Want to try something new, and not already a member? Come on your own, grab a friend, workmate or partner and join us for our next tasting. Take a look and see who's presenting. Scroll down to view the website.
34 members and one guest attended the evening; tastings and sales were good.
Our presenter for the evening was Brent Linn from Wairiki, and as well as giving a brilliant talk about the terroir of the region and how the wines were different, Brent gave a personalised view of the owner of Petane and his families’ losses from Cyclone Gabrielle where they lost everything. Phil Barber lost his house, vineyard, restaurant, and a neighbour’s brewery; his brother also lost his property. The good news is that they didn’t lose family; all were safely rescued.
Phil Barber continues to make wine, but now the grapes are from neighbours, and the latest batch he is working with is from Gisborne. His wines are worth seeking out.
The different labels certainly made for an interesting evening, and a reminder of the wines we tasted during the evening are:
NOT TO BE MISSED: These are two vineyards you normally don’t see and taste,
Wednesday 14th August, 8 pm Start Door Price: Members $15 / Guests $19
Wairiki Estate was founded by Brent Linn in 2008, but his passion for wine began long before that. Brent’s interest was sparked when he worked in banking, helping winemakers find the funding to plant their vines in the soil and establish their labels. From there, his curiosity about the industry grew.
In 2008, a special property was found on the terraces high above the Garuroro River in the Maraekakaho area of Hawkes Bay. ‘The winery was named ‘Wairiki’ because of the importance of this land. Wairiki means ‘little water’ in te reo, and our land is blessed with a small stream that runs through it in Winter. Our soil, climate and passion for viticulture have brought us here: we’re proud of the results. Our small batch Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines are select, special and full of flavour.’
In 2010, family and friends worked together to plant just under 2 hectares of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines. After supplying commercial wineries with our grapes for several years, we grew restless, wanting to see the true potential of our land realised in our wine label. The first Wairiki vintage under our label was released in 2018.’
Feast on the flavour of our handcrafted, small-batch wines. Wines for the evening will be:
Petane is in the Esk Valley and was severely impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle, with their vineyard suffering extensive damage. Thanks to the support of their family and friends, community and customers, they continue to create beautiful wines made with love and dedicated to the production of boutique single-vineyard wine. Their wines are unique from vintage to vintage.
To give us an understanding of the quality that these two wineries can produce, we will be tasting the following wines:
Grace White Pinot 2023
Petane Viognier
Wairiki The Matriarch Chardonnay 2023
Wairiki La Briar Rosé 2021
Wairiki The Optimist Pinot Noir 2020
Wairiki The Redeemer Reserve Pinot Noir 2020
Petane Merlot Cabernet Franc
If you want to read about these wines in more detail, you can go to the following websites:
