Grapes looking good at harvest time

The 2011 Hawke's Bay grape harvest has kicked off with many wine growers saying the potential is there for a great vintage of real quality.
Although some, like Esk Valley's winemaker, Gordon Russell, added a cautionary note.
"The potential is great for this vintage - but really, until the harvest is in that's all you can say."
Hugh Crichton, winemaker at Vidals, also took the cautionary line.
"There's a lot of water to go under the bridge before the end of the season."
He noted though that the winery's chardonnay, and in particular the syrah crop, was "looking fantastic".
Their comments form part of Hawke's Bay Winegrowers' annual informal survey to gauge how the Bay's winemakers and growers see the latest vintage.
"Overall, the feeling is very positive with more than three-quarters of respondents describing the season as good with no major concerns at this stage," Hawke's Bay Winegrowers' executive officer Lyn Bevin said.
"Frosts haven't been an issue, with good fruit set and the early warm dry summer helping ripen the fruit. However, everyone is cautious to say 'at this stage', as it is so very dependent on what happens weather-wise over the coming two months or so."
The vintage kicked off this week with pinot noir for sparkling wine being harvested by Pernod Ricard at Twin Rivers Vineyard.
Harvesting is expected to continue until late April and possibly early May due to the diversity of sites and premium varieties the region produces. Most respondents reported harvest was earlier than last year.
Ms Bevin said there was no surprise that the stand-out varieties were predicted to be the reds - with merlot in particular showing a very good fruit set, while chardonnay also looked a top pick for 2011.
Most respondents to the survey expected little change from the fine 2010 vintage, although believed the extra sunshine hours and higher temperatures boded especially well for the Bay's red wines.
In the wake of challenging times in the industry, some wineries and growers had pulled vines or were not expecting to harvest some varieties, although there were some new crops coming on this year - mainly lesser known varieties such as Tannat, Marsanne and Tempranillo.
Local winegrowers expressed concerns about the volumes set to be harvested in Marlborough for 2011, and the subsequent impact of low grape prices, unstable future contracts, and bulk wine exports which were affecting all participants in the industry.
A small percentage of Bay wineries were purchasing fruit to supplement the expected vintage of their own fruit or fruit under contract to them, in particular chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon and merlot, as well as some sauvignon blanc.