Making The Cut

Seresin's Moana Methode Traditionelle has 'made the cut' in the December issue of New Zealand's premiere golfing magazine. Wine writer Michael Hooper says that "of the dry styles, Seresin Moana is unbeatable, gaining extra points for its environmentally sustainable and practically organic vineyard status."

Available at The French Café in Auckland or from our cellar door.

Into India

Writing for Ambrosia India, Australian Craig Wedge had some lovely things to say about New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and "In the case of Seresin, the belief in the cause and affect of organic wine philosophy has lifted this producer to the top of the heap. The wines are nothing short of extraordinary".

In Mumbai, Seresin's Sauvignon Blanc is available exclusively at the JW Marriott.

Check Please

We enjoyed meeting and spending time with US wine writer/speaker/consultant Leslie Sbrocco at Pinot Noir 2007 in Wellington early this year. While the event was all about New Zealand Pinot Noir, we're glad she discovered other Seresin wines too. As part of her 'Check Please' series Leslie recommends guests at Marché Aux Fleurs enjoy our Sauvignon Blanc.

Mu Shu Match

It's wonderful to see and hear about people around the world enjoying our wines. Over the weekend, we saw an article from the Miami Herald about wine matches for Asian food flavours where Kathryn Morgan, wine director at 2941 Restaurant in Falls Church, Virginia, picked Seresin's 2005 Leah Pinot Noir as a match for hoisin-sauced dishes like Mu Shu Pork.

How's that for a statement about the connected, global village? A wine director from Virgina, USA recommending a New Zealand Pinot Noir as a match for Mu Shu Pork, published in the Miami Herald and seen in Renwick.

Art of Artichokes

We've had a very fruitful artichoke patch this season, so this afternoon we took some time to preserve some of the harvest which we haven't sold at the Farmers' Market.

As a group we peeled, cut and cooked hundreds of artichokes which we then bottled using our own olive oil and herbs from our organic gardens.

Sharing in the fun and a big help with knives were Diana, Kevin and Jason.

For Lovers of (the) Style

Sydney's Daily Telegraph (5 December) had the following to say about the Seresin Estate 2007 Sauvignon Blanc: "Wine like this made Marlborough's reputation as the world leader for fruit-filled sauvignon blanc. And from the great 2007 vintage, this is a must-have for lovers of the style. Forget the rest, this is the best."

For more information about this wine, see our winemaker's video in a previous post.

Dynamic Duo

Alan Parker and Michael Seresin.

The joint contribution of Alan Parker and Michael Seresin as a Director-Cinematographer team was recognised last week at PLUS CAMERIMAGE, the International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography.

Held annually in Lodz, Poland, PLUS CAMERIMAGE is the most recognized festival dedicated to the art of cinematography and its creators - cinematographers.

The Duo Director-Cinematographer Award at PLUS CAMERIMAGE 2007 was presented to Alan Parker and Michael Seresin who worked together on such movies as Bugsy Malone, Midnight Express, Fame, Birdy, Angel Heart, Come See the Paradise, Angela's Ashes and Life of David Gale.

Apart from these films, Michael Seresin was also the cinematographer for City Hall, Mercury Rising, Domestic Disturbance, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. He also shot one segment of Paris, I Love You and his latest feature Step Up.

Just finishing up a new film project in London, Michael is due to arrive back in New Zealand next week. Before he heads out to Waterfall Bay in the Marlborough Sounds, where he will spend some time with his son Misha for Christmas, we will open a bottle of wine to toast his success.

Staff Thinning

In a big corporation, the phrase 'staff thinning' might refer to an exercise-diet programme or a restructuring/redundancy process. We're pleased that at Seresin it means something entirely different.

A little over 2 months ago, after a Wednesday morning staff meeting, we pruned the staff rows of Semillon beside our cellar door. Check out the previous post to see what the vines looked like at the end of September - very different to now, with flowering in full force.

Shoot-thinning, done by hand, is a process of removing some of the new shoots from a growing vine. There are a number of reasons we shoot-thin; for plant health, for fruit quality and to manage yields, and these reasons are heavily inter-related.

We remove shoots which are growing outside the zone we can manage (eg shoots growing horizontally outwards, or downwards) and we remove shoots which might be 'crowding' in a small space. By having a nicely balanced vine, with shoots growing with even spacing we're aiming to manage yields and provide a framework where grapes can ripen evenly. A well-spaced and well-ventilated canopy also allows air to circulate, reducing disease risk. This is especially important in our organic system, instead of using chemicals to prevent or treat disease.

Having a reasonably open canopy also allows the sun to reach the growing points of each shoot. This is important for next year's crop. Receptors in the plant recognise the sun and respond with a cellular commitment to produce a fruitful shoot next year. If it's too cold or if there is insufficient light, the vine's defense mechanism is to protect and preserve it's energy by growing leaf instead of bunches.

By removing shoots we are also removing potential bunches of grapes. Lower yields are desirable from a quality perspective and also for plant health. We aim for low yields to deliver the style of wine we are aiming for. We also consider what yields are appropriate for the vine and are careful not to put too much stress on a vine by asking it to carry more bunches than we think it can carry and ripen. Again, this is important to our organic practices as we don't artificially 'pump up' our vines with synthetic fertilisers and chemicals.

Our staff thinning activity this morning was fueled by Darren's very accomplished and tasty Sushi and chocolate-noodle treats. Come to think of it, that staff-thining exercise-diet programme might be useful .....

Welcome

"Welcome" to Alexis and Wendy who joined the Seresin team this week. Alexis, on the left, joins us from Canada in a new role spanning the whole enterprise; part of the year in the vineyards and for the rest of the year in the winery, espeically over the busy vintage and winemaking period (March - July). Wendy, from the USA, joins us as Biodynamic Practicioner as part of Estate Manager Colin Ross's team. We're pleased to have them on board, bringing new experience, skills, energy, ideas and expertise to Seresin Estate.

Wine Loft

Congratualtions to our friends David and Graham on the opening of the Wine Loft in Wellington last week. If you know Wine Loft in Auckland (Wine Bar of the Year 2007), there's a lot about the Wellington site that will seem familiar; the warm decor, comfy leather couches, wine-friendly food and, not least, huge wine list with many by-the-glass. Something Auckland patrons can be envious of, the Wellington site (73 The Terrace) also features a rooftop 'Champagne Garden' perfectly situated to benefit from Wellington's afternoon sun and tucked away from the wind Wellington is better known for.

After lengthy delays (see the plaque near the bar supplied by landlord Bob Jones and dedicated to the challenges of the building process), it's great to see Wine Loft Wellington open in time for long festive-season lunches, but we're sure it will be even better when it really gets going in 2008 and then beyond: an institution in the making.

Currently Stocking: Seresin 2005 Riesling (by the glass - you'll then want a bottle!)