Waimea Wine Blog

• Elite Gold in Air NZ Wine Awards 2009
  - Waimea 2009 Sauvignon Blanc & Waimea 2008 Gewürztraminer
• Gold in Air NZ Wine Awards 2009
  - Waimea 2008 Chardonnay
• TOP100 Blue-Gold in Sydney International Wine Competition 2010
  - Waimea 2006 Dry Riesling
• Blue-Gold in Sydney International Wine Competition 2010
  - Waimea 2008 Chardonnay & Waimea Bolitho SV 2007 Pinot Noir
• Gold in International Aromatic Wine Competition 2009
  - Waimea 2009 Sauvignon Blanc & Spinyback 2008 Pinot Gris
• International Trophy for Best White Wine Single Varietal under £10 in Decanter World Wine Awards 2009
  - Spinyback 2008 Pinot Gris
• Trophy in New Zealand International Wine Show 2009
  - Waimea 2008 Gewürztraminer
• Gold in New Zealand International Wine Show 2009
  - Waimea 2008 Gewürztraminer & Spinyback 2008 Chardonnay
• Gold in New World Wine Awards 2009
  - Waimea 2008 Sauvignon Blanc
• Gold in Liquorland Top 100 2009
  - Waimea 2008 Sauvignon Blanc, Spinyback 2008 Sauvignon
• Blanc, Waimea 2006 Dry Riesling & Waimea Bolitho SV 2007 Riesling
• Trophy for Best Value Wine under $15 in Intl Chardonnay Challenge 2009
  - Spinyback 2008 Chardonnay
• Trophy for Champion New Zealand Single Varietal White Wine under £10 in Decanter World Wine Awards 2009
  - Spinyback 2008 Pinot Gris
• Gold in Decanter World Wine Awards 2009
  - Waimea 2008 Pinot Gris & Spinyback 2008 Pinot Gris
• Gold in International Cool Climate Wine Show 2009
  - Waimea 2006 Dry Riesling
• Gold in Air NZ Wine Awards 2008
  - Spinyback 2008 Sauvignon Blanc, Waimea 2008 Sauvignon Blanc, Spinyback 2007 Riesling & Waimea 2006 Dry Riesling
• Top100 Blue-Gold in Sydney International Wine Competition 2009
  - Waimea 2008 Sauvignon Blanc & Waimea 2007 Classic Riesling
• Blue-Gold in Sydney International Wine Competition 2009
  - Spinyback 2008 Sauvignon Blanc
• Highly commended in Sydney International Wine Competition 2009
  - Waimea 2006 Dry Riesling & Waimea 2007 Pinot Noir
• Gold in International Aromatic Wine Competition 2008
  - Waimea 2007 Gewürztraminer
• Silver Best in Class in International Wine & Spirit Competition 2008
  - Waimea 2007 Pinot Noir & Spinyback 2008 Sauvignon Blanc
• Silver in International Wine & Spirit Competition 2008
  - Waimea 2008 Sauvignon Blanc
• Gold in India Wine Challenge 2008 (Chief Judge, Robert Joseph, UK)
  - Spinyback 2008 Sauvignon Blanc
• Gold in Sauvignon Blanc First Taste Awards 2008
  - Spinyback 2008 Sauvignon Blanc
• Gold in New Zealand International Wine Show 2008
  - Waimea Bolitho SV 2007 Pinot Gris
• Gold in Liquorland Top 100 2008
  - Waimea Bolitho SV 2006 Riesling
• Trophy for Champion Pinot Gris – Bragato Wine Awards 2008
  - Waimea Bolitho SV 2007 Pinot Gris
• Gold in Bragato Wine Awards 2008
  - Waimea Bolitho SV 2006 Riesling
• 5 stars in Winestate Nelson/Wairarapa Regional Tasting 2007
  - Waimea 2006 Chardonnay
• Top 5 – NZ Gewürztraminer tasting in Cuisine (Feb 2008)
  - Waimea 2007 Gewürztraminer
• Top 5 – NZ Pinot Gris tasting in Cuisine (Feb 2008)
  - Waimea 2007 Pinot Gris

Nelson wines have won four gold medals in the prestigious Air New Zealand Wine Awards.

Waimea Estates is celebrating a haul of three gold medals – for its Waimea Nelson Chardonnay 2008, Waimea Nelson Sauvignon Blanc 2009 and Waimea Nelson Gewurztraminer 2008.

General manager and winemaker Mike Brown said today it was good news, especially for marketing its new vintage sauvignon blanc.

In the past 18 months, Waimea Estates has won 31 gold medals and five trophies in various competitions.

“It’s good benchmarking against our key competition.”

Brightwater Vineyards won a pure-gold medal, designating its sustainable approach, for its Nelson Pinot Gris 2009.

Nelson wines were awarded 33 medals, including four silvers and 25 bronzes.

The most awarded varietal for the region was sauvignon blanc, with nine medals, followed by riesling and pinot gris, with seven and six respectively. Ten of the medals were awarded to sustainable wines.

The trophy winners will be announced at an awards dinner in Christchurch on November 21.

With a decade of vintages under his belt now at Waimea, Mark Ching is one of Waimea’s longest-standing employees.  His first vintage was alongside Mike Brown as a 17 year-old, back in 2000, when the two guys by themselves pushed a modest 100 tonnes through a tiny 3 tonne press.  How times have changed!  Mark has grown up alongside the company, putting himself through EIT (Eastern Institute of Technology) to obtain winemaking qualifications, and working vintages at two cult Californian wineries.  These days he is our Winery Manager, running the cellar, meeting production deadlines, training staff – and all importantly keeping the grapes moving through the front end at harvest time!

Currently Mark is in the Mosel in Germany, working a vintage there.  We’ve had two great guys from family wineries in the Mosel work for us, Dennis and Marco, so no doubt the three of them will all be working hard / playing hard right about now!  When at home, Mark lives on our Hope Vineyard with partner Ali, boxer Lennox and a few chooks.

We all at Waimea appreciate Mark’s dedication to high standards in the winery, he is one of the reasons the wine from Waimea turns out so well!

Got through another vintage in one piece, but it felt like our easiest yet. A combination of a great team and superb fruit quality made it a breeze (well, as breezy as a vintage can be!)

This year we harvested just shy of 2400 tonnes; this was not quite as much as our record-breaking effort last year, but it was definitely smooth sailing – helped along by one more press to complete our arsenal of four presses.

We had our usual conundrums with tank space (i.e. the lack of it – even with 5 new 50,000 litre tanks!!!), but by now, it’s second nature to Mike Brown, and he has become a dab hand at squeezing every last drop into the winery somehow!

The Season

Spring back in 2008 was a touch wet, which affected flowering, resulting in lower fruit-set. This is actually a good thing, especially for quality and concentration of flavours at harvest. Summer hit with a vengeance and we had some very hot days in January. February was cooler though, and we had a little bit of rain and quite a few overcast days, which significantly reduced the growing degree days for the season – so ultimately, we ended up with a cooler year than the previous two years. Autumn was picture perfect however, with very settled weather and only the merest splash of rain.

This was fantastic from a harvest point of view as we could plan our vintage schedule to pick when we wanted, rather than be bullied around by inclement weather. So all in all – Mike Brown is very pleased with the fruit this year, and considers it the best vintage he has seen in the past decade. The most outstanding varieties were the Riesling (which we picked earlier than we ever have, as it ripened so well), the Pinot Gris and the Chardonnay. The Sauvignon Blanc is shaping up to being on a par with last year’s multiple gold medal-winning effort, while the Pinot Noir is looking to be similar to the excellent ’07.

Vintage Team 2009

The People

Our crew this year included the usual suspects, a mix of old hands, a couple of chefs (Jontaine and René), boyfriends, girlfriends, dads, friends and other helpful hangers-on, all press-ganged into helping us in our moment of need. Our overseas contingent this year included:

• 
  Our first Aussie – Duncan Lowe, who had just survived one of the worst-ever droughts in Bannockburn, Victoria, and was loving our cooler weather; on our few rainy days he refused to wear a coat as he was enjoying it too much!
• Our obligatory German was Dennis Lehmann – a young winemaker from the Mosel Valley, who did a fantastic job overseeing the nightshift, while regaling us with tales of May Day high jinks in the Mosel, involving trees and tractors and girls – don’t ask….
• 
  Laurence Donald – a Kiwi Californian, and a refugee from the high-flying (and now fast-collapsing) world of finance – looking for a change of career, which we could offer. So he pushed many, many tonnes of grapes through that receival bin, but kept on smiling all the same.
• 
  Roman, from Switzerland, and one of our growers Renat’s vineyard workers out on Kina Peninsula, who helped us in the winery as soon as all the Kina fruit was harvested.

For local colour, we had old hand Phil Gladstone join us, he enjoyed being back in the winery after many years in the vineyard; and John Bolitho – Trevor’s brother – loved it so much he is threatening to come back next year. Ali, Cam, Ray, and Darryll all helped out this year, as previously, doing some very long hours, and we are very grateful for their help.

Darryll, a former grapegrower, has ended up staying on with us permanently, which is good news for all.

One small change to the core crew, Trudy took on the challenge of watching the ferments (my old job – as I have taken over Nelson Sales), while I have taken a step back, still keeping track of the vintage with the database, running the Sunday shift, and the odd spot of winemaking. Other than that, the rest of the ‘Waimea lifers’ kept the show on the road with Mike B, Mark, Ben, Trev and the vineyard gang of Greg, Nathan, Sopal, Bill and Steve keeping the fruit coming and processed with minimal fuss. Even the Gregoire harvester had a great vintage and did not blow up this year (bless its cotton socks, or should that be hydraulic hoses?).

And last but most important, Wendy and René (when he wasn’t driving the RDV filter!) made great vintage meals – always a highlight after a 12 hour shift.

Add to that, crazy amounts of espresso coffees beautifully made by Fiona and Rachel – another solid Waimea tradition that we all love – and there you have it, a basic summary of who it takes to make a vintage at Waimea.

Thanks to everyone – and well done us – we’ve survived another vintage. First bottling of the new vintage was from July – starting with the Rosé 2009, made by Trudy this year.

- Wietske van der Pol, Assoc

In these modern times when real men wear pink, it is okay to like rosé! Long a popular wine in Europe, especially in Southern France, their normally dry, tangy rosé makes a refreshing drink on warm days, but still bears a resemblance to red wine, of which the French are so fond. Here in the New World there seems to be an awakening to the appeal of rosé and it is possibly becoming just a little bit trendy. Those of us who are not afraid of the colour pink have long been aware of rosé’s place at the lunch table or on the deck on summer evenings – laughing inwardly as others scoffed, and thinking “oh well, more for me!”

There are several possible “recipes” for rosé. ‘Quick rosé’ can be blended from a small percentage of a finished red wine with a finished white, resulting in a wine with a slightly more tannic, vinous finish than in other methods, but it is none the less a rosé; it is the method for the production of rosé Champagnes in that appellation. A more involved method is to use juice drained from cold-macerating red musts. Some free run juice is drained off the vats once sufficient colour and character is deemed to have been achieved; from here the juice is treated as in white wine making, to maintain as much of the fruity freshness of the delicate pink juice as possible. This method is the most-used by winemakers as the benefits are twofold, a delicate rosé, and also the concentrating effect on the resulting red wine the juice was drawn from. Another method is to press off red musts after a period of skin contact; these wines have a bit more structure. More radically, if an even more robust (and usually darker coloured) rosé is desired, juice may be drained off a red ferment in its early stages.

If you are ready to think pink, you will be surprised by what you may find. Upwards of 100 different rosés are being produced in New Zealand, many tasty examples falling between fifteen and twenty dollars. Most examples are produced by draining or pressing off red musts and most red grape varieties are represented, though Pinot Noir and Merlot rosés tend to dominate. You can find light to medium bodied examples, some dry some off dry, with all the fruit notes the red varieties may lend but in a more delicate, lollied kind of way, and usually featuring a refreshing, shortish finish. Waimea’s 2009 Pinot Rosé had its first outing into the public on the 1st of September, the first day of spring. It was well received by some Lady Lunchalots who enjoyed the notes of watermelon, raspberry and liquor cherries it has to offer. It is an off-dry style with a subtle tannin structure holding the wine together. The typical tangy rosé finish and just off-dry style make it well worth a try. Cin cin!

- Trudy Sheild, Associate Winemaker

Our popular Nelson sales rep Marion Georgiev decided on a lifestyle change late last year, and went off to manage a small farm, which provided an opportunity for long-time employee Wietske van der Pol to move from winemaking into sales.  And wow, is she doing a good job – Wietske presents the wines with genuine passion, great to see.  Wietske is still doing the record-keeping for the winery, and is keeping her hand in by making our Syrah and – from 2010 – our Grüner Veltliner.  With Wietske moving into sales, Trudy Sheild’s role in the winery has been enhanced.  We have the utmost faith in Trudy’s good judgement and intense commitment in meeting production deadlines.  We love her ‘can do’ attitude, Hawkes Bay farm girls rock!  Trudy has a few wines to call all her own now too: the Rosé, Viognier and Dolcetto.  Bruce Barnes, winery and warehouse kingpin, moved with our best wishes to work as Warehouse Manager for our bottlers Vinpro Nelson.  Thanks Bruce for all your hard work these last years…  Darryll Aitken, a former grapegrower and engineer, is the ‘New Bruce’ and just as much of a rock.  See the staff profile for news on Mark, our man in the Mosel.

In the Café, Kelly Lloyd was promoted to Front-of-House Manager,  all smiles and ‘grace under pressure’ our Kelly, and she is working superbly well with our Function Supremo, the ever-capable Jenny Walton.  Seb Heath-Johnson’s first year as our head chef saw some delectable menus and he had able help from Wendy & Irene, and sous chefs René and Jontaine.  The kitchen was a virile environment obviously, as the two sous chefs are now new dads to boys Connor and Kahn respectively.

Vineyard supervisor Nathan will be a first-time dad soon too, and declares it should make him grow up(!), while fully-grown Chief Tractor Driver Greg has been off on a jolly jaunt around England and Italy.  Sopal and the Cambodian community, and now the Burmese community too, continue to serve us very well in the vineyard.

Logistics Manager Mike Thorns is thrilled to be club champion at Totaradale G.C., while Sales & Marketing Manager Martin has been enjoying exploring Nelson with his family.  The office goddesses of Fiona & Rachel remain, as always,  the essential, efficient hub for info, admin and, importantly, coffee.

Finally, between hunting on D’Urville Island, scalloping in Tasman Bay and whitebaiting on the West Coast, Trevor & Ben continue to throw all their enthusiasm into this great little company, create a culture of excellence, and allow us all to thrive!  Thank you Bolitho family.

-  Mike Brown, General Manager

As many of you know by now, I have taken up the challenge of looking after our Nelson sales (since December last year), in addition to my role in the winery as an associate winemaker.  It’s been a very busy ride – learning everything as I go, but I’ve really enjoyed working this side of the wine industry – a complete change of scene from the winery.  It’s been great meeting all of you out there – trade and public – and getting our wines into the stores and restaurants in this wonderful part of the world.

Over summer you may have seen me in at our café, managing the cellar door and helping out with tastings on Sundays.  This was a lot of fun, as I love nothing more than tasting and talking about our wine with folks, it suited me down to a T. Vintage was a busy time, but of recent I think I have been just as busy stickering up our wines with gold medals in the stores!

Summer is fast approaching and with it the tourist season – in the meantime, now is a good time to take a deep breath, pour a glass of Waimea, and enjoy some quieter weeks.

- Wietske van der Pol, Assoc. Winemaker/Nelson Sales

Fish Cakes

• 1kg potatoes
• 2 tbl mustard
• 2 tsp mayonnaise
• 500g fresh fish
• 500g smoked fish
• ½ cup parsley
• ½ cup chives
• 2 eggs yolks
• 100g butter
• salt & pepper

Panné

• 2 cups flour
• 6 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups breadcrumbs
• ½ cup parsley
• zest of 1 lemon
• salt & pepper

Salsa

• 2 red peppers, oven-roasted for 20 mins, deskinned & diced
• ½ punnet  cherry tomatoes, cut into eighths
• 1 avocado, diced
• orange and lime segments, and zest
• spring onion and red onion, finely diced
• 1 chilli, finely diced
• small amount of fresh ginger, finely diced
• dash of extra virgin olive oil
• salt & pepper to taste

Method

Peel potatoes, cut into equal size, boil until tender, drain then return to stove to dry out over low heat. Place fish in a large roasting tray, cover with foil and bake until cooked (approx. 15 mins). Drain and reserve liquid, flake fish then set aside. When potatoes are ready, mash and add remaining ingredients. Spread in a deep tray (the depth will be the height of cake), refrigerate until cold. When set, cut appropriate discs, then panné (dip in flour, then beaten egg and finally seasoned breadcrumbs). When ready to cook, heat pan with oil and cook until lightly coloured on both sides. Finish in the oven for approx. 15-20 mins. Test by piercing with a knife, when removed the knife should be hot.

For the salsa combine all ingredients and season to taste.

Match with a Waimea Sauvignon Blanc.

Recipe by Seb Heath-Johnson, Head Chef at the Café in the Vineyard at Waimea Estates

2009 Spinyback Sauvignon Blanc – RRP $14.90
This very aromatic wine has aromas of limes, nectarines and gooseberries, while the palate is characterised by its freshness, balance and length.

2008 Spinyback Chardonnay – RRP $14.90
A refreshing Chardonnay with vibrant citrus and spicy oak flavours, complemented by a creamy palate with excellent length.

2008 Spinyback Riesling – RRP $14.90
This Riesling has aromas of citrus and stone fruit and a luscious, off-dry palate.

2008 Waimea Classic Riesling – RRP $17.90
This lively medium-style Riesling has aromas of mandarin and grapefruit, with hints of tropical fruit, wild honey and mineral notes.  Perfectly poised with a delicious sugar/acid tension, some ‘spritz’ adds life and leads to a finish that is both lengthy and refreshing.

2008 Waimea Chardonnay – RRP $21.90
This 100% barrel-fermented Chardonnay has aromas of just-ripe stone fruit and creamy lemon curd. The palate is mouth-filling, subtle oak tannins adding a little spice to a creamy mid-palate, and it finishes with exceptional length. An elegant wine that would partner well with white meat dishes or soft cheeses, and will reward cellaring for 3-5 years.

2009 Waimea Pinot Rosé – RRP $17.90
This Rosé was made from Pinot Noir grapes.  Is a medley of watermelon, raspberry and ‘liquor cherries’.  Juicy flavours, fresh acidity, a jot of residual sugar and delicate tannin structure mesh together to make an appetite-stimulating aperitif, or a seductive accompaniment to summer dinners at dusk.

2008 Waimea Barrel Selection Pinot Noir – RRP $23.90
Classic Pinot Noir aromas of dark berries and plums are prominent in this wine, a special blend created from the best of Waimea’s 2008 barrels.  The fruit-led palate is supported by the supple structure of fruit and oak tannins.  This elegant wine will reward cellaring of 3-5 years, with the primary fruit aromas giving way to more earthy, ‘forest floor’ notes.

2008 Waimea Syrah – RRP $21.90
This cool climate Syrah is a single-vineyard wine, having been made with grapes from the north-facing Golden Hills vineyard belonging to Jeff and Sophie Marr. It has notes of redcurrants and violets, while smoked paprika, cedar and mocha gently spice it up.  The palate delivers a mouth-filling experience: the tannins are supple and the finish is both warming and long.

2008 Waimea Dolcetto – RRP $21.90
Dolcetto originates from Piedmont, but this example was also grown on north-facing slopes in Jeff and Sophie Marr’s vineyard.  It is laden with notes of liquorice, almond, spice, tangy plum and marinated cherry.  With soft fruit and oak tannins, the wine partners well with barbequed meats and game.

Waimea Merlot Malbec 2008 – RRP $21.90
Inky deep in colour, this 70/30 twist on a Bordeaux blend has a nose packed with aromas of the blackest plums and the purplest violets, with just a hint of fennel, and possibly some cedar.  This complexity flow through to the palate and on to the long, succulent finish.  Enjoy with hard cheeses on a winter evening in front of the fire!

2006 Waimea Bolitho SV Merlot Malbec – RRP $26.90
This blend of estate-grown fruit comprises 75% Merlot and 25% Malbec. The Merlot provides fruit character and the Malbec the spice and the intrigue! Extended vatting time and 12 months ageing in oak barrels have created an elegant, structured wine.

2006 Waimea Bolitho SV Noble Chardonnay – RRP $29.90
Hand-selected at high Brix levels and with good botrytis take, the 2006 Noble Chardonnay is a superbly rich wine. Fermented in a mixture of new and seasoned barriques, nuances of oak combine with caramelised fruit and honey. A very high residual sugar and a gentle alcohol level make this wine an appealing tincture!