:there's something in the soil
There's Something in the Soil that makes me love you like i do Great wine is created at grass roots level … it is the soil that gives wine its fingerprint
WHILE WINEMAKERS ARE THE rock stars of the vinous world, it is the viticulturists who write the songs. And the very best wines are created when they work in harmony. But there is an even more important component - the soil. It is the soil that gives the wine its fingerprint. We use the term
terroir widely – it is a French phrase that suggests the wine's heritage is founded on soils, climate, history and the sensibility of the people in the vineyard and the winery. We are all so very aware of working with nature. The idea of using
"While winemakers are the rock stars of the vinous world, it is the viticulturists who write the songs."
come from clay-based soils. Our older vines now have their roots down into these ancient
gravels. These virgin soils have not been altered by man and while at the start it was a reasonably hostile environment for grape vine roots, after a while microflora evolved and allowed the vine to tap into minerals. This is why older vines are so revered – because they are drawing on the very ancient history of the soil. Top soils are seldom unique and young vines, while vigorous and producing a certain fruit vibrancy, seldom have the gravitas of old stock. In our Upper Moutere vineyard at Neudorf
we force the vine roots down into the sub soil. We do this by allowing wild grasses and herbs to grow around the vines and thereby they compete for moisture. A great vineyard will not look pristine and bereft of weeds. It will look shaggy with wild flowers and beneficial weeds. The next factor in the creation of great wine
is crop balance. We have all drunk forgettable wines, wines that smell good but leave no trace of palate satisfaction. For me great wine is less about flavour and more about texture, balance and mouth feel. I want my wine to feel luxurious. I want it
an armoury of pesticides and herbicides is unacceptable and today the vast majority of New Zealand wineries are accredited sustainable. A growing number for organic, certified organic or bio dynamic vineyards are making a name internationally for their wines. At Neudorf our soils are ancient clays laced with gravel. When
we were looking for our vineyard land way back in 1978, Tim Finn was set on clay because of the intriguing complexity these soils can produce, and today some of the finest Pinot Noirs in New Zealand
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