Roger Tweeds runs 2300 Romney ewes and 200 hoggets on his 300ha farm near Lawrence, Central Otago.

It was a random bottle of Chilean wine that led Yoshiako and Kyoko Sato from Tokyo to Central Otago, in a round about sort of way.

Ever watched paint dry, grass grow, or Mark Richardson bat? All tedious endeavors. A little bit like making music from the sound of grapes fermenting...or is it? 

Results from a survey of wine tourists in Central Otago are being described as “invaluable” by leading winegrowers in the region.

It’s Easter weekend 2015, and all over Central Otago picking crews are making their way up and down rows of grapevines in an eager quest to harvest the last fruit before a forecast cold front moves through. 

Every year in April, or there-a-bouts, large groups of people gather together for the annual ritual of harvest.

Folding Hill vigneron Tim Kerruish plans to plant half a hectare of white grapes on his heat drenched, Pinot-dedicated slopes at Bendigo in Central Otago. 

Metamorphic rocks and shallow schist soils are never far from mind in Central Otago where the wineries are enveloped in the dramatic physical presence of both. 

Phylloxera. The very word strikes fear into the heart of grape growers and winemakers everywhere from Bordeaux to Central Otago, where emaciated vines, yellowing leaves and declining productivity are of growing concern to those with phylloxera.

A long, dry and hot summer has growers and winemakers excited about the possibility of a great vintage ahead, with the arrival of Cyclone Pam doing little to deter that excitement.