About Opihi Vineyard
A truly boutique wine business, the vineyard is located 30km inland from Timaru in South Canterbury New Zealand. The Opihi label has gained awards at many major wine shows, and has also been recommended by Wine State and Cusine magazines.
From small beginnings . . .
The vineyard was established in 1991 on warm north facing slopes located in the Opihi district area, 30 km inland from Timaru.
The altitude is 150 m above sea level and the average annual rainfall is 600mm. The soil type is Timaru silt loam to a depth of 20 cm on top of a heavy clay base. At latitude 44° South, this is a cool climate area with autumn weather being typically lovely warm days and cool nights.
The first block, 3.5 hectares, was planted out in Pinot Gris, Riesling, Pinot Noir (10/5), Chardonnay and Muller Thurgau. An area of Merlot was also trialled has since being replaced with Riesling.
The vines are planted 1.5m apart in rows spaced at 3m. They are cane pruned by hand. Trickle irrigation was installed when the vineyard was setup but because the subsoil is clay the need for water is reduced.
In 2001/02 a further two hectares at the Vineyard Café were developed. The top soil in this particular site overlies a base of limestone so Pinot Noir was planted. The clones planted are 13, 114, 115, 667, and 777.
Shoot thinning, leaf plucking and bunch thinning are all carried out to control yields which are purposely kept low so that the fruit can ripen as fully as possible. Selective hand picking during April and May guarantees that only the best grapes are harvested and ensures that the fruit remains in excellent condition during transport to the Winery.
From 2002 the wines have been sealed with screw caps to further ensure that the premium quality remains.
The Lyon Background
We have had a lifetime on the land in South Canterbury operating an intensive cropping business and raising a family. One son Alister, has remained to share the farm and vineyard work.
When the idea of growing grapes on the slope in front of our house was suggested, we knew nothing about the wine industry. Our intention was to supply grapes as contract growers but when we realised that the area’s cool climate was ideal for producing premium wine we decided to operate under our own label.
The venture fits in well with our busy seasonal lifestyle. We know that timing of work in the vineyard is very important, that’s where our arable background has been very useful.
"It’s been a steep learning curve, but when we gained awards at major New Zealand wine shows we knew the experience had been and still is well worth it". - Colin & Brenda Lyon
Viticultural Practice
It has long been recognized that cool climate regions produce wines which are intensely flavoured and lively with the potential to cellar well.
One of the main reasons for this is that ripening takes place during mid to late autumn (April – May), a longer period of time than in warmer regions, thus producing intense varietal flavours. The only downside to this is that we must limit the crop level to ensure that the grapes can fully ripen.
At Opihi we intensely manage the vineyard to optimize fruit quality. These practices can be best explained by following us through a year in the vineyard, season by season.
Winter
Pruning takes place from mid June until the end of August. We lay down two new canes each year, 8-10 nodes per metre, the new shoots to be trained to a Vertical Shoot Positioning system.
The canes are given a clean up spray of lime sulphur to prevent any carry over of bacterial diseases.
Spring
Bud burst is usually mid October and for the next month we remove excess and double shoots from the new canes and from the crown of the vine to prevent over crowding later on. As the new shoots grow we lift the training wires to create an upward growing hedge of foliage.
Throughout November and December some further shoot removal is needed to allow light and air onto the bunches .This helps to prevent fungal diseases, although we do spray the vines with sulphur based sprays to further prevent diseases. We are not a high humidity area so we do not have to spray repeatedly throughout the season.
Summer
If there is excessive growth we trim the sides and the top of the vines to once again let light and air through the entire canopy. We often lightly hand pluck leaves from near the bunches as well.
In late summer, near the end of February, we cover the vines with nets to prevent birds from eating the fruit as it ripens. The resident population of blackbirds and thrushes has become very cunning and their numbers are increasing. We have resorted to sewing the bottom edges of the nets together, a huge job as we net single rows, but it is the only way to keep the birds out. Otherwise the fruit would disappear before our eyes.
At this time we also go through and remove late set fruit and any green ‘shoulders’ on the bunches so that we will have evenly ripened bunches at picking time, essential for top quality fruit.
Autumn
During April we monitor the sugar levels of the grapes. We aim to get the grapes to 23-24 brix before picking. The Pinot Noir is usually the first variety harvested, often mid to late April, normally followed by the Chardonnay and Muller Thurgau, the Pinot Gris taking until early May. The Riesling is always the last to ripen, some years being picked as late as mid June.
All of the grapes are hand picked which allows us to leave behind any fruit that is not at its best. Our team of experienced pickers come from nearby districts, sometimes at very short notice. The local Lion Club members are invaluable when it comes to bringing in the Pinot Gris.
At the end of each day’s harvest the grapes are transported to Winery. At this point the talented winemaker takes over to produce our range of wines.
The wine maker's dedication to quality, along with the vineyard, is reflected in the number of awards the wines have taken at various wine shows in New Zealand. This has lead to the Opihi label being sort out by buyers from North America, UK and Japan.
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