Veraison in NZ

Sue Courtney visited Kerr Farm in Kumeu, New Zealand today, 17 February, just as their Pinotage grapes reached veraison -- and if that is a term new to you, then Sue will explain all if you click here and show Kerr Farm's spiffy new label design for the 2004 Pinotage. Jaison Kerr, who purchased the vineyard in 1989, says "The Pinotage 2004 called "PO4" is so good we designed a new label for it."



Meanwhile, I am in South Africa where the early ripening Pinotage is mostly picked and already fermenting, but I was intrigued to read a snippet in an article about picking Shiraz by J P Rossouw, of the release a single vineyard Pinotage from Meerendal. The wine, called 'Heritage Block' Pinotage 2005 comes from a vineyard planted in 1955, thus the vines were 50 years when the grapes were harvested, and they must join Bellevue Estate and De Waal's 'Top of the Hill' vineyard as the oldest in the world. Meerendal has been added to on my list of wineries to visit and I must taste 'Heritage Block'.

photo of Pinotage Veraison at Kerr Farm was taken by and is (c) Copyright Sue Courtney and is used with her kind permission.