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.
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 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.
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!
Wine Business Monthly Article from Misha
This article analyzes New Zealand’s position in the green stakes – which happens to be leaps and bounds over other markets, including Australia. New Zealand has an imperative to be ‘green’ – it has a moral imperative in order to live up to perceptions that New Zealand already holds as a clean green nation, and also it now has an imperative by industry body New Zealand Winegrowers who have prescribed all vineyards in New Zealand must have a ‘a green bill of health’!
There’s a wonderful video of the 2010 NZ harvest done by the talented Lisa at Lovewine.http://www.youtube.com/user/lovewinemedia The music by Gin Wigmore is fantastic. It’s the perfect accompaniment to all the harvest pictures. The video includes about 10 shots of harvest at Misha’s Vineyard – can you spot them all! The photos were all taken by Tim Hawkins – our ‘visual historian’. Hope you enjoy watching this happy video – it’s got a real ‘feel good’ factor! (And thanks again to all of our 2010 harvest team). Follow Lovewine on Twitter @lovewineNZ
Misha’s recent article in Wine Business Monthly entitled “Pinot Noir – Fashion or Fad”, received some great interest from around the world. The article is largely based around the Pinot Noir 2010 event which was held in Wellington, New Zealand in February 2010. The event attracted Pinot Noir lovers globally for a four-day celebration of all things Pinot! Pinot Noir is now New Zealand’s second most exported varietal and New Zealand is clearly positioned as producing some of the world’s best!
An update from Andy:
At the end of week two of harvest we are about half way with 54 tonnes of grapes now in the winery for processing. These have not been full work weeks as Olly carefully selects sections of the vineyard that are just right for picking and we anticipate about 6 days more picking spread over the next two weeks to complete the season. At this stage all of the Gewurtztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc is picked, we are part way throught the Riesling and have taken some sections of Pinot Noir. The remaining Riesling, all of the Pinot Gris and most of the Pinot Noir is still enjoying a warm Autumn. The canopy on the vines in most of the vineyard has held up well this year so flavours continue to develop in the fruit. Picking by taste and not by brix and acid numbers is to me a wonderful expression of art rather than science.
Morning tea break at Ah Foo's
Our harvest crew has been fantastic and although some of our French workers have left to return home, and Ken – from China – has also moved on – we are looking forward to some great new crew joining the team next week. I’ve been working with the team each day driving tractors and running buckets – and my aches and pains are testimony to the steepness of the slopes and heavy buckets. We are really thankful to the effort our whole team, both permanent staff and casuals, have been putting in and appreciate their care and attention to picking. Our focus on quality has been applied by every member of the team.
The word from the winery is wow! They are really delighted with the quality of fruit coming in and even my limited palate is enjoying the wide range of tropical and berry flavours from the early stages of juice and ferments. The most frustrating part is now waiting until late 2011 or early 2012 before the Pinot Noir from this vintage gets released!
Just over a month ago Rich Williams, our vineyard manager, sent in a photo of the development of various clones around the vineyard. (see 10th March blog). The response was quite overwhelming with many comments coming to us on how informative this was and how many of our blog followers would be interested in seeing later development just before we harvested.
Below is the same set of grape clones from 10th April. It really does give a wonderful perspective of the ripening process. We are now about 30% through our harvest and really excited about the quality of this year’s vintage.
Thanks to Rich for taking the time to get these samples together and do the expert photography!
