Viewing entries by
Jessie Creedmore
“We're proudly Nelson," says winemaker Heidi Seifried-Houghton. "It's time to make some noise about the quality of our wines and our brands and put Nelson on the map as serious wine producers. We're often overlooked because we're small – and quietly going about our business."
The variety of varieties (😊) being selected and winning awards from this region is wide-ranging - and surprising, quite frankly. I mean, we’re only small, right?
New Zealand Champion White Wine has been crowned - and it's Seifried Estate Nelson Sauvignon Blanc 2019! Join us in congratulating the hard working Seifried family on this massive achievement. The trophy announcement at the The New Zealand Wine of the Year™ 2019 Awards Saturday night takes this individual wine's trophy haul to three - to add to the gold and silver medals. It also picked up Champion Sauvignon Blanc and Best Wine: Nelson.
Nelson wine is punching above its weight in both awards and varietal diversity. Here are some results over the last few months.
Every great story has a twist. When looking for New Zealand’s champion Sauvignon Blanc this year many may head to the top of the south, yet only those who venture over the hill will find it.
The New Zealand Wine of the Year™ 2019 Awards have been judged, and the Champion Sauvignon Blanc has been won by Seifried Estate in Nelson.
The Nelson region is renowned for record sunshine, sandy beaches and national parks. It is also home to award winning wines. Seifried Estate has taken home two trophies from the New Zealand Wine Awards with their Sauvignon Blanc also recognised as Best Wine - Nelson region.
Labour weekend cellar door opening hours contained within…
Labour Weekend is the perfect opportunity to trail the fourth largest wine producing region - Nelson Tasman. What a region it is! Views sure to refresh and inspire you, you’ll meander beside seaside and mountain vistas, from the moment you leave your home or hotel, through pretty plains and rolling hills.
‘Cellarbrate’ with us; support your local cellar doors as many commence their Summer season, enjoy Labour Weekend offers including special library releases, snap a photo and share tagging @winenelson, hashtag #nelsonwine to be WIN a special hosted wine tour for yourself and three friends to be enjoyed at a later date.
Brightwater Vineyards 2017 Lord Rutherford Pinot Noir has just been awarded a GOLD MEDAL at the New Zealand International Wineshow.
"This is great.” said Gary Neale of Brightwater Vineyards. "This is Brightwater Vineyards 12th gold medal for Pinot Noir and now means that every vintage of Lord Rutherford Pinot Noir since 2010 has received a gold medal.”
The ‘gold of golds’ Champion Trophy Medal was awarded to Nelson winery Blackenbrook Vineyard for their first-ever vintage of Pinot Blanc at this year’s New Zealand Aromatic Wine Competition in the ‘Other Aromatic’ category.
Held last week at the New Zealand Agricultural Show in Canterbury, the New Zealand Aromatic Wine Competition, in its 16th year, focuses on aromatic wines, such as Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Viognier, and other varieties, including Muscat, Verdelho, Arneis, Rose and Sauvignon Gris, made in an aromatic style from any internationally recognised region.
Susan Campbell loves an #agedsav almost as much as the very mature regenerated native forest on the Falcon Ridge Estate land. As Bob Campbell says of sauvignon blanc, his wine class students often choose one 5 or 6 years old versus a young one, that wine develops some interesting bottle age characters. Sauvignon Blanc grown and made well, ages well. Falcon Ridge’s awards haul backs up the quality of their wines.
A little bird told us that one local Mayor valued the recent Wine Nelson Tasting event so much that “It’s such a great showcase - I’d love to see it turned into an all-day event”. We’re not sure we’ll be taking it to a full day just yet but watch this space.
“This year's judging ended with one of the toughest decisions we judges have had to make for many years, probably the toughest in the time I have been judging this small competition. Deciding a winner between the final two wines took almost half an hour of backwards and forwards discussion.”… - Nelson Mail
One summer’s evening almost 20 years ago, my friend poured us each a glass of sauvignon blanc and, sounding thoroughly impressed with her purchase, she exclaimed: “How fabulous - a woman making wine in New Zealand!”
She was triumphant on behalf of the trail-blazing winemaker – a woman named Kim, she explained, making in-roads into what was very much a man’s world. We chinked our wine glasses in a toast to the impressive Kim Crawford.
Due to embarrassment, I’ve never forgotten the incident. A few years went by before we cottoned on; Kim was a Mister.
What we also had not realised was, for many years before Mr Crawford made his mark, women had been quietly and steadily making in-roads in New Zealand’s wine industry right across the Nelson Plains and ‘up country’ in the valleys of the Moutere and Tasman.
They’d been digging holes, planting grape-vine saplings, picking grapes and pruning vines, hosting tastings at their cellar doors and filling their car-boots with boxes of their newest vintages to proudly call on restaurants, wine stores and supermarkets.
It’s great hosting visitors to our region, but even better when they write fabulous articles about their experiences when they get home.
Alexandra Cronin (Gregg) traveled to Nelson as part of the UK Flight Centre Famil, and was hosted by Cameron Woods at Tasteology.
Read the full story here.
The New Zealand International Wine Show is the largest wine competition held in New Zealand. Wines from any country and from any variety can be entered and this year over 2,000 wines were received resulting in 257 Gold, 355 Silver and 822 Bronze medals being awarded.
The judging of the 2018 show took place from the 24th to the 26th September and was chaired by Bob Campbell MW, New Zealand's most experienced senior wine judged and this country's leading wine educator. Assistant chief judges were Larry McKenna, John Hancock and Peter Cowley.
Two Nelson producers have been awarded Golds: Brightwater Vineyards’ Lord Rutherford Barrique Chardonnay 2016 and Aronui Nelson Albarino 2016.
Written by Victoria Clark
If there’s one thing Heidi Seifried-Houghton has learned from almost two decades of wine-making, it’s the importance of ‘being in touch’ with the grapes as they’re growing.
There is an old and very true saying in Europe, she says – “the best fertiliser for the vineyard is the winemaker’s footsteps.”
Written by Victoria Clark
Two days after graduating from a four-year design degree, Rosie Finn flew to London, determined to become “the next great photographer.”
Her parents, Judy and Tim Finn, had known for many years their only child had no intention of ever joining the family business, Neudorf Vineyards, which they’d founded in the 1970s; and, Rosie says, “they loved that I was going after my dream career.”
Even so, just hours before Rosie left New Zealand – with little money and no job organised - her understandably-anxious mother posted on social media: “Does anyone want to have a coffee with Rosie? She’s coming to London.”
Written by Victoria Clark
Rachel Taulelei’s passion for the wines she markets through her role as CEO of Kono, runs deep.
The Kono range of wines, Aronui, Tohu and Kono, are produced on land close to where Rachel’s whanau settled many years ago. Her ancestors migrated to ‘the top of the South’ (Te Tau Ihu) from Kawhia in the 1820s and 1830s.
“Our wines are drawn from land that is ancestral to our people,” she explains. “That sense of place, that sense of home is our Turangawaewae.
Check out this bowl of deliciousness that pairs beautifully with a Nelson Sauvignon Blanc. Seriously good.
Hearts of Palm Avocado Salad with Shrimp - recipe from Eating Bird Food
Written by Victoria Clark
Co-owner of Blackenbrook Vineyard, Ursula Schwazenbach, believes ‘marketing’ is simply a glorified term for relationships.
“If you talk with people, thinking of them as new friends rather than potential customers, then it usually works out,” says Ursula with a smile. She is passionate about marketing “because I enjoy dealing with people, and relationships are important to me. They are key in any business.”
