Open for Sandy

Today in NYC, in the middle of hurricane Sandy we went looking for a restaurant open for lunch, not easy, the city is closed, … but, we found one..Aquagrill.

A very cool seafood restaurant in Spring St, downtown Manhattan, which co-incidentally has been serving our wines for ages. So in we went.

 

Beautiful food, a couple of glasses of MOMO Pinot Noir. Then as we were leaving to face Sandy again, the sommelier introduced herself, said how much they loved our wines. A couple at the bar overhearing the conversation said, "hey those wines sound great, can we have a couple of glasses of MOMO please?".

 

In the middle of this devastating hurricane which has not yet reached its zenith…food & wine triumph. The sense of camaraderie is very pervasive, despite the battering the city is getting.

Michael Seresin



Starting with Seresin in the Shed

Ashley Sumner & Vivienne Hayman opened the Sugar Club restaurant with Peter Gordon as chef in All Saints Rd., Notting Hill Gate in 1995. They were the first restaurant in the UK to sell our wine, which we shipped direct to them, before we had a distributor. The original restaurant has been replaced by 'The Tin Shed', a bakery & cafe with wonderful bread, food & wine.

Julian Sciascia the baker at Tin Shed.

Julian Sciascia, the New Zealand born baker of Sicilian heritage, asked a few months ago if our wines were organic. I replied yes, so he asked for a bottle each of our Riesling and Leah Pinot Noir, to make a starter for his sourdough bread. Apparently organic wine makes a better starter. This we did. So 17 years after our wines arrived in London there is a little bit in each loaf of the Tin Shed sourdough...

I love it.

Michael Seresin

Morning Tea - Seresin style

Keeping up the great New Zealand tradition of Smoko, every Wednesday morning the Seresin team get together for morning tea. Each week someone different is challenged to bring treats in for the staff and WWOOFers, and as well as providing mid-morning sustenance to those who have been toiling, it's an opportunity to catch up with what is happening in each part of our Estate. It's a wonderful moment in the week and there's always something different on the table - from Brett's homemade wild venison pies last week, to Pete's onion bhaji, Rob's saag paneer, Scotty's bangers & mash - all using plenty of Seresin produce of course. 

This week Assistant Winemaker Richard prepared an absolute feast, full of Swedish delicacies and some from closer to home. It looked so good we had to share it with you - this is just some of what he made for us... 

Thanks Richard for a very delicious Smoko!

Composing the Compost

As Colin, our estate manager, put it recently at the Winter Solstice:

“…Winter is a time for inner reflection, rather than outer movement…”

Very true, but there still are things to be done in the vineyard to prepare for the coming year. Sean and his team have been working hard to create our new compost heap to help sustain and improve the land and vines over the next year.



Sean and the team working hard

It is quite an undertaking: over a week to build, nearly a hundred feet long, eight foot high and five foot wide.

It is not the numbers that are important, as Sean was keen to explain.  By combining by-products from the estate: hay from the headlands, manure from our cows and grape marc from the last vintage we have the raw ingredients to create our own abundant natural fertiliser.


Milly adding the final layers

Utilising all that the land provides us with is key to our heartfelt approach. We are farmers, tending the land, and guardians of its future. Not to make the effort would be churlish and in this act of reclamation we are evoking what we stand for.

Meet the Team: Richard

Although many of the Seresin staff members have appeared on the blog before, we thought it was about time to introduce you to them properly. We will be profiling several people in the coming weeks, so watch this space if you've ever wondered who makes things happen behind the scenes on the estate.

We are proud to introduce Richard Gabrielsson as our new Assistant Winemaker. Richard (formerly known as Lars) has already been part of our Seresin family for 5 years. First noticed for his dancing abilities at an Auckland wine show, a chat with Richard showed he was perfect for our vacant Cellar Door role. He was pretty quickly captured by the winemaking team and has spent the last 3 and a half years working in the cellar.

Richard is from Gotland, Sweden (apparently the largest island in the Baltic Sea!) and is a qualified sommelier who also studied literature and Social Anthropology at University. He has a great palate and passion for wine, and his sense of humour is insatiable. Things are always lively around Richard and that brings a great sense of fun to our work place.

We've been lucky enough to see Richard develop into a fine young aspiring winemaker who has great potential, and we are delighted to promote him to this important role.


By Clive

NZ's Ultimate Pinot Event

Although it is seven months away (to the day!), we can't help but get excited about an event hitting Wellington next January. The fifth of this triennial event, Pinot Noir 2013 is shaping up to be the best yet, with four days of exploring, tasting and discussing our favourite grape.


If you're still not convinced, take a look at this video Pinot put out yesterday. See if you can spot the Seresin faces at the end!



NZ Pinot Noir on Film from Pinot Noir NZ on Vimeo.



Check out the rather beautiful Pinot Noir NZ 2013 website for more information and registration, or keep up with the news on Facebook, Twitter or their blog. 


But be careful - you might just fall in love with the heartbreak grape...

Seresin Landfall Residency 2012

Together with the Otago University Press we are delighted to announce the winner of the 2012 Seresin Landfall Residency.


The fourth recipient of the Seresin Landfall Residency is writer Pat White, who plans to use the Residency to work on a collection of ‘Watershed Stories’: essays about our landscape and environment. He will think and write about people – such as H.D. Thoreau, Bashō, and Annie Dillard – who may have lived alone in huts, often near water. Waterfall Bay in Marlborough, where the Residency is located, will be the ideal place to do this.


Pat says ‘I am particularly grateful to Seresin Estate and Landfall for the opportunity to spend my time writing in a place where other tasks do not intrude. Such times are valuable, as they are a rare gift. I shall be able to devote myself to the new work, uninterrupted, for weeks on end.’

Michael Seresin says ‘Pat White is the deserved winner of this year’s award. Waterfall Bay, surrounded by water & calm, is ideal for his writing project. I wish him well.’

Happy 'New Year'!

This morning we gathered in the Rachel block of our Home Vineyard to celebrate a very important day in our calendars - the Winter Solstice. 

It had been raining early this morning, but in true Solstice style, the skies cleared just as we headed out for our celebrations, and since then it's been a brilliant, sunny winters day.

Colin, our Estate Manager, spoke about what the Solstice means to us at Seresin: 

"The Winter Solstice marks the beginning of an agricultural new year - the end of one growing season and the beginning of the next. Winter is a time for inner reflection, rather than outer movement. Huddling together in the warm, we look back on the year that has been, and look forward and plan for the year to come. From here, we begin pruning in earnest, as the sap in the grape vines starts to rise, and we head towards Spring and bud burst.'

After Colin spoke, we gave thanks to the land for what it has given us this year, by placing some of our various produce at the end of Row 12.

Over a glass of hot homemade Limoncello and morning tea (Jerusalem Artichoke and Whisky soup - delicious!) we wish you all a happy and prosperous 'new year'.

Ooooby - Out of Auckland's Own Back Yards

Every now and then, we come across a group or company that inspires us. Ooooby is one of those...

Ooooby (or 'Out Of Our Own Back Yards') is an Auckland based social business which connects communities through local food in two ways. 


It's a social networking site for people into homegrown and local food - connecting with others  about gardening tips, seasonal recipes, keeping chickens and bees, preserving and more. It helps members to find others in their neighbourhood growing and eating local food, and organise food bartering days and local meet ups.


The second part of Ooooby is a local food home delivery service. To go one step further toward bringing about the cottage food renaissance, they have set up the Ooooby Box service where they deliver food from local farmers and backyard growers to your doorstep.  It's only available in Auckland so far, but it can only be a matter of time before it grows into other areas.


The lovely folk at Ooooby have given us one of their Family Boxes to give away to one lucky family in Auckland. As the name suggests, this is perfect for a family, containing around eight different items of fruit and veges.


If you would like to win an Ooooby box for your family, or even better, another family you know is in need, just send us an email telling us why you love local, or why you (or they) need a box of Ooooby. The one we think is most deserving, wins. 


Only one condition - delivery is in greater Auckland city only. Draw closes next Friday 29 June at 4pm, and the box will be delivered to the winner the following Tuesday 3 July. 


Check Ooooby out on Facebook, and of course you can sign up for your Ooooby boxes on their website.

Leah in the Spotlight

With the official start of winter this week in New Zealand, we have been hunkering down fireside with winter fare and plenty of pinot. Apparently we're not the only ones - our 2009 Leah Pinot Noir has been featured in several publications around the world recently. We think it's absolutely delicious at the moment - and so does UK wine writer Jane MacQuitty (The Times):


‘New world wines, including the Kiwis, do age. Named after Michael Seresin’s daughter and made from grapes grown in all three Seresin vineyards, this delicious 2009 is the entry level wine for the estate. But you’d never know, as this French oak barrique-aged pinot noir bursts with the sort of juicy, spicy, strawberry-laced fruit that Côte d’Or worshippers adore. Enjoy this lively, 14 per cent pinot noir now with big food, or keep it in the cellar for a few years.’

And speaking of big food, Gourmet Traveller magazine have matched Leah with this Fish and Prawn Pie in their May issue. I can't wait to try it out once the winter vegetables in the Seresin garden get a little bigger!


Fish and Prawn Pie
Prep time 40 minutes, cook time 45 minutes (plus cooling).
Serves 4

4 salad onions, halved
25ml extra virgin olive oil
1 leek stalk, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
3 thyme sprigs
1 fresh bay leaf
1 garlic clove, crushed
30ml Noilly Prat dry vermouth
15g butter, coarsely chopped
15g plain flour
250ml hot fish stock
200g peeled raw prawns (roughly 400g unpeeled), cut into 3 pieces
150g skinless snapper fillet, cut into 3cm dice
150g skinless blue eye trevally fillet, cut into 3cm dice
Finely grated zest of one lemon
1 small bunch each finely chopped dill and flat leaf parsley
375g sheet butter puff pastry
1 egg yolk for brushing

1. Blanch onions until tender (3-4 minutes). Drain, refresh the water, drain again, and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add leek, celery, thyme, bay leaf, garlic and blanched onion and stir occasionally until tender (5-6 minutes). Add vermouth, simmer until evaporated (1-2 minutes), then remove herbs and discard. Add butter, cook until melted, then add flour and stir until smooth and combined. Gradually add fish stock, a ladle at a time, stirring continuously until smooth, then simmer, stirring occasionally, until mixture reaches a thick sauce consistency. Cool for 30 minutes, stir in prawns, fish, lemon rind, dill and parsley and season to taste. Transfer to a 1.25L oval pie dish, spreading evenly, then cover and set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 200C. Cut pastry into an oval big enough to cover the top of the pie dish with a 2.5cm overhang, place pastry on an oven tray lined with baking paper. Brush with yolk, season to taste with sea salt, sprinkle with a little cold water, then bake for 10 minutes. Reduce oven to 190C, place pie dish in oven and bake pastry and pie (separately) until pastry is golden and cooked through and pie mixture is hot (15-20 minutes) Remove baking paper from pie dish, top with pastry.

Serve hot with a green salad dressed with Seresin olive oil and a glass of 2009 Leah Pinot Noir.

Wellington's 2012 'Capital Awards'

At Seresin, we are proud to once again sponsor Wellington's Capital Awards. We're sponsoring the prestigious ‘Outstanding Wine List’ award, which will be presented at the awards ceremony on Sunday 5 August.

Wellington is known as the culinary capital of New Zealand, boasting the largest number of bars and restaurants per capita in New Zealand, with more than 3000 cafes and restaurants located throughout the city, offering the finest food, wine, coffee and service. The Capital Awards are the Wellington region’s premier hospitality awards. They celebrate everything that is fundamentally hospitality in Wellington; from the behind-the-scenes kitchen team and baristas, through to outstanding restaurant and the pinnacle award – outstanding contribution to Wellington hospitality.

Nominations are open now on the Capital Awards website, so get voting and become a fan on Facebook and join us in making the 2012 Capital Awards another success!

Our Wildlife

The grapes & wines get most of the coverage on our blog. For a change here are some of our animals, who all contribute in their unique ways.

Michael Seresin

Harvest 2012 Begins

We have launched into our 2012 harvest at Seresin - a little later than usual! A unseasonably cool Summer has pushed harvest back a few weeks, but the great weather we've had recently has meant that grapes are looking fantastic.

Colin Ross, our Estate Manager, is shown here picking the first of our harvest - Pinot Noir from the Home Vineyard.

We'll be blogging throughout harvest - so watch this space as the action unfolds!

2008 Seresin Pinots' "so evocative of Burgundy"

The April issue of Decanter magazine has just arrived at the winery, bringing with it a review from Steven Spurrier of our range of 2008 Pinot Noirs which he recently tasted. Here's what he had to say about them and their evocation of Burgundy:

Needless to say, we're thrilled with his reviews!

While some of the 2008 Pinots he reviewed have sold out, there are still small amounts of the Single Vineyard wines here at the winery - send us an email if you'd like to get your hands on any of them.

Waterfall Bay Food & Wine Festival 2012

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

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

Enjoy!

Seresin Winemakers Dinner at The Providores

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

Michael Seresin

Our newest resident

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

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

Cows and Wine - a Fine Pairing

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

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

Welcome 'home' Kiran!

An Evocative Reportage from Paris

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

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

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

Michael Seresin

Seresin at Number 10

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

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

Seresin Landfall Residency 2011

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

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

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

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

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

Harvest 2011 Video

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

Harvest 2011 Begins

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

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

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

Thank you to Peter Burge who kindly supplied these images.

Seresin Landfall Residency 2011

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

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

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

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

The Peacock's Tail

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

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

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

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

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.'