Hello, Wine Idealists! This week’s /NEW/ Edition of The Wine Idealist will also be the /FINAL/ edition for 2015… I have taken a bit of a different tact with this final post than in year’s past. I’ve written a small poem for you all. I hope you enjoy reading it… – – – Natural Wine Rules – … Continue reading Natural Wine Rules – Cheers! 2015 –
Anna and Jason Flowerday are hitting their straps. As winemakers they’re experienced, having both worked for some of the bigger wine corporations in Australia and elsewhere, and since, 2003, they’ve been making wine in one of the world’s most famous wine regions… Marlborough. Known only, well… mostly, for Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough is New Zealand wine’s … Continue reading ‘Chardonnay’s New Postcode’ – Te Whare Ra, Marlborough
Bart Arnst is one of New Zealand’s leading organic grape growers. In another life, he may well have been a prop in the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team, or, perhaps a member of the Hells Angels MC. But, in this one, he plays the role of a gentle giant sitting amongst a sward of yarrow cover … Continue reading ‘Push The Progression’ – Bart Arnst and The Darling Wines of Marlborough, N.Z
“I think sometimes, as winemakers, we’re aware of certain wines that grip you and others that don’t, and sometimes you get to a point where you’re just absolutely bored, and you want to try and achieve something more…” Andrew Greenhough is a man with a Masters in Art History, who gave up his ambitions of … Continue reading ‘The Art of Wine’ – Greenhough, Waimea Plains, Nelson, N.Z.
The Hunter Valley is not only the oldest winegrowing region in Australia; it’s also one of the hardest places in the world to grow and make wine. When James Busby made the trek up from Sydney back in 1824 and planted the first vines at Kirkton Park, there’s a strong chance he didn’t know much … Continue reading ‘Green Pioneers’ – Organic Winegrowing in the Hunter Valley
According to the article, ‘What Does Sustainability Mean? Knowledge Gleaned From Applying Mixed Methods Research to Wine Grape Growing,’ by Irina Santiago-Brown, Cate Jerram, Andrew Metcalfe and Cassandra Collins,(first published online in the Journal of Mixed Methods Research, May 19, 2014), sustainability is defined as… “The continuous pursuit of equilibrium between economic, social, and … Continue reading ‘Total Sustainability’- SAW, McLaren Vale
“There’s a really nice balance that a vineyard has between its rural setting and its closeness with the land, and wine as a product that you can take and showcase around the world,” says Nicholas Brown, winemaker at Black Estate. “And, it’s a product that New Zealand seems to be doing some pretty good … Continue reading ‘In Pursuit of Place’ – Black Estate, Waipara, NZ
“Our whole approach to farming is that it’s not just about being sustainable in the vineyard and using biodynamics,” says Anna Hooper, winemaker for Cape Jaffa Wines, on the Limestone Coast, South Australia, “because (biodynamics) also encourages really creative thinking. So, we follow not just the agricultural aspects of biodynamics, but also try to be creative in the … Continue reading ‘Truth & Adventure’ – Cape Jaffa Wines, South Australia
“Lots of people say they don’t compromise in their vineyard, but we do. Especially with time.” Neil Prentice is a former ‘wine waiter’, now restauranteur and winegrower, from Sandringham in Victoria. In 1991, his parents purchased a property in the Gippsland Mountain River District, two hours east of Melbourne and established a cattle farm to … Continue reading ‘Practical Compromise’ – Moondarra Wines, Victoria
“If I see something working (in the vineyard), I don’t need to go and find a (research) paper to make me believe what I see,” says Nick Paulin, viticulturist for Peregrine Wines in Central Otago, New Zealand. “When you walk through the vineyard and see a healthy looking vine and the fruit it’s producing, I … Continue reading ‘Seeing is Believing’ – Peregrine Wines, Central Otago, NZ
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