Fresh from my tour of New Zealand’s South Island, I have arrived at Matahiwi Estate just as the Pinot Noir grapes are starting ‘veraison’ turning from hard unripe green to dark red. Unfortunately this change attracts hoards of birds intent on stripping the vines of this ripening fruit. As I have heard from many a wine maker: ‘Great wine is made in the vineyard’ – but no wine will get made at all if the birds eat all the grapes!
So my first job in the vineyard, where I will be working for the next few weeks until I’m needed in the winery, was to join the team putting nets over the vines.

Pulling the nets from the reel behind a tractor is hard physical work! Who would have thought that something so full of holes would be so heavy! I’ve already started to feel the burn, so I won’t need to join a gym while I’m in town!

The main threat are the flocks of starlings (- a British import) which can strip whole rows of vines bare of grapes in a matter of days! Once the nets are on though they shouldn’t hang around too long, and then just the odd crafty thrush and magpie will make it into the nets through any tears they can find.

Pinot Noir is really what it’s all about here at Matahiwi, and it’s been interesting to see how the blocks vary around the vineyard – with over 40 different combinations of Pinot clone and root stocks, the grapes have different bunch set and are ripening at different rates. It will be interesting to see how they all develop over the coming weeks.