“In the end, there’s a certain amount of luck in choosing to plant chardonnay on the Moutere Hills,” says Tim Finn from Neudorf Vineyards in Nelson, New Zealand. “We suspected the potential for New Zealand to make great wine…” Neudorf was first planted by Tim and his wife Judy in the late 70’s. They were … Continue reading ‘Back To Land’ – Neudorf Vineyards, Nelson, N.Z.
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
“Wine has this magical capacity to become a kind of liquid geography that can show the little nuances of a particular time and place, and I feel like it’s a moral failure not to aim for that,” says Mike Weersing, of Pyramid Valley in New Zealand. “You might not get there every time, but you must do … Continue reading ‘Transcendence’ – Pyramid Valley, Waikari, New Zealand (Part Two)
“I wanted to find a place where the voice was so loud that you couldn’t hear the grape,” says Mike Weersing, winegrower at Pyramid Valley, in New Zealand. After 15 years of searching, Mike and his wife Claudia, who were originally from the US, finally settled on an old sheep farm in Wairkari, North Canterbury. They … Continue reading ‘The Empyrean’ – Pyramid Valley, North Canterbury, New Zealand (Part One)
There’s a hill in Hawke’s Bay that is divided in half by two names. It pushes high into the sky and looks out over the Gimblett Gravels and Bridge Pa Triangle, two of Hawke’s Bay’s most famous winegrowing sub-regions. Just over 30 years ago, this whole area was a literal wasteland. A speedway track, an army … Continue reading ‘Balance Above (a Beautiful Wasteland)’ – Bilancia/La Collina, Hawke’s Bay, N.Z.
“I have a few colleagues who are very particular about the way they think wine should be made… When we released our first wine, in 2012, we had no idea what we were going to call it, and someone at work said to me, ‘the way you make wine is the wrong way’, and I said, … Continue reading ‘Learn The Rules’ – The Other Right, South Australia
“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.
“I don’t really know how I got into wine,” says Gareth Belton from Gentle Folk. “It just sort of happened over time…” Gareth has a degree in marine biology from the University of Adelaide and was studying for a PHD, to become a specialist in seaweed phycology, which means he goes diving in search of rare … Continue reading ‘Born Natural’ – Gentle Folk, Basket Range, SA
“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
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