This second week in March 2017 Steve Voysey will celebrate 30 years in the wine industry.
The harvest is over for another year and we have just farewelled the mini mountain in the back paddock,
Spring has well and truly arrived and the growth on the vineyard is racing away. Gisborne is the first on the A&P show circuit, driving past with the window down the screams of the fun fair wafted through – memories!
What a vintage 2014 has been! Two great years in a row, and the latest one promises to be one that the varietals will shine in. Every barrel in the winery in is chockablock, the fermentation bench is just a delight, and we can’t wait to try this year's wines.
Hot, and so humid lately. You can almost hear things growing in the vineyard. The vines reach upwards, flowering's been and gone, and now it's the slow routine of plucking, thinning, lifting wires and getting everything shipshape so that the grapes have enough light and air to do their best. So far, it looks like being a good vintage.
Flowering, and a very busy time in the vineyard. As anyone who's driven past a local vineyard can tell you, it's all about growth right now; bright green fingers of vine reaching for the blue sky. And flowering. The proper care of flowering vines means getting the most out of any vintage. All across the grape-growing parts of our region, the steady hum of tractors can be heard.
Heavenly weather. Green everywhere, vines flourishing, new wines looking and tasting great, it's all looking very promising right now. That's the thing with growing and making wine; you spend a lot of time hoping that early promise translates into a stunning vintage.
