Sparkling varieties of grape are first off the vines, with still varieties tipped to be harvested around the autumn equinox later this month.
Winemaker Rudi Bauer, of Quartz Reef Bendigo Estate, said lessons learned from last year’s harvest, conducted during lockdown, had proved useful as the harvest began.
The wine industry as a whole had pulled together under those conditions and he believed that collegial spirit would translate into a sharing of the labour pool.
‘‘We as a region always have the availability to work together— last season was an example.’’
The difference in harvest times across the region also created a mobile workforce, he said.
A dearth of backpackers was eased by the arrival of Central Otago’s allocation of recognised seasonal employer, or RSE, workers on Sunday.
