The First Te Motu Vintage: Easter 1993

Family & Friends Join Together for Inaugural Vintage

Originally published in Te Motu Tidings No. 1 (November 1994). Written by Te Motu co-founder Terry Dunleavy. Minor edits have been made for formatting and clarity.

Grandparents, parents, children, family and Waiheke friends all pitched in for the hand-picking of the grapes which yielded the inaugural vintage of Te Motu Cabernet/Merlot.

As winemakers have done for centuries, John Dunleavy spent the final pre-vintage days taking sample grapes to check sugar content (measured by a Brix-calibrated hydrometer) and acid levels, while assessing the weather prospects.

"Grapes ready for picking are like babies waiting to be born. When their time has come, their time has come."

Easter is more usually a traditional time for weddings, but in 1993 the Te Motu grapes chose Easter as their harvest time. By Fullers ferry from Auckland, and by car from around Waiheke Island, came family and friends for the great adventure: the first vintage.

The Ancient but Reliable Crusher-Destemmer

Grapes were hand-picked into 20-litre bins and tractored to the crush pit, where patriarch Terry Dunleavy assumed the role of crush master, operating the ancient but wholly reliable Coq crusher-destemmer which had come to Waiheke Vineyards Ltd via Selaks and Delegat's.

A sturdy, no-nonsense implement, it separated the stems and then, with its powerful built-in pump, pushed the must (a mixture of juice, skins and flesh) high into the 11,000-litre stainless steel tanks for fermentation on the skins. This magical process extracts the deep red pigments which dictate colour and the tannins which give red wines their characteristic grip and longevity.

The first grapes picked were Cabernet Franc, followed by Merlot and finally Cabernet Sauvignon, which together comprised well over 80 per cent of the final blend.

First impressions were of an intense depth of rich red colour.

Fermentation

At the end of the day, after John had added the precise measure of cultured yeast for a carefully controlled ferment, it was back to the vineyard house for a few cleansing ales, a barbecue, and satisfaction at taking part in the same happy communal ritual of grape harvests which have marked the seasons since time immemorial in countries with a wine tradition, and which New Zealand has only in recent years begun to enjoy.