increase font size
Ben Tombs
Ben Tombs is stepping up to Chief Winemaker at Craggy Range, with Julian Grounds heading back across the Tasman to make wine on the Mornington Peninsula. The New Zealand Young Winemaker of the Year 2020 gives us a taste of the trials, tribulations and triumphs in Te Matau-a-Māui in 2023.
The Good
On the back of a very challenging vintage, there was some great recognition for the region. The inaugural Chardonnay Symposium held in Hawke's Bay in October was a great success - a spotlight on the evolution of style and emphasis on individuality the variety can harness. How good is Gimblett Gravels Chardonnay?! The Inclusion of Hawke's Bay as a Great Wine Capital of the World this year has also provided some great exposure and really highlighted the strength of wine tourism within the region.
The Bad
Dealing with increasingly intense volatility, highlighted by Cyclone Gabrielle hitting right at the break of harvest. The extreme season meant immense workloads in both vineyard and winery. Reducing yields, and strict selection at picking and sorting was paramount.
The shift into an El Niño cycle is welcome, but presents a fresh set of challenges, with potential drought conditions this summer. The deviation of seasons is nothing new, but the intensity of these swings provides the challenge.
& The Awesome
It's amazing to be part of such a resilient community - the collaboration between wineries after the flooding to check in, pitch in and keep the wheels moving, along with the support from the wider New Zealand wine industry, has been incredible. There's also a lot to get excited about at Craggy Range as we gear up to celebrate our upcoming 25th vintage. Receiving The Real Review 2023 Winery of the Year was a fantasti highlight for the team.
Kate Radburnd has seen plenty of challenges in the Hawke's Bay wine industry during her 41-year wine career, including the destruction wrought by Cyclone Gabrielle in vintage 2023, and the resilience and recovery of the region in its wake.
A partnership between two technology companies in Hawke's Bay is making orchard data more easily accessible to growers using new interactive online heat maps.
Four Hawke’s Bay wine tourism operations have been celebrated in the inaugural Great Wine Capitals Best Of Wine Tourism awards.
Wairoa Mayor Craig Little says things are still not back to normal for farmers in his district and they are still suffering from problems caused by Cyclone Gabrielle.
The Government is allocating $91 million for Hawke’s Bay’s local roading recovery this year.
Did you know that nearly 90% of total New Zealand wine sales occur offshore? That simple number means our wine…
"Te toto o te tangata he kai, te oranga o te tangata, he whenua, he oneone." While food provides the…
RNA technology could be a gamechanger in vineyards, with the ability to turn gene expression on or off to protect…
New Zealand's wine regions harvested 395,000 tonnes of grapes in the 2024 vintage, which is 21% lower than 2023, nearly…
New Zealand’s wine industry needs to change the way it talks about packaging, say industry leaders in an “expanding niche…
