It's looking really fine on the vine

GREEN: The hills may be starting to lose a bit of their colour, but the grapevines of the Bay are doing just fine as mid-summer kicks in. PHOTOS/GLENN TAYLOR HBT100852-02

High winds during the past two days and the thunderstorms and isolated outbreaks of hail late last month had been challenging, but the grape vines of the region had come through unscathed, Hawke's Bay Winegrowers Association chairman Nick Buck said.

After driving back to the Bay from Taupo last Sunday, when the temperatures were hitting 32C and winds were high, he consulted the viticultural team at his family's Te Mata Estate at Havelock North for an update on whether there had been any damage to vines.

"But it was all positive - we had no damage and I haven't heard of any reports of damage from other vineyards."

Mr Buck said high, blustery winds could pose a threat to the more exposed outer vines, especially when they were carrying a full canopy of leaves.

"The outer ones can collapse but we haven't see that," he said, adding it was nevertheless reassuring to see the winds drop over the past 24 hours.

When the prospect of hail was raised during weather forecasts about a fortnight ago when thunderstorms became daily events across the Bay, Mr Buck said vineyard management crews were casting some looks at the dark skies.

There had been localised hail falls across areas of Te Awanga, Haumoana and Central Hawke's Bay but again he had not been made aware of any serious damage. Unlike fruit trees, the heavy leaf canopies and strong canes on the vines would deflect mild hail, Mr Buck said.

"So we have come through it well."

The 2014 vintage was stacking up to be a very good one although winemakers spoken to were not prepared to say it would match the exceptional 2013 vintage.

"One comment I am hearing though is 'early early early'," Mr Buck said. "The mild winter and warm spring has created lots of grape vigour and development. There has been some rapid ripening and we are possibly looking at an early finish."

That could mean some varieties being picked as early as late February/early March.

"What we would like to see is high 20s and early 30s and blue skies," Mr Buck said.

Apart from some rain on Thursday and early next week, the long-range forecast for the Bay was for mid-20 temperatures and plenty of sunshine.

The scattered days of rain had been as welcome as the extended sunny period, Mr Buck said. "We have had enough rain so there has been a limited need for irrigation."