Harvest time is all about the weather. And in true British style, I love talking about the weather so I’m in my element. It continues to turn out nice every day in Marlborough and, for those producers with grapes still to come in, that’s great news. But for the crew at Jackson Estate, a nice bit of rain would be ideal.
Today the last of the Sauvignon Blanc came in for the Grey Ghost label so the boys have now got their eyes on making a few sweeties. Off we went to the vineyards to see if any noble rot was taking hold of the Riesling. There’s a little bit, as you’ll see on today’s video (below) but it’s going to take some rain or dewy mornings for it to really take hold. If it does manifest itself, it will be the first time since 2006.
Mike Paterson, winemaker at Jackson, said, “We might make three Rieslings this year. We’ve picked some Riesling already and we will see how that goes. Then we will do a late harvest pick when there’s about 50% botrytis followed by a full botrytis pick. The intention is to bottle them all separately.â€
If botrytis did take hold this year, it would be impeccable timing following the EU’s decision to allow New Zealand to export its sweet wines to the UK late last year.
Unfortunately, the sun is still shining.
