Post-Harvest at Giesen
As our 2017 new wines are fermenting, Marcel Giesen and Chief Winemaker Nikolai St George and the viticultural and winemaking teams are working hard to ensure the best results. They need to consistently monitor the progress of each tank and barrel to understand how its maturing.
One major task ahead for the team once all the ferments are complete is classifying the wines, which they will undertake next week. Classification means tasting through every single parcel of fruit and deciding which wines are the most special and distinctive – those that showcase terroir and therefore will remain Single Vineyard Wines. In the premium winery we had 68 parcels of wine alone, and across the board there are up to 200 separate ferments to taste and classify!
There are always wines to prepare for bottling, we bottle constantly throughout the year and this never finishes.
As the grapevines shut down and sleep through winter, the viticultural start to plan for spring. They consider how we will prune in the spring, what organic matter we need to feed the vines and they also arrange replacement of damaged or broken trellis.
Outside of the winery and the vineyards, Giesen founding brothers Theo, Alex and Marcel will be travelling to our 40 export markets, presenting new wines to trade, media and consumers. In Marlborough we host guests including journalists, distributors and sales people from markets across the world.
Its all this work 24/7, during harvest and throughout the year, which makes Giesen wines great!