Pioneering Marlborough winemaker Allan Scott

Driving across the manicured grass between rows of gnarled grapevines that have slept soundly through a mild, damp Marlborough winter, Allan Scott suddenly brakes his shiny new ute. Then he breaks into a knowing smile. Scott points towards his discovery; indiscernible to the ordinary human eye. With some focusing, they become obvious – tiny balls of fuzz on the gewurztraminer canes, about to break open with the first soft leaves of spring. This is budburst – one of the most exhilarating times in a vintner’s year. “Budburst brings an air of excitement, because it’s the beginning of another round of anticipation that this may be a better season than the last,” Scott explains. “Or could it be the beginning of the season that determines the vintage of the century. “We’re off on the seasonal merry-go-round.”