The Grapes Don't Care About Covid

While COVID has been an international distruptor on a scale that most people could not imagine, its impact on viticulture has been a little more nuanced. This week we sat down with Matt Wenk, Smidge founder and winemaker to get his take.

Matt begain by saying "Needless to say most people are now familiar with supply chain disruptions, and the need to find to new markets and even new ways of delivery.

Like any primary producer we are ultimately a slave to the weather, the vines keep growing, which inturn need harvesting and in time need pruning. Historically, our industry has ticked along nicely with a generous availability of local and transient workers, however COVID has been the ‘gift that keeps giving’ with another disruption to the backbone of our vineyard support.

This year we were on tenterhooks as promised start dates for pruning crews came and went on multiple occasions ( ultimately due to much lower numbers of pruners, but the same number of vines!). Fortunately, with a season starting a little later, and a well-timed barrel prune to buy us some grace, we were able to scrape in with our "2 bud spur" pruning being done in the nick of time

Equally, international placements have often been a hallmark of our vintage crew, in much the same way that I have had the privilege of working vintages around the world – it has been our way of reciprocating the opportunities – while at the same time having a splash of new energy, outlook and culture, that is always refreshing, even if not always a 100% fit . unfortunately, as an industry, it has been quite difficult securing casual employees for the 2022 vintage – While it seems early to even be thinking this…fingers crossed for 2023  [😊]"