One of the most beautiful things about harvest is that once you start picking the grapes, the leaves begin to change almost instantly.
Looking out over our vineyards these days, we’re seeing very autumnal colours – yellows, oranges and browns. While our days are still warm, the nights have become increasingly cold, with a few instances of thermometers gauging temperatures hovering just above freezing. In fact, we have seen snow around the hills in Marlborough, something I havn’t seen in many years!
We have reached the end of picking here in Marlborough, going flat out with the Pinot Noir. Since Central Otago is further south, the region experiences a slightly longer growing season. This works well for us and as we work to move our Marlborough Pinot Noir through fermentation, we can turn our attention to the grapes arriving from Central Otago. The steady pace of this year’s harvest has been a winemaker’s dream!
On the whole, the harvest is drawing to a close here in New Zealand. 2011 was a great vintage for Kim Crawford and we couldn’t have done it without the help of our hard working vintage staff. Now the hard work is done, it’s time to celebrate with our dedicated vintage workers!
Check out our pictures from harvest on Facebook
Cheers!
Anthony
