Early Bay harvest passes taste test

The Mission Estate harvester was up and running early yesterday. PHOTO / DUNCAN BROWN

In wine vintage terms it was an earlybird pick at Mission Estate yesterday but in terms of what winemaker Paul Mooney is after the timing was spot on.

For the second year he and viticulturist Steve Wheeler have overseen the growth, and no harvest, of an early pick pinot gris - picked early to ensure it will meet the low-alcohol standards they are aiming for.

"Pick now before the sugars get up," was how Mr Mooney put it.

Last year Mission harvested about seven tonnes of the organically grown pinot gris, which Mr Mooney said was the most suitable in terms of flavour for their low-alcohol range.
This year's harvest was well up on that with about 20 tonnes being picked and sent straight to the pressing room.

It began about 8.30am and by late morning about half the crop had been picked.
Mr Mooney said Mission had a strong belief in the potential for the low-alcohol market, and that had been backed up by the response the 2014 "trial run" of pinot gris had got through the cellar door over the summer.

"People were tasting it and then buying it and I think we've come up with a good style."
The wine checks in at just 9.5 per cent alcohol and was carving a place in the lifestyle market, Mr Mooney said.

"We believe there will be consumer growth for this."

Shortly before yesterday's pick he and Mr Wheeler did a final in-the-vines tasting of the grapes and declared them ready for the early harvest.

"There is good flavour in there."

They were grown in a specially prepared organic block.

Mission is part of the Organic Focus Group.

The fermentation process will take place over the next couple of weeks with bottling set down for about a month away.

Yesterday's harvest appeared to be the first for the Bay in 2015.

"I haven't heard of any others starting just yet."