Harvest has begun!

Harvest has officially begun! The first variety into our facility this year was Pinot Noir. The fruit was harvested after a light rainfall and before heavier rain was to come. New Zealand has been challenged with rainy harvests seasons the last couple years, and this year may be another challenge.

Rewind to the growing season, New Zealand has been dealing with serious drought issues this year. Fires have broken out in many areas and water usages have been restricted. This leaves wine growers in a tough spot of wanting rain for the land but not for the crop. Luckily, this lot of Pinot Noir saw no signs of rot or mildew. However, the rain has continued throughout the week leaving many to wonder about the quality of grapes to come.

The Pinot Noir was hand harvested and hand sorted to ensure there was no damage due to the weather. Although hand harvesting is tedious, it allowed me and the others to inspect the crop before fermentation. Along with admiring the quality of the crop, I was able to identify the characteristics of two different clones of Pinot Noir: Abel and 828. Clone are identified by carrying the traits of the mother vine. These differences are often subtle to consumers, but it can make a big difference in the vineyard and winemaking style.

During "smoko" (Kiwi lingo for 'break') the winemaker explained to me how the Abel Clone came to be. A New Zealander traveling through France had taken cuttings of the notorious Domaine Romanee Contee vineyards. It is rumored that he hid the grapevine cuttings in his gumboots, but the plant material was discovered at New Zealand's boarder. The customs agent, Malcom Abel, happened to also be a winemaker. Abel confiscated the plant material and took proper measures for it to be allowed into the island country. This clone has prospered in New Zealand and the legend lives on.

Now, back to work- After the fruit was hand sorted, it ascended up a conveyor belt to the destemmer before falling into a tank positioned on the lower level. This process follows the gravity flow concepts of removing pumps from the system. The multi-ton tank, full of grapes, is moved to a different spot in the winery to allow the another tank to be filled. A specialized jack had to be designed exactly for this purpose.

Once all the fruit was put to tank, a big sigh of relief followed by a popping of the cork was seemingly appropriate. It is a big undertaking to process fruit at a new facility with unfamiliar equipment, and our winemaking team succeeded without any issues. However, the season has just begun, so knock on wood that our success continues.