Haere Ra 2025: Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland

The Good: The maximum temperature recorded for Kumeu's summer was 28C, on one day in December. But we had many days at 25-26C, and with very dry atmospheric conditions. Apparently, it was Auckland's driest summer since 1958, but I am old enough to remember the 1974 season, when it was both hot and dry, and the vineyards were much dustier than they were this year. The fruit ripened evenly and with gradual aroma and flavour development. Sugars were moderate to high, and once again Chardonnay was the star performer, with the grapes early and in perfect condition. Acidity was a little lower than usual, but the balance is still there after malolactic fermentation, because it was the malic acid levels that came in lower. Aroma intensity and flavour concentration are exceptional. After two consecutive small harvests, it was wonderful to get back on track with a ‘normal’ sized vintage, but without excessive yield. We have a cellar full of quality Chardonnay barrels maturing beautifully.

The Bad: The cost of everything just seems to go up and up, and there is very little room to adjust our prices accordingly in a world where demand for wine is stagnant, or even in decline. Maintaining a profitable business, with ever-increasing wages, packaging and compliance costs, is difficult and challenging. However, as long as we keep focused on quality, we are confident we will find a pathway out of the squeeze.

It is a function of my own age, but this year we seemed to lose even more outstanding people from our sector. Peter Babich was a close friend of my father’s. They served together on wine industry bodies, and Peter was an iconic figure in our industry and a huge contributor to the sector over many years. Similarly, Tim Finn (see page 20) had a profound impact in bringing the Nelson region to the forefront of quality New Zealand wine, and he also gave willingly of his time to serve on industry organisations.

Special mention must also be made of Dr Richard Smart. I was privileged to be a student of his when he was a lecturer and Research Fellow at Roseworthy College. When Richard subsequently transferred across to head the viticultural research and extension effort in New Zealand, he introduced truly groundbreaking stuff that made huge improvements to our grape growing. His influence on New Zealand viticulture and wine places him rightfully alongside icons such as James Busby and Romeo Bragato.

The Awesome: This year I visited the United Kingdom market to launch our 2024 vintage wines. I hadn’t been there since 2017, and my spirits were lifted to see the high regard in which our wines continue to be held there. I met many long term customers who really appreciate the quality we can deliver at a price they regard as very reasonable. We have built considerable loyalty in the UK over many years, and our challenge now is to maintain that by keeping up the high quality level and value of our wines.