Please The Palate |

Day 2 of Harvest at Mountford

It was another beautiful day in Waipara. With the unusally seasonal Nor'wester winds blowing, there was a warm, dry wind all day while we worked. The Nor'wester winds are the result of warm air movement off the Tasman Sea that comes over the Southern Alps, dropping the water over the Alps and leaving dry air that blows over the Canterbury plains.

10 April, 2012

Day 1 of Harvest 2012 at Mountford Estate

Harvest 2012 began today, Monday, April 9th, at Mountford Estate. We began picking the Pinot Noir from the Gradient Vineyard, which is where one of the single vineyard Pinot Noirs produced by Mountford comes from.

The Gradient Vineyard was planted in 2001 and is on a hill facing North/Northwest. Due to its location, it gets great sun exposure, which is why these are the first vines we will pick during harvest.

We began the morning with our morning tea and meeting of all the pickers. There were 10 of us picking on this first day and we reviewed the picking process.

09 April, 2012

Getting ready for harvest at Mountford Estate in Waipara, New Zealand

I have always wanted to work harvest and learn about the winemaking process hands-on. I finally got the chance when my friend and winemaker CP Lin of Mountford Estate invited me to come to Waipara, New Zealand for the 2012 harvest.

Mountford Estate is owned by Kathryn Ryan and Kees Zeestraten, a wonderful couple who bought the property in 2007. With 10 planted hectares (approximately 25 acres), Mountford Estate grows Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer and Muscat. Producing 4500 cases of wine, they produce 5 Pinot Noirs (3 single vineyard), 1 Chardonnay, 1 Riesling and a single vineyard Alsatian blend of Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer and Muscat).

08 April, 2012