Heavy rain hits grape and cherry growers hard

The heavy rain that hit Hawke's Bay at the weekend could not have come at a worse time for grape and cherry growers.

The rain has split much of the early cherry crop just a few days before harvest.

Grower Brian Fulford said as much as 70 per cent of their early variety had been split and they would make a decision in a few days whether to pick any of it.

Later varieties planned for Christmas seem to be unaffected so far, he said.

He wouldn't put a dollar figure on their loss.

"It's too depressing. The rain couldn't have come at a worse time."

Stonefruit and apples haven't been affected yet.

Although hail appears to have been widespread throughout the fruit growing areas, it was too small and slushy to cause harm.

Hawke's Bay's vineyards don't seem to have had hail damage, but grape growers are anxious about the ongoing rain.

"It is the worse possible weather for flowering," said Chris Howell, president of Hawke's Bay Grape Growers. It exposed vines to the risk of the fungal disease latter in the season.

On the upside, the unseasonable colder temperatures made it harder for botrytis to become established in the vulnerable grape flowers.

Some wine subregions were not hit too hard by the rain. Mr Howell said only 23mm had fallen on his Maraekakaho Road block over the weekend, and wind had helped dry the vineyard quickly.

- nzpa