Vintage 2025 in Central Otago.....

We are now two-weeks into vintage 2025 and the winery is a hive of activity.
 
It is always amazing to see the cumulation of the seasons work and the anticipation ahead of the first pick, the winery has been washed down, barrels cleaned, and the all-important maintenance done on the press, forklifts, pumps and tanks. A mid vintage break down is something that all wineries desperately try to avoid.

Nature has been kind to us in Central Otago and delivered warm days, cool evenings and settled weather throughout the growing season.

Shane and the vineyard team are busy handpicking the sun ripened bunches of Pinot Noir and sending them into the winery at a steady pace. Claire is also spending a great deal of time in the vineyards, walking and tasting and making the all-important picking decisions, based on scientific measurements, alongside flavours, tannin development, seed ripeness and the unmeasurable, “gut instinct”, built on knowledge garnered over 15+ vintages as the Burn Cottage winemaker.

Each of our three estate vineyards and the blocks within have their own unique growing and ripening characteristics, and the picking decisions have a huge influence on the final wines that will go to barrel over the coming weeks.

Lily is settling into her role as assistant winemaker and her first vintage at Burn Cottage coincides with our fist small pick of chardonnay from the Sauvage vineyard … a mere 14kg …. more to come in future years. The tiny ferment is now in the capable hands of the rugby loving Mathis, who comes from a long line of winemakers in the Chablis region of France.

Our vintage crew is a vibrant mix of young talent from around the world—Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, and the USA. With a blend of accents, tattoos, and impressive baking skills, they bring diverse personalities to the table. But the one thing that unites us all? ....

An unwavering passion for Pinot Noir and a love of Central Otago.

Here’s to another vintage and to enjoying a cold beer (or two) at the end of harvest.

Cheers

Andy