Hawks Nest Wines of NZ: Hawks Nest Wines of NZ

Hawks Nest Wines of NZ: Hawks Nest Wines of NZ

Well, no photos for this blog post as my son has borrowed our digital camera for a week and thus I am not able to incude shots this time. Our grapes are really growing in the nice spring sunshine that we have had here in Matakana. Since we got the wine all bottled last week we have been less stressed at the vineyard. Now we just wait a bit for the vines to start growing then we will go through and do shoot thinning. That is just what it sounds like. We walk along and pinch off new vine shoots that are low on the trunk. (the darn grape vine is always trying to send out more vines and we have to stop that) We only want vine shoots starting to grow where we have them trained to grow and all the rest get pinched off by hand. This is really lazy work as you just walk along and pinch each small new bud that you don't want off with gloved fingers. (gloves optional but the thick cordons and main trunk can cause small cuts as you pinch over and over with your fingers) This is very specialized treatment of course and never done in big commercial vineyards. This is all about our small size and dedication to the best of the best vines and thus grapes later in the growing season.

On the 05 wine front our export wine passed inspection by the NZ wine export board yesterday and thus now our shipment to Lipman Brothers in Nashville who is our wholesaler is all set. Our wine for export--only 128 cases in all- is all wrapped up and sitting in a warehouse at the dock. We are booked to have it sail on OCt 21st to LA. The trip is 19 days they say and there the wine clears customs and goes by truck to Nashville.
I think I mentioned in a past blog that NZ has a panel of wine experts who do blind tastings of all wine submitted for export and will not certify bad wine as allowable to be shipped. We knew our wine was primo so we were not worried about getting export approval but it was nice to get that last bit of paper yesterday and fax it on to the freight forwarder. So, the wine is all set and now it must travel. We are a bit disappointed to have taken this long to get it on a boat to the states as that will mean it will not be in stores near you (if you live in Middle Tenn. that is) until just before Christmas since it has to "rest and settle a bit" in the warehouse in Nashville before being released.

THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT YOU CAN MOST PROBABLY PLAN A NEW YEARS TOAST IN NASHVILLE WITH OUR 2005 HAWKS NEST ORCHARD BLOCK RED.!!!!

Remember!!! The best things in life are worth waiting- so be patient.

More soon with updated photos of our growing grapes.

DR Jim downunder