2014 Regional Vintage Report WAIHEKE

The Waiheke season past was a summer of two halves... Overall a somewhat challenging growing season...
 
From Te Whau Vineyard:
 
A dry and mild winter followed the very dry summer of 2012/2103, and gave way to a settled, warm spring with good flowering conditions. Several rain events, particularly two solid days of soaking rain in late spring, recharged soil moisture levels and engendered a very generous fruit-set and lush canopy growth. The switch flipped after New Year, and Waiheke Island was back to its usual dry and sunny summer all the way through to harvest. As a result  a very large potential crop indeed.
 
One of the principal determinants of ultimate wine quality is cropping level. Small crop, high quality. "At Te Whau we have usually dropped fruit from veraison, (when the berries go from green to red) onwards, to aim for an 8 to 9 tonne harvest. This vintage we were looking at a crop level of a whopping 15 tonnes from the two steep vineyards that go into “The Point”. We dropped 6 tonnes, a record fruit drop!"
 
Similarly to last year, the dry, sunny conditions prevailing at harvest time “concertina’d” the fruit pick, starting with the Chardonnay on 7 March, with all the reds in by 3 April. Notwithstanding the aforementioned fruit-drop, it is a big vintage, with juicy berries, and very much a Cabernets year. The wild-yeast ferments were very clean and aromatic. 



Rob Meredith
President WAIHEKE ISLAND WINEGROWERS ASSN
09 950 4385 | 021 300 187
rob.meredith@peacocksky.co.nz
 


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