Misha's Vineyard

Vineyard Report – July 2010

administrator — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 20:28:07 +0000

Vineyard Manager Rich Williams managed to file this vineyard report before he headed down the the bottling plant to join Cassy, Sue and Olly on ‘Quality Control’ duties for the 2009 Pinot Noir bottling.

Rich Williams

Winter pruning has progressed very well this month. With the completion of the House Block, we have moved through the Lakefront Block, Highwire Block, and Fruitbowl. We then moved up into Block 2 and The Top Block – from Pinot Noir Clone 5 through the Pinot Noir 115 and Pinot Noir 667. The vines are now a year older than the earlier ones we have been working on and so we have had to reach for the loppers as the vines are that much bigger and harder on hands. I am still really happy with the quality of the pruning so far and we are achieving pretty much 100% wire-fill with some exception to the ‘Horse’s Head’ area by the main gate where the vines have been held back by wind and there is the odd dead plant to replace. In this situation we have laid down canes from neighbouring plants to temporarily fill the gaps. There was some physical wind damage to plants at the top of the Top Block and these plants have been rectified by renewing the old damaged cordon with a newly laid cane to replace it.

Pruned vines on Lakefront

I would estimate we are about 3 or 4 weeks out from finishing before we move on to other tasks such as dropping wires and removal of metal pins. The shorter canopy has enabled us to do away with running through a tractor mounted barrel pruner and instead we have done a single pass laying down replacement canes and spur pruning as we go. We will also do away with needing to run a sweeper attachment to tidy up as the guys are keeping things reasonably clean in the under vine area. This should mean reduced costs for pruning this year with added time spent getting the vines looking up to speed for the coming season. With the money saved this year we can hopefully justify some electric pruners for next winter… or the following Christmas!

Broken strainer posts and tie backs are also being fixed as we go, but for some reason I seem to be doing most of the digging. I must work out who is breaking these and pass them the shovel!

Soil test results are due to arrive back from the testing facility in the US. This system was designed by Neal Kinsey which is based around accurate soil analysis and is used to correctly balance the nutrient levels in the soil as well as providing a better nutrient range for soil biology to thrive. Fertiliser recommendations will accompany the test results for the rates of nutrients we will require which will be spread by helicopter.

Also on the list of things to do is to find a source of water for the possible planting of native Kanuka down the windy side of the Dress Circle. I am also spending time accurately mapping the area to determine the number and situation of plants we will require.

That’s it for July – I’m being seconded for bottling line duties.

Rich

A photo history of Misha’s Vineyard from 2004 to 2009

administrator — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 12:03:01 +0000

A photo history from our “Visual Historian” – talented photographer Tim Hawkins.

Misha’s Vineyard Harvest 2010

administrator — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 11:54:52 +0000

A “Pictorial Parade” of the 2010 Harvest on Misha’s Vineyard.

Harvest Photo Video now on YouTube

administrator — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 15:29:23 +0000

A catalog of photos of the 2010 harvest on Misha’s Vineyard set to music is now available on YouTube

The Local Nose Blog

administrator — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 05:15:41 +0000

TLN flys high with OpenRice.com and Singapore Flyer!

Posted by: singaporenose on Jul 01, 2010

TLN was flying around in the Singapore Flyer last night sipping a great recommended wine and dining with a new foodie website OpenRice.com!

Link to “The Local Nose” Blog

An overdue Vineyard update from Rich

administrator — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 10:02:03 +0000

Hi from Rich, My update is a little overdue – just too much to do outside and little time at the desk!

Harvest seemed to go quite smoothly… except for the initial delays in the pickup service, a bee sting and a couple of flat tyres. The crew performed very well and Andy deserves a special mention with some top tractor driving and bucket running! We do miss the amazing smoko breaks provided for the workers and a cup of Sue Lind’s hot soup would go down well now that that temperature has dropped below zero. I was really happy with the quality of the grapes harvested and interesting to taste the flavour differences between clones. Looking forward to the finished product!

Nets are now all off now… finally! It was a long wait for the removal device after harvest but thankfully they stayed well intact and are now stored away ready for next year.

Pruning is well underway across the vineyard. Finishing the Riesling blocks was a tough time, removing excessive tendril growth from the clutches of the trellis system. There is some good wire fill though with the exception of the more exposed parts and lighter soils where there has been a bit of moisture deficiency with some wind damage breaking tips off canes. On the whole there is some very good wire fill for the age of the vines.

Winter Pruning

We are now working through the new Pinot Noir and it’s a lot nicer pruning with its softer wood which is better on the hands and joints! The windbreak rows have provided just about full wire fill on the new block due to the protection they have provided for the vines in relation to physical damage and lower evapourtranspiration rates. The majority of this block has made it to the fruiting wire and the grow of the plant has dictated whether 1 arm/2 arms are laid – but mainly 2. The replants that were done last year have all come away well and have been pruned back to 2 buds as well as anything that was struggling or had damage to the trunk. I think that this “House” block will create some stunning wine!

We are investigating a trial of some cane pruning and to then compare it to the ability of the permanent spur pruned vines. While there are advantages of carbohydrate reserves in a permanent cordon and a smaller pruning cost associated, there are also advantages in terms of quality from cane pruning. I have previously found cane pruning to show some advance in flowering and can give different flavour profiles than less fruitful buds from spurs. There is also the benefit in buffering wind resistance, as a cane can roll with the wind as opposed to a rigid cordon on which shoots can break off. There would be no use cane pruning if the vines were not in balance as good balance requires a certain number of buds to be laid depending on how healthy the vine is but could simply be spurred instead if not up to it.

The crew has finished off the Pinot Gris in the Dress Circle and have also started pruning some of the other varietals plants situated on this block. There are still gaps in the canopy due to devigourating wind conditions. We’re planning to prune them back hard to give them every opportunity to develop a strong habit next season. I have opted so far to do one pass through with the crew doing lay downs and spur pruning simultaneously and the guys are progressing at a good rate while also doing a quality job.

That’s it for now. I’m off for a week of R & R – the team will continue to work on the pruning in those lovely minus 2 degree days!

Wine Style, Hong Kong. Wine Grand Prix – 7th Challenge

administrator — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 08:03:08 +0000

The Best of New Zealand – Sauvignon Blanc
Wine Style Presents – Monthly Blind Tasting Challenge
Misha’s Vineyard 2009 “The Starlet” Sauvignon Blanc selected in top 10.

Download PDF (4MB)

Joelle Thomson, DrinksBiz Magazine, June 2010

administrator — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 01:44:46 +0000

DrinksBiz Editor Joelle Thomson followed vintage 2010 around the country, concluding that less is definately more in a year when the local wine industry is struggling with over-supply.

Download PDF

Betting on the Singapore Market – May Article in Wine Business Monthly

administrator — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 10:05:34 +0000

Wine Business Monthly Article from Misha
Each month Misha writes an article for Wine Business Monthly – the Australian wine trade magazine. For May the article was titled Betting on the Singapore Market and focuses on the opportunities for New Zealand Wine in Singapore.

Download PDF

To subscribe to Wine Business Monthly – click here

Misha’s Vineyard Marketing Update

administrator — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 07:10:44 +0000

Establishing a Misha’s Vineyard footprint in key parts of the world is the top priority this year for the sales and marketing department (aka Andy and me!). We have just announced our second distributor in Australia, Estate Wine Distributors. We’re absolutely delighted because Peter Papanikitas has an experienced team who are focussed on the restaurant sector in Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, and Cairns. And we have completed our first shipment to South Korea through our agent there and the wine will go into restaurants. We’re happy to have been able appoint seven distributors in seven markets and hoping to increase that number by the end of the year.

Wine Tasting at New Zealand House, London

We have just spent a week in the UK and attended the New Zealand Summer New Release Tasting at NZ House on the Haymarket. The two consecutive trade tasting days were held in the Penthouse of New Zealand house which had panoramic views across London. It was a spectacular place for a wine tasting and our wines received lots of positive comments. We also met with potential distributors and visited a few great dining spots including The Providores (www.theprovidores.co.uk/ and The Modern Pantry www.themodernpantry.co.uk/)
– and oddly enough they both have NZ-focussed wine lists! Also went to a very fab restaurant that’s casual but cool just near Charring Cross called Terroirs (www.terroirswinebar.com/). I had an amazing dish of braised rabbit on polenta and washed it down with 2007 Barbera ‘Ronco Malo’ produced by Vittorio Bera from Piemonte – fab!

Some really exciting news is that three of our wines have been selected for the 2010 Tri Nations Wine Challenge this year: Misha’s Vineyard Limelight Riesling 2009, Misha’s Vineyard Dress Circle Pinot Gris 2009 and Misha’s Vineyard Verismo Pinot Noir 2008. The latter is our Reserve Pinot which we have just released so it’s very flattering that it’s been chosen as one of the top Pinot Noirs to represent New Zealand competing against the best of Australia and South Africa.

Early in July I’m off to Tokyo for just a few days for the NZ Trade Tasting event at the Ritz Carlton along with some trade activities including a wine tasting at the glamorous Isetan store in Shinjuku which has the most beautiful fine wine section that includes a gated cellar! And then we’re off to the US to attend a fantastic event called the International Pinot Noir Celebration and to hopefully find a distributor for our wines there. Will keep you posted!

Misha