The Central Otago grape harvest saw me in Bannockburn for a few days putting in some honest toil in the vineyard. There was a very evident change in the age and nationality demographic this year: travel difficulties during and post Covid saw mostly retirees, grey nomads and grey-haired blokes like me — and blokesses — stepping in to help with harvest. This year the backpackers were most definitely back, along with all the young overseas interns in both the winery and vineyard crews. It made for a refreshing change and reminded me how diverse our industry is as I worked alongside people from Belgium, France, Austria, Germany, the US, Australia and Norway (and of course New Zealand), just to name a few. While harvest and vintage sees an influx of overseas workers, there are many others who have made New Zealand their home, working in various aspects of the wine business. Wine seems to have a magnetic pull on people, whether they be dreamers, visionaries, marketers, artisans or whatever, and there is a significant number of migrants contributing to our local industry. I won’t mention names to protect their privacy (frankly the list would be far too long), but off the top of my head I came up with the following list of countries represented by winery owners, winemakers or marketers: Australia, Austria, Brazil, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Netherlands, South Africa, the United Kingdom and United States. That’s already quite a mix and I’m likely to have forgotten others. Adding assistant winemakers, viticulturists, vineyard and winery staff, etc., would undoubtedly have added more. Some of the them have come from a wine background, others transitioned from other occupations, but they all bring their own experiences and insight to the table, helping create an ever more vibrant and diverse industry in Otago. The interns too bring their own experiences to Otago before taking lessons learnt back to their homelands, increasing the connectivity of Otago wineries with colleagues across the world. 2018 Misha’s Vineyard Verismo Pinot Noir Price RRP $85 Rating Excellent to Outstanding Colour shift from a young wine, development, forest floor/mushroom, lead pencil, earthy touches, fragrance, fruit neatly supporting the whole. Complexity. The palate tauter than the nose, still surprisingly grippy tannins, a bolder style teasing you with its potential, closing with graphite, pencil shavings and sweet lift. Nose wonderfully engaging, palate still unfurling. www.mishasvineyard.com 2019 Grasshopper Rock Earnscleugh Vineyard Pinot Noir Price RRP $42 Rating Outstanding Wisps of funk (in a nice way), fragrance, flitting from strawberry to blueberry to red fruits, gravelly minerality, spice flecks. The palate brimming with flavour yet deftly balanced. Juicy, youthful, emerging savoury nuances, that gravelly quality again, fine tannins, great length. An iron fist in a velvet glove, deceptive power and gets the salivary juices flowing. Lots going on. www.grasshopperrock.co.nz 2022 Mora Bannockburn Pinot Noir Price $50 Rating Excellent to Outstanding Lovely nose, quite savoury, dustiness, darker fruits, a herb backdrop, perfume growing (rose petal?). Similar notes on the palate, silky entry, fresh and vibrant then some attractive chewiness. Definitely youthful but super balance and drinkability already. Depth, yet light on its feet, good length and mouthfeel, not overblown and lovely pinosity. www.mora.co.nz
