their actions have the long-term interest of our land at heart.

WHAKAPAPA – our family, our heritage
Whakapapa links people to all other living things, the earth and the sky, and traces the universe back to its origins. TUKU are all extremely proud of their heritage and where they come from and they have many generations working within the companies. They embrace the past, live in the present and look to the future.

WHĀNAUNGATANGA – a sense of family connection
It is a big part of Maori culture to create a sense of belonging and to embrace people into their whānau. It is important for the collective to create meaningful relationships through shared experiences and by working together. They respect and foster relationships within their organisations, within their iwi and within the community. We may not be born of the same parents, but you are still very much part of our whānau.

MANAAKITANGA – hospitality/generosity
TUKU thrives on this. Wine is a great thing to share with friends and family and that is what TUKU is all about. Enhancing that special moment, showing generosity, sharing a slice of New Zealand and embracing you into our whānau.

Māori business are unique because of our culture, our values and our approach.

TUKU believes the future for Māori businesses is bright and there are already many key Māori businesses on the world stage who contribute greatly to the New Zealand economy.

When you buy from local people and their families, you are enabling growth and success for future generations. When buying TUKU wines, you are supporting indigenous producers who are connected to the land and to their wines.

Villa Maria and George’s cellar


Glengarry’s Sunday ramblings of all things vinous, grain and glorious. Villa Maria and George’s cellar comes from The Sunday Sediment.

Sir George Fistonich
Sir George Fistonich

A true New Zealand original, Villa Maria Wine Estates, is over 55 years old, proudly displayed the Glengarry Wineletters from the early days, front and centre. You do have to appreciate what it has taken over the years to get this world-class, family-owned winery to its prestigious position, and you can put it down to the talent, attention to detail, and sheer determination of its founder Sir George Fistonich and his team.

Nick Picone
Nick Picone

Consisting of Villa Maria itself, plus the Vidal, Esk Valley and Te Awa Collection, we tip our hats to the wonderful consistency of quality that exists across VMs entire portfolio. Nick Picone is Villa Marias Group Chief Winemaker and has been with the company for 18 years and counting. A multiple winner of Winemaker of the Year titles and listed as one of the worlds young winemakers to watch, he is an asset to the New Zealand wine industry.

VM Library release Cab Sauv & Merlot/Cab Sauv

The nowadays iconic George Fistonich (that’s ‘Sir George’ to you mere mortals) decided a while ago to start selecting wines from exceptional parcels with a thought to aging them and releasing them in very limited quantities via the cellar door and through selected retailers (that would be us). The wines are at the ultra-premium level, and having been already aged by Villa Maria themselves, they are good to go, and very favourably priced for what’s in the bottle. Villa Maria, then, at its finest. Read more in the Glengarry Wineletter – #232 August 2017.

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Winemakers happy overall with Bay’s mixed grape harvest

By Roger Moroney | 

Rain is expected to mark a drop in overall volumes of grapes harvested this vintage.

The drought conditions of December through to mid-February had effectively “saved our bacon” in terms of how the grapes across Hawke’s Bay had weathered persistent and potentially damaging bouts of rain over the past six weeks.

However, there was likely to be a drop in overall volumes along with a drop in sugar levels and in individual cases a possible rise in the cost of harvesting, leading winemaker Rod McDonald said.

Bright, warm and dry days had seen the critical early development of grapes go extremely well, Mr McDonald said, adding that effectively created a good base for fruit protection when the rains did arrive.

“There was good early flavour development during the start of the season – they [grapes] may be down on sugars but the flavours are there.”

Location had been a factor in which vineyards saw reduced volumes, he said, although the overall drop was unlikely to be major.

Of the three vineyards which sourced Rod McDonald Wines one would be down on volumes as a result of the rain belts but the other two were actually slightly ahead of their initial estimates.

“It depends where you were to find the effects where rain hit.”

He said coastal areas like Te Awanga came through well.

“We’ve got some amazing chardonnay and perfect ripeness out of there.”

Rain often created extra costs due to stopping and starting of harvesting – “darting back and forth” – as well as the need for selected picking plans.

“But you’ve just got to suck it up.”

Mr McDonald said he was at a wine tasting in Auckland about a month ago and was asked what effect rain would have on the grape harvest and how damaging could it be.

He replied that despite Hawke’s Bay’s dry reputation everyone in the industry had a wet weather plan and were always prepared for such an eventuality.

“If you don’t then you’re dreaming.”

Part of his plan was to go with “discretion rather than valour” and carry out an earlier than usual harvest of some Syrah and Merlot so as not to put them through any more rain.

“You have to ask yourself ‘do I pull the pin now and bank it or push on through?”

But he still has some Syrah out, along with Cabernet “and they are in great shape”.

Having a damp end to the season was always a threat and simply “one of those things you have to deal with”.

Mission Estate winemaker Paul Mooney took the same stance.

“We have had a remarkable amount of rainfall over the past six or seven weeks and that is not ideal for grape growing but we have worked around it.”

Mr Mooney said there had been some grape loss.

“There have been one or two blocks we’ve had to leave.”

While volumes would be down it would not be major and he agreed with Mr MacDonald that the hot, dry start for the season had put things on the right path.

“It just hasn’t been ideal in the way it has finished,” he said.

He also agreed that while sugar levels were down flavours would still be very good.

Hawkes Bay Today

 

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Jacob’s Creek double barrel release – From the Editor – July 2015

jacobs-creek-boublebarrel-cabsauv

jacobs-creek-boublebarrel-shirazWinter is clearly upon us, some snow on the lawn when we woke yesterday morning. Why have we not organised a holiday in a warm climate, I ask? Can’t even resort to wine as Patricia and I are doing the Dry July thing, but we will be buying a “Pass” for the Dinner. Never mind, it will soon be spring.

From time to time members send me little items of interest, and where possible I am happy to include them. I would encourage members if they find items of wine interest to let me know. It is always helpful. The item below attracted Evelyn Dawson’s attention.

Bernard Hickin, chief winemaker for Jacob’s Creek, talks about the company’s newest double barrel release.

“Having worked with Jacob’s Creek since its official launch in 1976, chief winemaker Bernard Hickin knows a thing or two about good grapes. And this year, he is taking the Australian company to new heights with the release of a special new wine range into the Antipodean markets: Double Barrel, a collection of premium red wines finished in aged whisky barrels. “The double barrel technique … imparts additional layers of complexity, beautifully integrated tannins and an incredibly smooth mouthfeel,” says Hickin of the Jacob’s Creek Double Barrel Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 and Jacob’s Creek Double Barrel Barossa Shiraz 2012.”

Cheers
Robin Semmens, Editor

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