Sweetest end to Hawke's Bay wine vintage

Yuji Masuo (left) and Grant Houston picking late harvest chardonnay grapes at Haumoana for Clearview Estate. Photo / Warren Buckland

What sweeter way to end the Hawke's Bay vintage than with a little dessert wine.

Clearview Estate Winery co-owner Tim Turvey said after 33 years of working in the wine industry he was "so excited" about what the year would bring, as the last grape picking of the harvest wraps up.

"It's a time of celebration to some degree as everyone has finished picking ,and from what I can see it's one of the greatest vintages across all varieties of wine.

"We've finished off with the dessert white wines, because we want the grape to go rotten and get that 'noble rot'.

Yuji Masuo (left) and Grant Houston picking late harvest chardonnay grapes at Haumoana for Clearview Estate. Photo / Warren Buckland

"The grapes basically look like a raisin and we squeeze all the juice out to get that classic sweet wine."

Turvey said the weather conditions had been perfect as it had been hot and dry, but with the perfect amount of rain.

"The grapes have just gone into harvest at high health and that's the exciting part. We're just blessed really."