Boutique wine businesses could pick up some cues from Philip and Terry Hall, an enterprising British couple who took over a small winery in the heart of Hawke’s Bay’s Gimblett Gravels soon after the global economy started roughing up.
Wine and cheese are natural partners and have gone hand in hand for centuries.
Go back several hundred years and you would have seen Waipara’s rolling hills and valley floor clad in totara, lacebark, kowhai, lancewood and broadleaf forest.
In his book The Wine Atlas of New Zealand Michael Cooper says; “Nelson has some of the most stunning vineyard settings in the country”.
Our winegrowing area is centered around the small North Canterbury township of Waipara, about 45 minutes drive from Christchurch and at the junction of State Highway 1 and 7. Amberley is the main service town for the region.
This usually occurs when there are a small number of players, everyone is at the same stage of their business and volunteers are able to contribute the time, and often dollars, needed to establish a regional presence. Most of us can identify these pioneers and without them we would never have the regional strengths and developments we have today.
The inclusion of two Gisborne Chenin Blancs in an independent top 40 Chenin Blancs in the World, is proof that the region and the winery producing these wines are premier.
James was elected as the new President of the Central Otago Winegrowers Association last month. In this issue he looks at the importance of the Recognised Seasonal Employment Scheme in his region.
120 sailors, 24, yachts, 21 new release Marlborough Sauvignon Blancs and one of the most difficult stretches of water in the world, combined last month for the annual Wineworks Sauvignon Blanc Yacht race.
In August a diverse bunch of minds met to discuss possible solutions to the financial and identity crisis many wineries find themselves in.
