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Dave Sutton
Te Kano Winemaker Dave Sutton looks at an excellent growing season against the pressure of competing land use.
The Good
2024 was an excellent growing season with hot, dry and settled summer weather leading to an early harvest of clean fruit. It was the first year since 2021 where botrytis has not been a significant factor in our picking decisions, and the young wines look outstandingly pure, concentrated and balanced.
The Bad
Like many areas there is significant pressure on winegrowers from competing land use. The continued expansion of the national dairy herd, high costs of labour and materials, and constantly increasing excise penalties and compliance costs have made winegrowing in the region difficult. Two long established vineyards have been converted to (marginal and heavily irrigated) dairy land, representing a significant loss to our region.
The Awesome
The Waitaki brand has had significant exposure in recent times with some outstanding show results for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Support from New Zealand Winegrowers, combined with tireless work from our producers, has helped to spread the message about our wine, and with a spectacular new cellar door in the area there is huge interest and excitement about our region.
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