Category: Blue Earth Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, and Rosé

We are big believers that good wine comes from healthy soils and healthy plants.  It is a guiding principle for how we manage our vineyard.  Many years ago we decided to give going organic a try.  The only significant change we had to make was to stop using herbicides on grass and weeds under the vines.  Many of the other issues could be managed by intensive canopy management.

So began a three-year trial of using alternative grass and weed control measures.  Winter was easy.  We could run sheep in the vineyard.  But they had to be out before bud burst in Spring. 

It is 25 years since we started planting our vineyard. Each month we are reflecting on our journey and sharing some of our stories and our older wines. This month we are recalling some of the trials and tribulations of our early harvests.

Finally, a harvest

We got there eventually, but it was rocky road.

For our first harvest, we battled wasps. We only had nine rows producing that first year, so every grape was precious. The nets were on to protect the grapes from birds. The weather forecast was looking promising. And then the wasps arrived. Whole bunches of grapes were smothered in wasps who managed to pierce holes in the ripe fruit and then hollow out the berries so only the skin remained.

It is 25 years since we started planting our vineyard. Each month we are reflecting on our journey and sharing some of our stories and our older wines. Last month we wrote about how we got started. This month is about what we did after Bill Brink, the wine maker who talked us into having a vineyard, died.

What do novices do when they are left a vineyard?

They take a deep breath, then go and ask for help. Our first step was to identify a winery whose wine we liked, that was big enough to want more grapes, but small enough that we wouldn’t get lost in a crowd.

It is 25 years since we started planting our vineyard.  This year we will reflect each month on our journey and share some of our stories with you, both trials and triumphs.  Alongside this, we will be opening up our cellar and making some of our library stock available.  So keep an eye out for your favourite vintages, varietals or bottle sizes.  

So how did we get started?
 

Mike fell in love with Martinborough many years ago when we took our children camping in the Wairarapa.  He started a long campaign to get us to buy a small block of land where we could plant some native trees and relax. 

Too far away to visit?  Check out our story aired by Country Calendar on TV1+ at https://www.tvnz.co.nz/shows/country-calendar/episodes/s2022-e31  (New Zealand viewers only)