Condensed harvest keeps contractors busy

A seamless grape harvest, helped along by good weather and lighter yields, has been a welcome feature for Marlborough vineyard contractors.

The run of golden weather ended with rain this morning, with unsettled weather forecast until a return to blue skies on Wednesday next week.

Vintage Harvesters owner Jason Tripe said although harvest had been relatively condensed this year, it was also a lot easier than other years.

"From a harvesting point of view the reduced yield has made the logistics around harvesting and getting into the winery easier than most years," Mr Tripe said.

"We've got extra capacity built into our business model for difficult seasons – you can't expect every year to be a nice, easy vintage."

If anything, this year's harvest was more "in sync" than previous years. Less volume had created quicker turnaround times for harvesting and getting the grapes into the winery, allowing employees to work through in an orderly manner.

Resources had been stretched at times with the lighter crops at vineyards across Marlborough coming on quicker than expected.

"But I don't think anyone would be too disappointed with the outcome ... it's been a cracker vintage," Mr Tripe said.

The vineyard contractor operated seven harvesters this season, which involved 14 tractors and gondolas and 50 staff, operating shifts covering 24 hours, seven days. During the past 14 years, the most difficult grape harvest had been in 2008, which had brought challenging weather conditions and surplus yields, Mr Tripe said.

The business also had to expand in line with Marlborough's growing wine industry and the large number of vineyards established in that year.

Rose Ag harvest co-ordinator Tracy Rose-Russell agreed this year's harvest had been no trouble.

"Its been easier, if anything."

Fortunately, harvesting assignments had flowed from one to the next, in contrast to last year when there had been a considerable wait between jobs.

"We've been really lucky we haven't had to stop because of rain. Normally, they all want to pick at the same time if there's bad weather. But this year, there hasn't really been any of that," Ms Rose-Russell said.

Hunter's Wines chief winemaker Gary Duke said its grape harvest began on March 10, slightly lighter and later than usual, but "one of the easiest" the winery had experienced.

Poor weather during summer had been worrying, but the last few weeks of fairly consistent sunshine had been a blessing, leaving most of the grapes in an "OK" condition at about 22 brix (sugar level).

"It would have been a complete disaster if we had some of the rain we've had in recent years," Mr Duke said.

"Its been a very unusual season, but every year in the industry is different."

Harvest usually ran from late February with the sparkling variety until May, but the last sauvignon blanc grapes from the Dillons vineyard block had been brought in last night, wrapping up the season in about six weeks, Mr Duke said.

And the next step after vintage?

"Beers."