GROW
From Wine Marlborough NICCI ARMOUR
AUTUMN IS upon us, and it is with equanimity - along with a mix of disquiet, intrigue, and hope - that I write to you at this point of my first harvest. Over the past two months, I’ve met an incredible range of people who add to the tapestry of Marlborough’s wine industry. From the veteran winemaker doing his 30th vintage to the young French traveller eager to learn on their second. Indomitable seasonal workers from the Pacific brighten my street every evening upon their return from the vineyards. And the hairdresser turned cellar hand filling oak barrels (see
started uncharacteristically early, vintage has been shorter mainly due to low yields. The combined evidence of the low fruit set and late frosts was visible for weeks before vintage. Variable winter pruning quality likely compounded this further on some vineyards. Smaller, sparser bunches were typical across the board this season, resulting in
“As we head towards a potentially challenging 2021/22 season, Marlborough grit and competence may be our mainstay.” page 14) forges a new path that other Kiwis might follow. Marlborough’s vintage workforce has a complexity akin in some ways to our wine. Across it is an air of competence common to rural communities, and it’s clear that vintage instils a shared sense of pride - and grit - in our industry and the community. However, it’s just shy of Easter at the time of writing, and the 2021 harvest has nearly finished. While picking
4 / Winepress April 2021
a possible decrease in tonnage across the region that some experienced members estimate at 20 to 30%. But anecdotally, this figure is a lot higher in some areas. With the combination of lower yields, increased production costs, and a shortage of winter labour, the 2021/22 season may pose a challenge that is difficult for some of our members to ride out. No doubt, these impacts will cause ripples in the wider Marlborough community. New Zealand Winegrowers and Wine Marlborough continue to work through official channels for support to alleviate pressure for our members, especially in the areas of labour. We strongly advocate bringing more workers to the region and are highlighting the importance of bringing in the skills and experience suitable for the winter pruning task. Both skill and speed are critical factors when undertaking the pruning of approximately 29,000 hectares of vines -or more startlingly, 65,000,000 vines - in the space of roughly four months. And although we need to get the job done, there are both short- and long-term impacts of poor pruning quality.
