Greystone Racing Ahead - November 2010

10/11/2010 6:54:16 p.m.

10 NOVEMBER 2010

Greystone Wines Racing Ahead

Greystone Wines has recently been described as one of the top twenty wine estates in New Zealand by Bob Campbell MW, and this Waipara Valley vineyard is certainly out to prove the point with a current rush of success.

Winestate Magazine has awarded Greystone Wines the Australasian Pinot Gris Trophy in their Wine of the Year Awards for their 2010 Sand Dollar Pinot Gris, the winners of which are chosen from over 10,000 wines submitted throughout the year

Michael Cooper, New Zealand editor of Winestate magazine said “Greystone is one of the elite few to achieve consistent quality across a significant range of aromatics including Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris- producing wines of great delicacy & purity” He also described the recently released 2009 Greystone Chardonnay as “one of the finest Chardonnays yet produced in Waipara”.

Within the same week, Greystone Wines also learnt that its Sauvignon Blanc & Riesling have won gold medals, and are in line for trophies at the Air New Zealand Wine Awards -the Sauvignon Blanc being the only non-Marlborough wine in its class to be awarded Gold.

Incredibly, this week has also seen Greystone win a trophy for its Gewurztraminer at the Hong Kong Wine & Spirit Competition and its Pinot Gris awarded Top 100 at the Sydney International Wine Competition.

In a further accolade, Greystone won a gold medal at the 2010 Japan Wine Challenge among only four New Zealand wineries to win against competition from nine other countries. The medal went to the Greystone Waipara Pinot Noir 2008.

The top twenty listing in the influential UK wine magazine ‘Decanter’ by writer and Master of Wines Bob Campbell seems to be reinforced.

“We’re delighted with the range of varieties that have been successful for us, and it goes to show we really are beginning to understand this special piece of land we have here” said winemaker Dom Maxwell.

“We are appreciative that we are very fortunate to have been selected for several very important awards this year of all years,” said Bruce Thomas of Greystone Wines. “As everyone is so acutely aware, the wine industry generally is experiencing pricing pressure from over-supply of grapes and thus wine.

“A focus on exceptional quality and investment in the brand is our way to push back the trend of commodisation under-cutting our national wine industry.”

“It is highly pleasing to see our wines recognised at international wine awards and by publications that specialise in introducing the best products to their readers.”

“Further, this astounding sequence of success is a tribute to the skill and passion of our viticulturist Nick Gill and our winemaker Dominic Maxwell.”

Nick Gill came from the South Australian heartland of the Barossa Valley where he managed such Penfolds Grange vineyards as Magill Estate, Block 42, Koonunga Hill and Kalimna.

Dom Maxwell has post-graduate qualifications in winemaking from Lincoln University after graduating with a Commerce & Management degree. Since starting at Greystone, he has worked at renowned wineries Chehalem Wines in Oregon and Weingut Leitz in the Rheingau, Germany and Domaine D’Eugenie in Vosne-Romaneé, Burgundy.

“As a team we jokingly refer to it as the “trans-tasman bromance”” laughs Nick’s wife and Greystone marketer Angela Clifford. “But in all seriousness, when your grapes come from just one vineyard there has to be a special understanding between the two people who are charged with growing the grapes and making the wine. It’s a cliché, but wine really is made in the vineyard.

The Greystone Vineyard incorporates 40 hectares of predominantly north westerly facing land in the Waipara Valley, North Canterbury. Greystone is carefully sited within a 153 hectare property and to date 9 separate blocks have been developed in order to maximize the natural benefits of each. Special attention has been paid to site selection to maximise the range of soils, and microclimates available within the vineyards.

Greystone’s north-facing slopes are planted with aromatic white such as Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer as well as the Burgundian Pinot Noir, Chardonnay as well as a small block of Syrah. Plantings from 60m-150m above sea level are on soil profiles varying from Glasnevin clays to soils rich in limestone.

Greystone’s exciting wines are directly attributable to these unique sites on Omihi Road, Waipara Valley, which has its own microclimate one hour north of Christchurch. Their successes add to an increasing amount of interest both nationally and internationally on the Waipara Valley, as the producer of some of New Zealand’s highest quality wines.

For more information:

Angela Clifford angela.clifford@greystonewines.co.nz

Ph: 0274 242 871

www.greystonewines.co.nz

Viticulturist Nick Gill & Winemaker Dom Maxwell