A few pictures and a belated report back. The day started real early and building a fire in the rain is quite depressing... However, the rain cleared up, the fire burnt nicely, the pots went onto the fire on schedule (sort of) and the people ...

Great article and debate on the pricing of wine if you click here. Raises quite a few questions and the answers aren't always that easy or clear. Ultimately, enjoying wine is a very personal, subjective and emotive issue. How to calculate the value of "I like this" versus "I like this a lot"? Unfortunately, too often it may be a case of "they like this ...

And the Sandihurst True & Daring Riesling 2007 is one of them! Out of 46 wine producing countries and over 10,000 wines entered, this is just about the most amazing thing that has happened with us here at Sandihurst. Are we excited? You bet! The awards dinner is in London in September and you can read about it and book your tickets by clicking here. You ...

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 ...

Just a quick reminder about our annual Rescue Helicopter fund raiser event this coming Sunday. Buy on-line from our website (click here) or call us. We won't have door sales on the day and booking your space is essential. Get a few friends together and come and support the Canterbury West Coast Air Rescue Trust (Westpac Rescue Helicopter). All proceeds ...

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 ...

Winter in Christchurch. Cold frosty mornings and grey rainy days not pictured.

First turn on your sound. Talking about export and strategy and target markets, our son Sean commented: "You should go where Matt goes". So who the heck is Matt? He doesn't tell us, he shows us. And it is not "Who the heck is Matt"? It is "Where the hell is Matt?" Brilliant! Hope you enjoy too!

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 ...

Because it was being True and Daring ? Or because it had a flight to catch. Ha! In London on the 30th this month? Then head down to Lords, where in the Nursery Pavillion you can taste our 2007 Riesling and all the other 2010 IWC Gold medal winners. Tickets are free to members of the wine trade but you will need to register. ...