Yesterday, about 25 contract workers with Waitaki Valley Viticulture Services were picking mainly pinot noir grapes at the Doctors Creek vineyard, owned by Otago Station Estates.
Waitaki Valley Estates general manager Steve Harrop said fruit from the Doctors Creek vineyard would be going to Grant Taylor, of Central Otago, for the Valli label, John Forrest (Blenheim) for Forrest Estates and Michele Richardson (Blenheim) for the Waitaki Braids label.
Mr Harrop estimated more than 55ha of vines were producing grapes in the Waitaki Valley this year.
He expected the harvest to be about 150 tonnes, predominantly pinot noir, pinot gris and riesling.
Lessons learnt from this year's production would provide "really important information" for new vineyard development.
For example, some site-specific lessons had been learnt, with sites reacting in different ways to the climate.
The summer had been exceptional, although Mr Harrop's records showed that picking had started the same week as it had in previous years.
Until frosts last week, which had substantially reduced the leaf canopy on vines, picking had gone without a hitch.
"Everyone should be pretty pleased with the quality of the fruit," he said.
He also predicted the emergence of more labels specific to the Waitaki Valley region.
In previous years, there had been three or four labels.
This year there could be a dozen or more.
"That can only be good for the region with wines of different price points, styles and from more winemakers," he said.
