Comments for Sandihurst Winery and Wines - Christchurch, Canterbury Vineyard - Award winning Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay

Comment on The beauty of Riesling… by Hennie

Hennie — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 01:21:05 +0000

What more can be said? Now then, how to spread the word…

Comment on The beauty of Riesling… by Austin Beeman

Austin Beeman — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 01:06:38 +0000

I’m so happy that you used my video for your website. Thank you. This is the 2nd of 4 videos I’m releasing from my interview with Mr. Richter.

He is an incredible ambassador for German Wines.

Comment on Viticulture through the ages… by Andrew - Castro Martin, Spain

Andrew - Castro Martin, Spain — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:28:58 +0000

Is this painting the 15th Century equivalent of Spencer Tunick, or were they just doing it for fun?
Of course here in Galicia we use the pergola system of vine training, so the use of small children might be a viable alternative to reach those higher bunches!!!!

Comment on Recipe for Success… by Kirk

Kirk — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 19:50:13 +0000

Andrew – agreed, but then again I certainly dont know what half the preservative numbers on food items mean either!

Hennie – yes education of the masses, the big companies like Pernod Ricard will surely come to the fore there

Comment on Thinking about Chile… by Restaurant Christchurch

Restaurant Christchurch — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 11:32:30 +0000

This is rather depressing. My heart goes out to the victims. Lets all hope and pray that they recover quickly.

Comment on Recipe for Success… by Hennie

Hennie — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:54:21 +0000

Also reckon it will come. Sooner rather than later as well and one more complication when addressing export of wine and international variation in label requirements.
Education is the key – the how is problematic because it is easy enough on a website or at the cellar door. But what percentage of consumers have interaction with wine producers at those two levels?

Comment on Recipe for Success… by Andrew - Castro Martin, Spain

Andrew - Castro Martin, Spain — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 07:49:33 +0000

Strangely I have just been mentioning wine labelling on our own site, but more related to disclosure of the grape varieties used.
Whilst I have no objection to listing all the contents, without a bit of consumer education, it could be quite worrying to them.
For example, when you see sulphur dioxide and tartaric acid listed, it doesn’t sound very enticing, and does the average man in the street have any idea what 25ppm free SO2 means?
Look at the example of tartrate crystals – in the trade we know that they are natural and harmless, but if there is a possibility that they might appear, then producers often include an explanation on the back label.
Consumer education is the key, after all, we don’t want to scare them off!

Comment on Top New Zealand Pinot Noir…in the USA… by Kirk

Kirk — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 22:29:33 +0000

Thanks Sally, sorry to tar you with the OB/D/B brush there. You seem to be exactly the size/type of winery that I think NZ needs to get behind – quality focused small production, much like us here. I hope this US press coverage really boosts you over there. – Kirk

Comment on Top New Zealand Pinot Noir…in the USA… by sally richardson

sally richardson — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 18:52:54 +0000

This is who we are…..

A small 20 acre, family owned and operated vineyard in Martinborough, producing estate grown wines, (Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir).

Kind Regards,

Sally Richardson

Comment on Top New Zealand Pinot Noir…in the USA… by Hennie

Hennie — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 22:23:09 +0000

Interesting indeed. Few points here that could make for some heated debate:

1. Style
2. Price

Starting with style, the wines tasted here are just about from the furthest and most southern vineyards in NZ to the North Island vineyards. Geographically we’re talking from north to south roughly 1,500 km. Compare that to say wine producing areas in Europe. It’s like comparing or expecting a representative identity (voice or benchmark) for a particular varietal produced in regions stretching from Bordueax in France to Denmark in the north – if Denmark produced wine…

We know that the USA uses a 3-tier importation and distribution system. Each tier adds on average (or even at a minimum) 25% margin on top. With the strength of the NZ dollar against the Greenback, I worry when I see those price points because for the life of me, I can’t figure out how a NZ producer makes a profit – and that after risking a year’s growth, a year’s production time and then the storage before sale. Food for thought – and lots of debate!