Early vintage declarations holding high hopes

Winemakers are experiencing pristine quality grapes on the east coast of Aotearoa New Zealand's North Island right now, which is vintage time in both Hawke's Bay and the Wairarapa.

It's early days but fruit (grape) quality is extremely high with a wide range of wineries picking excellent quality grapes that are ripening uniformly in relatively small bunches of high quality, according to early reports in Martinborough in the heart of the Wairarapa. 

Hawke’s Bay Wine CEO Brent Linn visited wineries across the region in March, hearing firsthand reports of outstanding grape quality from wineries as diverse as Brookfields, Te Mata Estate and Craggy Range. 

Te Mata Estate senior winemaker Phil Brodie described the season as potentially legendary, while Brookfields founding winemaker, Peter Robertson, now in his 51st harvest, said he was finding exceptional quality in both white and red grape varieties. Craggy Range senior winemaker Ben Tombs said that 2025 is an early harvest which is delivering vibrant acidity and excellent structure.

Hawke’s Bay Winegrowers' Chair Sally Duncan noted that over 32 million bottles of Hawke’s Bay wine will reach consumers worldwide this vintage and was pleased to see the high quality at this stage. 

Pictured: Te Mata Estate senior winemaker Phil Brodie, chief viticulturist Brenton O’Reily, with Mayor Sandra Hazelhurst and Hawke's Bay Winegrowers Chair Sally Duncan