Awatere Valley 2025: Quality wines amid market pressures
Glenn Thomas made his first Awatere Valley wine at Vavasour in 1989, intrigued by the subregion’s potential.
In the wake of the success, Yealands Senior Winemaker Anthony Walkenhorst looks back at 2024.
The Good
The quality of 2024 wines from the Awatere Valley is an absolute standout, following a dream harvest. The fruit came into the winery at a good pace and was super clean and ripe, so there was little need for much winemaker intervention to get the wines through ferment. At our blend tasting for Sauvignon Blancs we were spoilt for choice when it came to selecting our
top wines.
The Bad
Drought conditions over the summer months meant that there was some concern about water supply to vineyards and also to the winery. These dry conditions were great for quality but we did see a reduction in yield this year as a result of a poor flowering as well as a lack of water. These challenges are going to continue into the future so good planning for water storage and use is becoming more and more critical for vineyards and wineries.
The Awesome
Winning Wine of Show at the Marlborough Wine Show with the Yealands L5 Sauvignon Blanc is the highlight of the year for Yealands. To be selected as top wine in a year when so many great wines were made is a huge achievement and shows the quality of what the Awatere Valley can produce. The community spirit of the Awatere wine scene is also awesome to be part of; we regularly hold tastings together as well as the traditional pre-vintage BBQ to catch up with everyone before the madness begins.
