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2008 vintage report for Nelson (NZ)

By Mike Brown
Chairman
Nelson Winegrowers’ Association Inc.

The Nelson harvest started about two weeks ahead of normal due to the long, warm summer. We had settled weather during flowering/fruitset, so crop levels could be termed ‘a nice average’, though some sites were affected by a frost on 18 October and, therefore, early varieties such as Pinot Noir were down for some growers.

After a summer drought, we had a couple of dollops of rain in the last month or so, but botrytis was only really evident in tighter bunches where berries were being squeezed. A settled and warm fortnight in the lead-up to harvest saw any such botrytis dry off into raisins.

At Waimea Estates we started harvesting Sauvignon Blanc on 17 March. Sauvignon Blanc flavour ripeness occurred at lower Brix levels, like 2006. This may well be the case in other varieties , allowing lower alcohols in Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and also Riesling: always a welcome result.