MARTINBOROUGH
MARLBOROUGH
New Cellar Door
Falcons and Wine
The latest in a long line of welcoming cellar doors in the Martinborough area, opened its doors to the public on December 27. Colombo Wines, owned by Swiss born Baptist Sieber and Irish born Carolyn Irwin, is in Todds Road, just a short stroll from the Martinborough town square. The couple’s own vineyard has 15-year-old Pinot Noir vines, with the winemaking duo producing Pinot and Rosé, while they source fruit from other growers in the region to produce Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Syrah. The cellar door also provides a tappas style menu, with the food carefully chosen to match the wines. Open Thursday to Sunday, 12.30 -5pm, they are available for tastings on the other days by appointment only.
Visitors to Brancott’s Heritage Centre in Marlborough will get the opportunity to get up close to one of New Zealand’s most endangered birds – the Karearea, or New Zealand Falcon. Only 3000 pairs of the bird that adorns the $20 note are thought to exist in the wild, meaning most people would never get an opportunity to see one. But a long-standing partnership between Brancott Estate and Marlborough Falcon Trust has seen the opening of the Marlborough Falcon Trust Falcon Valley, at the base of the Heritage Centre itself. For a donation, visitors can walk down to the aviary where a pair of rescued falcons are domiciled in a specially built aviary. On top of that, visitors can book to see a falcon in full flight, as part of the Brancott Estate Falcon Encounter. A viewing area has been established within the vineyard itself, allowing people to see the falcon flying. New Zealand’s only raptor can reach speeds of up to 200 kph, making the display a one of a kind in New Zealand. Brancott Estate have been donating a dollar for every bottle of their Living Land Series, to the Falcon Trust, raising over $500,000 during the five-year partnership.
Diana Dobson from the Marlborough Falcon Trust with Fern.
FARMING FACT INCREASED PROFITABILITY STARTS WITH HEALTHY SOIL By simply correcting your soils’ calcium and magnesium base saturation levels with a calculated application of fine ground Dolomite, you will achieve a more balanced biological friendly soil improving grapevine health and fruit quality. For a no obligation consultation of your farms soil contact:
Ross Wright (South Island Sales) 0274 246 2114
NZ WINEGROWER FEBRUARY/MARCH 2015 // 7