Why does the word ‘vintage’ carry such cachet – and is it valid? Joelle Thomson examines these questions and writes with a heavy heart about vintage 2023 for the North Island...

It never ceases to amaze me how much money clothing stores can gain from adding the word ‘vintage’ to a sign above a rack of clothes that could come from any old year, any old label and any old wardrobe. While there is certainly older quality clothing out there that’s worth a little (hell, I think I have some), there’s no question that the word ‘vintage’ is used with gay abandon. The same thing happens when it comes to wine.

What is a vintage wine? The simple answer is: most wine. The vintage is the year in which the grapes are picked. So, if you’re enjoying a nice glass of 2021 Central Otago Chardonnay while reading this, the vintage is the year that was on the wine’s label. That’s when the grapes were picked. Good, really good, or not so great – the vintage is the year the fruit was harvested, regardless of its quality.

Most wines are made from grapes picked in a single year, but with such a devastating vintage in some parts of the country this year, the question about good vs bad vintages is a reasonable one.

As rain continued to fall in Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne in late February, winemakers could do little more than stand by (on high ground hopefully) as they watched it bucketing down, soil moisture levels rising and their livelihoods being washed away, by the hour.

“I’m still hoping to harvest grapes and make wine but probably about 25% less than I’d planned for,” said one winemaker, who described Cyclone Gabrielle as “The week from hell, with friends who have lost their lives and livelihoods, their orchards, vineyards and homes.” And another winemaker, who also did not wish to be quoted at such an early stage said: “It’s impossible not to feel guilt as well as relief that our vineyard is okay when so many friends have lost so much.”

Early reports suggest that most vineyards on stony ground have survived, but while vines might remain intact, the grapes may not all be usable this year.

“Most of my vines are okay but we can’t get home after going out to look at them because roads are closed and it’s still raining and there’s no power, but luckily we managed to get the last available motel room and a toothbrush to share,” said winemaker Jenny Dobson, in the first few days after the cyclone.

At the time of writing, wineries continue to clean up, assess what is salvageable and harvest what fruit they can. One thing we know for certain is that vintage 2023 in Hawke’s Bay will likely be remembered as ‘vintage horribilis’, along with other east coast wine regions in the North Island. I live in one. Martinborough is an hour’s drive from the coast but its stony soils and usually dry climate bear more than a passing similarity to other east coast areas.

Not so much this year. There have been hot sunny days. There are vineyards with healthy grapes, but it has rained a lot and it’s impossible not to walk around this village hearing the words “…really challenging, too much rain,” but good things do come out of less than favourable years. Winemakers in the Bay and in Martinborough are redeeming good quality grapes from many vineyards, many of which I have walked around, picked grapes from and seen first-hand some great quality in the making.

While the damage wrought by Cyclone Gabrielle is unprecedented in Hawke’s Bay, this region has given us some of its best ever Cabernet Sauvignons and Syrahs from the past two years. Hawke’s Bay can rightly bask in the glow of its reds from 2020 – they are the most impressive wines from Hawke’s Bay to have ever touched the sides of my tasting glass and they are on the market now.

The cyclone’s devastation has made for a heartbreaking vintage for many in the Bay, but we can still provide support for them, their wines and their talents.

Try this…
2020 Te Awanga Syrah RRP $28.99
Power and deliciousness combine in this complex red made entirely from Hawke’s Bay Syrah, which shines in this full-bodied wine from the dry, warm 2020 vintage. Flavours of ripe black plum, blueberries and black olives are captured in a silky red that drinks beautifully.

Joelle Thomson is a journalist, wine writer and author.

joellethomson.com