34 members and one guest attended the evening; tastings and sales were good.
Our presenter for the evening was Brent Linn from Wairiki, and as well as giving a brilliant talk about the terroir of the region and how the wines were different, Brent gave a personalised view of the owner of Petane and his families’ losses from Cyclone Gabrielle where they lost everything. Phil Barber lost his house, vineyard, restaurant, and a neighbour’s brewery; his brother also lost his property. The good news is that they didn’t lose family; all were safely rescued.
Phil Barber continues to make wine, but now the grapes are from neighbours, and the latest batch he is working with is from Gisborne. His wines are worth seeking out.
The different labels certainly made for an interesting evening, and a reminder of the wines we tasted during the evening are:
Wednesday 11th September, 8 pm Start Door Price: Members $12 / Guests $16
This evening is to be presented by Misty Cove’s South African and French-trained Chief Winemaker, Emmanuel ‘Manu’ Bolliger. Manu’s philosophy is simple: get the grapes right and do very little in the winery. When he is not getting his hands dirty in the vineyard innovating their wine program with Acacia wood puncheons, working with new varietals or just getting all-round creative with new styles of wines – you’ll find Manu off the grid, hunting somewhere in the wilderness, or creating his own cheese, cured meats and olive oil at his piece of paradise in Rarangi.
Emmanuel ‘Manu’ Bolliger
Misty Cove isn’t your typical wine brand. Founded in 2008 by New Zealander Andrew Bailey, it’s a story of breaking conventions. Now led by a tight-knit crew team, who blend traditional winemaking with Kiwi ingenuity, crafting bold wines that defy expectations. With vineyards across Marlborough and New Zealand, their wines travel worldwide, embodying their motto, “Wine for Good Times.” They celebrate individuality, encouraging people to forge their own paths and share memorable moments over a glass of Misty Cove Wines.
Our wines for the evening are:
2022 Misty Cove Waihopai
2024 Misty Cove Estate Sauvignon Blanc
2023 Misty Cove Estate Pinot Gris
2024 Misty Cove Landmark Albarino
2024 Misty Cove Landmark Riesling
2022 Misty Cove Landmark Chardonnay
2023 Misty Cove Estate Pinot Noir
Misty Cove Wine Group Limited offers more than just quality wines. The company also boasts cellar door accommodation located in the heart of the Marlborough wine country, away from it all, while still being close to all the good stuff. The accommodation comes complete with a private pool, garden, barbecue facilities, free WIFI, and free private parking.
From the Misty Cove website
Ask any winemaker and they’ll tell you that the flavour and characteristics of a wine shouldn’t be overly influenced by the wood during fermentation. Instead, the wood is intended to support the wine – and merely add a little ‘spice’. It’s a balancing act between the flavours of the wood and the fruit.
Lately, a few winemakers have been questioning the dominating role that oak has played in winemaking. There is the view that by adding something to the wine – that ‘woodiness’ in oak – you’re merely masking or adding too much to the fruit and fermentation.
In walks acacia wood to the scene, who is now unquestionably the new player in town. Winemakers have discovered that judicious use of acacia barrels during production adds floral notes, improved texture and less of a “woody” taste. Thus, the appeal of acacia barrels lies not so much in the flavours they impart but rather the lack of flavours. Compared with oak, acacia’s contribution is mostly textural.
Firstly, it’s native to America and it was brought over to Europe in the 17th century. Its common name is Black Locust tree. And it’s actually a family of the legume, so it’s a legume. Acacia, which comes from forests in northern France, is sawed rather than split into saves, and is now used by a handful of wineries worldwide.
Membership is still at the top of mind for your committee members. Can all members please endeavour to seek out new members. Bring along fellow wine enthusiasts, neighbours or friends that want to join in our monthly evenings, emphasizing that this is a very good value proposition and a great exposure to wines you may never have known about, or tasted!
Please remember to promote that as a bonus for potential members, our meetings are held in close proximity to both the Johnsonville Train Line and the bus station.
The committee is formulating a short pamphlet for anyone who wants one to hand out to explain our Club a little bit.
Thanks
Thanks again to everyone who helps with the tables and chairs at the start of our evenings and taking the same down after the meeting. Also taking the tables contents: spittoons/water jugs/cracker plates back to the kitchen.
Looking ahead
September – Misty Cove, Blenheim with presenter Carlos Rojas Stiven October – Peregrine, Gibbston Highway Queenstown November – Bubbles Evening, tbc
The location in the CBD was easy to get to and easy to get home from. The evening was a success, as usual, with 29 happy diners. Everyone was handed a glass of bubbly from your Club Cellar upon arrival.
Below is a reminder of the menu for the evening:
To start
Prawn fritters Woodys’ smoked chicken breast with cranberry sauce and toast Pumpkin & haloumi fritters
Main courses
Honey-roasted ham off the bone with roasted baby potatoes, carrots and a mustard sauce Prosciutto wrap chicken breast with roasted baby potatoes, spinach & a sage butter sauce Pan-fried fish with fried new potatoes & salsa verde
Dessert
Deep South vanilla ice cream with Hershey’s chocolate sauce Sticky toffee pudding with butterscotch sauce White chocolate cheesecake
Whilst the evening was very enjoyable for those in attendance, given the low attendance, Waye is surveying all members who chose not to attend to see if there are any learnings that the committee needs to consider when planning future dinners. Wayne will provide a summary of the findings in a future newsletter.
NOT TO BE MISSED: These are two vineyards you normally don’t see and taste,
Wednesday 14th August, 8 pm Start Door Price: Members $15 / Guests $19
Wairiki Estate was founded by Brent Linn in 2008, but his passion for wine began long before that. Brent’s interest was sparked when he worked in banking, helping winemakers find the funding to plant their vines in the soil and establish their labels. From there, his curiosity about the industry grew.
In 2008, a special property was found on the terraces high above the Garuroro River in the Maraekakaho area of Hawkes Bay. ‘The winery was named ‘Wairiki’ because of the importance of this land. Wairiki means ‘little water’ in te reo, and our land is blessed with a small stream that runs through it in Winter. Our soil, climate and passion for viticulture have brought us here: we’re proud of the results. Our small batch Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines are select, special and full of flavour.’
In 2010, family and friends worked together to plant just under 2 hectares of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines. After supplying commercial wineries with our grapes for several years, we grew restless, wanting to see the true potential of our land realised in our wine label. The first Wairiki vintage under our label was released in 2018.’
Feast on the flavour of our handcrafted, small-batch wines. Wines for the evening will be:
Petane is in the Esk Valley and was severely impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle, with their vineyard suffering extensive damage. Thanks to the support of their family and friends, community and customers, they continue to create beautiful wines made with love and dedicated to the production of boutique single-vineyard wine. Their wines are unique from vintage to vintage.
To give us an understanding of the quality that these two wineries can produce, we will be tasting the following wines:
Grace White Pinot 2023
Petane Viognier
Wairiki The Matriarch Chardonnay 2023
Wairiki La Briar Rosé 2021
Wairiki The Optimist Pinot Noir 2020
Wairiki The Redeemer Reserve Pinot Noir 2020
Petane Merlot Cabernet Franc
If you want to read about these wines in more detail, you can go to the following websites:
Membership is at the top of mind for your committee. We want to encourage all members to seek out new members and to help you do this, we are currently preparing a small handout for you to use when explaining who we are and what we do. This will not only highlight what a great value proposition we are, it will also mention our range of activities and promote our closeness to both the Johnsonville train line and the bus station.
Please remember to promote that as a bonus for potential members, our meetings are held in close proximity to both the Johnsonville Train Line and the bus station.
The committee is formulating a short pamphlet for anyone who wants one to hand out to explain our Club a little bit.
Thanks again
Thanks again to everyone who helps with the tables and chairs at the start of our evenings and taking the same down after the meeting. Also taking the tables contents, spittoons/water & jugs/cracker plates, back to the kitchen.
Darren Naylor from Brockenchack Vineyard in Australia, and a family representative [son-in-law converted from swimming coach], presented to us last month, when we had 26 people for the evening. Those that couldn’t attend missed a great evening and an opportunity to taste some new flavours, as this is the first time this family-owned vineyard has presented to us.
Their vineyard is in Eden Valley, which is described as being ‘Barossa’s beautiful high country, one of Australia’s premier cool climate wine growing regions, characterised by its rugged beauty and varied topography’. Darren explained to us the complexities of their property and vines, and the weather that effects their harvests, and how they work with other vineyards at times. And while all their wines matter to the family, their Shiraz is their primary wine.
He also revealed that other vineyards have started to use casks from Hungary, but they had found these to be inferior to the French or US casks, so they don’t use these in their productions.
To remind you of the wines we tasted on the night:
NV Great Scott Sparkling Shiraz the Welcome Wine
2023 Mackenzie William 1896 Riesling – cellars well, they are drinking their 2010 now
2021 Charli Jaye Chardonnay – made from Mendoza clone, only planted 12 years ago
2023 Tru-Su Rosé – made from their Shiraz
2021 Zip Line Shiraz – 60-95 years old vines
2021 Miss Bronte Cabernet Sauvignon – from 12-year-old vines
2018 Jack Harrison Shiraz – this will cellar for between 10-14 years
2018 William Frederick Shiraz – a special taster of premium wine and one of only two corked wines in their cellar. The rest of their wines are screw-cap.
Contact details for Brockenchack
Email NZ Agent, based in Queenstown +64 277 034 616
Wine orders on the night were good, thanks to everyone.
Your committee has been discussing growing our Club’s membership numbers. If you know of anyone who would like to join our club with the wonderful opportunities for wine appreciation and education, please bring them along to one or two of our monthly evenings. They can experience the members evening, how we operate, and may want to join us.
Appreciation from the committee
Thanks again to everyone who helps with the tables and chairs at the start of our evenings and taking the same down after the meeting. Also taking the tables contents: spittoons/water jugs/cracker plates back to the kitchen.
PLEASE NOTE: We can’t arrive to do the setting up activities any earlier than 7:30 pm as we interrupt the cleaner(s) schedule, the cleaners are in the hall until 7:30 pm.
Thanks to all those who attended the Club’s AGM. It was a short and succinct meeting, with all the important matters passed or discussed promptly. For those that couldn’t attend:
Financial Report, a copy of which has been corrected for the $3K compensation and will be uploaded to the Club website if you wish to review it.
Election of Officers, including a new Secretary, welcome Gordon.
Subscriptions are to remain at $25 for the 24/25 financial year.
General Business:
Gary Milicich asked whether the Club had any relationships with wholesalers regarding the purchase of wine. The answer is that we do not currently.
Wayne advised that he is responsible for renewing the Club’s liquor license.
Wayne raised the topic of mid- and end-of-year dinners and noted that attendance numbers have dropped slightly over the last year. Members were asked to please let any of the committee members know if they had any suggestions.
A bus trip to the Wairarapa for club members was raised, and it was explained that our last one had been for the 40th anniversary of the Club and was a lot of work, especially when trying to co-ordinate with trains, etc
The supper put on by committee members was enjoyed, and so was the socialising.
Brockenchack With Representative and Global Business Development Manager, Darren Naylor
Wednesday 12th June, 8 pm Start
Door Price: Members $14 / Guests $18
Brockenchack Wines | One family, connecting wine-enthusiasts across the globe through a shared love of storytelling and fine wine. All it takes is one memorable bottle of Brockenchack wine for the family reunion to begin.
Our presenter Darren has his own wine named after him (D.E.N Reserve Cabernet), is married to owner Trev’s daughter Sue (aka our Tru-Su Rose) and is father to Mack (aka Mackenzie William 1896 Riesling) and Bronte (aka Miss Bronte Cabernet), two of the grandchildren that Brockenchack is named after.
The heart of Brockenchack is our family, each member contributing their unique rhythm. If I steer the ship, Marilyn is our Bridge Watchkeeper as she continues her recovery with great-grandson Archie keeping her on her toes, and keeping us both young (at heart, if nothing else). The next generation; Mack, Jack and Charli step into the limelight, propelling the Brockenchack brand forward with fresh ideas and lots of energy. Darren’s relentless efforts span across Australia, NZ, Asia, and the USA, seasoned with a generous dose of dad jokes. Susan continues the hard-working genes, propelling her own business forward.
Bronte continues to immerse herself in the world of dance, seamlessly balancing that with her commitment to university studies and prac placements. Whilst Trudi seizes every chance to revel in precious moments with her grandson Archie, whenever she’s not at the helm of the bottling plant.
Brockenchack’s name is made from an amalgamation of the grandchildren’s names: this is a family endeavour, and is named after their four grandchildren; BROnte, MaCKENzie, CHArli and JaCK; Brockenchack is a cool climate, single vineyard wine producer in the Barossa’s picturesque Eden Valley nestled between world-renowned Henschke and Yalumba vineyards. They soared to new heights in 2023, taking their wines international. From South Korea to New Zealand, Malaysia to the UK, France to Switzerland, and across the USA, their wines made a global statement. Wine trips and tastings resonated with enthusiasts on every continent.
Changes could be ahead for food and wine festival Toast Martinborough, after the event was purchased by Foley Wines.
As a run of hard luck threatened to drag Wairarapa’s famous wine and food festival down, one of the most influential industry players stepped in to save the day.
The Covid-19 pandemic, poor weather and increased compliance costs had caught up with the trust – that runs Toast Martinborough, but Foley Wines has offered to take ownership of the event that has been running for more than 30 years.
In a difficult financial situation, Toast Martinborough’s board attempted to raise capital from its shareholders but could not pull together the necessary funds to meet its obligations.
Foley Wines offered to buy out shareholders and pay outstanding debts with suppliers. The board unanimously accepted its offer.
Foley chief executive Mark Turnbull said they were excited by the opportunity to take over custodianship of the event and they were keen to revitalise its format for the future.
This could mean changing the time of year and possibly shifting it from a Sunday to a Saturday. “You know what the weather’s like in November — four seasons in one day.”
“While the strategy is still evolving, our team intends to work collaboratively with the community to ensure Toast Martinborough remains an iconic event for years to come,” Turnbull said.
The international company has deep ties to South Wairarapa. It owns Te Kairanga and Martinborough Vineyard wineries, the Lighthouse Gin distillery, and the recently opened $10 million development The Runholder.
American billionaire Bill Foley is a majority shareholder, and he also has other assets in the region including Wharekauhau Country Estate, and Wellington’s Pravda, Shed 5, and Crab Shack.
Turnbull said Foley was intensely interested in Wairarapa and was on board with the decision to buy out the event. “His family love Toast. We’ve just got off a call with some of his senior people in the US with some ideas from Sonoma and Napa festivals.
“He’s definitely keen and he’d much prefer coming in February when it’s a bit warmer.” Turnbull wouldn’t say the level of investment they were making in the event, but it was important that they looked after the region and cleared the trust’s debts. “I believe it brought in about $15 million to the region from Toast and that’s really important for everyone, so that was our motivation.
“And it was also about making sure that the people that were owed money were paid.” Foley Wines also covered Toast’s $5000 pledge to the Martinborough Youth Trust, which will be matched by Wharekauhau Country Estate and Foley Hospitality, bringing the donation total to $10,000.
Former Toast Martinborough board chair Pete Monk said the festival had faced hurdles in recent years and was thankful that Foley Wines could step in. “The past few years have posed significant challenges,” he said.
“This outcome hands over custodianship to one of our founding shareholders, meaning the festival is in excellent hands for its next chapter.”
Borough Wines are all about giving back to the Community. Founded in 2020, when you buy Borough Wines all proceeds go to the Graeme Dingle Foundation to support child and youth development. All the grapes, winemaking, packaging and bottling have been donated by generous folks in the wine industry, so your dollars go further.
Today’s fast-paced technological change impacts on many levels within society; from education to employment, from communication to recreation. Our young people need to learn skills and strategies to develop into resilient people who can cope and thrive amongst this ongoing evolution and disruption. They need to learn how to work together, understand other perspectives, collaborate for mutual success, and how to bounce back from setbacks. The Graeme Dingle Foundation programmes support the development of these skills an values, so our youth are able to overcome the challenges they will inevitably face in life.
Borough’s 2023 Vintage Growers:
Rob Hammond, Longfield Marlborough
John Flanagan, Ben Glover, Mufaletta
The Palmers, Palmer Vineyard
The Weltons, Welton Vineyard Blenheim
Mark Taggart, Roses Vineyard
Ben McLauchlan, Rothay
James Jones, Starborough
Click into their website to see their supporters, among them Lion NZ, Wineworks Marlborough, Indevin NZ, Wither Hills, etc.
