The Country 29/09/25: Blair McLean talks to Jamie Mackay

Our Blenheim-based viticulture correspondent talks about the grape glut.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This man is always incredibly popular on the country, and
it's not necessarily because of the quality of his contribution.
He's not too bad, but he has fun packs to
give away. He is our Vita culture correspondent, Blair Blizzard
MacLean out of Marlborough and Blair people can listen out
and answer a simple question at the end, and I

(00:22):
think we have some fun packs to give away, one
to the North, one to the south. But it's not
fun in Marlborough at the moment. You've just got too
many grapes and not enough homes for them.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
Yes, good afternoon, Jamie. Yeah, it's tough times up here.
Nobody would say the bubbles burst yet, but the savion
blanc sales, it's hard work. Lots of our wine companies
and wineries are overseas knocking on doors and trying to
sell our beautiful savon blanc, which is still very good,
make no mistake about it. It's a world class savon blanc.

(00:54):
But there's probably you know, there's rumors of fifty million
extra leaders around it moment, so it's just hard going.

Speaker 1 (01:02):
Yeah, I really feel sorry for the grape growers who
provide or contract grow for the vineyards My understanding isn't
it came from you? That is up to one thousand hectares.
That's a lot of grapes uncontracted for this season.

Speaker 2 (01:18):
Yes, that's right. So a fuel contract is due for
a mule with a wine company. Then wine companies looking
at it pretty closely. Most wine companies have their own
grapes as well, and you know, if the tanks are
full and they have no more room for any they're
not really signing those back on. Some are, but they're

(01:39):
sort of being left uncontracted. So yes, there will be
at least a thousand hectares in Mulbra of the thirty
plus thousand hectares we've got here that'll be uncontracted, which
is really tough times for grows. Most groves will have
Jamie two or three contracts with different wine companies, but
that's tight when you know the things that the buds
are about to burst now with They are bursting now,

(02:00):
and you know, we need to look at probably other
forms of income.

Speaker 1 (02:04):
In hindsight, did the industry get carried away with itself?
And it's very easy to be wise in hindsight, but
I look at, for instance, the Kiwi fruit industry, where
with the licenses, they control the growth very carefully.

Speaker 2 (02:19):
Yeah, you're right, in hindsight, that probably would have been
a good thing. Some of those ki fruit licenses are
over half a million dollars for hecgiar for the goal.
Can't see that would have happened with serv On Bloc.
I mean, yeah, maybe controlled planting might have helped. But
I mean we are still only we're under two percent
of world wine consumption of wine, so you know, we're

(02:43):
not a big big player in the whole consumption of wine.
But there is wine slowing down drinking around the world.
People are looking at other other options, ciders, non alcoholic wine.
So yeah, it's a big sort of health thing and
we're all looking at it and how we can make
things better for our grass.

Speaker 1 (03:02):
You mentioned bud burst. Of course we're in spring. We
must be a real worry also to the growers at
this time of the year, the big F word.

Speaker 2 (03:10):
Yeah, so frost, that's what you're talking about. Yes, this
next ten days look brilliant. In fact, we've had a
pretty awesome start to spring, mild temperatures. You know, we're
a nineteen to twenty odd degree day today, so yeah,
but the next I look at the frost forecast at

(03:31):
the moment looks pretty good. We are still a month
and a half away before we're out of that zone,
but yeah, we're all worried about frost for sure.

Speaker 1 (03:39):
So here's the moment you've been waiting for, folks. We
have two fun packs, one for the North Island, one
for the South Island. I think they may include us
six items of each. And we have got some wonderful
seven Yon Blanc Marlborough seven Yon Blanc on Offer Blair.

Speaker 2 (03:54):
Yeah, Jills Taylor twenty twenty four savy very good as
all of the Savy on Blanc from Malborough. So we're
going to give a six pack to the North and
a six pack to the South. Hopefully the South there
might be a winter and beautiful Shield Country Otago. But
that's what we're going to give away today, Jamie, good
on you.

Speaker 1 (04:12):
So here's what you've got to do, folks. You've got
to text us on five double oh nine and write
Jules Taylor wine and spell it correctly. Now you're going
to have to have a punt here. Are you going
to go with Taylor as in Warwick Taylor with an
O or are you going to go with Taylor as
in Dick Taylor with an ee. You make the call,

(04:32):
we'll only accept the correct spelling jewels Taylor wine to
five double oh nine, your name and courier address. Will
pick out a winner after one o'clock and give you
a call. And then Blair, if you get round to it,
which is no guarantee that you will, you'll send those
fun packs off right, Yep.

Speaker 2 (04:50):
We'll send them off from sunny Mulbur because we've got
We've got plenty of wine here, So no problems at.

Speaker 1 (04:54):
All, Okay, And there's no truth to the rumor that
Race has called you into the squad to cover for
Kayler Clark. No.

Speaker 2 (05:00):
I think Johnny mckennall might have got to call up though, but.

Speaker 1 (05:02):
Well he would have before you because you didn't get
any tries for Roxburgh. Look, I'm going over there, Leah.
This is my last day at work for a week
or two, and I'm going to take my boots because
I can cover ten and fifteen.

Speaker 2 (05:13):
All right, See you later, Jamie,