Duncan Forsyth – A happy Mount Edward proprietor
Celebrating end of 2013 harvest with a glass of Champagne
Duncan Forsyth, winemaker and proprietor of Mount Edward in Gibbston Valley was in Wellington to get a few days rest following over a month of vintage work without a break. It was a good opportunity to catch up and get his thoughts on the 2013 Central Otago harvest.
2013 already has the moniker of an exceptional year for the New Zealand wine industry. The outstanding summer which extended into a glorious autumn was one that New Zealanders have been waiting for years to have, and grapegrowers in general were extremely delighted with the healthy and ripe fruit. Of course many areas suffered from severe drought, to the detriment of the pastoral industry. Such is agriculture where joy for some is countered by woe for others.
It appears much of the North Island will see one of the best harvests for many years, especially in Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne, the success a little more mixed further north (click here to see the update at Obsidian on Waiheke Island) and in the Wairarapa, though there are some, such as Larry McKenna of Escarpment Vineyard in Martinborough who reports that 2013 was the vintage he had been waiting 31 years for! In the South Island, the results are more variable too.
2013 was the “easiest vintage” he could remember at Mount Edward. Picking decisions were made on acidity rather than flavour. The fruit from the different sub-regions varied. It was a difficult year for the Gibbston district, but the Cromwell area was the best for Duncan. Excellent fruit also came from the ‘Morrison’ and ‘Wanaka Road’ sites and Lowburn in general. The Bendigo crop was poor, being reduced by the frosting.
