Resilience, Adaptation and Connection: An Antipodean Look at the 2020 Harvest
The annual grape harvest (“vintage” in local speak) is always an exhausting marathon of physical and mental endurance – which Covid-19 has magnified.
To get a sense of what’s happening, we spoke to grape growers and winemakers across three regions of New Zealand and Australia.
“Knucking fackered,” responded Te Whare Ra Wines owner and winemaker Anna Flowerday when asked how she was feeling after the 2020 vintage in Marlborough, New Zealand.
Like many, Flowerday has been trying to analyze the financial impacts on her small family business. With New Zealand in Stage Four lockdown, the extra paperwork to continue operating puts an untenable stress on the business. Applying for government assistance, wage subsidies, and working to refinance loans has taken Flowerday away from doing what she loves: making wine.
“Harvest has been a great distraction from all the future worries – if we will have a business – and given us something to focus on.”
Unrelenting community support has been the backbone of Te Whare Ra’s harvest, with winery staff and family providing much-needed ballast to keep the home ship upright. According to Flowerday, 2020 will be a stellar harvest due to good yields and fantastic quality, but when the wines make it to the market is anyone’s guess.
Australian-born, Marlborough winemaker Chris Darling found himself in a predicament when faced with the unexpected lockdown of New Zealand. Return to Marlborough to make this year’s crush? Or stay in South Australia with his family?
Family won, and Chris, along with local business partner Bart Arnst managed this year’s NZ crush from Adelaide. Not one to be idle, Darling also turned his winemaking attention to making wine with friends in McLaren Vale, “I can’t say too much just yet, but some delicious wine has been made.”
Also in McLaren Vale, sixth-generation grape grower and farmer, Jock Harvey, needed to be nimble when COVID-19 hit.
Managing his family’s Chalk Hill vineyards, Harvey found himself splitting picking crews into four teams to ensure social distancing, with strict new policies in place. “No fun, no banter, no harvest party,” Harvey quipped.
Casual workers and international workers on visas were laid off, and after the vineyards were harvested, Harvey switched his attention to producing hand sanitizer for the local community from his family’s distillery project. He is selling the sanitizer at cost of production to make it accessible to a community who are struggling to secure an adequate supply, (I’m) “hoping to upset the parasites that are ripping people off.” Harvey is never one to mince words.
At Yangarra Estate vineyard in McLaren Flat, winemaker Peter Fraser found himself sending international interns back to their home countries before the borders closed and redirecting the non-production workforce into the cellars.
Hospitality staff were asked to swap polishing cloths for hoses, with fledgling cellar staff working on red wine caps and managing maceration of wines on a daily-basis. Fraser said, “it’s times like this when our values of wellbeing, cohesion and resilience are even more front of mind”.
Gill Gordon-Smith of Fall From Grace Wine found the 2020 vintage “surreal”, as the usual social gatherings and community chatter were replaced by solitude and social distancing.
Gordon-Smith also operates a small wine bar and retail store, both of which have been brought to a halt by the current pandemic, wiping out her main income. At the time of writing she was moving the retail business online, and offering “Dr Gill Prescriptions” where you can phone in, explain your “wine ailment”, and receive a shipment of wine to help soothe your soul.
In late March, West Australians watched as infection rates rose on the East Coast. an essential service by the government and putting harvest at risk. Wineries hustled to get picking done before lockdowns prevented access to the region, leaving many scrambling for staff and winery space. The need for contract labor companies to stagger staff also meant that the early morning picking windows were not always possible, putting extra pressure on management to focus on picking the best quality fruit.
Margaret River couple Genevieve and Robert Mann, who grow and produce wine under their label Corymbia Wine, saw the impacts of COVID early on dwindling tourism numbers. At the busiest time, they were also forced to impose strict protocols for social distancing, hygiene, and external contractor visits, so that crush could continue with as little disruption as possible.
Mann said there are still international backpackers in the Margaret River region who either can’t leave, or who have chosen to stay, as they feel safer in Australia.
For Vasse Felix Chief Winemaker Virginia Willcock, the 2020 harvest has been longer than normal, and ended without the traditional celebration she looks forward to.
With casual staff layoffs unavoidable, Willcock had to re-train staff at the height of harvest. Some permanent hospitality staff had heavy machinery licenses, so were deployed to forklifts to move barrels, or to tractors to plough vineyards.
Staff layoffs also put the onus on permanent team to pay even closer attention to their social behavior. “When you are a local living in the community, you tend to want to look after your local community because you live here. So people tend to follow the rules a little more.”
Willcock lamented not being able to go to the pub, or have an end of vintage party, although adding these are clearly not life-altering issues.
When asked about the effects on the staff, Willcock was more introspective: “Ultimately there will be a higher level of bonding across the company. We are all looking out for each other and we all care about the same things. I think everyone has had a taste of what everyone else does, and it has opened everyone’s eyes on how hard vintage can be. That understanding creates a really strong team of really great people.”
Vintage for most regions of Australia is now complete but Covid-19 is far from over. Local and international tourism, hospitality and associated industries play an enormous role in these regions. Nobody knows how long it will take for sales to recover – how these small growers, winemakers, their families and communities will fare, is anyone’s guess.
Meet the Community!
Our community is only as strong as the company we keep, and here we meet some of the folks who make our profession so dynamic.
Eileen Crane, CEO and Founding Winemaker, Domaine Carneros, Napa Valley (USA)
Years In Industry:
I’ve been in the wine industry for more than 42 years, and specifically have been the sparkling winemaker for Domaine Carneros for 33 years as well as running the day-to-day operations of the business. In 1987 I was selected to build the Domaine Carneros winery and develop the brand in Carneros, Napa Valley by the family behind Champagne Taittinger in Reims, France.
My biggest challenge to wellness:
The biggest challenge to wellness in my mind is the urge to give up. I plan to eat right and exercise on a regular basis and then life intervenes. I have learned to just get back on the pony and ride, then pat yourself on the back that you did. Don’t worry about the failures, concentrate on the successes.
How I keep it together to stay well:
Staying well for me is about developing a reasonable concept that I can manage with work and social time. What I do is take two exercise classes a week – one Pilates and one TRX. In between those days I spend about 15 minutes a day stretching in the morning and about 10 minutes in the evening. I usually walk (about 5x a week) for 30 minutes after work (yes, sometimes it is only 20 minutes or not at all because it is dark and rainy – I just get back to it the next day).
I love sweets (oh my – ice cream, chocolate and cookies) and I allow myself to splurge occasionally. In general, I have used the Atkins Diet for 20 years. I go off for a while and then go back on it if I gain 5 lbs.
In the food world I normally eat whole grains, two to three veggies a day and a couple of fruits focused on berries and I am not afraid of natural fat such as olive and nut oils or natural fats. I almost never eat processed foods; but when I do, I read the ingredients carefully. Ingredients are always listed in order of predominance (a side note, I have a Masters in Nutrition).
You can connect with Eileen at Domaine Carneros on Twitter @domainecarneros, Instagram @domainecarneros, and Facebook @domainecarneroswinery
What We’re Reading:
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic we are adding to the weekly reading and resources. Here's what has piqued our interest this week.
Can Virtual Wine Tastings be Saved? Robert Joseph for Meininger's Wine Business International
Social media has been running hot with criticisms of virtual wine tastings. The problem? They’re boring. Robert Joseph suggests some solutions.
Stuck at Home? How to Find beauty and Awe Indoors – Greater Good Science Center.com
During quarantine, you can gain a sense of perspective by discovering what's wondrous in the clutter of your home.
Restaurant and bar workers need to de-stress. A bartender created community garden to help with that. Laura Scholz for Atlanta Magazine
Keyatta Mincey-Parker launched A Sip of Paradise in the heart of East Atlanta Village
Post Virus, How Will Our Behaviour Change? – Richard Halstead for WineIntelligence.com
Early evidence is suggesting a lively tussle in consumers’ minds between caution about economic prospects and a longing for a good time – especially in Australia
What Is Pantsdrunk? The Scandinavian Wellness Trend Is All About Chilling In Your Underwear –EliteDaily.com
Päntsdrunk is, for lack of a better way to put it, all about chilling in your underwear, typically with your cocktail of choice in-hand. You’re welcome.
Let's Meet Up – Virtually!
In light of current world events, we are offering online gatherings for ways to connect. Check it out.
Wednesday April 22 | 5pm PST (US) | 8pm EST (US) | 10am Syd (AUS)
ABG + Pen2Paper Writing Workshop
Join Pen2Paper Founder Jayne Portnoy for an insightful writing workshop especially for ABG community members. All you need is a pen, paper and a glass of wine!
Join us and register on Pen2PaperProject here.
Saturday April 25 | 4pm PST (US) | 7pm EST (US) | 9am Syd (AUS)
Foundational Yoga with Elizabeth Van Emst (60 min)
Join Napa Valley Yoga Center teacher Elizabeth Van Emst for a NEW weekly yoga practice. Email events@abalancedglass.com for registration details (link will be live on the website by April 20 and posted on FaceBook and Instagram.)
Join the ABG Community:
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