Haere Ra 2024: Waitaki
Te Kano Winemaker Dave Sutton looks at an excellent growing season against the pressure of competing land use.
Geoff Wright looks at some other highlights, and challenges, from 2024.
The Good
Gisborne is now open for business, our roads are open for tourists to come visit our unique region, enjoy our array of beautiful scenery, native walks and, of course, our big bold beautiful Chardonnays.
The Bad
From a small producer's perspective, and aiming to be competitive in a very competitive market, my big issue is excise tax - how every year it increases based on the New Zealand consumer price index. Australia operates a WET rebate of up to $350,000 a year. Imagine if New Zealand producers had access to a similar programme here. This would encourage investment in new technologies, more sustainable practices, and help reduce wineries' environmental impact and increase efficiency. Our smaller wineries would be more innovative in terms of new styles, packaging or production techniques, and employees of these businesses would receive more competitive pay, in line with the larger wineries' salaries for key personnel.
The Awesome
The 2024 vintage in Gisborne is going to be a cracker. Expect exceptional fruit to come from our wine region.
