By Andrew Ritchie
Viticulturist Brad Newton is working in his own solitary bubble as harvest gains momentum at Foley Wines.
The staff have separated into bubbles to guard against the possibility of disruption due to an influx of Covid. Vavasour, Grove Mill and Mt Difficulty are among the premium wines produced by Foley.
Brad originally thought he would be a chef and as a young apprentice he was washing dishes in an Otago restaurant when his boss thought it was time he learned something about wine.
Having tasted nothing better than cask wine he was introduced to a bottle of Vavasour, described by his employer as “the best wine in the country.” After two years studying viticulture at Otago Polytechnic he found himself working at Packspur wines near Lowburn. He explains that the vineyard was on a spur used by pack horses as a route over the range to the Cardrona Valley.
Ironically, this vineyard is now owned by Mt Difficulty Wines. Because of the slope, cold frosty air falls away down the hill but one year the vineyard was badly frosted after only the first wire lift. The vines were left to grow wild for the rest of the season and became a bit of a jungle, says Brad.
“This was quite a lesson, it taught us to complete the wire lifting even if the crop was a right-off, pruning was a nightmare.
“In 2008 Brad moved to Marlborough, fulfilling his destiny by becoming a viticulturist overseeing, amongst others, the vineyards of Vavasour Wines. He describes the early season this year as dry and sunny, and then we had February. “Wet, wet, wet! “Some vineyards were challenged with botrytis but this was kept at bay by modern certified organic sprays.
However, these susceptible vineyards do not need another bout of rain. Yields, he believes, are on average 40% higher than last year as many vineyards laid down extra canes. During the Covid year the less expensive wines have continued to sell well but the high end wines have struggled with restaurants being closed.
The company has had lots of overseas orders but when scarce containers have arrived they have tended to appear in groups of eight rather than one or two at a time. These have had to be turned around in a couple of days which has put immense pressure on staff.
Brad considers he is fortunate to be involved in what is deemed an essential industry that has kept him employed during Covid, but looks forward to when he will be able to burst his solitary bubble.
