From late February to early April, harvest was top priority for our winery teams. Across our vineyards in Hawke’s Bay and Marlborough, grapes were picked, trucks passed through the night, and our wineries filled with the fragrant (and sometimes curious) aromas of fresh ferments coming to life.
Harvest 2026 is complete. By all accounts, it’s one to remember.
Harvest always begins with a plan, but nature has the final say.
Senior Winemaker Adam Hazeldine and his team mapped out a solid strategy to bring in the swathe of crops from our vineyards. Spreadsheets, weather forecasts, and good communication proved to be the winning trifecta. Even when some blocks ripened ahead of schedule and others asked for a little more sunshine to reach full potential.
We don’t decide when the grapes are ready. They do.
With an unusually wet summer that kept our team watchful, the good weather arrived at the right moment. The dry and sunny climate allowed our grapes to reach optimal ripeness, rewarding months of careful vineyard work and diligent planning.
Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc came out as the showstoppers this season. Hawke’s Bay produced beautifully composed Chardonnay crops full of promise. And in Marlborough, the team said the Sauvignon Blanc bunches from our Waihopai vineyards are superb, with ripe concentrated flavours that will express rich aromatics in the glass.
High praise from people who have seen plenty of vintages come and go!
When the grapes are ready, every second counts.
It may not seem like it, but much of harvest happens under the cover of darkness. Grapes are transported overnight when temperatures are cool and the conditions are stable. Hawke’s Bay pickings travel through the night to our Henderson Valley Winery, arriving before the sun rises.
While most of us are sleeping, it is full noise in the wineries. Receiving fruit, preparing ferments, and keeping up the pace around the clock.
It’s demanding work, but there is a good energy behind it. Between long shifts, you’ll find laughter echoing through the winery, people stained purple from the occasional foot-stomp of red bunches, and the odd grape sampled straight from the bin (for quality control, of course).
Autumn is settling in, and the grapes have all been picked. The pace in the wineries is easing, and the attention has shifted to nurturing the fresh wines as they continue their journey to bottle.
Reflecting on the season, Marlborough Viticultural Manager David Bullivant credits the success to their hard work long before the first grapes were harvested.
“The detailed work in the vineyard, preparing the vines and managing the crop has paid dividends,” he says.
In Auckland, Winemaker Craig Hoskin is already enjoying the early days of the new vintage.
“Every day, walking into the winery, we are greeted with our Chardonnay ferments. As they progress, the flavour profiles change and intensify with fresh summer fruits like peaches and apricots. Always a welcoming gift given freely.”
Expectations for the season have been happily exceeded. While we must wait a little longer, excitement around Vintage 2026 is already building.
We cannot wait to share it with you.
