Greylands Ridge Newsletter May 2008

Greylands Ridge Newsletter february 2009

Welcome all to 2009, a year of interest for us all. Certainly there are plenty of challenges as the current vernacular goes.

We are just about to net the blocks.
Grapes are going into veraison.
Crop will be down on last year.
Fruit quality is good.
Tasting house plans are progressing but economic climate will dictate whether it goes ahead this year.

Marketing & Sales

We have contracted Alastair McLean of Wanaka to do marketing and sales for us. Alastair has worked in the wine industry in New Zealand (Caro’s in Auckland) and in the UK including managing a wine company there and has a good knowledge of burgundy wines.

Pinot Celebration-Queenstown

Judy and I attended the Pinot Celebration in Queenstown last month. A very “full on” two days. Lots of tasting and excellent food and wine including a tasting of five 2001 Grand Cru Burgundy wines some of them priced at a few thousand pounds for a six pack!! And you think WE are expensive! Shows us what we need to aspire to.

Jasper Morris MW said the 2006 was “A bloke’s wine”. The 2007 was served with the main course at lunch at Rippon vineyard (Chef Tiffany Firth of Tiritiri Lodge) where the guest was Jancis Robinson MW and was very well received. Served with a rack of Merino Lamb - excellent.

New Wines

We are bottling our 2008 vintage in early March. The top Barrels in the newest Oak will go into the Greylands Ridge label as our premium wine.

We will also be bottling a second label called Ridgeback ALEX named after our old SPCA pound puppy who died in 2004 and is buried overlooking our back block. This will be priced more approachably but will still be good quality. 3% of sales will go to RSPCA New Zealand from this wine.

This will be released in the spring so keep an eye on the website, it has a Quirky label.

Best wishes to you all for 2009.

Patrick and Judy