Joseph Ryan Wines

Joseph ryan vineyard

Set along the Ruamahunga river, the vineyard lies at the foot of the rolling Maungaraki hills, and looks toward the beautiful smoky Tararua Mountain range to the west.

The first vines were planted in 2001 with the varieties of Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Riesling and Viognier chosen for their suitability to the climate and terroir. The vineyard is sited on the valley floor on what was once a river bed and now provides a free draining stony loam. It is a low rainfall area with hot summers and cool winters, warm days and cool nights… perfect for Pinot Noir in particular.

The Wairarapa experiences four distinct seasons in the year which break up the vineyard calendar.

Spring

September to November

Spring is a nervous time for grape growers – one cold southerly blast with a clear sky the following day can create a devastating frost.  If this is not dealt with properly an entire years crop can be destroyed in one cold night. 

Our main form of frost protection is a ten metre high wind machine.  This rotates to bring the slightly warmer air from above down to the freezing air close to the ground, thus protecting the delicate spring buds from freezing.  For the more isolated parts of the vineyard we use overhead sprinklers that encapsulate the buds in ice.  While this may sound like a death knell, as long as water continues to be added, the bud doesn’t fall below the damaging temperature of 0 degrees C.

Think of an Eskimo in an igloo.

summer

December to February

Summer is the time for grape growth and ripening. In the weeks leading up to the harvest in late summer/early autumn, birds attracted to the sweet fruit become the new big threat. The black starlings are the worst offenders and en masse have the potential to devour most of the years crop. 

autumn and winter

march to august

After the harvest, in the autumn months, the vines recover from the years growing effort.  It’s quiet time in the vineyard as we get busy in the winery. Once the leaves have fallen off the chief job in the winter is pruning the vines in preparation for the next spring’s growth.