Auckland flooding: Vineyards escape major damage, growers say timing was key

Wednesday, 1 September 2021

A number of properties in Auckland's Kumeū are under water after a storm. This video has no sound.

Winemakers don’t think their vineyards have been badly affected by West Auckland’s recent flooding – but it could have been much worse if it happened in two weeks’ time.

Two drive-through vaccination centres were temporarily closed and about 50 homes had to be evacuated overnight on Monday after a storm system stalled over the region.

Between 150 and 260 millimetres of rain was recorded around West Auckland, with 149 per cent of August’s monthly normal rainfall hitting the Kumeū area in a single day – its second-wettest day since records began.

As well as Kumeū, Henderson Valley, Dairy Flat and Huapai were also hit hard by flooding.

Vineyards at Fino Valley Wines were underwater following the storm on Monday night.

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Plenty of debris needed to be cleaned up at the winery.

Winemaker Ivan Tvrdeich, the co-owner of Fino Valley Wines in Henderson Valley, said one of the winery’s three vineyard blocks along Opanuku Stream was about a third underwater during the flooding.

It had happened on “numerous occasions” over the years given it lay on a floodplain, but the most recent flooding was the worst seen since the 1960s.

Tvrdeich said a lot of debris needed to be cleaned up and new silt had covered the area.

Vineyards at Kumeu River Wines were underwater for some time as a result of the deluge.

“The grapevines are OK as they are still dormant, but if it had happened in another two to three weeks’ time, we wouldn’t have been so lucky.”

Tvrdeich said this was because the floodwaters would have caused “significant damage” during bud burst, and the crops would have been affected.

Paul Brajkovich said the winery hadn’t experienced so much rain and flooding since 1979.

In such a business, Tvrdeich said, you learnt to “count your losses” with adverse weather events – but luckily the site was responsible for just 5 per cent of the winery’s total production.

Of most concern to Tvrdeich were overhead grapevines that ran along the creek and had been planted by his grandfather.

They were “massively sentimental” and a lot of time and money had gone into the rare grapevines, which were about 60 years old.

Luckily, they hadn’t been destroyed during the storm.

Paul Brajkovich of Kumeu River Wines said the company's barrel cellar flooded about 2am on Tuesday and vines at the winery’s Mate’s Vineyard were also underwater for some time.

Given the vines were dormant, there had “thankfully” been no real damage.

However, the vineyard next to the winery which makes pinot noir for its cremant style of sparkling wine had experienced some damage.

Brajkovich said some canes had been snapped by the flood.

“This vineyard was pruned and waiting for bud burst in spring but now with the cane snapped, these vines will not produce any grapes this year.

“[I’m] not sure exactly how many will be like this, but at this stage, [it] does not look to be too dramatic.”

Brajkovich said 1979 was the last time the winery had seen so much rain and flooding.