TEHAUAlthough the weather was fine over the flowering period of the vines, there were frequent, blustery winds.  These impaired pollination and reduced the “set” so that there was a small crop.  The rest of the season, however, was excellent and we were able to harvest beautifully ripened grapes.

Early summer and midsummer were extremely hot and dry, but the latter part was cooler, bringing the season back into balance. A long warm autumn ensured the fruit was in optimal condition when picked.

The spring and early summer were warm and so exceptionally dry that we felt the vines might suffer from the effects of drought.  In February we had the unexpected; a torrential downpour set the dry streams gurgling merrily and totally replenished the ground water reserves.  Late in autumn we had humid conditions which led to some botrytis developing in riesling.  Many producers picked early to minimise the effect of this, but fortunately we braved it out until the weather cleared and the patches of botrytis became beautifully shrivelled and noble.

The spring and summer were particularly dry and hot, which lead to the development of ripe tannins and flavours.  We were becoming worried that the vines might become too heat and drought stressed when we had an unexpected downpour, which relieved the vines and set the streams gurgling.  This season was subsequently brought back into balance by a cool autumn, which helped conserve vibrant red fruit characters in the berries, while allowing full ripeness.

The vines came into leaf a little earlier than usual due to warm spring weather.  There was good accumulation of heat during the summer and the autumn was long and dry.  We picked at the normal time which meant the berries had extra ‘hang time’ on the vines so that the fruit was especially ripe.

The spring and early summer were generally mild and warm leading to a good, but not excessive number of berries “setting” on the vines.  The weather throughout the rest of the summer was excellent.  Autumn rain caused some initial anxieties but cleared without causing a problem.  We were thus able to pick beautifully ripened,

Cool weather in late spring, during the flowering period of the vines, interfered with pollination and lead to a natural reduction in the crop level. In spite of this we rigorously hand thinned and removed any fruit which was lagging behind the rest when the grapes were ripening. Hence we reduced our crop even further. The summer and autumn were excellent and we were able to pick grapes that were perfectly physiologically ripe.

Waipara was buffeted by frequent strong winds in late spring and early summer which coincided with the period when the grapes were in flower. It impaired pollination and thus quite markedly reduced the crop level.

The growing season was excellent for riesling, with an early spring, a warm summer and a long, lingering autumn. The grapes came from three climatically different Canterbury sub regions and we timed the harvest with each to take advantage of their distinctive but complimentary flavours. The Waipara Valley component was picked first, followed by that from Burnham and lastly the fruit from Swannanoa.

Mild spring weather resulted in an early budburst and warmth during the vines flowering period led to a reasonable, but not excessive, crop of grapes “setting” on the vines. Good but not too hot summer temperatures produced even ripening while allowing the grapes to retain just the right level of natural acidity. Lingering sunny days in autumn allowed us to harvest beautifully, physiologically ripe fruit.