AWARDS
TROPHY: “Champion Sparkling Wine”, Air New Zealand Wine Awards 2017, NZ
GOLD: Air New Zealand Wine Awards 2017, NZ
WINE ANALYSIS
Variety: 50% Pinot Noir / 50% Chardonnay
Vineyard: Seifried Cornfield and Brightwater Vineyards
Sugar at Harvest: 19.4°Brix
Date of Harvest: Early March 2011
Disgorgement Date: September 2016
T.A of Wine: 5.8g/L
Residual Sugar: 1g/L (Brut)
Alc.: 12.5% vol.
Suitable for Vegetarians: Yes
WINEMAKERS NOTE
In 1971 my father Hermann Seifried arrived in New Zealand with a dream of making great wines. He and my mother Agnes pioneered modern winemaking in the Nelson region, planting the first vines and in 1976 producing their first wines. Now, 40 years later we celebrate their vision and the arrival of the next generation, our children, who are growing up in the vineyard and winery. We hope that they too will share the passion for crafting fine wines.
Our Aotea Méthode Traditionnelle is a very special wine. Two parcels of fruit were hand picked at ideal ripeness for this classical Méthode Traditionnelle Cuvée. The Pinot Noir is from our Brightwater Vineyard while the Chardonnay comes from our Cornfield Vineyard. The blend is 50/50 Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
The grapes were hand harvested during the cool early hours of the day and brought to the winery quickly for processing. The free-run juice from the press was cold settled overnight before being racked, warmed and inoculated. A smooth ferment progressed to dryness, followed by malolactic fermentation. The young wine was then prepared for bottle fermentation and aged on lees for an extended period. In 2016 the wine was finished and released to celebrate our 40th vintage at Seifried’s.
Chris Seifried.
THE VINEYARD
The Cornfield Vineyard is situated on a wide river flat. The soil is gravelly sandy loam, which marks the sites of Maori kumara beds (sweet potato) prior to European settlement in the early 1800’s. The Maori transferred and spread fine gravel and sand over the land to provide suitable soils for their kumara pla