Sue's Vinous Passion

Onset of veraison.

From the moment the grapes turn colour it's a busy time for the country's winegrowers. Veraison can come as early as January in the New Zealand's northern vineyards while at the same time in marginal vineyards in the country's coolest regions, the vines may have only just flowered.

For the casual passer-by, the bridal-like nets and the flocks of frustrated birds are a sure sign that things are happening. Nets are the winegrowers' best protection against the pesty birds - the marauding blackbirds and mynah imports rather than the native nectar feeding fantails and tuis.

Like bridal fashion, nets come in many styles. There's the full flowing white net gown that covers a single row of vines from head to toe. There's the veil-like canopy netting that covers several rows at a time. But this year the mini-skirt is the height of fashion - the almost transparent nylon netting that covers a brief strip of the vine along the fruiting line.

Bikini 'birds' over Longview Estate.

The gas-gun bird scaring devices are little used these days, mostly due to local by-laws. Some growers still resort to scarecrows, not so much to scare the birds but to create holiday vineyard activities for children (and their parents) with the 'make a scarecrow' competition.

The whirling mechanical crow, common in Australia, is occasionally seen hovering over the vines.

But the best 'over vine' bird scarers are the girls from Longview Vineyard near Whangarei - 2 hours drive north of Auckland. These are no 'ordinary' girls. They are 'blow-up doll' girls nattily attired in scant bikinis.

Peter Cowley reading the Brix.

As vintage draws near, one of the jobs is to check the sugars. Random bunches of grapes are collected from vines and crushed together to make a juicy brew. Winemakers like Te Mata Estate's Peter Cowley take refractometer readings that give the sugar content of the grapes in Brix. Sugar is important but flavour is too. When the desired Brix is reached, the grapes may be left hanging to concentrate this important attribute. Cool nights will ensure the grapes do not over-ripen.

The weather is closely watched to ensure the picking schedule won't be hindered. But often, and especially in the North Island, the weather does interfere. The South Island has generally more settled autumn weather although frost may become a problem for the later ripening varieties.

When the forecaster announces a storm is on the way the winegrower has a dilemma. Should the grapes be picked before the bad weather arrives or should the risk be taken by leaving the grapes on the vine until after the stormy front and that will undoubtably bring rain, has passed? If the former, there is a chance that the grapes may be picked slightly underripe. If the latter, fingers will be crossed that the damage is minimal and that a gentle blustery wind will quickly dry the foliage out. It doesn't take long for rot to set in on the early ripening grapes when humid weather prevails.

Harvest days can be happy days if the weather has been kind. And the picking regime varies from vineyard to vineyard.

In the country's largest wine regions the harvest circus comes to town. The caravans of cars, trailers and quad bikes with bright orange flags that stand out amongst the vines wend their way to the vineyard where the latest performance of hand picking is taking place. The caravans of bright blue and yellow machine harvesters followed by tractors towing the giant collection bins lumber along to the mechanical harvesting site. But whatever the style of circus, there's the inevitable portaloo in the procession.

Hand pickers in the vineyard.

Winegrowers with small blocks of each variety may call on their mail order customers to 'help' with the harvest. One winegrower even advertises a 'harvest workshop', where mail order customers can spend a day picking and helping out in the winery. The customer is charged a fee to 'attend' and lunch is an optional extra!

But most small winegrowers welcome volunteers, people like me who are keen to have the total vineyard experience and to appreciate the work that goes into producing a bottle of wine - and they will even provide you with lunch for your graciously given efforts. But volunteers are just that and there are plenty of transient seasonal grape pickers and new migrants who need the work.

I like the community involvement that some small winegrowers encourage. The local sports club or school sports team gather their members to help with the harvest while the grower pays by the tonne with a minimum rate guaranteed in case the yields are low.

In the larger vineyards like Montana's Brancott Estate (pictured above) skilled hand pickers can quickly race through a vineyard, especially if the fruit is clean. The pickers have the choice of being paid by the hour or by the vine where the vine rate is determinant upon the quality and quantity of fruit. As each vine is completed the picker sticks a sticker, with their picker number on it, to the irrigation pipe below the vine for the team supervisor (who is paid by the hour) to tally for pay out at the end of the day.

If you ever get the opportunity to 'help' with the vintage, take up the offer. It one thing a wine lover should experience at least once in their life.

I was privileged to visit the Brancott Winery in Marlborough this vintage and to taste some wines made from Marlborough grapes that were still on the vine a few days before.

I love the smell of a winery at vintage with the heady smell of fermenting grapes. And to taste the 'new wine' is a real treat.

Mark Inglis with samples in the wine lab.

Senior winemaker, Mark Inglis, who changed career after losing his legs in a mountaineering accident in 1982 and is leaving after vintage to prepare for an historic ascent of Mt Everest, poured the samples.

2002 Sauvignon Blanc from the Stoneleigh Vineyard - yum, sweet and grassy with superb bright classical sauvignon flavours. Sauvignon Blanc is my favourite white wine variety grape to eat (I've yet to try gewurtraminer from the vine) and the bright vivacious flavours carry through to the wine.

2002 Chardonnay from the Stoneleigh Vineyard - yeasty and thick textured with peachy fruit.

2002 Pinot Noir (a UCD Clone) for the Deutz Marlborough Cuvee -this had finished ferment and was sitting on lees. Lot of strawberry and cherry flavours and acidity quite dominant as still to undergo malolactic fermentation - this will drop the acidity from 11 gms to 8 gms.

2002 Chardonnay (Mendoza Clone) for the Deutz Marlborough Cuvee - yeasty with lemony citrus quite dominant and a grapefruit finish. 13 gms of acidity at this stage which will drop to 8 gms with mlf. (The Deutz is not released until 3 years after vintage so I won't taste these wines again until 2005.)

The followed a series of pinots for the still red wines - 7 days old, crushed and cold soaked and finished ferment.

2002 Pinot Noir UCD Clone 5 from Fairhall Vineyard - fantastic colour and yeasty with jammy cherries.

2002 Pinot Noir UCD Clone 6 from Renwick Estate 'C' Block - plummy and lighter in body. 2002 Pinot Noir Clone 10/5 - brighter and more acidic with lots of citrus

2002 Pinot Noir Clone 115 - tastes of marmite. It's at the stage where it has just finished ferment and hasn't got the fruit back yet.

Harvest started this year in Gisborne on the 12th February - the earliest ripening grapes such as Muller-Thurgau and Reichensteiner the first to come off the vines. Things got into full swing the following week with the first of the chardonnay ready for harvest. By the end of February most of the northern regions had commenced.

Way down south in Central Otago the harvest, which started in mid-March for sparkling wine base, was believed to be the earliest on record for the region. The harvest proper, however, started in earnest in the last week of March.

Depending on the region harvest will continue until late May, perhaps even into June, with riesling the last to come off the vines.

There has been 'real' riesling ice wine made in New Zealand, in Central Otago to be precise. The harvest was tiny - just 12 bottles were made. That season, when conditions were right, there was only a handful of vineyards in the south. Now there are almost fifty producers and many more growers. Who knows what the future may bring?

May 3, 2002

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