Given it's been nearly a month since anyone updated our blog ( a sure sign that it's been a busy time for us) I thought I would. I guess out of all of us I have no excuse not to, now that harvest is a distant memory and Bronwyn and Sara are doing their thing on each side of the Atlantic. Duncan can be excused as he's pressing off the last of the 2010 harvest today so we'll have a hard job getting a) the smile off his face b) his bum on his office chair and c) later the Heiny out of his hand.
If the truth be known, as stunningly gorgeous as Bronwyn is, I was kind of getting over the photo of her from her previous blog so wanted to push it down the page a bit and replace it with....I don't know....maybe some awesome grapes!
That's better.
Since harvest I have managed to reintroduce myself back to my family, even took them on a wee holiday around the North Island last week. Gracie now holds the new Allen family record of ice cream consumption in a given week and Brooklyn should have won an Oscar for the way that she covered up for putting the hole in the hotel wall in Rotorua. I have also managed to stop talking to people in grunts and haven't spat wine out on the kitchen floor forgetting I'm not at the winery for at least two weeks now.
I suppose my role here is to comment on the 2010 harvest...not much to report really other than the fact that it was BLOODY AWESOME. Big B will accuse me of turning into a wanky winemaker here who tend to get a bit excited and speak only in adjectives but words like, ripe, concentrated, clean, tannic, rich, balanced and delicious role off the tongue with relative ease. It truly was a spectacular vintage, the best I have ever been involved with.
But shit it was dry! Not that I would ever dream of whinging about dry weather over harvest but 6 months, yes 6 months, without any significant precipitation had all the cockies in the area looking skyward and scratching the tops of their heads through their oilskin hats the way that only farmers can. Check this photo of Ponui Island out and you'll see what I mean.
Not that it's never been dry here before, in fact more often than not it is over summer but this one will go down in the history books. If you think that the northern hemisphere has problems at the moment with ash clouds, give some thought to the pilots flying into Auckland International who were redirected out of our dust clouds made from trucks heading to the winery for two months. Twice I also had to kick rabbits off the bonnet of my ute as they were licking dew off my windsceen.
Harvest itself went really well and without any major incidents....didn't even have anyone throw any toys out of the cot at any stage which was a first. Everyone really pulled it together and worked brilliantly as a team alongside our contractors who worked equally as well.
In Man O' War tradition the harvest party took place this year at Casita Miro and in keeping with the theme of the venue the dress this year was Spanish.....there was some Zorro action a few flamenco dancers, a Spanish soccer striker, Seve Bellesteros and Freddy Mercury amongst others (what the hell Freddy's got to do with Spain I don't know but he got my vote for best dressed). A great night had.
So now that the parties over, and as I look out the window so is the drought, must be sure sign it's time to get the secateurs out for the pruning season. We need to get started soon as the 2011 vintage is due to hit the shed in 38 weeks.
Salud,
Matt.
