Seresin's Fourth Estate

Waterfall Bay Food & Wine Festival 2012

2012-01-25T14:01:00.005+13:00

Nestled amongst native bush overlooking Waterfall Bay in the Marlborough Sounds, our occasional restaurant will again welcome guests to share in Seresin Estate’s Food & Wine Festival. Hamish Brown from ROKA restaurant in London is returning to the Waterfall Bay kitchen as our guest Chef for 2012.

Hamish spent his formative years growing up amongst Canterbury’s farming community. Learning the art and craft of food from his father, Graham Brown, a chef who has owned restaurants in New Zealand and Australia, Hamish developed a sense for the quality of lo cal ingredients and a passion for combining the Asian cuisines which make up the Western Pacific Rim..

After establishing himself in New Zealand, Hamish left New Zealand for England. His first employer was expatriate Peter Gordon at his London restaurant Providores where he worked for 18 months. Since 2006, Hamish has been at ROKA and has recently been promoted to Executive Chef, responsible for the London operations and future ROKA projects. Part of the worldwide Zuma-ROKA restaurant group, ROKA is renowned for its contemporary Japanese-inspired food.

“I missed out on Hamish’s previous stint at Waterfall Bay – so the only way to enjoy his food in New Zealand was to invite him back to Waterfall Bay. I’m sure our guests will agree”, says Michael Seresin.

Hamish adds “after my first visit to Waterfall Bay I was inspired by the Seresin ethos and really want to reflect that in this year’s dinners - using Seresin-grown organic salads and vegetables, combined with locally grown produce and, my favourite, foraging at Waterfall Bay itself”.

Tickets are $285 per person and are inclusive of a five course meal with matching wines and return boat transport from Picton. There is currently limited availability at Dinner on Thursday 9th February. Please contact us if you would like to make a reservation.

Reservations: Contact Moir Laird - moir@seresin.co.nz or +64 (0)3 572 9408

Dinners on Friday 10th, Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th, as well as lunches on Friday 10th and Sunday 12th are fully booked.

Monty Waldin's Take on Biodynamics

2011-11-17T09:55:00.006+13:00

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

2011-10-25T14:04:00.013+13:00

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

2011-10-20T08:30:00.007+13:00

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

2011-09-21T08:41:00.012+12:00

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

2011-09-20T10:45:00.008+12:00

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

2011-07-13T10:15:00.007+12:00

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

2011-05-26T09:42:00.004+12:00

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

2011-04-12T13:32:00.005+12:00

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

2011-03-25T11:23:00.006+13:00

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

2011-01-24T10:55:00.002+13:00

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.

The Peacock's Tail

2010-12-07T11:48:00.009+13:00

This morning our copy of the latest Gourmet Traveller Wine arrived at the winery, with this glowing review from Bob Campbell MW of our 2007 Raupo Creek Pinot Noir:

'96 points, 5 stars. Concentrated, yet delicate wine showing surprising power and flavour length. Layers of cherry and berries, floral and savoury fruit flavours create a peacock's-tail effect on the finish. Very classy and attractive wine indeed.'

And the Sydney Morning Herald are running a feature on Huon Hooke's Top 50 wines for

Summer, and in his Sauvignon Blanc selection, the 2009 Seresin Sauvignon Blanc was the only New Zealand Sauvignon featured in a line-up of 6 international examples.

'93 points. A powerful sauvignon blanc that's a far cry from your typical Marlborough offering, with 14 per cent alcohol and rich, mouth-filling flavours. It has satisfying depth and complexity of character. Subtle barrel influence adds dimension. More, please!'

Huon suggests pairing the wine with Snapper and red capsicum puree. Delicious!

Opera in a Days Bay Garden

2010-11-17T16:50:00.007+13:00

We are pleased to once again be supporting 'Opera in a Days Bay Garden' who are presenting Rossini's 'The Journey to Rheims' in outdoor European style. Guests will be welcomed with a glass of Seresin Sauvignon Blanc and enjoy a night of opera in Wellington's stunning Days Bay.

Organiser Rhona Fraser says 'musical performances in the garden sum up my life long asthetic. Music and nature, beautifully combined to create a higher art... I invite you to enjoy a very New Zealand performance. A New Zealand cast in a garden surrounded by nature in all its glory, with native beech forest framing the open air theatre, under our own Southern stars.'

For more information about the show or to book tickets, check out their website.

A note from a WWOOFer

2010-11-10T14:50:00.004+13:00

Laying the foundations of a compost pile.

I spent two awesome weeks WWOOFing (Willing Workers On Organic Farms) at Seresin Estate. I will never forget all that I learnt from working with this team! Thank you to everybody for the tons of compost we made - my hands will smell like it for weeks!

This was my fourth experience working on an organic farm, and the one which confirmed that I have found my passion - all because of the happiness these people are giving to this place!

By Jeremy Therond of Montpellier, France

A Biodynamic Bible

2010-11-10T11:53:00.005+13:00

We had a parcel arrive at the winery last week - a box containing Monty Waldin's Biodynamic Wine Guide 2011.

As well as being a highly respected wine writer and host of 'Chateau Monty', Waldin is well versed when it comes to organic and biodynamic winegrowing.

Monty has self-published the third edition of the book; a comprehensive guide to biodynamic wine. He clearly and concisely explains the ins and outs of biodynamic winegrowing and how it differs from organic and conventional wine, and profiles over 1500 wineries embracing biodynamics - including Seresin, which has one of the longest profiles of any winery in the book.

Otherwise only available on Lulu.com, we have five copies of guide for sale in our Cellar Door. If you would like to get your hands on a copy, please send us an email.

Diary of a WWOOFer

2010-11-08T10:46:00.004+13:00

Melanie with some of the Seresin chickens.

At Seresin we have had two French WWOOFers with us for the last few weeks - sisters Melanie and Laetitia Quilici from Paris. And to the great delight of the staff, they were as handy around the estate as they are talented at making crepes!

Laetitia making crepes.

The sisters say 'we learned a lot of things, it is a lovely place and the people are really nice. I would recommend Seresin to anyone who wants to WWOOF in New Zealand.'

Horses Of Course

2010-10-22T12:36:00.008+13:00

It's the time of year when our three vineyards receive their annual application of of Biodynamic Preparation 500. Last week, we hand applied 500 to our Raupo Creek vineyard.

Staff hand-stirring Preparation 500 for spraying on our Raupo Creek Vineyard.

Our Estate Manager Colin Ross took a short video of the staff standing at the top of the hill ready to spread the preparation over the Pinot Noir vines.

And yesterday it was the Home Vineyard's turn; using both staff and our one horsepower tractor, Bill.

Six year old Bill and his brother Tom are Seresin's newest additions. They came to us six weeks ago, and have been being trained by Phil Amberger. Phil and his brother Ron are shown here driving the horse sprayer.

Bill and Tom pull our specially designed Seresin Bertolini Horse Drawn Sprayer, which will spray up to 30 hectares of our Home Vineyard with Biodynamic Preparations and Compost Tea this year.

WWOOFing at Seresin

2010-10-18T10:54:00.004+13:00

Anna with Bill and Tom, our two clydesdale horses.

We were lucky enough to have Anna Gual, a hardworking WWOOFer from Spain, with us for several weeks recently. Anna says 'Seresin is a place that I would like to spent at least one year of my life. Not only for knowledge and to learn, but also for all of you who work on the farm. I think you form a good team and that makes it all work well.'

Anna bringing Olga in for milking.

Thank you Anna for all your hard work!

Vine Life - Bud Burst

2010-10-07T14:25:00.007+13:00

Last week our Semillon vine reached the Bud Burst stage. This is when the vine leaves dormancy - the sap starts to flow through the vine, the hard scales that have protected the tiny buds all winter peel back and let the vine really start to take off. It's a sure sign Spring has arrived!

And just a week later, the first leaves have started to unfold.

At the moment we are spraying compost tea across our entire estate, and this week the Home vineyard and the Semillon block got a turn.

Spraying compost tea helps create a culture of diverse biology on the vines and in the soil. This helps break down the canes (the pruned wood from last years vine growth) that we mulched into the soil under the vines through Winter. This biology also consumes any powdery mildew spores which are present on the vines from last year, and essentially does a big Spring clean of the vines and soil. This means we can delay spraying sulphur across the estate, because this biology is doing some of the cleaning up that sulphur would otherwise do. This Semillon block is completely sulphur free, so it's particularly important there is a strong, healthy environment to begin the growing season with.

The diverse biology that compost tea encourages also helps keep all the biology in check. Any disease cells present, like botrytis or powdery mildew, have to compete with all the beneficial bacteria and fungi. This maintains a balance in the biology and makes it very difficult for any particular species to get out of control.

Our compost tea also contains some biodynamic preparation 507 in it this time of year, to help protect the vulnerable new buds from frost damage. 507 is made with Valerian, a plant which has properties which excite bacteria - essentially making them move around and generate a small amount of warmth around the buds.

Dine with Seresin

2010-09-14T09:58:00.008+12:00

This Monday, dine by Peter Gordon is hosting a Seresin Winemaker's Dinner. Join Seresin winemaker Clive Dougall for a six course degustation menu featuring Akaroa salmon, smoked kahawai and prawn tortellini, Cambridge duck, Cervena venison and a sesame Bombe Alaska; all matched with Seresin wines.

This dinner is on Monday 20th September at 6.30pm in Auckland, New Zealand. To make a booking please contact dine on 09 363 6000 or for more information please visit their website.

We would love to see you there!

A Complex Issue

2010-09-13T14:08:00.004+12:00

This week marks the launch of an exciting New Zealand wine initiative in the USA; Complexity.

Complexity brings together 21 of New Zealand's great wineries with a single purpose: to establish our nation's credentials in the world of fine wine. The 59 fine wines in the Complexity portfolio showcase the diverse nature of our eight great wine growing regions.

We are really excited to be a part of this project, and have four Seresin wines included in the programme. Our Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay Reserve, Leah Pinot Noir, and Rachel Pinot Noir were all selected.

The Complexity website is a spectacular display of New Zealand and our wines, producers and regions, and for more information about the initiative, please visit the website.

Diary of a WWOOFer

2010-09-13T10:47:00.008+12:00

September 1

Today was another sunny day in Marlborough, and my first day WWOOFing at Seresin. The Seresin vineyards have an abundance of plant growth and the land looks healthy and lively. I met the vineyard team who were warm and keen to help me learn more about organics and biodynamics. They range from PhD graduates to gardeners, from India to Nova Scotia and work in all areas from pruning to milking to biodynamic preparations.

Right off the bat I got my hands dirty in the vegetable gardens in the Home Vineyard where rows of grapes have been removed. Sean (a well travelled farming guru) and I planted hundreds of onions using Japanese Nawashi tools to break up the soil. At 10am the team breaks for 'smoko' where we gather eggs, vegetables and rocket for a snack and people share fresh bread and cheese they've made.

In the afternoon Rob (an ex-Psychology professor) and I suited up like astronauts to go and check the beehives. Thousands of buzzing bees greeted us and we checked for Verroa mites which kill the hive and its honey production. The hive was thriving so we split it to start a new hive and in 21 days a queen will have been chosen and the new hive will grow.

September 3

The vineyard has about 40 chickens, ranging from zebra-striped barred-rocks to 1970's wallpaper patterned barnavelda, which produce eggs for the staff and the shells are used in the compost for their calcium. The chickens spend their days exploring every nook and cranny of the farm, and sometimes lay in the strangest places. This morning Erin (the apprentice) and I cleaned the coops and collected dry pine needles to lay in their cubbies.

Afterwards we walked Bill and Tom, our two clydesdale horses, to a fresh field so we could collect their manure for compost. The friendly giants are used to pull the spray machines in the vineyard.

Wendy and Kevin showed me how to make cowpat pits that result in highly nutritious soil for the crops. We turned a bathtub full amount of cow manure collected from the dairy cow over the week, added crushed eggshells and basalt meal until it was aerated and mixed. We placed the manure into brick pits in the ground where earthworms will work to decompose it. Finally we added biodynamic preparations 502-507; yarrow, chamomile, stinging nettle, oak bark, dandelion and valerian. In three months this decomposed mix will be spread through the vineyard to increase moisture absorption, earthworm and humus forming bacterial activity, and root penetration.

September 6

First thing this morning, I met Olga the milking cow. Wendy (a biodynamic expert) and I collected her from the vineyard and took her to the milking shed where she was given a treat of molasses, water and a salt crystal to lick. I learned how to squeeze the udder, pulling the milk down to prevent mastitis. From 4 udders and 4 hands we gathered 8 litres of milk! Afterwards I took Olga outside for a thorough brush. We returned her to the vineyard to roam freely and I collected her manure for future cow pat pits.

Back in the meticulously clean milk shed, we filtered and bottled the milk, to be separated from the cream tomorrow. I put yesterdays milk into a huge bottle and churned it for an hour until it turned into butter. Once solid, I washed the rem

aining milk from the butter and molded it into bricks. For lunch our guests from the Nelson Wine Company in Melbourne were served some very fresh butter!

September 7

Today I learned how to make compost tea. On our 1980's Jeep we collected year old compost as dark as 70% chocolate. All organic waste is saved daily to contribute to the compost. We took the compost to the mixing tanks where we added water, biodynamic preparations, molasses and sweet-smelling seaweed which had been aerated in a freeflow tank, and we left this all to mix. This liquid seaweed fertiliser will be sprayed on the estate at a later date to improve the health of the soil and grape growth.

Later on, the rest of the onions were planted and I weeded the raspberry field. I picked fresh leeks and potatoes from the gardens which I used to make a delicious soup.

By Meg Blakeman, WWOOFer from Niagara-On-The-Lake, Canada. September 2010.

Vine Life - Pruning

2010-08-26T09:56:00.007+12:00

Between now and harvest in April 2011, we are going to blog the growing season of a Seresin vine to show how we manage our vineyards and what being biodynamic means for us. Every time we touch this vine, be it pruning, leaf-plucking, or spraying compost tea we'll show you what we're doing and why.

Outside our Cellar Door are a few rows of Semillon vines, the fruit from which makes up around 5 per cent of our Seresin Sauvignon Blanc each year. We have chosen one of these vines to profile.

Yesterday brought the first job of the growing season for this Semillon vine; pruning it to remove last years growth and getting the plant ready to grow again. Here Wendy is removing some of the old wood.

While Semillon is typically spur pruned, we also prune almost all the vines on our estate the same way, which is not so typical. There's a great picture here which shows the difference between spur and cane pruning. We find that spur pruning gives us more control of how the vine grows and the spacing between the shoots. It also means that the vine naturally yields less fruit, which improves quality. It also makes the vine hardier, and gives it a buffer against damage from frost and grass grub.

Coming Out of Winter

2010-08-21T15:36:00.005+12:00

We’ve had rather wet winter this year, but temperatures are starting to rise already (along with the daffodils) and in no time at all, budburst will be here. In the meantime, we’ve been busy pruning the vines, through June, July and August. Most of our vines are spur pruned. For this type of pruning, we cut out the canes (shoots that are now woody) that grew last year, but keep a “spur” of wood with 2 buds at the base of the cane. It will be these buds that will provide the bunches for this years’ crop. Some of the canes are completely removed to allow for better sun exposure and airflow, as well as to ‘guide’ how many bunches the vine will produce. Most of the canes we cut out get mulched in the vine rows and the woodchips break down naturally into the soil. This year, some of our canes were collected, mulched, and used in our compost. They provide a great source of woody material (carbon source) for our compost. Making compost is another main winter activity for us. To learn more about how and why we make compost, have a look at our composting blog.

2011 Waterfall Bay Food & Wine Festival - Chef Annoucement

2010-08-18T15:33:00.000+12:00

Nestled amongst native bush overlooking Waterfall Bay in the Marlborough Sounds, our occasional restaurant will again welcome guests to share in Seresin Estate’s own Food & Wine Festival. Guest Chef for 2011 is Liza Shaw from A16 restaurant in San Francisco.

Liza Shaw is Executive Chef and Partner in A16, a restaurant devoted to the food of Campania and named after the highway which runs from Naples to Canosa, Puglia. The food of A16 has its roots in the Mezzogiorno, commonly known as Southern Italy, and in la cucina povera, the art of wasting nothing whilst creating dishes that don’t sacrifice taste or goodness.

Liza Shaw says diners can expect a menu which celebrates local New Zealand ingredients, with a Southern Italian slant. “My food is honest and soulful, with focused flavours that celebrate the seasons and ingredients at their peak. Handmade pastas, simple seafood preparations, house-butchered and cured meats, all enhanced by bright flavours and high quality ingredients.”

Dinners: Friday 11th, Saturday 12th, Sunday 13th and Monday 14th February
Lunches: Sunday 13th and Monday 14th

Reservations contact Moir Laird: moir@seresin.co.nz or Ph. +6435729408
Payment will be required to secure your reservation.

MANA - Marlborough Natural Winegrowers

2010-08-18T08:30:00.002+12:00

We're very pleased to be a part of MANA Natural Winegrowers, a group of five, like-minded premium Marlborough wineries who have joined together to help promote Marlborough as one of the world's great wine regions.

Please see below for the full press release. If you would like to know more please visit the MANA website or contact Seresin General Manager, MJ Loza, on mj@seresin.co.nz

Marcia's Pollo Arrosto with Seresin Chardonnay Reserve

2010-08-17T09:59:00.000+12:00

Pollo Arrosto is one of Seresin Cook, Marcia Chang-Hong's, favourite winter dishes. Perfect for a dinner party, Marcia says this dish is a huge hit with anyone lucky enough to be invited to her place for a meal.

Marcia says "it works well as you can prepare it hours before-hand and pop it into the oven an hour before you want to eat. It's also great for a big group. I like to serve the whole dish on the table as it looks great coming out of the oven."

Marcia suggests chopping about 4 large Desiree potatoes into big chunks, seasoning and covering them with a coating of olive oil before layering in the roasting pan under the chicken. "The potatoes soak up all the yummy juices of the chicken as it cooks, delicious served with a green salad and some crusty bread."

Try this matched with a glass of the new release 2008 Chardonnay Reserve.

Lemon and Rosemary Chicken (Pollo Arrosto)

1 x 1.5kg chicken, cut into 8 pieces
1⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1⁄2 cup fresh rosemary leaves
1⁄4 cup fresh lemon juice
10 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 lemon, peel removed, pith and pulp chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Toss chicken with oil, rosemary, lemon juice, garlic, lemon, and salt and pepper in bowl. Marinate for a couple of hours.

2. Heat oven to 245°C. Arrange chicken in baking dish; add remaining marinade. Roast, flipping once, until cooked through, 30–40 minutes.

SERVES 4

Fair Weather Blends

2010-08-13T14:40:00.001+12:00

Small is beautiful, according to wine writer, Neal Martin. Check out his article on three boutique New Zealand wineries (including Seresin) who "beat the odds to develop praise-worthy wines in fragile micro-climates."

2010-08-03T13:26:00.005+12:00

When Raewyn Atkinson left New Zealand to live in the USA, we were very sad to see her go. An acclaimed ceramic artist, we enjoyed catching up with her and Shaun in Wellington during our visits there -often sharing a glass of wine and meal with them.

The olive oil dishes for sale in our cellar door are a lovely reminder of her, as are the specially commissioned tableware and 'Light' installation at Waterfall Bay.

Of course we haven't lost touch with them and we especially enjoy hearing about their adventures in the USA. As unofficial brand ambassadors, they are busy introducing their new friends to our wines.

Here, Shaun is loading up with supplies from Vintage Berkeley - aptly located on Vine Street. Apparently the 2008 Seresin Sauvignon Blanc was a big hit with friends during a vacation at Lake Tahoe.

We're pleased they're enjoying a small part of New Zealand in the USA.

The Man Who Married Himself

2010-08-02T08:26:00.000+12:00

Michael Seresin's latest film project, The Man Who Married Himself, premiered at the LA Shorts Fest at the weekend, winning Best Comedy.

The short film is about Oliver who, in his mid-forties, is fed up with failed relationships so decides to get married, to himself. His unusual union is a triumph until he starts feeling that something is missing from his life. He starts looking for happiness elsewhere and discovers some truths about life and love on the way.

Check out the film's trailer here.

With the win at the weekend, the film is now eligible for consideration at the Oscars.

Seresin with Fish in Dish

2010-07-27T16:05:00.007+12:00

In this month's issue of Dish Magazine was this delicious looking recipe matched with the 2009 Seresin Sauvignon Blanc. We can't wait to try it out!

Market Fish with White Wine, Grapes and Tarragon

For the fish:
750 gram fillets firm white fish, such as gurnard
1/2 cup plain flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
knob of butter

For the sauce:
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken or fish stock
3 tablespoons cream
1 cup seedless grapes, halved
1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method for the fish:
Put the flour in a shallow dish and season with sea salt and pepper. Dust the fish in the flour, shaking off the excess.
Heat the olive oil in a saute pan and drop in the butter. Add the fish and cook until golden on both sides and just cooked through. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.
Don't wash the saute pan!

Method for the Sauce:
Add the spring onions, garlic, tarragon and white wine to the pan. Cook over a high heat until most of the wine has evaporated., scraping the base of the pan to release any sticky bits. Pour in the stock and cream and cook until reduced and syrupy, then add the grapes and flat-leaf parsley, season and heat through.

To serve, place the fish on serving plates and spoon over the grapes and sauce. Serve with a root vegetable gratin and salad. Serves 4.

Wine writer Yvonne Lorkin says 'such a rich, creamy, herb-laden sauce and fleshy fish needs only the Seresin Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2009 to reach perfection. It's a funky, multi-layered wine boasting elderflower, white peach, green nectarine and lovely hazelnut characters.'

Recipe is care of Dish Magazine.

You can't beat great Bangers & Mash!

2010-07-15T13:43:00.012+12:00

Local Blenheim restaurant, Hotel d'Urville has created a dish to match our 2008 Leah Pinot Noir. For dinner, you can enjoy a glass of Leah beautifully complemented by a plate of spicy venison sausages, swede mash, spiced red cabbage and game jus. The dish is a new take on a winter favourite - each sausage is made with all natural ingredients, just meat, herbs and spices. Executive Chef, Maree Connolly, says "a good sausage with mash is a thing of beauty - everyone loves them!"

Hotel d'Urville maitre'd Jesse Gould is pictured here with the match. Picture courtesy of the Marlborough Express.

For those that cannot make it to Hotel d'Urville, Maree has kindly shared the recipe for one of her favourite winter meals, Lamb tagine - best enjoyed alongside a glass of Pinot Noir!

Lamb Tagine

1 Kg lean cubed lamb, cut from the shoulder

3 Tblsp oil

1 large onion, diced

6 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp cinnamon

1 Tblsp fresh tarragon, chopped (or 1 tsp dried)

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground coriander

2 cups chicken stock (or water)

1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1 tsp orange zest

Salt and pepper to taste

15 pitted prunes

2 Tblsp clear honey

¼ cup blanched almonds

¼ cup sesame seeds

¼ cup raisins

Heat oil in large pan. Sear lamb in batches over moderate heat until evenly browned. Add onions, garlic and sauté until tender. Add spices, herbs, stock, orange juice and orange zest. Mix well and pour into large oven proof dish. Cover and bake 1 ½ hours at 160 C. Check occasionally and if getting dry add more stock.

Check seasoning. Add Prunes and Honey. Bake a further 10 minutes to soften prunes.

In a small pan, fry almonds and sesame seeds to golden brown. Add raisins, swirl in pan to heat through and sprinkle over lamb to serve.

Serve with couscous or rice.

The Big Shwop ticket giveaway

2010-07-13T14:15:00.003+12:00

We have two tickets to the upcoming Big Shwop in Wellington, along with two bottles of MOMO wine to give away!

To enter, simply email us at moir@seresin.co.nz with your details. Plus for every friend you get to enter, you'll receive an extra entry in the draw. Just get them to tell us you recommended them when they enter.

Easy!

Nairobi Trio playing in Marlborough

2010-07-13T13:53:00.006+12:00

If you're in Marlborough this weekend, you're in for a treat!

The Nairobi Trio are playing at Le Café in Picton this Saturday, alongside a tasting of Seresin wines and oils.

Tickets are $75 for the event, including wine tasting and a three course meal, or $25 for just the jazz. To book, please call Le Café on 03 573 5588.

We're really looking forward to an evening of good food, good wine, and good jazz!

The Big Shwop Returns

2010-07-09T14:31:00.002+12:00

We're pleased to be part of The Big Shwop's return to Wellington this winter - with a bundle of exciting new surprises under its belt.

For the first time The Big Shwop will be open to men, with a dedicated shwopping area for a He Shwop.

The first floor gallery of St James Theatre on Courtenay Place will be transformed into an eco-shopping extravaganza, where hundreds of fashionable Wellingtonians can swap up to twenty of their barely worn quality clothes from their wardrobes for fabulous new ones.

Shwoppers will be treated to some complimentary goodies, including a glass of the official wine of The Big Shwop - the certified organic 2009 MOMO Sauvignon Blanc - and some treats from Ecostore and Trilogy.

Big Shwop tickets are $20. To pre register and for all event information, please visit The Big Shwop webiste.

Celebrity Organic Vineyards

2010-07-02T15:15:00.007+12:00

According to this Huffington Post article, 'no celebrity career is really complete without their own wine'. They have profiled 10 organic vineyards and their owners in the film and music industries - featuring Sting, Danny Glover, Sam Neill, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, and Seresin's own Michael Seresin. Although the article is light-hearted, its always nice to see organics in action. Click here to take a look at the article.

Providores and Seresin Chiaroscuro

2010-07-02T14:56:00.011+12:00

If you are in London this month you're in luck.

Throughout July The Providores and Tapa Room Restaurant will be pouring the 2007 Seresin Chiaroscuro by the glass.

First produced in 2007, the Chiaroscuro was inspired by Michael Seresin's enjoyment of the co-fermented white wines produced in North-Eastern Italy. The Seresin Chiaroscuro is a blend of co-fermented Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Riesling and Pinot Meunier. An Italian term, Chiaroscuro, is the contrast of light and dark, luminosity and shadow and a reflection of the different characteristics of the wine's composite grapes. Only 400 bottles were produced and the wine is now sold out.

Providores Bar Manager, Melanie Ellis, says the 2007 Seresin Chiaroscuro was selected as the wine of the month because of its uniqueness.

"We believe it is one of the very special wines to come out of NZ. Very rarely are wines made this way and the story behind how it evolved is such a nice one to tell. I think people are a little dubious about ordering it off our list as it is so unique and without guidance people are unaware of it’s potential. We want to get people to understand and love this wine, the way we do!"

Providore's Chef and co-owner Peter Gordon, suggests matching a glass of Chiaroscuro with a salad of crispy pork belly and green papaya with lychees and tamarind caramel dressing.

New Season Oil

2010-06-23T08:42:00.011+12:00

Olio Nuovo translates as 'New Oil', pressed on the day of harvest and bottled immediately, taking advantage of the unique flavours of freshly pressed oil. Our 2010 Olio Nuovo is available now.Only 200 bottles made, hand bottled, hand labelled and unfiltered. For more information or to order please check our website.

For the perfect way to enjoy our Olio Nuovo check out the recommendations below from Seresin Cook, Marcia Chang-Hong.

"I think that the very nature of olio nuovo dictates what it can be used for. The freshness and fruity purity of the oil is akin to fresh milk from a cow or sucking honey from the honeycomb in the hive. I'd resist cooking with it. Heating it causes the polyphenols to lost their properties and changes the taste.

The best way to use it is to drizzle it on fresh crusty bread or make bruschetta or pour it over pasta, soups and salads.

Given the lack of fresh veggies available and the cold winter weather I think Lentil Soup is an appropriate recipe for the times. Drizzled with generous pouring of olio nuovo to give a hint of something extravagant and something fresh to perk up your taste buds."

Marcia.

Lentil Soup

1½ cups small brown lentils
6 tbsp olio nuovo
1 onion finely chopped
1 carrot finely chopped
1 celery stalk finely chopped
1 leek finely chopped
3 ounce piece of pancetta or bacon, diced
2 cloves garlic minced
a sprig rosemary
small bunch of sage
2 bay leaves
6 cups vegetable or chicken stock
salt and pepper

Soak lentils for half and hour and drain
Gently warm half of the olio nuovo with the vegetables and pancetta. Stir gently over a soft heat for 5 minutes until the vegetables are soft but not coloured. Add the garlic and sauté a few more minutes. Add the lentils then tie the herbs together and add. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring gently.

Add the stock, bring to a boil, turn the heat down and simmer for 45 minutes until the lentils are soft.

At the end of the cooking time remove ½ cup of the lentils and reserve. Remove the herbs and puree the soup in a food processor. Return to the heat and stir in the reserved whole lentils. If the soup is too thick, add some stock or water to loosen.

Season the soup with salt and pepper. Serve in bowls with lots of fresh olio nuovo and chopped parsley and fresh black pepper.

Olive Harvest 2010

2010-05-28T12:52:00.013+12:00

Yesterday brought not only the first snow to the hills around the winery, but also the first day of our Olive Harvest for 2010. First to be harvested were some Leccino and Pendolino, followed by some Frantoio this morning.

Here Colin is harvesting the olives from the trees along the boundary of our Home Vineyard. We harvest the olives using rakes which gently shake the branches of the tree. The ripe, healthy olives fall from the tree onto the nets we lay down. Any olives that have been damaged by frosts or birds cling to the tree - so only the best olives are collected. That said, this year we have been very lucky with a warm May, and the olives are free of frost damage.

Then we collect the olives which have fallen onto the nets below the trees, and take them to be pressed at Marlborough's community olive press.

The olives are first washed, and passed through a tray with large holes to separate them from any leaves that are inevitably collected.

Then the olives are smashed into a paste using a hammer mill - stones and all. This paste then passes through the malaxer shown above, which mixes and agitates the olive paste.

The olive paste then passes through a centrifuge, a machine which separates out the oil by spinning it at high speed, leaving you with beautiful green olive oil! The remaining paste of flesh and stones can then be brought back to the vineyard for composting.

This olive oil will form part of our Olio Nuovo, literally 'New Oil', the bright, fresh, green olive oil released soon after harvesting and pressing.

Seresin Landfall Residency 2010

2010-05-26T14:15:00.007+12:00

Alongside Otago University Press, we are delighted to announce New Zealand writer and curator Wystan Curnow as the winner of the second Seresin Landfall Residency.

Wystan Curnow is a writer, curator, editor and educator who has worked in the arts for 40 years, publishing 30 books and numerous articles, reviews and poems.

He will spend the six-week residency in Tuscany working on a book on prominent New Zealand artist Colin McCahon. Wystan says 'it is taking a bit of time to sink in - you don't count on such outcomes.'

Michael Seresin says the quality of the 2010 applicants made a final decision very difficult, however he felt it was important to support Wystan Curnow's latest work.

'The project that Mr Curnow is working on has an enormous amount of merit, not least because Colin McCahon is such a pivotal figure in New Zealand art. I believe we should contribute anything we can to get this work completed.'

Mr Curnow says 'McCahon was a friend of my family, my mother especially. As a secondary school art student I was selected for an advanced class at the Auckland City Art Gallery, taught partly by McCahon. As a university student I hung out with him at the Gallery and in the pub after work.'

Curnow adds 'my writing and curating of McCahon work is notable for shifting attention to his later language-based works at a time when his landscape work was preferred by most critics, and for introducing McCahon to an international audience first in Australia and later in Europe.'

For more information about Mr Curnow and the 2010 Seresin Landfall Residency, please visit our website.

Tasting by the Moon

2010-05-17T15:23:00.004+12:00

The moon and its rhythms has long been an important part of Biodynamics. It has such a huge impact on the tides - why not soils, plants, people, and wine too? Biodynamics aims to work in harmony with these rhythms as much as possible - spraying the biodynamic preparations on the land and plants when they are best absorbed, pruning when vines are at their most resilient - the list goes on.

UK journalist Jonathon Ray, from the Telegraph, has been asking whether the moon affects how wine tastes. Ray discusses how the major UK supermarkets are holding their press tastings according to the Biodynamic calendar, and finding the results convincing. Click here to see the full article.

Harvest 2010 - Raupo Creek Pinot Noir

2010-05-05T12:51:00.007+12:00

After three weeks of post-ferment maceration, Clive decided it was time to press our Pinot Noir from the top of the hill on our Raupo Creek vineyard. This is the Pinot we hope will become our 2010 Sun and Moon.

Through harvest, Clive tastes each Pinot Noir every day until he thinks the wine is nearly ready to be pressed and put into barrels. Then the samples that Lindsey has kept each day are put into a line-up, and the winemaking team will taste the samples. Here some of the line-up is shown - from the earlier samples on the left, through to todays sample on the right. Once Clive thinks the wine has has got the best that post-fermentation maceration has to offer, it is time to press the wines to barrel.

The first step is to drain the free-run wine, which we hold in a small tank until the skins have been pressed. Next is the fun part - digging out the grape skins from the tank. This seems to be the job that everyone in the winery wants to do!

Today Kevin and Lars had the job of digging. Kevin moved to New Zealand from Canada several years ago, and each year spends harvest in the winery, and the rest of the year works in our vineyards. Here the two of them are in the tank digging the skins onto the chute leading into the press.

The pressed juice goes into the tank with the free-run juice and mixed before being transferred into barrels. The grape skins are then taken out to our compost piles to form part of our next compost heap.

Harvest 2010 - Handprints

2010-04-28T13:58:00.008+12:00

Every year our vintage team have the opportunity to leave a permanent reminder of their time with us - through their influence on our wines and on the walls of our winery.

These concrete walls are adorned with the marks of past and present harvest staff.

Their handprints, alongside their name and home country, a fitting memento of their hard work.

Today our 2010 harvest staff had their turn.

Harvest 2010 - Paella

2010-04-27T14:58:00.008+12:00

As well as being Seresin's Assistant Winemaker, Carlos Orgiles is also our resident paella expert, a dish he is frequently asked to make! Carlos is from Ibi, which is 45 minutes inland from Alicante, in Spain. Rabbit paella is a traditional dish there - often cooked on Sundays with the whole family.

He has kindy offered to teach us the basics of paella making with this delicious seafood paella that he and sous chef Marcia made for lunch for the winery team today.

The first thing to do, is to make or get your hands on a good, flavoursome fish stock. A good stock is important to enhance the flavours of the paella. Marcia cooked about 1kg of mussels in our already finished fish stock today, which gave the stock more flavour and got the mussels cooked and ready for the paella. You'll need about 2 cups of stock for every cup of rice.

Then, in a large paella pan, fry onion and celery until soft over a medium heat. Add in any vegetables you want to use - we used broccoli and beans - and cook for a few minutes until they just start to soften. Then Carlos added prawns, monkfish and crayfish and fried these for a few minutes. Carlos says 'paella is like pasta - you can use any meats and vegetables that you want. My favourite is artichoke paella, with cauliflower, brocolli, beans and peas.'

Then after a few minutes, add Arborio rice. Carlos measures the rice by cupping one of his hands, and fills it with grains of rice. Use two of these handfuls per person. Pour the measured rice across the fish and vegetables - spreading it evenly across the pan.

Then add almost all your stock - poured across the paella. Carlos suggests keeping aside a little bit of stock, in case it all evaporates before the rice is cooked.

A crucial part of paella making, Carlos says, is 'don't stir it! With a spoon, even out the little mountains of rice. If some parts of the pan have lots of rice and not much stock, take a spoonful of that rice and put it in a part of the pan with lots of stock and not much rice.

Sprinkle saffron, black pepper, cloves and salt over the paella. Also add a tiny bit of paprika - 'only a tiny bit. The paprika is only for flavour - not colour. The saffron is for the colour.'

Let this simmer until the rice is cooked. If the rice is still crunchy and the stock has evaporated, add the reserved stock. If the rice is cooked and the paella is still sloppy - turn up the heat to absorb the liquid quickly. Here you can add any ingredients which are already cooked, like the mussels we had pre-cooked in the stock.

Once the rice is cooked, turn off the heat and make a 'lid' for the pan with newspaper, folding the edges down. Carlos likes to use the sports pages for this - so he can read them while the paella rests for 5 to 10 minutes.

Carlos and Marcia served the paella with slices of lemon and homemade allioli (Spanish aioli), and a glass of Rudd Vineyard 2008 Sauvignon Blanc that Lindsey brought from the winery she works at in Napa, USA.

Harvest 2010 - More Snapshots

2010-04-22T16:05:00.008+12:00

A few captured moments from our 2010 vintage......

Harvest 2010 - Perfect Pinot Gris

2010-04-21T15:54:00.003+12:00

This afternoon our vineyard staff hand-picked the Pinot Gris grown in our Home Vineyard.

Our viticulturalist, Colin Ross, is thrilled with the quality and flavour of the fruit.

"Pinot Gris isn’t a variety known for having good varietal definition; it is usually very fruit-forward. It's a real winemakers wine, often it is the winemaking that makes this variety interesting. We have grown this Pinot Gris like we do our Pinot Noir - with very low crops. As a result this fruit is has got unusually intense concentration and texture. I can't wait to see the wines that come from this!"

Harvest 2010 - Vintage Work Experience

2010-04-20T16:36:00.005+12:00

Harvest is the perfect time to learn more about the art of making good wine. Seresin staff, employed in marketing, admin and the cellar door, enjoy the opportunity to get their hand's dirty and spend a day or two as part of the vintage team.

Today our Cellar Door Manager, Carolina, spent the day working in the winery, pressing grapes, racking wine, cleaning tanks, warming ferments, sampling and checking the progress of our fermentations.

Carol says she can’t believe how much she has learnt. “Working in the winery during vintage has given me the chance to experience another side of Seresin. I can give visitors to our Cellar Door a better experience because I now know more about the whole winemaking process.”

Harvest 2010 - Raupo Creek Pinot Noir

2010-04-19T16:38:00.003+12:00

Our first Pinot Noir from 2010 has finished fermentation.

Seresin Assistant Winemaker Carlos Orgiles is looking at our Pinot Noir which came from the top of the hill on our Raupo Creek vineyard.

These were the first grapes we picked, and last week they were the first to finish their natural fermentation. This means that all the sugars have fermented and converted to alcohol.

After fermentation, all our Pinot Noirs stay on their skins for two to three weeks of post-ferment maceration before being pressed to barrel. This allows greater extraction from the skins and gives us darker coloured, more complete, structured wines. It also helps move the fruit profile from being fresh, pure and simple, to a wine with darker, more savoury characters.

Carlos says 'wine is all about balance. The balance of fruit, tannin, colour and alcohol. This extended post-ferment maceration helps to give that balance.'

Clive adds 'this fruit was grown with the view to becoming our Sun & Moon Pinot Noir, and although it's early days, it looks spectacular and likely to make the grade. Only time will tell...'

Harvest 2010 - Snapshots

2010-04-15T11:09:00.002+12:00

A slideshow of some of the photos we've taken over the last couple of weeks of Harvest...

Enjoy!

Harvest 2010 - Pied de Cuve

2010-04-15T10:31:00.011+12:00

We prefer to ferment our wines using wild yeast. We believe that by allowing our wine to spontaneously ferment with the aid of the yeast specific to our vineyards, we will produce wines that are truly reflective of our land.

This vintage we are experimenting with using a ‘pied de cuve’ - a yeast culture isolated from one of our vineyards, and used to help us with the last few days of fermentation.

In some years as a wine starts to get drier and the alcohol increases the yeast population reduces and become more fragile. Adding a fresh population of yeast at this stage helps to re-invigorate and finish the fermentation. This is where the Pied de Cuve comes in, supplying enough yeast to help finish off approximately 3 or 4 ferments.

Moir and Alexis are pictured here checking the progress of our Pinot Noir wild-yeast culture.

The cultures are grown from Seresin grape juice, which is kept warm and bubbled with oxygen. Once the culture develops it is fed every day with freshly pressed juice, high in sugar.

We aim to add the Pied de Cuve to the wine when the fermentation is approximately 90% finished. When the sugar and alcohol levels of our yeast mixture are similar to that of the wine, we simply add about 20 litres of our culture and wait!

Harvest 2010 - Picking

2010-04-13T14:48:00.008+12:00

Our full time vineyard staff are assisted throughout the year by a group called Unity in Diversity. Unity in Diversity is managed by Tisa Siale and the staff are made up of his extended family group. Approximately 20 of Tisa's family members work throughout the year in our vineyards, doing much of our hand-work; pruning, leaf plucking, shoot thinning, fruit thinning, weeding, and harvesting.

Over harvest-time, Tisa has a few extra hands on deck to help with our picking. There is a team of between 30 and 65 people picking each day.

Yesterday, Tisa and his crew harvested a lot of the fruit from the vines surrounding the winery, on our Home vineyard. First to be picked was Semillon from right outside the Cellar Door...

The Semillon grapes will be naturally fermented in seasoned French oak, and will make up a small portion of our Seresin Sauvignon Blanc.

After harvesting the Semillon, the pickers moved down to the terrace below the winery to pick some of the rows of Pinot Noir on the Leah block.

Earlier in the year, Tisa and his family work hard at getting the vines ready for harvest. They crop thin, which enables us to acheive our optimum yields. As well, they leaf pluck and shoot thin, which promotes healthy growth and aids ripening. As you can see from the photo, it also makes the fruit much easier for picking hands to reach!

Colin, Seresin's estate manager, says they pick as fast as a machine harvester!

Seresin Dinner at The Modern Pantry

2010-04-12T15:36:00.006+12:00

For those of you in London, we are excited to announce an upcoming Seresin Dinner at Anna Hansen's restaurant The Modern Pantry.

We first met Anna in 1999 when she was Peter Gordon's sous chef at our inaugural Waterfall Bay Dinners, and she returned in 2005 as the Waterfall Bay guest chef. She then went on to open The Modern Pantry in 2008.

Anna has developed a mouth-watering menu to match with Seresin wines for the upcoming dinner:

Morcilla scotched quail eggs, tomato relish, sweetcorn, tumeric, feta & green chilli fritters, with tamarind & palm sugar dipping sauce

2009 Memento Riesling

Grilled chicory, aubergine, pandan, date & pine nut salad with Seresin orange oil

2006 Reserve Chardonnay

Slow cooked octopus, curry leaves, tomato & ginger, caramelised coconut & vanilla cream

2008 Sauvignon Blanc

Seared venison loin, wilted wild garlic, chocolate jus

2008 Leah Pinot Noir and 2007 Rachel Pinot Noir

Seresin manuka honey & yoghurt bavarois, poached rhubarb, and fenugreek shortbread

2005 Late Harvest Riesling

This dinner will be held on 19 May, and tickets are £70. If you would like to book tickets for this dinner, please contact Dougal at The Modern Pantry on 020 7553 9210 or enquiries@themodernpantry.co.uk.

Harvest 2010 - Plunging

2010-04-12T11:48:00.012+12:00

As our pinot noir fermentations progress our winery team have begun their twice daily job of hand-plunging. During fermentation the grape-skins naturally rise to the surface forming a dense cap. It is important to plunge to release the heat that builds up during fermentation and to wet the cap and mix the skins through the ferment. This ensures that flavour and colour from the skins is evenly extracted.

This pinot noir from the Leah Block in the Home Vineyard has been through a 5-day cold soak before the tank was warmed and the juice allowed to naturally begin fermentation. This ferment only began yesterday but you can already see the bubbles of CO2 formed by the fermentation.

Auckland's 'Old World vs New World' Tasting

2010-04-09T16:57:00.007+12:00

This Monday, a friend of ours, the Auckland Food Blog is hosting their very first tasting...

This initimate event is being held at Ponsonby restaurant SIDART, where sommelier Marie Colosimo has put together a line-up of her favourite Old and New world wines for the occasion. Auckland Food Blogger Jesse Mulligan says hearing Marie talk about wine is like 'hearing Al Gore talk about climate change'. And SIDART chef Sid Sahrawat will be creating some canapes to accompany the tasting. You can't get much better than that!

We are really pleased that one of our wines has been chosen for this very cool tasting (even if we can't tell you which one...), and can't wait for Monday!

Harvest 2010 - Raupo Creek Pinot Noir

2010-04-09T16:11:00.003+12:00

Having spent almost two weeks in the winery now since picking, it was time to check the progress of our Raupo Creek pinot noir...

Alexis Goodman, Seresin assistant winemaker, is shown here making one of her regular checks of our Pinot Noir.

Each pinot is checked every day - Lindsey will take a sample and check how the temperature and sugar levels are changing, and the winemakers will smell and taste the juice or wine.

As well as this, each pinot noir will be plunged - this gently mixes the fruit and extracts the colour, flavour, and tannin from the grape skins.

This tank of Raupo Creek pinot noir has finished its pre-fermentation cold soak, and has naturally started to ferment.

Harvest 2010 - Harvest Helpers

2010-04-08T13:46:00.004+12:00

There are always lots of willing helpers around vintage time, keen to lend a hand and experience some of the magic of the harvest.

One of the regulars is Gabby Tait. Vintage usually coincides with the school holidays and Gabby has been a part of the Seresin harvest team for six years.

Gabby is pictured here delivering grapes to the winery, with her father Scott, the Seresin Property Manager.

Gabby says she enjoys tasting the different grapes and getting to drink freshly pressed grape juice. She says "my favourite part about harvest is meeting all the new people."

Harvest 2010 - Vintage Food

2010-04-07T16:07:00.004+12:00

We think our vintage staff are the best fed in Marlborough.

Every year Marcia Chang-Hong prepares fresh hot meals for lunch and dinner, morning and afternoon tea for our hungry staff. For three to four weeks Marcia cooks seven days, never repeating a dish - unless requested.

Marcia is pictured here with Winemaker, Clive Dougall, delivering today's lunch. On the menu this Wednesday?

For morning tea, Zucchini and Chocolate Loaf. Lunch was Silverbeet and Feta Filo, with a warm Potato Salad. Dinner is Shin of Beef with Potato and Sorrel Gratin. Veges are all home grown, either in Marcia's backyard or the Vineyard gardens.

Harvest 2010 - Cleaning

2010-04-06T17:26:00.007+12:00

One of the most important jobs in any winery over harvest, and one that keeps us very busy, is cleaning! Everything must be cleaned before and after coming in contact with any fruit, juice or wine.

Today we hand-picked some of the Riesling from our Home vineyard, and it was pressed this afternoon. After pressing the best juice from the fruit, the skins are emptied out of the press, and the press is then cleaned. To do this, someone has to climb into the press to hose it all out. Today it was Lars, our Swedish Cellarhand, who donned his wet weather gear and climbed in.

This photo shows the two main parts of the inside of the press. The tan coloured part on the left is the membrane - which inflates and squashes the grapes against the right hand side. The metal on the right hand side is covered in small holes which act like a sieve, and allows just the juice to drain out.

Here, Lars is about to clean the press, and get it ready for the next fruit to arrive.

Harvest 2010 - Raupo Creek Pinot Noir

2010-04-01T12:19:00.003+13:00

After a week of warm days we began picking our still wines on Monday. First in was our reserve pinot noir block, picked from the top of the hill in our Raupo Creek Vineyard, and cropped at Grand Cru Burgundy levels.

Each bunch was hand-picked and berries hand selected. Pictured here are some of our vineyard staff doing a berry selection.

Our Viticulturalist, Colin Ross, is enjoying the opportunity to taste grapes from our different Pinot Noir blocks. He says "the taste profile across contours and rows is a truly fascinating thing. The textural expression is so amazingly evident in the Pinot and every dip, hollow and hillock tells a story."

Harvest 2010 - Vintage Staff

2010-03-30T16:12:00.011+13:00

Another member of the winery harvest team, is a returnee to the Seresin team from 2009.

Introducing Axel May...

Axel returns after spending the year at home in Rheinhessen, in Germany, where he has been working in his family winery - Weingut Steinmūhle.

Here Axel is loading some of the hand-picked MOMO Sauvignon Blanc into our press - giving it a bit of gentle prodding with the rake when needed!

Axel says it is great to be working with such a fabulous team this year - both in the winery and the vineyard. He says he it is exciting to come back and see how the wines have developed - that 2009 was a great vintage, and he's enjoying getting to taste the wines one year on.

Harvest 2010 - Vintage Staff

2010-03-30T15:34:00.005+13:00

Another of the three harvest additions to our winery team is Jacopo Dallicani.

Jacopo comes from Soave in Verona, North East Italy. He studied winemaking at Conegliano Italy - the oldest Italian university teaching winemaking. Before joining us, Jacopo was travelling the world working with wine, having done several vintages in Italy, Australia, France, and New Zealand. He arrived at Seresin in January, and has been working in the vineyard before moving into the cellar for harvest.

He's shown here taking the first of our MOMO fruit for 2010 - Sauvignon Blanc which has just been handpicked from our Home Vineyard.

Jacopo says he is excited to be working at Seresin, and really enjoying the opportunity to learn about and work with biodynamics.

And as well as being rather handy in the winery, Jacopo makes a mean lasagne... He's a very handy guy to have around!

The Winners of the Capital Awards

2010-03-29T08:59:00.003+13:00

We had the pleasure of being involved in the 2010 Capital Awards, which celebrate the best of hospitality in our capital city. The winners were annouced last night at a ceremony in Wellington.

The Seresin Award for outstanding wine list went to Matterhorn. The man responsible for this list, Stephen Wong was selected as the best Wellington Sommelier.

The award for the outstanding restaurant went to Capitol and Logan Brown was recognised for the best kitchen team and their outstanding contribution to Wellington Hospitality.

The ceremony was followed by an after party at the Skyline Restaurant, guests enjoyed a variety of refreshments including the 2008 Seresin Sauvignon Blanc and celebrated into the wee hours of this morning.

For a full list of awards and winners visit the Capital Awards website.

Harvest 2010 - Vintage Staff

2010-03-26T12:04:00.009+13:00

Every vintage we welcome several new faces to Seresin. Our vintage interns come to us from all over the world, bringing with them international experience and lots of enthusiasm.

This year three new staff will assist our Winemaker, Clive Dougall, Assistant Winemakers, Carlos Orgiles and Alexis Goodman and Cellarhand, Lars Gabrielsson over the busy months of harvest.

Introducing Lindsey Sesin....

Lindsey joins us from Rudd Winery in the Napa Valley, and will spend the next couple of months working in our laboratory and assisting in the cellar.

Lindsey says harvest at Seresin offers her the opportunity to be part of a small hands-on team and the chance to learn about biodynamic viticulture and winemaking.

2010 is Lindsey's fourth vintage and her second in New Zealand.

Harvest 2010 - Sampling

2010-03-26T11:13:00.009+13:00

With our first grapes now in the winery it is even more important for us to closely monitor the progress of our vineyards as they ripen.

Every morning our Laboratory Intern, Lindsey Sesin, selects different grape samples from our vineyards. Each sample is juiced by hand and tested for sugar and acidity. Our winemaking and viticultural team then spend a lot of time tasting - both the juice and grapes, to make sure that the flavours are perfectly balanced before we pick.

Pictured here is a Pinot Noir Sample from our Raupo Creek Vineyard, which should be ready for harvesting in about seven days.

First Day of Harvest 2010

2010-03-24T18:56:00.003+13:00

We gave the bees the day off and went for the grapes this time! A beautiful bright and sunny Marlborough morning marked our first day of harvest for this season. We lovingly picked a little bit of Pinot Meunier, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to go into our sparkling wine base.

Honey Harvest

2010-03-15T16:27:00.003+13:00

One of my most memorable days at Seresin was a couple of weeks ago, when I was fortunate to be involved in our first ‘Honey Harvest’. This was my first ‘official’ visit to life in the hive. Rob and I teamed up in our white bee suits and set about taking out the frames that were the fullest for processing. We took out 18 frames all together, brushing the bees from them with a paintbrush! The bees were very patient with us while we fumbled in our first ever harvest. One bee decided that he liked the look of Rob’s legs and got herself stuck down his sock – and a red mark resulted…

The processing of the honey was made able by a kind professional bee man down the road. He leant us a hand powered centrifuge to spin out the honey from the frames. The smoko room was on lock down as the bees could smell honey in the air and came to peacefully investigate the logistics of getting their liquid gold back.

For me, I was grateful to take time to remember and ponder on how wonderful and magical Mother Nature can be. Needless to say we are all about to enjoy 30L of Seresin artichoke influenced honey!

By Leisha Van der spek

It's Pinot we love

2010-03-09T11:45:00.008+13:00

Pinot Noir is an incredibly beautiful grape, and a beautiful wine - we love it. It's called the heartbreak grape for good reason, it is a challenge to make and an even bigger challenge to grow but the quest to make the best possible Pinot Noir is something all of us at Seresin are driven by.

A new era commenced at Seresin in 2006 when Clive Dougall took over as winemaker and Colin Ross, our vineyard manager, joined us from a biodynamic vineyard in Western Australia. 2007 was their first vintage together at Seresin. From this vintage six different Pinot Noir were made. The 'Leah' named for Michael Seresin's daughter, is a blend of fruit from our three vineyards; 'Rachel', after Michael's mother, is a Pinot made from the best portions available from our Estate each year. From each of our three vineyards we have also produced a single vineyard wine; the 'Tatou', 'Home' and 'Raupo Creek' Pinot Noir illustrate the characteristics of our different sites and soils.

The unique conditions of the 2007 vintage allowed us for the first time to make a wine we have called 'Sun & Moon'. Cropped at a minimal one bunch per shoot or less, we believe this wine to be our best expression of Pinot Noir. It will only be made when this beautiful heartbreak grape allows us.

Internationally renowned UK winewriter Jamie Goode recently had the opportunity to taste the 'thrilling line-up' of all six of these wines, and has published his tasting notes and reviews on his blog. To see his reviews, check out his blog.

Green Wine for St Patrick's Day

2010-03-09T08:52:00.003+13:00

It is St Patrick's Day next week and if you're looking for something 'green' to drink check out the recommendation from CBS's Wine Guy, Matthew Horbund.

Seresin Talk

2010-03-03T10:57:00.005+13:00

In the last couple of weeks, we have been getting some good coverage on the internet - here are a couple of interesting snippets for you...

Recently, our winemaker Clive met with Jayson Bryant from Wine Vault TV, to talk all things biodynamic. Jayson has put a couple of videos on their website of them talking and tasting some Seresin wines. In the first video, Clive and Jayson taste two of our Pinots - Leah and Rachel. And then in the second video they taste our 2008 Sauvignon Blanc, Reserve Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris.

And it seems our Gewurztraminer is proving popular in the UK. Old and New World is a wine blog in the UK dedicated to finding the best wines from the old and new world. They publish a red and a white 'wine of the month' and the Seresin Gewurz was the white for February! They say it 'should be enough to win converts' of non-Gewurz fans, and 'gives Alsace a run for its money'. Click here to see the rest of the post.

Enjoy!

Wellington's Excellent Hospo Industry

2010-02-18T10:40:00.005+13:00

We're very proud to be involved in the 2010 Capital Awards.

The awards celebrate everything that is fundamentally hospitality in Wellington; from the ground roots kitchen team and baristas through to the award for the outstanding contribution to the Wellington hospitality scene.

The Seresin Award for 'Outstanding Wine List' will be given to a list that reflects the individual style of it's establishment, while being diverse, balanced, interesting and presented in the appropriate glasses, by educated staff.

Have your say and nominate your stars in Wellington hospo through the Capital Awards website.

The Marriage of Figaro

2010-02-16T12:20:00.010+13:00

We're proud to support a special Opera event in Days Bay Garden, Wellington.

New Zealanders will get the opportunity to experience the European tradition of outdoor opera, with a fully-staged production of Mozart's 'The Marriage of Figaro' in a beautiful old-established sheltered garden in Days Bay.

The opera is produced by Rhona Fraser and directed by Sara Brodie, with a cast of professional singers. 'The Marriage of Figaro' will be performed on the 12th, 13th and 14th of March at 5:00pm. Guests are invited to bring a picnic to enjoy in the gardens in the dinner interval, along with a glass of Seresin wine.

Tickets are priced at $50. To book and for further information visit the Days Bay Opera website.

Joanna Simon on Wine

2010-02-15T09:32:00.004+13:00

UK Wine writer, Joanna Simon, recently tasted our 2008 Leah Pinot Noir.

She described it as "very pure, very impressive and still young. This is fragrant with roses and summer berries and has a palate of sweet red fruits, savoury mineral flavours, polished oak, a fine acid structure, length and intensity. The hand on the label signifies hand-grown, hand-picked and hand-made (which includes wild yeast fermentation and 11 months maturation in French oak barrels). Drink over the next four years. Gives red burgundy a run for its money."

For more from Joanna check out her website here.

Pinot Noir 2010

2010-02-04T09:00:00.003+13:00

This week, lots of the Seresin team are in Wellington for Pinot Noir 2010. It's a 4 day celebration of Pinot Noir - lots of tastings, culinary events, speakers, and thought-provoking discussion. It's also a great chance to meet and catch up with other Pinot-philes from around the world; wine writers, winemakers and consumers alike. One such bunch we caught up with was the lovewine team, who spoke to our winemaker Clive about our Pinot Noir. Check out the video here.

Someone else we caught up with was Jamie Goode, the blogger behind WineAnorak. He has written a wrap up of Pinot Noir 2010, Day 1. See if you can spot anyone from Seresin, or the lovely things he has to say about our wines...

SwirlSavvy Anu a big fan of NZ

2010-01-29T10:20:00.006+13:00

For SwirlSavvy guest wine blogger Anu Pohani, the best wine choice is always something from New Zealand. She has been writing about some 'shining examples' of NZ Sauvignon Blanc - one of which was the Seresin Marama. Anu thought it was 'absolutely delicious' and 'really showed the care that the Seresin team put into all their wines'. Thanks Anu!

Take a look at the rest of what she has to say about the Marama, and the other wines she tried.

The end of 2009

2010-01-15T09:51:00.009+13:00

Tongan Christmas Party
We thanked Unity in Harmony (the Tongan families) for all their hard work over the past year, with a massive BBQ feast and a toast to Michael Seresin. Michael was presented with a Tapa coth from the Tongan families. The cloth and presentation was beautiful - a very moving and special moment for us all.

Christmas Milking

Life on the farm carried on over Christmas. While most of the Seresin crew had holidays, a few of us took over the holiday milking, animal patrol, irrigation and garden roster. The Xmas morning milking crew celebrated with a pancake (fresh eggs and milk) breakfast before commencing the Christmas milking and even the cows got into the spirit of things (with a little encouragement from us of course!).

WWoofers

We say a HUGE and heartfelt thank-you to Robert our Canadian wwoof-er, who completed some pretty major and physical tasks for us while here for a month. The last we saw of Robert, he was hitching out of town in a Santa suit and a backpack.

Our new wwoofers are Rachel and Richard from the UK. We hope they enjoy our time here with us and we look forward to many discussions over morning tea.
By Leisha

Two weeks WWOOFing at Seresin

2010-01-13T14:57:00.015+13:00

We've been WWOOFing at Seresin for two weeks now.

It's great to see all the diversity going on - this year is the first year that organic vegetable patches have been planted in between some of the vines to feed the troops at Seresin. As a result there's lots of work to be done and we've spent plenty of time potato mounding - but it's all worth it when you take home your dinner after digging it up!

The diversity of the place has meant that we had a chance to try out loads - from wire lifting and leaf plucking of the vines to milking the cows, pruning the olive trees and harvesting wheat and barley. Plenty of experiences for us to take away, and the wine is pretty good too!

The staff have been very welcoming and spent time going through tasks with us. Thanks Colin and the team for a fab intro to Seresin and biodynamics, we look forward to hearing about how you get on with all the new projects.

By Rachel and Rich, WOOFers from Oxford, UK. January 2010.

Seresin Landfall Residency

2010-01-08T14:47:00.004+13:00

This new year, we are pleased to announce the second annual Seresin Landfall Residency. The Residency was established in 2009 with Otago University Press, giving a writer the opportunity to spend six weeks in either Tuscany or Marlborough.

The residency is the result of Michael Seresin's desire to support the work of Landfall magazine, and his commitment to the arts and creative endeavour. Michael says "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."

Michael's father, Harry Seresin, was an early subscriber and avid reader of Landfall from the 1950's. The Seresin Landfall Residency honours his memory, and that of the Landfall founder, Charles Brasch, who helped establish New Zealand's first literary residency, the Robert Burns Fellowship at the University of Otago.

Prominent New Zealand writer, and the Residency's inaugural winner, C. K. Stead says "My association with Landfall goes back as far as 1951 when I first offered founder Charles Brasch poems and has continued ever since. I feel very enthusiastic about the idea of a Residency set up to honour both the magazine and Harry Seresin."

The residency is open to writers over twenty-one, working in any genre, who have been previously published. To read more about the Residency, or for information about how to apply, please visit the Otago University Press website.

Eight new additions to the Seresin family

2010-01-07T14:09:00.007+13:00

Quackles, our Indian Runner Duck, hatched 8 very cute ducklings yesterday.

As well as providing eggs and endless entertainment, our Ducks spend most of their days inside our vegetable garden and orchard, forraging for insects and protecting our vegetables and fruit from pests.

By Erin

2008 Seresin Raupo Pinot Gris

2009-12-11T09:37:00.005+13:00

We have just released 394 bottles of a new Pinot Gris, named after our Raupo Creek Vineyard in the Omaka Valley.

Through regular tasting of our 2008 Pinot Gris fermentations, we identified three barrels, which we thought had the potential to develop into something special. These wines were left to mature for a further 9 months in barrel. After a total of 15 months in aged oak the resulting wines all presented different complexities, but were all off-dry, rich and heavily textured showing the qualities of traditional Alsatian Pinot Gris.

We recently sent a bottle to wine writer and MW Jane Skilton who said " I could almost convince myself this wine was from Alsace because it combined the richness of fruit with really great texture and interest on the palate. There is a degree of complexity that raises it above most other NZ Pinot Gris. Indeed I am struggling to think of a comparable example . . . ."

For her full review please check out the link and if you'd like to try a bottle visit our website.

Frances restaurant

2009-12-04T15:01:00.009+13:00

We love good news (Who doesn't though, I suppose). And we especially love good news when it involves a friend of ours!

Melissa Perello (see left) is a chef who has received much acclaim for her time as Head Chef at Charles Nob Hill, and Executive Chef at Fifth Floor - both fine-dining restaurants in San Francisco. She lead the team at Fifth Floor to receive a Michelin Star in 2006.

In 2007 Melissa was Guest Chef at our Waterfall Bay restaurant, and she certainly left a lasting impression with her culinary masterpeices. MJ (our General Manager) often talks about one of her dishes - crayfish served with a strawberry consomme - and says it is among the most memorable dishes of his life.

Since then, she has been working towards opening her own restaurant, and this week doors opened! We are really pleased to introduce you to Frances, San Franciscos newest restaurant. The seasonal menu is inspired by local produce from artisinal farms, and dishes out modern Californian cuisine in a relaxed neighbourhood setting. If it is anything like the dining experiences she has created before, we are sure it will be extraordinary.

Our congratulations and best wishes go out to Melissa, and we can't wait to check it out!

Roast Turkey and Seresin Pinot Gris

2009-12-04T08:31:00.003+13:00

Huber’s butchery in Singapore is stocking the Seresin Pinot Gris for the holiday season, which according to wine writer Curtis Marsh, is the perfect accompaniment to Christmas turkey.

For more on Curtis's thoughts on wine and food matching and a recipe for for Christmas Roast Turkey visit the Huber's website.

Team Attends Organic Pastoral Field Day

2009-12-02T14:22:00.005+13:00

In November several members of the vineyard team attended a Biodynamic field day at Milmore Downs in North Canterbury to learn more about mixed cropping and stock management. They produce BD meat and grains, which they sell as whole grain, kibbled, flakes or flour. The flour makes great bread! The day was really useful, especially the discussion about crop and stock rotation to rejuvenate the soils and to manage parasites. It was great to see how Biodynamic practices had enhanced the property, and that these ideas were being well received by conventional farmers in the area. By Rob Thomson

Seresin is buzzing!

2009-12-02T14:04:00.005+13:00

We have recently gained two hives of bees that are enjoying their new base in the orchard. It is fascinating watching them work in the hives, fetch nectar or pollen and fight off the bumblebees after their honey. In addition to the valuable eco-service they provide by pollinating our fruit and vegetables, bees play an important role in Biodynamics. As well as extolling the incredible health benefits of honey, Steiner described how bees were closely linked with the sun and light; bringing energy and life to the land. By Rob Thomson

Celebrating Seresin and NZ Wine

2009-12-01T10:25:00.006+13:00

It seems fitting to celebrate the first day of summer (even if we are welcoming it in with plenty of rain!) by reflecting on all the good things we have going for us here in Marlborough. It seems there has been a fair bit of doom and gloom floating around the world of late, and it's a breath of fresh air to have such a positive light shed on things... We recently hosted Curtis Marsh here at Seresin - the New Zealand born Singapore-based writer has over 30 years experience in all things food, wine and travel - and he has written a few glowing words about the NZ wine industry and his visit to Seresin. To see his Wandering Palate blog post, click here.

Thanks Curtis, for making us smile so much on the first day of summer!

A Seresin Dinner Party

2009-11-26T12:34:00.008+13:00

Our Swedish Cellarhand, Lars Gabrielsson, came to us from a career as a Sommelier in some of Stockholm's top restaurants. He is also very talented in the kitchen and we often seek his opinion when it comes to matching food and wine. He pictured below sorting Pinot Noir with Ellie, one of our Vintage interns.

Below is one his Spring recipes complete with wine match - perfect for your next dinner party.

Rack of Lamb With fresh herbs and Seresin Lemon Olive Oil

1 whole Rack of Lamb
3 Cloves of Fresh Garlic
½ -1 Teaspoon of good quality salt
A good amount of your favorite garden herbs
1 Tablespoon of Seresin Lemon Olive Oil

Sear off the Rack of Lamb on your Barbecue or in a hot pan just for a few seconds on each side until brown.

Put the Garlic, fresh herbs, salt and Lemon Olive Oil in a Pestle and Mortar and work it in to a paste and taste off with pepper.

Rub the paste into the Rack of Lamb and cook in the oven at 220 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or on the Barbecue until pink in the middle. Let the meat rest for a few minutes before cutting the rack into individual cutlets. Serve with a new potato salad and a bottle of 2008 Seresin Leah Pinot Noir.

Marama a 'Sauvignon Blanc like No Other'

2009-11-23T10:31:00.008+13:00

Over the Marlborough Anniversary weekend, we celebrated in style with the Marlborough Wine Weekend. Visitors from around the world attended the event, which showcased the best the region has to offer. As well as a Gourmet Dinner, Garden Party, and a Sparkling Cruise through the Marlborough Sounds, guests had the opportunity to learn more about, and taste a number of the varieties produced in Marlborough. While we tasted through the Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir flights here in Marlborough, TasteLive (a US-based company which organises online tastings in conjunction with real-time tastings) had arranged some wine media to taste the same wines live on twitter. One of these tasters was Grace Hoffman - aka CellarMistress. Grace, a self-professed 'walking encyclopaedia of wine', was rather smitten with the 2007 Seresin Marama - one of only four Marlborough examples appearing in a line-up of international Sauvignons. To see what she has to say about the Marama, and the other Sauvignons tasted, take a look at her blog...

...and if you'd like more information on the Marama, the tasting notes are available on our website.

Seresin - Organic Producer of the Year

2009-11-23T08:49:00.007+13:00

Colin Ross attended the Organics Aotearoa New Zealand conference in Hamilton last week and was on hand to accept, on behalf of Seresin, the award for Organic Producer of the Year.

The annual OANZ awards recognise people and organisations leading the way in organics.

The award was presented by Dr Manfred Botsch, Switzerland's Minister of Agriculture, pictured here with Colin.

Colin says the award recognises Seresin's commitment to organic farming.

"We do our best to encourage others to consider organic farming by hosting workshops and field days. We try to be ambassadors for the region and organics through exporting our products and hosting international staff and visitors."

Sauvignons stand the test of time

2009-11-03T10:29:00.003+13:00

A common topic of discussion around Malborough, famed for its Sauvignon Blanc, is about the ageability of the beloved variety. Jamie Goode tasted a couple of older vintages of Seresin Sauvignon Blanc, and the verdict was great! Seven years old, the 'very stylish' 2002 Sauvignon earnt 91/100. To see the rest of the blog, click here.

One Man's Vinious Musings

2009-10-27T09:14:00.005+13:00

Aussie wine blogger Andrew Graham had a good look through all the wines shown at a recent NZ Winegrowers tasting of newly released New Zealand wines. He made special mention of the 2007 Seresin wines - 'extraordinarily good' he reckons! Check out his blog for more...

The joys of Spring

2009-10-23T10:24:00.005+13:00

The weather is noticeably warmer and its finally starting to feel like spring time so we thought we'd celebrate in style with a long lunch at our Waterfall Bay Restaurant.

Seresin’s favourite Cook, Marcia Chang-Hong, will prepare a four course menu of new season local produce; Asparagus, Marlborough Sounds Scallops, Spring Lamb and Strawberries.

Marcia first cooked for Michael Seresin, while working as Chef at iconic London restaurant Kensington Place, and we have been enjoying her food since she moved to Marlborough six years ago. Seresin staff will serve lunch and matching new-release wines in the relaxed setting of the small dining room on the water’s edge.

Lunch: Sunday November 15th
Tickets: Lunch with matching wines $120 per person, water taxi $40 return from Picton.
Boat departs Picton at 11.30am, limited to 40 people.
Reservations: Contact Moir Laird: moir@seresin.co.nz or Ph +64 (0)3 572 9408

And just in time for the long weekend a spring recipe from Marcia using freshly picked artichokes from our garden and Seresin Lemon Olive oil.

Artichoke and Goat's cheese dip
6 artichokes
2-3 tbsp lemon oil
4-5 tbsp goat's cheese. You can use either a hard cheese, grated or a softer creamy one.
salt and pepper to taste
juice of 1 lemon

Bring artichokes to boil in a large pot of salted water. Simmer gently till artichokes are just cooked. Test by gently pulling at an outer leaf, it should just slip off with the slightest tug.

Drain and cool the artichokes. Peel off the tough outer layers till you get to the heart and use a teaspoon to scoop out the hairy centre. Puree the hearts with coarse sea salt, pepper, cheese, lemon juice and lemon olive oil. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Serve with crusty bread or as a spread on sandwiches. Will keep up to a week refrigerated.

Enjoy!

A new staff member

2009-10-20T15:17:00.005+13:00

We would like to welcome Moir Laird to the Seresin team. Moir joins us as the new Marketing Assistant. With a degree in Commerce and Marketing Moir has already experienced several sides of the wine industry – including wine sales, cellar door, trade shows and getting her hands dirty over vintage.

She says "my love of great wine, good food, and looking after the world we live in brought me to Seresin. My first day here, I was initiated with a mass application of one of our biodynamic preparations to the vineyard – the whole team applying 500 by hand across the Estate. A perfect way to start what I’m sure will be an interesting and fulfilling role!"

Logan Brown 350 Lunch

2009-10-19T15:27:00.005+13:00

We're proud to be supporting the Logan Brown 350 lunch. The Wellington Restaurant has teamed up with climate action group 350 and Greenpeace to offer a three-course lunch for the princely sum of 350 cents ($3.50). The lunch is designed to raise awareness around the issue of climate change and to highlight the International Day of Climate Action festival on 24 October.

Steve Logan was inspired to do something after watching a film produced by a New Zealand documentary maker, Lizzie Gillet. The Age of Stupid looks at climate change from the perspective of future generations looking back at 2008 asking: why didn’t we stop climate change while we had the chance?

Thousands of people registered online to go in the drawn to attend the 350 Lunch, which is being held this Wednesday (October 21). Eighty have been selected to enjoy the bistro menu, which will be matched with a glass of Seresin 2007 Rachel Pinot Noir.

Why 350? This refers to the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (in parts per million), which scientist have deemed the maximum safe level to prevent catastrophic climate change. Their goal, this year, is to get the Government to agree a 40 per cent emission reduction by 2020 at the UN climate summit at Copenhagen in December. Greenpeace have a similar mission - a 40% reduction by 2020 is what scientists recommend is necessary to meet the 350 target.

Logan Brown are also offering a special screening of the film that inspired it all. Paramount Cinema will show The Age of Stupid at the Paramount Cinema on 27th October at 6.30pm. Tickets are $3.50! To buy a ticket click here.

Creative Cultivation

2009-10-16T14:53:00.004+13:00

Our newest addition to the family… 2 little (mostly) wild pigs. These girls have been ‘hard’ at work cultivating a plot of land that we will use for planting veggies. They do an excellent job turning the soil as they root around for insects and roots.

Hands-On the Land

2009-10-16T13:50:00.000+13:00

This spring, to nourish the land with both physical matter and our energy, we went for a real hands-on approach in applying Preparation 500 to our land. While we always hand-stir a portion of our Preparation 500, and always apply it by hand to a few select areas, because of the size of our Estate, most of it is generally stirred and applied with machines. Stirring and applying the Preparation 500 by hand is said to allow your energy to enter the Preparation 500 and bring a sense of aliveness to the property. We thought we’d give our land a little extra love by trying to stir and apply as much of our Preparation 500 by hand as we could. We put in an excellent effort! We hand-stirred a total of 32 barrels, with 4800 litres, over a 4-day period and hand-applied Preparation 500 to as much of our Estate as was physically practical. As part of this, we were able to cover our entire home block by hand, grapes, olives, orchards, gardens, animals and all! Staff, family, friends and colleagues joined us to form a band of over 35 merry stirrers and flickers. The joy and positive energy that spread over the Estate was palpable as we twirled and skipped, flicking our 500 on the land that provides for us in so many ways.

Seresin Estate's own Food & Wine Festival

2009-10-07T11:34:00.024+13:00

We are looking forward to February and to welcoming guests to our occasional restaurant at Waterfall Bay. Chef for our 2010 February dinners is Hamish Brown from ROKA restaurant in London.

Chef Hamish Brown spent his formative years growing up amongst Canterbury’s farming community. Inspired by his father, a successful chef with restaurants in New Zealand and Australia, Hamish developed a sense for the quality of local ingredients and a passion for combining the Asian cuisines which make up the Western Pacific Rim.

After a successful early career in New Zealand, Hamish worked his way up to the position of Executive Chef at Christchurch’s George Hotel. Eager to broaden his culinary base Hamish left New Zealand for England. His first employer was expatriate Peter Gordon at his London restaurant Providores. After 18 months working with Peter Gordon, in 2006 Hamish left for ROKA and a position as Head Chef. Part of the worldwide Zuma-ROKA restaurant group, ROKA is renowned for its contemporary Japanese-inspired food.

Michael Seresin says “all the wine lists at Zuma-ROKA restaurants worldwide feature Seresin wines, and it was a natural progression to build on that relationship and welcome Hamish to Waterfall Bay. His imaginative cooking combines the best ingredients for texture and clean flavours, a perfect match for Seresin wines.”

Down the Rabbit Hole

2009-10-05T14:09:00.019+13:00

The Wellington City Gallery re-opened last week after some major renovations and we were there for the opening celebrations.

As the official wine supplier of the Wellington City Gallery, Seresin wines were served alongside the opening night menu created by the team at Nikau Cafe.

In fitting style the gallery re-opened with the eagerly awaited Yayoi Kusama exhibition. ‘Mirrored Years’ features much of Kusama’s earlier seminal work, alongside some new creations.

The Japanese artist describes herself as the “modern Alice in Wonderland”, and certainly creates art unlike any other. A prominent figure in the art world of the 1960s, Kusama’s work is described as idiosyncratic and consistently original. She is considered one of the most acclaimed and respected contemporary artists working today.

For more information on the exhibition, check out the City Gallery Website.

Spring is in the Air

2009-10-04T15:33:00.003+13:00

The Spring Equinox marks the beginning of a New Year for us. The Earth is warming, the Sun begins to stay with us longer and life unfolds before our eyes. On a sunny Sunday afternoon, our families gathered to welcome in the New Year together. We strolled through the vineyard collecting dandelions to thread into a garland and then blew and decorated eggs and made omelettes. And in true spring fashion, two little chicks hatched that day!

Reaching Noirvana

2009-09-29T16:50:00.005+13:00

According to wine writer Yvonne Lorkin, Pinot Noir is a bit like Marmite because it polarises people; you either love it or you hate it. Good thing she seemed to like our new release 2007 Pinot Noir....check out her latest blog article.

Jancis Robinson's top NZ Wineries

2009-09-10T14:46:00.006+12:00

We enjoyed a visit from top UK wine writer Jancis Robinson back in February, during a whirl-wind tour she made of New Zealand.

She has just published a list of her top four New Zealand wineries, including Seresin Estate.

Here is what she had to say about Seresin and some of the wines she tasted:

"SERESIN Film director Michael Seresin's estate, a pioneer of biodynamic viticulture in Marlborough with buried composts and cow horns and all sorts of not-obviously-Kiwi accoutrements. The bright young winemaker Clive Dougall arrived in 2006 and used to work for London brewers and wine retailers Fullers. I asked him if he ever deacidified (a common necessity in these parts) and he claimed he didn't even know how to.

Seresin Sauvignon Blanc 2008 Marlborough 17, Drink 2009-11
Slightly gassy. 40% wild yeast (not 100% out of fear because Sauvignon Blanc is so commercially important). 5% barrel-fermented Semillon. 10% of the SB is also old-barrel fermented. Honeyed nose with definite wild yeast nose. More mouthfeel than most NZ SBs - with real richness. Long and very different from the regular Marlborough SB. Real mouthfeel and substance. 13.5%

Seresin, Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2008 Marlborough 17.5
[This wine was tasted in Sep 09 London.] Very restrained crop (three tonnes/ha) from the 17-year-old vines on the Home vineyard. Lifted, lively nose - rather flirtatious - more so than the first vintage, the 2007. Complete. Lifted nose. Lightly smoky with just a hint of oily pungency. Very racy and impressively long. Perhaps not as concentrated as the 2007 Reserve - and it could be more useful for it.

Seresin Pinot Gris 2008 Marlborough 16.5 Drink 2009-10
Very heady and focussed nose. Lovely clean bright fruit and not alcoholic. Quite full and finishes dry. Transferred to old barriques after stainless steel fermentation. 6% RS. Not amazingly complex but lovely texture. Quite long. Bravo! 14.5%

Seresin, Chiarascuro 2007 Marlborough 17 Drink 2009-10
Very unusual wine for Marlborough - a blend inspired by Jermann's Vintage Tunina of Friuli! Pale pear juice on the nose and quite round and appley....Interesting! Full and zippy.

Seresin, Home Vineyard Pinot Noir 2007 Marlborough 17 Drink 2010-14
17-year-old vines. Crimson, very luscious and fully ripe. All 115 clones. What's not to like? Loose and yet satisfying. Dry finish. Appetising. Fruit in the middle.

Seresin, Rachel Pinot Noir 2007 Marlborough 17 Drink 2010-14
From a special parcel in Raupo. Very luscious almost black cherry aroma and much finer and more refreshing than the Tatou - more succulent.

Seresin, Sun and Moon Pinot Noir 2007 Marlborough 17 Drink 2010-15
80/20 Raupo/Home. This is meant to be special. Finishes dry and lively. Good tension. Palate filling. Long. Quite fine and very savoury. Drive! "

Dandelion Days

2009-09-10T08:17:00.003+12:00

Spring is upon us and the glowing yellow of the dandelions grace our land. A few rainy days followed by nicely warming temperatures has seen them burst forth in full force. On a sunny ‘flower’ day, we got a band of merry pickers together to gather dandelions, opened to just the right stage, for our Preparation 506. Aman, Lisa, me, Sean and Mauricio are pictured here with our sunny bounty. The flowers will be dried and stored until next autumn to be used in our preparation making.