ClimateKarikari’s climate reflects is isolated position as a Pacific Island off the coast of Northland, being markedly different from the predominant mainland climate. Wet in winter, it is one of the driest places in New Zealand during the growing season for grape vines, between October and April. By comparison with other notable red wine growing regions, Karikari is drier during this period than Bordeaux, Burgundy, Tuscany, Hawkes Bay, Waiheke Island and Yarra Valley.
Accentuating this dryness is wind. Karikari means VERY windy, and the wind is a benefit to winegrowing by keeping sub-tropical humidity low in the vineyard during the growing season. This restricts fungal diseases that are a problem throughout Northern New Zealand.
Add to these conditions the warm, even temperatures, with days above 32 Celsius being very rare, as are days below 28 Celsius during the growing season. The most common way of measuring temperature for winegrowing is as the Mean Temperature of the Warmest Month (MTWM), which for Karikari is 22.5 degrees C. This is slightly higher than the famous French site of Hermitage (21.5)
 In short the data confirms what the wines reveal, that Karikari is an unusually suitable place to grow high quality wine. |
