Gisborne’s French Twist

It must have been a wine with considerable punch because the three friends - Peter Bristow, Brent Laidlaw and Russell Walsh – on one auspicious occasion in 2012 came up with the idea of setting up their own wine company.

Laidlaw had worked with French ‘garagiste’ pioneer Jean-Roger Calvet during the 2000 vintage in France so it did not take much persuasion to convince his mates - all former workmates and winemakers at Montana - to launch their own ‘vins de garage’.

‘Garagiste’, a term originally coined to describe a movement that originated 26 years ago in Bordeaux characterised by small-quantity, high-quality wine producers whose production ‘was so small that it would fit into a garage’, seemed a perfect fit.

There was just a small problem to contend with, the fact they all had full-time jobs and any business venture would have to be sandwiched into their free time. Brent was EIT (Eastern Institute of Technology) Tairawhiti’s tutor in viticulture and winemaking, Russell was production and Research and Development manager for Kiwi Juice and Peter was a winemaker for Pernod Ricard based in Marlborough. (They still hold these positions). 

“We wanted to make wines that show characters of the earth and climate where they are grown. Gisborne is such a wonderful place to make wine — it is absolutely legendary for making Chardonnay and Gewürztraminer and it is these two classic varieties that clicked with all three of us,” they said.

Their first vintage in 2012, a trial run with their two favourite varieties, produced 308 bottles of Gewürztraminer and 810 bottles of Chardonnay. 

Since then, the company has seen steady growth and now offers five wines — a Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon blend, Viognier, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer and St Laurent.

This vintage, they estimate production of about 5000 bottles.

With a collective involvement of 64 years in the wine industry, the trio always had confidence in their winemaking skills and the quality of Gisborne fruit but they have faced their fair share of challenges in the past three years.

“We came to the realisation pretty fast that while we were all winemakers, we were not salesmen so we had to work hard to build our sales and profile,” they said.

“So far all the money we make has gone back into the company. It will be another three years before we can pay a modest return to ourselves. 

“But we think our business model is about right. The company has been growing year-on-year, slowly increasing production as the funds allow. Our plan is to grow by 50 percent per annum to fund the next year of production.”

Their aim is not to stock supermarket shelves with cheap wine. Their ideal scenario is to have orders of 20-30 cases a year from high-end restaurants and wine shops, a vision which is already coming to fruition.

While they all believe Sauvignon Blanc is the mainstay of the New Zealand wine industry, Laidlaw is interested in Sauvignon Gris. 

“I’ve been making it for two vintages so I know its potential. It captures both the Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc drinkers,” he said.

“It fits with our low-volume, high-quality garagiste philosophy so we might look to add it to our range next year.”

Reviewing their achievements over the last three years and acknowledging the French garagiste pioneers in whose footsteps they have walked, they said “while we nod to our French origins, our wines are a reflection of Gisborne’s terroir and vineyards, and the three of us as winemakers — we make wines that seek to excite the senses, engage the taste-buds and encourage discussion”.

And looking ahead, they said it would be great if the venture eventually supported the three of them full-time. 

“That would the ultimate reward for our endeavours.”