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Vintage intern Katherine Zochling , of Austria, and assistant winemaker Sam Jary, of Cromwell, help load pinot noir grapes into the press at Quartz Reef winery yesterday, heralding the start of the Central Otago wine harvest. About 100 tonnes of pinot noir grapes would be made into sparkling wines, Quartz Reef winemaker Rudi Bauer said. Photo by Lynda Van Kempen. |
The Central Otago wine harvest got off to a sparkling start
yesterday.
The start of the harvest was heralded by workers at Quartz
Reef's Bendigo vineyard picking pinot noir grapes which will
be blended with chardonnay to make sparkling wines.
Quartz Reef winemaker Rudi Bauer said the harvest was "a
touch earlier" than last year.
The pinot noir grapes are a different clone to those used for
still wine and the crop is picked early and fermented twice,
the second time in the bottle.
About 100 tonnes of the grapes would be picked this week for
the sparkling wines.
The main harvest of the district's grape crop was expected to
begin in about a month, Mr Bauer said.
"Generally speaking, for the district, I think [the season
has] been good and we're all hoping for the continuation of
this awesome weather until the harvest finishes at the end of
April."
Mr Bauer leaves next week to represent New Zealand at what
has been dubbed the "Oscars" of the international wine
industry.
He is the first New Zealander to be nominated for the
winemaker of the year award at the Der Feinschmecker Wine
Awards in Germany.
"Obviously, it's an honour for the region, and for New
Zealand wine-making, as well," he said.
The award ceremony will be held in Cologne, Germany, on March
20.
- lynda.van.kempen@odt.co.nz
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