2009 New Zealand wine harvest

November 4, 5:46 PMInternational Wine ExaminerKevin Lynch

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NZ sheep scavenging for dropped grapes.

Neudorf Winery

When you’re hot. You’re hot. And last fall (as a reminder, the 2009 harvest in the southern hemisphere came in March, April and May) New Zealand is just hot enough to bring in another record-tying harvest, according to recently released reports. The 2009 yield weighed in at 285,000 tons, nearly the exact same amount, give or take a thousand pounds, from last year’s haul. These two harvests represent a respective 39% yield increase in successive years. 

Philip Gregan, CEO of New Zealand Winegrowers said of the 2009 harvest, “...some early humidity and weather pressure in February was replaced by a superb March and April.” Due to favorable weather conditions in most of the wine regions clusters ripened longer.  Many winemakers believe this extended hang-time will make for more concentrated wines and earn the ’09 vintage high praise.

Some specifics about the 2009 harvest:

• Pinot Noir production dropped by 16%

• The ’09 Syrah vintage is being touted as the best vintage in 22 years.

• Though the Sauvignon Blanc crops have been conscientiously reduced throughout New Zealand the harvest was 5% higher than in ’08. (Counteracting the culling of Sauvignon Blanc vines, New Zealand added roughly 3,000 ha/7,400 acres. These vines came “on-line” this year.)

Be wary of the bounty though, some Kiwi wine experts aver. The high numbers translate  to oversupply which, of course, drives prices down. A wine glut in times of recession can spell disaster. The purchase of NZ wines in the main Kiwi markets of the US and UK have dropped drastically in the last two years. Australia is now the primary purchaser of NZ wines, mainly Sauvignon Blanc.

The dominant NZ conglomerations, Pernod-Ricard and Constellation opted to dump a percentage of their crop. Constellation left about 650 tons, or about 3% of their Marlborough region fruit on the vine to rot. 

For a more in-depth look at New Zealand wine, food and culture, along with other parts of the world, please visit: Native Food & Wine