At last the cold, wet winter in Marlborough is nearly all over with signs of spring starting to show.
It seems we have had nearly a season's worth of rain in the last 3 months with black clouds continually rolling in from the ocean. On the plus side, the dams are full, aquifers replenished and soil moisture levels nearly full to the levels that will help the early spring growth.
The 2010 vintage may be heading your way but we are already on 2011 mode, pruning back to a set number of buds that will go on to produce the yield of the next harvest. It is estimated that Marlborough requires around 5000 keen, fit pruners and so the vineyards become a big melting pot, attracting people from all over the world who take the opportunity to gain valuable experience, have some fun and make some good money at the same time! Most of the pruning will be finished by the end of August ahead of bud burst next month.
Other tasks on the list this month center around maintenance. All prunings are mulched back into the ground, broken posts are replaced, wires fixed and irrigation systems checked for performance ready for the summer months. This is also a good time to give the vineyard a good clean up. Some viticulturists spray with an herbicide but we generally bring in mobs of sheep to graze the mid-row grass and any perennial weeds, with the added bonus of leaving natural fertilizer behind them!
Next up is spring bud burst and hopefully not too many frosty mornings....
Ollie, Kim Crawford Viticulturist
