Haere Ra 2024: Waiheke
Leon Henson, Vineyard Manager at Batch Winery and Auckland's Young Viticulturist of the Year 2024, looks at the year that was.
The Good
Waiheke continues to grow as a tourist destination for wine lovers. There are lots of new offerings and initiatives from the many Waiheke wineries and these continue to be well supported by the public. Casual labour was easier to come by throughout the 2023 season. Man O' War has for some time been developing some lighter wine styles. Those were particularly helpful in the cooler vintage and helped us maintain crop levels and overall production.
The Bad
The 2023 Vintage was one of the most challenging seen by Waiheke Island growers. Persistent wet weather throughout the season lead to multiple problems. High levels of mildew, particularly downy, was widely reported on the island - something not seen for many years. Ripening was slow and concentration hard to come by.
& The Awesome
The long-term outlook for summer is hot and dry. Wines from the excellent 2020/21/22 vintages are now hitting the market and will no doubt add to Waiheke Island's reputation as a world class wine producing region.
