Some Vineyards In Esk Valley In Hawke’s Bay Are Completely Flooded And There Will Be A Long-Lasting Effect On The Wine Industry In The Area

Some vineyards in Esk Valley in Hawke’s Bay are completely flooded and there will be a long-lasting effect on the wine industry in the area. 100 homes in Esk Valley were evacuated and the Esk River breached its banks. Linden Estate Winery’s Allan Den Boer says one of the vineyards was completely flooded with water above the tops of the vines. He says the grapes were about to change colour and three months from when they could picked. According to Hawke’s Bay Wine website the area produced about 90% of New Zealand’s syrah, cabernets and merlot wines. 532,000 tonnes of wine grapes were harvested across New Zealand, with export volumes forecast to increase by 23% to 324 million litres.