Moon plants stars soil trees microbes fungi mammals bees, we all are, URLAR.
URLAR = of the earth. As we sink deeper into autumn, the vineyard embraces biodiversity in our soil.
The Vineyard
Harvest 2025 kicked off at the end of February with the team bringing in the first bunches of Pinot Noir.
This time calls for a delicate dance between the Vineyard and Winery teams, as Head Winemaker Aaron and Head Viticulturist Bevan work together to sample and measure the fruit. It is a careful balance of measuring the acidity and the sugar (Brix) in this year's crop, which will influence the type of wine and the methods used to produce it.
This year we’ve been doing lots of hand-picking in our Pinot Noir and Chardonnay blocks. This practice is very gentle on the fruit to ensure we can produce the elegant, pure wines we’re known for. It can be a sticky, tiresome job, but with the help of our incredible pickers, we are able to continue this practice. Thank you to all those who have helped so far!
Harvest is expected to see us through until the end of April. Once all the fruit is safely in the winery, the team will start the process of bringing the nets back in. This allows the vines to have a breather and take any carbohydrate from the leaves down to the roots for a winter rest. This time of the year is also used for general maintenance and a wee break before the cycle starts again with pruning in June.
The Winery
The winery team has welcomed three new international members who will help with this vintage. We have Emile joining us from France, Ethan from Australia, and Lisandro from Argentina. We’re pleased to have such a talented young team sharing their gifts and talents with URLAR this vintage.
The Pinot Noir, brought to the winery earlier this month, is happily ticking away, fermenting and converting all that sugar from the warm summer season to alcohol. The wines look to be very high in quality. What more could you ask for in a glass of Pinot?
Our vineyard team graced us with really high-quality Chardonnay fruit, which has been whole-bunch pressed—this is a three-hour process that is really gentle on the fruit, creating a more elegant and pure wine. This Chardonnay fruit is destined to be the next URLAR Methode. Our Methode Traditionnelle Brut 2019 was released last March and represents the pinnacle of our winemaking. We can’t wait to see what this vintage brings.
Looking ahead, we continue to test the fruit and process it as it comes into the winery. Over the next few months, we continually monitor our ferments before moving them to our new French Oak barrels. Then we will begin the post-harvest clean! We’re always looking to improve, so we will be taking extra time to debrief about this harvest. And all going to plan, our winery team will enjoy a well-deserved break—but not before all our beautiful wine is settled.
Our team is excited to share our wines with you all in the future.
Cellar Door
While all the action seems to be happening outside at this time of the year, it is no less exciting inside the Cellar Door.
We recently hosted a special collaboration dinner between Janken in Auckland and URLAR. We welcomed guests to URLAR for a beautifully curated Japanese menu featuring authentic dishes thanks to Chefs Rika and Midori. Each course was paired with a selection of URLAR wines from our Director & Winegrower, Kohei. Our guests highly enjoyed this unique experience, and we can’t wait to bring more of these bespoke events to the Cellar Door this year. Keep an eye on your inbox and our social media channels for notifications of upcoming events.
Our Cellar Door team had a fantastic day at the 2025 Wairarapa Wines Harvest Festival. Welcoming attendees to our neck of the woods is always a highlight on our calendar. Thank you to everyone who visited our site and signed up to be part of URLAR Friends!
As URLAR grows, so does our Cellar Door team. We’re excited to welcome Rainsforth, Kiri, and Hazel, who join our team - whipping up seasonal country fare that pairs beautifully with our award-winning wines.
If you haven’t visited our Cellar Door yet, this weekend is the perfect opportunity. We look forward to hosting you!
