30 Apr 2012

Wine Marlborough has high expectations for 2012 vintage

1:42 pm on 30 April 2012

Wine Marlborough's general manager says winemakers in the region are expecting the quality of sauvignon this year to be as good as ever.

Marcus Pickens says growers enjoyed near perfect conditions this month, following a much cooler than average summer and early autumn.

He says uncharacteristic weather in January and February pushed back grape maturity and harvesting, which is running a couple of weeks behind normal.

Mr Pickens says some wineries expect yields in most varieties will be down by about 25% depending on the site of the vineyard, and in some cases by 50%.