It has been a rather busy time in the winery and vineyard over the last six months. Winemaker, Chloe Somerset has gone on maternity leave, leaving me steering the ship for the growing season and the upcoming vintage. Exciting times for both of us! With the help of Jade McCormick (contract Assistant Wine Maker), hard working French couple and vineyard hands Charlotte and Julien and our capable Vineyard Manager, Sam, everything’s under control heading towards harvest.

It was a very mild winter and we experienced the earliest budburst in years but fruit set was good and we enjoyed a calm and less-windy-than-normal spring.  We’re seeing an average yield on all varieties with the quality looking really positive so far. Veraison occurred early this year, particularly with the Chardonnay. The island has experienced very dry weather lately so the birds are looking hungry. Luckily we’ve just finished netting all of our white varieties and we’ve started on the reds this week. 

It’s anyone’s guess as to when harvest will start. I’ve put my money on 26th February in our work sweep stakes – so watch this space!

We have had a few recent releases of new vintages with the 2016 reds all being released just prior to Christmas. The 2017 Waiheke Island Viognier and Pinot Gris are looking particularly good and the 2017 Awatere Valley Sauvignon Blanc will be hitting the shelves soon.
 
We have just finished blending trials of our 2017 Waiheke Island Chardonnay and that will head off to the bottling line soon. It’ll be a close call but this is possibly my favourite wine from the 2017 vintage. I’m sorry to disappoint all of our Chardonnay fans but it won’t be released until the end of the year. Something to look forward to!

I hope that this update finds you all well and that you all enjoy the rest of the summer! 

Nick Pett
Winemaker, Cable Bay Vineyards