Following a NZ$1.2-billion-dollar clean-up operation, including forking out NZ$228 million to remove or save vines that were “neck-high ” in silt, Hastings mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said there had been a silver lining to the shock event, the quality coming through from the surviving grapes. Winemakers are saying that vintage 2025 could even surpass that of 2013, which is widely thought to have been one of Hawke’s Bay’s best years, with some calling 2013 the “vintage of the century”.
Ben Tombs of Craggy Range adds that 2025 was the producer’s earliest harvest on record, with its first Gimblett Gravels Chardonnay picked on 8 February. He said it could turn out to be “a classic year” for the region. “With early ripeness and fruit in pristine condition, excitement is building for what’s shaping up to be a classic year for both reds and whites.”
Excerpt Taken From: The Drinks Business
Author: Sarah Neish
