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.
Spring in full swing now, except for the odd blustery and rainy day. Green buds out across the vineyard - a bit early this a year - and rhythmic swing of growing grapes and making wine starting all over again. Lots to do, so quick, easy and tasty meals are very much the order of the day.
Wish the weather would make up its mind. Brilliant spring sunshine and birdsong one day; rain, wind and mud the next! Oh well, it's all good for the vines. They can't have it too easy, not even out here on the perfect Poverty Bay flats, and it will be bud burst and green everywhere soon enough, no matter what the weather brings.
Oh it's cold; cold and wet again, the memories of last week's sunshine just a dim blur. The vineyard is almost pruned, stark brown fingers sticking up at the sky. Soon though, buds will burst, and it will all start again. Time to get inside and have something quick and satisfying, Spade Oak style, while contemplating the next vintage.
Cold,but crisp and clear; beautiful, typical mid-winter Gisborne weather, blue skies, warm sun, perfect for a midday stroll through the vines, surrounded by the bird song which means spring is not far off now. Of course we'll have another cold snap or two - or three - to deal with before bud burst, but right now, we're just loving the gorgeous weather!
Rain at last, which means mud of course, and the chill of winter. The happy gang of pruners from Tonga, who've tended the
