The word on the wine industry's lips this week is “harvest”. We spoke to Steve Farquharson from Wooing Tree, and Maria Mencattelli from Hans Herzog to get their take on wine’s busiest season, and what to expect in their coming vintages.
Steve has already started his harvest, and has had a great fruit turnout this year. Otago seems to have missed most of the tumultuous weather many in NZ have been experiencing lately, and it’s looking like a great crop. Wooing Tree is also doing a Gewürztraminer for the first time. Gewürztraminers, or Gewürz for short, are sweet wines with strong fruity and floral notes, and it’s not uncommon to find a fine spritz in your glass. The assertive flavour of these wines usually pairs best with the bold flavours of South Asian cuisines.
Maria, on her second day of picking Pinot Noir, has been thrilled with her crop this year. Hans Herzog vineyard sits on a riverbank in Marlborough, which boasts some of the sunniest and driest weather in NZ. The grapes experience long temperate days, shielded from bad weather. These ideal conditions, coupled with an early ripening grape variety has left Hans Herzog in an optimal place. Anecdotal reports from the Hawkes Bay suggest some trickier weather to be dealt with, the upper North Island's hot and dry weather should have made for a clear run. Harvest is an exciting time, full of hard work and anticipation for the wine to come. Winetopia is where you get to meet the makers and sample the goods!
To hear more about these winemakers and their delectable wines join us in Auckland for Winetopia presented by Singapore Airlines, on May 20 and 21 or Wellington & Christchurch.
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Photo credit: Wooing Tree & Hans Herzog