Life across all the vineyards in the country has truly come alive following the cold winter months. The spring season heralds a busy period as it also signals frost events. Continuing on from our North Island journey, we caught up with some friends to see what’s going on across the different winemaking regions of Marlborough, North Canterbury and Central Otago.
CLOUDY BAY, MARLBOROUGH
We crossed the Cook Strait and headed down to Cloudy Bay, one of the first estates in the Marlborough region and quintessentially known for their Sauvignon Blanc. Marlborough is the country’s largest wine region, has regular tussles with spring frosts during this time of the year. Frost fighting is very much a part of their springtime activities and varies each year depending on when budburst falls and the first leaves and shoots appear.
“We have moved away from the use of helicopters as much as possible, preferring to install frost fans on most of our vulnerable blocks. Our viticulture team still don’t sleep easy (or often, at all) for the early part of spring, but this gives them more peace of mind that we won’t be taken by surprise by an un-forecasted cold snap!” says the team.
This year, they are happy to report that there has been fewer frosts compared to previous years, but they are not out of the woods just yet and certainly not tempting fate. The vineyard team tells us that they have had one unusually colder night, thankfully it was before the Sauvignon vines had started to bud and even the earlier varieties of Chardonnay and Pinot hadn’t really come out enough to be at risk.
“If that usual weather had occurred just one week later, there definitely would have been a lot of damage to the crop.”
Budburst at Cloudy Bay vineyards, Marlborough/supplied
QUARTZ REEF, CENTRAL OTAGO
The next leg of our springtime travels takes us down south to the picturesque landscape and the heart of Central Otago, where Quartz Reef Wines is located.
The 2022 vintage is well and truly underway, the sleepy vineyard over winter has awakened to stunning spring weather in the region. The Quartz Reef team are now out and busy in the vineyard with shoot thinning and on high alert for any signs of frost over the next few weeks.
Budburst and shoot thinning at Quartz Reef, Central Otago/supplied
The farming philosophy at Quartz Reef is based on biodynamics, where the rhythms of the cosmos have an influence on weather, soil, plant and animal life. A major part of the vineyard’s operation is the use of compost preparations based on mineral, plant and animal substances, such as dandelion flowers, which are harvested during spring for compost prep as there are trace elements present (silicon and potassium) which are essential for the plant’s growth.
The vineyard team has also recently lifted the biodynamic prep 500. The biodynamic prep 500 is made earlier on in autumn where cow horns are filled with manure and buried. Over winter, the horns are left to decompose and then recovered for use in spring. This mixture will be applied throughout the soil over the growing season on the descending moon to stimulate the soil vigour and enhance root growth. “All the biodynamic prep and activities are carried out at ‘The Nerve Centre’ located on the lower vineyard block. Naturally, this becomes the heart of the farm, where all the plants and herbs are grown and all the preps and teas are made and matured.”
Biodynamic prep 500, Quartz Reef Wines/supplied
Last but not least, we'll stop over at the Canterbury region for a stop into Lone Goat Vineyards. Stay tuned!
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