Viticulture
From the archives: A visit to Sam Neill's Central Otago vineyard
Veteran New Zealand actor Sir Sam Neill takes Country Life on a tour of his Central Otago vineyard just before the 2023 season got underway. Audio
Grapes on track at estate-grown winery
The unique limestone hills of the Waipara Valley are home to Greystone's 50-hectare organic vineyard. General manager and founding viticulturist Nick Gill says that despite a lack of direct sunlight… Audio
Sam Neill - finding balance among the vines
Veteran New Zealand actor Sam Neill returned to his Central Otago vineyard earlier this month to find vines shooting up, pet pigs waiting for a scratch and a young stand of native trees thriving on a… Audio
Horse and plough add French touch to Marlborough vineyard
Best of 2022 - Gordon the Clydesdale has been roped in to help plough between the rows of Churton Vineyard in Marlborough. Video, Audio
Wine exports up despite smaller harvest
Strong export performance helps buffer industry from domestic challenges.
View from the Vines - Cheers!
It's been two years since Country Life started following Te Hera vineyard's John Douglas through a vintage. 2020 turned out to be an interesting one, with harvest occurring during the pandemic… Audio
Horticulture and wine industries: Get RSE workers in asap
The horticulture and wine industries are welcoming a government announcement of more seasonal workers from the Pacific, but say the unpredictability of Covid makes it prudent to move quickly. From… Audio
Summer Series - Growing for Gold
Budou table grapes can fetch up to $160 a bunch in Japan. Third generation grape grower Tetsuya Higuchi is growing the enormous, sweet, picture-perfect Japanese style grape in Hawke's Bay. The grapes… Audio
A Legacy for NZ Wine - inside the Bragato Research Institute
The Bragato Research Institute has just celebrated a year since its opening. Winegrowers and those in the wine supply chain can have their products and technology tested at the shiny new lab in… Audio
Doubling Up at Te Whare Ra
At Te Whare Ra vineyard in Marlborough the Flowerdays grow seven different varieties of grape on 11 hectares and some of their vines are the oldest in the region - planted back in the 1970s. Raising… Audio, Gallery
Profits from wine label go to good cause
As well as growing organic grapes for his boutique Terrace Edge brand, Waipara Valley viticulturist Pete Chapman has another wine label on the go and all the profits from it go to an organisation that… Audio
The 90's File - Viticulture technician Annabel Angland
Annabel Angland from Peregrine Wines is the Corteva Central Otago Young Viticulturist of the Year 2020 and is looking forward to representing the region at the national finals in Martinborough in… Audio
From Rot to Riches
Millions of dollars worth of New Zealand fruit and grapes were at risk of rotting on the branches due to a worker shortage. Until a bunch of growers took a risk. Produced by Eva Corlett. Audio
Stormclouds over our vineyards
Our $1.83 billion wine industry is being caught up in global trade wars that insiders describe as 'fundamentally concerning'. Audio
Spotting Leaf Roll Virus
Plant and Food Research is using new technologies, including arificial intelligence and sensing technologies, to help detect a damaging virus that secretly takes hold in grape vines. Audio, Gallery
Grumblings on the grape vine: are seasonal workers treated well in NZ?
Seasonal workers from Vanuatu are the grunt force of New Zealand's growing wine industry, but questions linger over the treatment of workers. Johnny Blades went to Blenheim to learn more. Audio
British Bubbles
New Zealand winemaker Cameron Roucher is the vineyard manager at Rathfinny Wine Estate, one of the largest new vineyards in the UK and owned by former London hedge fund manager Mark Driver. Audio
Bio-plastic fantastic
Fruit and vegetable growers and other primary producers are looking with new eyes at the waste they produce. Now paua shells, flax, waste from grapes and kiwifruit can be used as ingredients in… Audio, Gallery
Country Life Summer Edition Saturday, January 9, 2016
A selection of some of the best Country Life stories from 2015. In this episode: Auntsfield Estate, Torere Garlic and Benneydale Beckoning. Audio
Vines and Wines
North Canterbury winemaker Guy Porter grows grapes on a gravel terrace above the Waipara River and on a clay slope a few kilometres further north. Both vineyards are now managed in compliance with the… Audio