Slim pickings likely for a few weeks

Marlborough's lifeblood started to pump as the annual grape harvest got under way yesterday.

Pickers started to hand-harvest a pinot noir block at Yarrum Vineyard, a contract grower for Wither Hills, late yesterday morning in what is believed to be the first pick of the year.

Wither Hills viticulture manager Rex Butt said the fruit, to be used in the company's Daniel Le Brun sparkling wine, had hit the desired 19 brix [sugar level].

Mr Butt said picking began about four days later than last year, but it was more in line with an average year.

About five tonnes of grapes were taken from the Fairhall vineyard, with other pinot clones in the same vineyard not quite ready for harvest.

Mr Butt said the sauvignon blanc harvest would start in about two to three weeks or when the grapes hit 21.5 brix.

Nautilus Estate viticulturist Mike Collins said the first block of pinot noir would likely be harvested on Friday, subject to sampling tests.

He said Nautilus would "crack into it" when the sauvignon blanc grapes were ready – estimated to be in the last week of March.

He described the grapes as the "cleanest year we've seen".

Pecchenino Vineyard Consultants vineyard manager Dominic Pecchenino said he would likely pick the chardonnay base for sparkling wine later this week, as long as it had ripened to between 18.5 and 20 brix.

Mr Pecchenino said his tonnage was restricted by the winery he was contracted to, with measures taken when the canes were pruned to make sure the crop was limited.

He said right across the region fruit was looking disease-free.

"It's very clean and looking excellent.

"It's hard to fault any of the fruit right now."

Plant and Food senior scientist Mike Trought said fruit throughout the region was looking clean and should stay that way, provided it didn't rain.

Rain could lead to botrytis, a fungus which attacks grapes in warm, wet conditions, but the danger would be more acute in a few weeks when the grapes were well-developed.

"We hope that the weather gods smile on us."

Dr Trought said it was encouraging to see yields mostly under control in the region.

With flowering happening later this year, because of the cool spring, the harvest had been pushed out. This would compress the harvest for the wineries.

Vines started to shut down in mid-May, and it was important the grapes were harvested before then, Dr Trought said.

New Zealand Winegrowers expects the wine industry will harvest between 265,000 and 285,000 tonnes this year – marginally smaller than the 2009 and 2008 vintages.

Marlborough makes up about 60 per cent of the nationwide harvest.

- The Marlborough Express