July 22nd, 2010
Ive been doing some lab trials for our 2010 white wines (Riesling and Pinot Gris) to determine the level of Bentonite that will be required in order to make the wines protein stable. Its a fairly essential step as a wine that is not protein stable and stored too warm, can throw a fairly unslightly haze in the bottle that would ...
July 21st, 2010
Always great when you come across something quite refreshing. Heres a snippet from the recent winedirect newsletter about one of their recent Rhone arrivals. They love the wine but its good to see them telling it like it is because we all know the wine industry has its fair share of precious souls....
Domaine Roger Sabon is a relatively new agency for us, this being ...
July 20th, 2010
I don't know what this really says about New Zealand as a country or the people who live here but this is a classic scene you certainly wouldnt find in too many other countries around the world.
Its a booth selling free-range eggs at the farm gate on the roadside of the main road through the Waitaki Valley. The booth is unmanned but has an honesty box for you to place ...
July 18th, 2010
Just back from a weeks holiday in an amazing place. After 50, mostly unsealed, kilometers off the Farlie-Tekapo road you come to Black Forest on the shores of Lake Benmore. Isolated and unspoilt, the sole farm here has built a couple of top class holiday houses, or bachs as we like to call them here in NZ (although the luxury of these places is stretching the definition of the word 'bach') . ...
July 7th, 2010
The FIFA World Cup may have unearthed Paul the Octopus as the one of the great psychics of all time, surpassing even the legendary Punxsutawney Phil in his ability to get it right, but here at Sandihurst we have our own legend in the making - Woody the Winefly. Not only can he correctly predict if I have just enough sulphur in the wine he is also a genius at telling me whether I need to do a little extra cleaning in the cellar or if ...
June 27th, 2010
Its Riesling but not as we know it. This year I have been experimenting in the winery, trying a different approach to my winemaking with a small batch of Riesling. Picked with relatively normal parameters I have opted not to whole bunch press the fruit as would normally be the case but instead have held the fruit ...
June 23rd, 2010
Im busy preparing some new oak for our 2010 Pinot Noir to mature in this year. Firstly a little hot water inside, bunged up and rolled around should reveal any obvious leaks - if I can see or hear steam escaping then thats trouble. After that I usually fill the barrels up with cold water and rest it overnight which helps to swell the wood and ...
June 21st, 2010
Winter in Christchurch. Cold frosty mornings and grey rainy days not pictured.
June 14th, 2010
Bottling tomorrow and Im just doing a last final check to make sure the Free SO2 levels are exactly where I want them to be. SO2 as Im sure you are all aware is an age old protectant against bacteria and oxidation. That purple liquid in the ...
A native of Christchurch, and a curious wanderer of distant shores, Kirk’s talent for beautiful wines can, at least in part, be attributed to his dark decade in chartered accountancy. There, amongst the spreadsheets, columns and rows, Kirk is said to have developed the finely-tuned attention to detail he was later to apply to Sandihurst’s advantage.
It was following a culturally eye-opening period in Europe and Asia that Kirk experienced the moment of truth that was to drive him to abandon his pinstripes and retrain. He had tasted life, French pastries and dim sum and now he wanted more. So, roll up his neatly pressed sleeves he did. Enlightened and decidedly un-accountant-like, Kirk then took his new-found talents to California and Germany’s Pfalz where he refined his vinous skills and gained further invaluable experience. And a family. Finally, and after several happy years, the lure of New Zealand proved too strong to resist, and Kirk returned home and into the veritable arms of Sandihurst Winery.
Artist and alchemist, whilst Kirk’s Mr Nice Guy persona belies a dry wit and wicked laugh, his genius knows only modesty. When he declares his wine to be “okay”, it’s time to bank another medal.
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