tosq WINE OF CENTRAL OTAGO, NEW ZEALAND
Release of Entwined
Winter Wine Special Grape & Olive Harvest
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grateful thanks to the many people who have helped us care for the vineyard over the past season and to all those who were part of our great harvesting team. Our harvesting days are truly highlights of the year and it is always a wonderful feeling to know that the fruit is all picked and safely delivered to the winery. Talking of wineries, our thanks go out to Dan and Sarah-Kate for their skillful winemaking. This year we have also released our “Entwined” made from our Flora grapes This wine has been made with “minimal intervention” - I daren’t say “natural” for fear of incurring the wrath of the more linguistic amongst us. It was both SK’s and Vanessa’s enthusiasm that made this wine happen. Thomo has taken his photography into the studio (the garage!) to get those elusive wine-pouring and bottle shots. This has been possible thanks to the generousity of Jackie Rankin lending him strobes, etc and to Mike Langford for his informative criticisms “And just what are we supposed to be looking at in this photo Thomo?!” However as can be seen on the preceding page Thomo’s wine pouring skills have some way to go! Wishing you all the best for a great winter Cheers
Cover Image: Rosie Olive picking at TOSQ
2014 Winter Special
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o welcome in winter, we have dug into our cellar for library stock and put together a 6 and 12 pack at a very special price. These showcase 3 vintages of TOSQ Pinot Noirs, and our newly released wine “Entwined�
Save $40 on the 6 pack or $80 on the 12 pack. Click here for further details and ordering. Offer ends 31st July 2014.
Winter 6 Pack contains: 2 Bottles TOSQ Pinot Noir 2009 2 Bottles TOSQ Pinot Noir 2010 2 Bottles TOSQ Pinot Noir 2011
Winter 12 Pack contains: 2 Bottles TOSQ Pinot Noir 2009 2 Bottles TOSQ Pinot Noir 2010 2 Bottles TOSQ Pinot Noir 2011 2 Bottles TOSQ Pinot Gris 2012 2 Bottles TOSQ Flora 2012 2 Bottles TOSQ Entwined 2013
2013 E
ntwined is the name we have given to our 2013 wine made from Flora grapes. The Flora grape is derived from a pairing of Semillon and Gewurztraminer. The berries are smaller than our pinot gris grapes, and more intensely coloured – a wonderful orangey-pink! Taste them off the vine, you’ll find a distinct ginger spice character. The skins hold much of the intrigue. The wine has been made in a different style from the previous year’s Flora 2012, to try and capture some of these unique characteristics.
Yuri foot-stomping Flora grapes
Sarah-Kate Dineen & Jane Skilton sampling Entwined in its early stages
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ermented in barrel, the wine was left on its skins for approximately 80 days, then remained on lees to build complexity and palate weight. It has had no additions of any sort in the wine-making process – just the grapes and the indigenous yeasts allowed to go to work and then just a touch of sulphur at bottling.
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his wine is the story of these grapes, as precisely as we can define it – the soils in which the vines are grown (or rather.. the stony sand and gravels), the season, the organic regime with which we nurture them, all woven together with meticulous care and attention in the winery by Sarah-Kate and her team.
Stirring of Entwined, fermenting on skins
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he result is a crisp fresh wine in a dry style. For those of you who enjoy the zing of a Central Otago dry riesling, we hope this will be a wine to intrigue you and that you will find elegant and enjoyable too! A bowl of juicy green olives, fresh fish, seafood, or spiced asian and moroccan dishes could be great dining partners.
A great vintage for Central Otago
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his was an excellent vintage for the majority of grape-growers in Central Otago. We enjoyed a reasonably benign spring. Only a handful of sleeps were disrupted by the need to monitor chilly temperatures, and take action if necessary to protect the delicate young shoots emerging on the vines from possible frost. (see frost fighting videos)
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hankfully the vineyard survived unscathed and an early flowering took place at the beginning of December in warm, dry and sunny weather, contributing to an excellent fruit set. Most of the rain that affected some areas in the later part of December and January seemed to pass us by – so the season cracked on ‘a-pace’ and harvest turned out to be at least a week ahead of the average we’ve come to expect over the past 10 years of grape-growing.
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lavours in the grapes were pronounced ‘delicious’! Cool nights through summer balanced the day time heat, helping to achieve the desirable acidity to compliment the sugars – so we have high hopes for the vintage.
Oli v e Harvest 2014
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ot only have we had a great season in the vineyard, 2014 produced our best crop of olives to date.
We havest them for oil when we have a mix of colour ripeness on the trees, usually in late May, a month or more after the completion of the grape harvest. We aim for roughly one third green, one third purple, one third black, to give us the best balance and flavour in the oil.
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he predominantly Tuscan varieties that we grow produce a wonderfully deep green and spicy, full-flavoured oil. This years crop has been pressed and the oil is now settling in stainless steel churns. . . . . .
. . . . but keep a look out for our next Newsletter. By then the oil will have been bottled and ready for sale, albeit in very limited quantities.
TOSQ RECIPE PIZZA Roasted Pumpkin & Venison Pizza with wholemeal rosemary crust
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on’t tuck that bottle of pinot away just for special occasions! It goes down a treat with a bunch of friends and some tasty pizza in front of the winter fire. This one is a firm family favorite and can be whipped up with ease to feed a crowd.
ROASTED PUMPKIN & VENISON PIZZA WITH WHOLEMEAL ROSEMARY CRUST Makes 2 large Pizzas INGREDIENTS
METHOD
PIZZA DOUGH 325ml water 2 Tbsp olive oil 1 tsp salt 400gm high grade plain flour 200gm wholemeal flour 1 tsp chopped rosemary 2 ½ tsp dried yeast
Mix dough ingredients together in bowl and knead till smooth. Cover and leave to rise in warm place till doubled in size.
TOPPING 250 gm venison hind leg steak, marinaded in 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp chilli sauce for at least 1 hr Wedge of pumpkin, peeled, sliced & cut into pieces 1 large red onion, quartered 1 whole head of garlic, top trimmed 2 Tbsp olive oil 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar 2 Tbsp tomato paste 2 Tbsp basil pesto Approx 100gm brown mushrooms, sliced 2 large handfuls baby spinach grated mozarella parmesan shavings Fresh rosemary sprigs& chopped fresh thyme
Sprinkle pumpkin, red onion and head of garlic with oil and balsamic, toss to coat and roast in hot oven 200degc for 10-15 mins till just cooked. (Garlic may take a little longer) Squeeze out cooked garlic, mash and mix to paste with tomato and pesto. Heat a heavy-based pan till hot and sear the marinaded venison steak on both sides. Allow to rest briefly then slice into strips. Divide dough in two and roll out thinly. Spread each base with garlic paste mixture. Top with the roasted pumpkin and sliced red onion. Scatter over venison strips, sliced mushrooms, and half the baby spinach leaves. Sprinkle lightly with mozarella, fresh herbs, salt & ground black pepper. Cook in hot oven (210 deg c) till base is cooked and crisp and the topping just starting to colour. To serve, garnish with the remaining fresh baby spinach leaves and shavings of parmesan.
Check out the 2014 Harvest Video
New Listings If you’re visiting any of these places - you could try a TOSQ wine! ANCESTRAL GARDEN BAR & RESTAURANT 31-33 COURTNEY PLACE, TE ARO, WELLINGTON
LEINSTER ROAD BISTRO 158 LEINSTER ROAD, MERIVALE, CHRISTCHURCH
TASTE & SAVOUR (opening July 2014) FINE WINE & FOODSTORE GLENDA DRIVE FRANKTON, QUEENSTOWN
& if you happen to be in Sweden and in need of a TOSQ, give Anne Johanne Korsnes at call at +46(0)70-308 00 68
www.bravin.se
www.tosq.co.nz