KEEPING IT REAL
WORDS Nik Mavromatis
To start, I’ll share with you a quote from the US-based magazine Wine Enthusiast.
“As vines age, so do their stewards. Their deeper understanding of their unique patch of dirt strengthens a region that already crafts some of New Zealand’s most thrilling wines. Keep your eyes firmly on North Canterbury. It’s a masterpiece in the making.”
Lockdown taught us how important our connection with real things in life are: our families, the place where we live, where we play. As life slowed a little, we learnt how much more we savoured that sip of wine or homemade sourdough. Whilst we are ever more engaged in a digital reality, our senses of taste and smell remain rooted in the natural world.
When you only get a chance once a year to make wine, the risks are high and the improvements incremental. So the family farm is far more suited to making great wine than one predicated on quarterly financials. I asked some of the families that live here in North Canterbury about what making wine means for them.
The Chapman family set up Terrace Edge over 20 years ago and have won huge accolades for their wines, including NZ Organic Winery of the Year. Pete Chapman told me, “When I reflect back, it’s ridiculous how much work goes into a good wine, but it’s hugely satisfying seeing, smelling, and tasting a glass in which all the seasons, the environment, and the weather have been compressed into liquid form which we can enjoy for many years”.
Mount Brown Estate was founded by Tony Rutherfurd, who passed the banner on to his daughter Catherine.
“Our small team is more like family than employees. We have to do all the jobs together – our vineyard team does the winery work over vintage too,” says Catherine. “And our ethos has always been that great wine starts in the vineyard.”
The Donaldson family has been out at Pegasus Bay since 1985, and every member of the family is involved – that’s four sons all working together! Their parents, Ivan and Chris, started this in a garage and built it into one of the most renowned wineries in the world.
“We love the fact the region has many small, quality-focused producers with a lot of young energy,” says Ed Donaldson. “We don’t have virtually any of the large multinational corporations you see elsewhere.”
The Bone Line goes back to 1989, although owner Vic Tutton has had family farming in Waipara for nearly 100 years. They’ve just got the next generation also involved as son Jack has started working in the business.
Greystone Wines was established by brothers Bruce and Peter Thomas. Tiki Wines is owned by the McKean family, who named it after their great-great-grandfather, Ngati Uenuku Chieftain Tiki Tere Mihi.
Nearly every winery in North Canterbury is family owned and run, with a deep connection to this place in the world. When you are next making your decision on wine, don’t be fooled by celebrity endorsements. Look for what is real and authentic. The families above live here on the land, grow the grapes, and make the wines in your neighbourhood – for real.