Helio
“It’s all about producing benchmark Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay… not necessarily the biggest or the best, but wine that people around the world will hold up as great example of Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay.”
But this tiny, distinctive label focusing on Syrah and Viognier elicits praise and excitement from those in the know. It's a passionate labour of love and reflection of deeply held wine philosophies for founders Alex Hendry and Hana Montaperto, which they tend with fierce devotion.
Alex's day job is winemaker at Linden Estate, while Hana is a qualified sheetmetal engineer. Saorsa (pronounced Sa-or-sha) is a Gaelic word that encompasses freedom, liberty, salvation, redemption, reflecting the label's ethos. "I have to be careful here not to end up on a two-day rant," Alex says with a wry laugh, when asked about their approach. "For us Saorsa is about honesty. I never wanted a wine label to be about myself or what we can do, but rather one that shows exactly where the fruit comes from - the vineyards' uniqueness and beauty. Our aim is to take fruit from the best sites and just let it be." This means a hands-off approach to winemaking too, using time and the careful use of oxygen to do everything that is required, he adds. "Not the smartest financial decision for a small-scale side hustle project, but I feel that the modern world has moved on from or forgotten the importance of time in wines. The aging of wines for us is as important as the vineyards themselves. We use sulphites in our wines as it is used in the vineyards too, but no other additions. The wines are unapologetic in style and don't always fit into a mould that you would expect from New Zealand wines - not in an experimental or strange way, but just from letting them be what they are."
While making Syrah was their ultimate goal, a chance opportunity to harvest a small plot of Gimblett Gravels Viognier around 10 years ago became the genesis of Saorsa. "I was never the biggest fan of New Zealand Viognier as a style but once we started producing it, it really captivated us. A difficult variety to say the least - growing, crop levels and even selling - it has taught us so much about how we handle all our wines."
Their passion for the vineyards and wines, and the freedom of expression they allow, makes up for the hard yards. "Running a company as well as working full time and fitting it all in with family life as well presents the greatest challenge. Time, and being time poor. But there's beautiful people we meet and get to work with, some of whom we wouldn't have met without a project like this. Seeing people enjoy the wines we have worked tirelessly on is always great." The work goes on, Alex adds. "It's not an easy industry to work in, and I will say running a side hustle is also not for the faint-hearted. The workload can be punishing at times and we all end up questioning why we do it, but it's what keeps artisan winemaking alive."
