The Astrolabe Wrekin Vineyard Late Harvest Chenin Blanc is a dessert wine made from the same block as our Wrekin Chenin Blanc but harvested later in the season. The over-row nets at the Wrekin allow us to make picking passes along the rows multiple times during the harvest, leaving select bunches to develop concentration of sugar. Lightly botrytised fruit was hand-picked, whole-cluster pressed and partially fermented to retain considerable natural sweetness.

Chenin blanc makes lovely sweet dessert wines. Dessert wine made from chenin blanc is quite a rarity in New Zealand, and we only produce it when the season is right. The flavours in our chenin blanc lend themselves beautifully to a sweeter style, giving a honeyed, luscious wine that ages well and will continue to develop interest.

Simon Waghorn — Winemaker