IN BRIEF
INTERNATIONAL Decanter World Wine Awards 2017 Decanter World Wine Awards is the world’s largest and most prestigious wine competition. Judged by top wine experts from around the globe,
the DWWA is trusted internationally for its rigorous judging process. Decanter offers unrivalled marketing support for winners, giving your wines
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decanter.com/enter?utm_ source=newsletter&utm_ medium=email&utm_ campaign=dwwa-2017-nz DEADLINE TO REGISTER: March 3, 2017
GISBORNE Geoff Thorpe Honoured It probably didn’t come as much of a surprise to the New Zealand wine industry that Geoff Thorpe, managing director of Riversun, was acknowledged in the New Year’s Honours – but it was a massive surprise to the man himself. Thorpe was made an Officer of The New Zealand Order of
Merit (ONZM) for his services to the wine industry, that has spanned three decades. He initially established Riversun Nursery in Gisborne in 1982, and was dedicated to providing a range of grafted plants, for that region’s horticultural sector. But since 1998 Riversun has concentrated on providing true to type vines for the wine
industry. He has been almost solely responsible for the expansion of grape varieties in this country, having established a grapevine quarantine facility in 2003. Thanks to him and the team at Riversun, more than 120 new varieties and clones have made their way into the New Zealand viticultural scene. His ONZM is well deserved.
WELLINGTON WINE COUNTRY Big Sky’s new Gruner Big Sky Wines in Martinborough now makes a Gruner Veltliner with grapes grown on a neighbouring vineyard in Te Muna Road, which is nine kilometres east of the township. Winemaker and co-founder Katherine Jacobs, who owns the property with her partner in life and in winemaking, Jeremy Corban, says the wine is proving popular
as an alternative white wine style. Jacobs invested heavily in tasting sessions at the Martinborough Wine Centre during December, pouring wine daily for visitors to the store and to the town, which paid off in wine sales across her range – including the Gruner Veltliner. “It was a massive amount of time to put into standing, pouring, talking and tasting,
but it’s been amazing to see how positively people respond when they like a wine style after getting to sample it in a low key environment with the winemaker to talk with,” says Jacobs, who also makes small quantities of a barrel fermented Sauvignon Blanc (full bodied, thanks to lees aging time) and two Pinot Noirs. All are made with grapes grown on Te Muna Road.
Porter Pinot goes green Wairarapa winemakers John and Hugo Porter are a fatherson team, who have launched a new Pinot Noir called Porter’s Kereru Pinot Noir. The proceeds from the sales of this small production wine will go towards creating a new wetland area on land the Porter family purchased and is replanting in native trees. “Several years ago we acquired a block of native bush which had been grazed for many years. Our purchase was with a view to restoring it to its
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NZ WINEGROWER FEBRUARY/MARCH 2017
original glory. We have fenced off the block from grazing, trapped predators, replanted native species and formed a wetland. In the last few years we have been rewarded by the return of native birds to the block – including the majestic Kereru,” says John Porter, who works as a lawyer in Wellington as well as making wine in the Wairarapa. Proceeds from the sale of Porter’s Kereru Pinot Noir will contribute to the upkeep and maintenance of this land.