Editorial: Goodbye 2024
OPINION: In two weeks we'll bid farewell to 2024. Dubbed by some as the toughest season in a generation, many farmers would be happy to put the year behind them.
New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) Board Chair Clive Jones notes that the country's wine industry is well established now, following four decades of transformational growth, with Michael Brajkovich MW, Nick Hoskins and Xan Harding all playing key roles in that.
"It is important to recognise that there are a lot of people who have been heavily involved in the industry for most of that time and have made a real contribution to where we have got to." Clive says while there will continue to be opportunities for transformation, it feels like New Zealand wine is reaching a period of maturity. "I think the next 40 years will be quite different."
Certainly, the maturing of the industry will mean future Fellows are surely not quite so dominated by, well, fellows. I am so happy to see women taking the regional wins in the Wairarapa, Marlborough and Central Otago Young Viticulturist of the Year this year, and to see the success of industry leaders like Jane Cooper, the winemaker and wine judge on this month's cover.
Then there's the likes of molecular biologist Dr Ellie Bradle, one of the scientists behind the Bragato Research Institute Tuned Vines programme. Our influencers are increasingly diverse, which can only make our industry better and more resilient.
Maturity doesn't necessarily mean settled times, and in this edition NZW Chief Executive Officer Philip Gregan discusses the uncertainly being served up by nature and the economy, with yo-yo-ing harvest yields and market demand. "After the roller coaster ride of the past four years, it's a fair question to ponder, is this the new normal?'"
