Altogether Unique: Waiheke
With more than 30 boutique vineyards and 20 commercial cellar doors within its beach clad borders, Waiheke’s wine industry is truly bespoke.
Sam Taylor took up a vintage position with Man O' War Vineyards on Waiheke Island 15 years ago, and has built his home and career on the island.
The Good
Waiheke continues to grow as a tourist destination for wine lovers. There are lots of new offerings and initiatives from the many Waiheke wineries and these continue to be well supported by the public. Casual labour was easier to come by throughout the 2023 season. Man O' War has for some time been developing some lighter wine styles. Those were particularly helpful in the cooler vintage and helped us maintain crop levels and overall production.
The Bad
The 2023 Vintage was one of the most challenging seen by Waiheke Island growers. Persistent wet weather throughout the season lead to multiple problems. High levels of mildew, particularly downy, was widely reported on the island - something not seen for many years. Ripening was slow and concentration hard to come by.
& The Awesome
The long-term outlook for summer is hot and dry. Wines from the excellent 2020/21/22 vintages are now hitting the market and will no doubt add to Waiheke Island's reputation as a world class wine producing region.
OPINION: Harvest begins, and almost immediately we start to get media enquiries about how the vintage is going and whether it…
OPINION: Rachael Cook is the smiling grape grower on this month’s cover, tending vines on the miniscule, beautiful and dream-driven vineyard…
New Zealand wine enthusiasts have a deepening understanding and growing appreciation of sparkling wine, says Mel Skinner, Chair of Méthode Marlborough…
One of the biggest mistakes wine marketers make is in assuming consumers are as passionate and knowledgeable about wine as…
Taking two sustainability awards at two events on a single evening felt like "true recognition" of the work Lawson's Dry…