:pinot with passion
Pinot with Passion
An old saying repeated by the wise is, "find a job you love and you'll
never work a day in your life"
There's a lot to love about owning a business in New Zealand's flourishing wine industry – there's the satisfaction of hand harvesting
the grapes off the vines you planted yourself, to one day see that wine win international acclaim. Being a part of a strong network of passionate,
committed characters all intent on making New Zealand wine the best it can be in a sustainable manner is rewarding. And of course, there's enjoying
the fruits of your labour on a warm Friday evening! But on the flipside, frost alarms go off at 3am, export logistics with horrendous deadlines can
be mind boggling, and distribution is a constant challenge. However, the romance in wine will always win me over. We are very lucky to do what
we do, and in such a stunning landscape.
Of course, it wasn't always so! In the
late 1990's, my husband Steve and I,
along with my in-laws Jane (Steve's
sister) and her husband Geoff, were all
on our OE, working in IT in Europe.
On the train in rush hour, it was easy
to picture coming home to 'the good
life' working on the land. Central
Otago Pinot Noir was showing real
promise, and we decided that since
we were so passionate about drinking
wine, we'd like to be a part of it! We
saved hard, and enlisted the help of a
viticultural consultant to help us find
a good piece of land.
Our family vineyard is situated right in
the heart of Central Otago, opposite
the town of Cromwell. Initially it
was a sandy, scrubby patch of dirt
with a few trees dotted on it. Little
did we know the ruckus that would
be kicked up once we started clearing
those trees! Apparently, one particular
pine had a special place in the heart
of many a Cromwell local – it was
the location of countless romantic
trysts and was fondly referred to as the
'Wooing Tree'. A local radio station
picked up on the story and launched
a campaign to save the tree, complete
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