It is the end of another busy week in the Durvillea and Astrolabe office, and with Jason and I off to Australia on Sunday to visit our Australian distributors, I have managed to run out of time to do my end of the week wrap up.

However as it is the beginning of spring and the growing season I thought it would be a good idea to give you an update of what is going on in the vines. Jeremy Hyland is our viticulturist and has worked along side Simon since their Gisborne days, coming up almost 20 years!

This is an update from Jeremy as to what is going on in our vineyards.

The last of the pruned vines will be wrapped down in the coming days bringing to an end what is our most labour intensive practice for the year. Unfortunately it is also the coldest period for our committed crews out in the field it has been a long four months. As they finish laying the foundation for the coming season on some of the later varietals, the early blocks of Pinot have the first buds bursting into life after what has been the warmest August since records began and so a new growing season begins.

Astrolabe farm this morning, pruned and frosty

 Jack Frost is definitely an unwanted guest from here on in. Other action in the field at present includes mulching of prunings, dropping of foliage wires, compost spreading, fert applications, weed control, trellis maintenance, any replanting, irrigation maintenance and in most cases getting the sheep out of the vineyard!

So thats a wee update from the vineyard, as Jason and I are away next week, Jane will be looking after the office, and updating you with whats going on.