Monty Waldin's Take on Biodynamics

Inspirational wine journalist Monty Waldin, author of the definitive biodynamic text 'Biodynamic Wine Guide', has posted this short video about biodynamics and its place in winegrowing and winemaking. He describes it as a "self sufficient way of farming which makes complete sense to me - and its changed my life". It's our favourite video at the moment - it's beautifully filmed, and it gives a great introduction to biodynamics.

Enjoy!

Seresin Winemakers Dinner at The Providores

These are a few photos from one point of view of a winemakers dinner at The Providores the other night. Peter Gordon and Christian Hossack produced wonderful food which matched with our wines perfectly. It was a lovely crowd, superb service and a witty and informative talk from Clive. Thank you all for a truly delightful evening.

Michael Seresin

Our newest resident

We have just been applying our spring dose of Biodynamic Preparation 500 to our entire estate - olives, vines, gardens and pasture alike. While the team was at Raupo Creek, our vineyard in the Omaka Valley, Erin got our closest contact yet with the newest Seresin resident.

Released as an injured hawk, Shaman (as he's been affectionately named) seems to have really settled in and is happy to call Raupo home.

Cows and Wine - a Fine Pairing

What do cows have to do with the creation of a fine wine? One might wonder. For us, the two go hand in hand. Cows are earthly creatures, connected to the earth more so than many others. They are heavy, pensive, and generally calm. Through their physical presence on the land and our use of their manures in our compost, compost teas and cow pat pits, this earthly influence permeates the Estate. Both energetically and physically, they help us to grow vines that are more deeply connected to the land, to our terroir.

From a biodynamic perspective, cows, particularly ones that are lactating (producing milk), are an essential part of a farm. Nayan, who was the first Jersey calf that we brought onto the farm, is now fully grown and has just had her first calf, Kiran (Hindu for ‘ray of light from the sun’). We like to think of Kiran as a force of warming, positive and formative energy on the land, like the sun. She is particularly significant to us since she is the first milking cow born on our land, a true biodynamic cow. She is of this land and her connection to it will be passed on to us, our vines and wines, through her energy and manure, for many years to come.

Welcome 'home' Kiran!

An Evocative Reportage from Paris

An evocative reportage from a few days in Paris, the City of Light and Bordeaux too.

We were visiting to introduce our wines. Lovely and positive comments from both professionals and amateurs. In the original sense of the word. Doing something for the love of it.

Thanks to Vins du Monde, Lavinia, bu Vin, the oldest wine store in Paris, Les Caves Auge [1850], and of course the French, and Justyna for the photos.

Michael Seresin

Seresin at Number 10

Earlier this month, The Providores restaurant catered a canapé reception at Number 10 Downing Street, the headquarters of the UK Government and residence of the Prime Minister. The occasion was a thank-you for all the supporters of the Leuka charity over the years, and The Providores were invited to host this at Downing Street by Samantha Cameron. Our 2009 Seresin Sauvignon Blanc was chosen as one of only two wines to be served on the night to accompany canapés prepared by The Providores Head Chef Cristian Hossack. It was an honour to have our wine chosen to showcase New Zealand with food from such a respected restaurant in such a prestigious address.

Leuka raises funds to support life-saving research into the causes and treatment of leukaemia and other blood disorders. The Providores co-owner, Peter Gordon, has been a long time supporter of Leuka and in 1997 came up with ‘Who’s Cooking Dinner?’ a gastronomic charity event to fundraise for the cause.

Seresin Landfall Residency 2011

In partnership with the Otago University Press, we are delighted to announce poet and fiction writer Serie Barford as the 2011 recipient of the Seresin Landfall Residency.

Barford has been publishing her work since 1985 and first had a short story in Landfall in 1987. After the 2007 publication of Tapa Talk, her third book of poetry, she returned to writing short stories, and this spring will use the Residency to work on a collection at Waterfall Bay in the Marlborough Sounds.

Serie Barford says ‘I’m delighted to be the recipient of the Seresin Landfall Residency. I’ve so many ideas and I’m grateful for the opportunity to establish creative space in a beautiful location. I’ll forget about the demands of my day job and will immerse myself in storytelling for a while. Fa’afetai tele lava.’

The stories in the collection are based on the concept of teu le va, the Samoan notion of taking care of relationships within and between the visible and invisible worlds.

Michael Seresin says ‘the creative world, in all its manifestations is a tough one to survive in, let alone thrive. I hope the powerful land & seascape of Waterfall Bay will provide a haven for Serie to find some stimulus to help her undoubted talent as a writer and poet. I love her work and know she is deserving of this award.’

Harvest 2011 Video

At the beginning of harvest, we had Aaron Dickson visit us to film this short video. Filmed for a Spring tasting with our UK importer, Armit, the video shows a snapshot of Seresin and the 2011 vintage with our winemaker, Clive Dougall.

Harvest 2011 Begins

This week marked the start of our 2011 grape harvest at Seresin. We kicked off with a small pick of pinot noir and chardonnay which will become our sparkling wine. (Don't hold your breath though - it will be another 3 years before this wine will be released!)

Seresin Vineyard Hand's Erin and Sean picking and sorting chardonnay on our Home Vineyard.

It was a gorgeous day to start our harvest. We hope Mother Nature will continue to give us beautiful days like this, allowing the grapes to continue ripening and be picked at their best.

Thank you to Peter Burge who kindly supplied these images.

Seresin Landfall Residency 2011

This New Year, we are delighted to announce the third annual Seresin Landfall Residency. Established in 2009 with the Otago University Press, the residency gives a writer the opportunity to spend six weeks in either Tuscany or Marlborough to work on a writing project.

The residency is the result of Michael Seresin's commitment to the arts and creative endeavour, and his desire to support the work of Landfall magazine. "I wanted to provide a place where writers feel comfortable and can write. We are fortunate to have access to two beautiful properties, which I hope will provide some inspiration for a writer during their six week stay."

Previous winners have included C.K. Stead, who took the opportunity to complete his memoirs, Southwest of Eden, and in 2010 Wystan Curnow, who worked on a book about Colin McCahon.

The residency is open to writers over twenty-one, working in any genre, who have previously published at least one book. Candidates should be New Zealand citizens or permanent residents. To find out more about the residency, or for more information about how to apply, please visit the Otago University Press website.