Nashville Wine Press Article

IF you live in Nashville and buy much wine you will see the Nashville Wine Press in stores. The editor, Jimmy Collins, and his staff produce a very first rate and interesting journal in my opinion. Also, the price is right as it is free and a new edition comes out every two months. The edition that is now in stores has a nice intereview by Jimmy Collins with me. He did a good job of writing the article about Hawks Nest and I thought that readers of this blog who are NOT in Nashville might like to get some background on Hawks Nest and our journey into wine from medicine. So, here is that online version of the article that was in the recent NWP. Hope you learn a bit about me that you might not have known.

More Soon;

Dr JIM


Nashville Wine Press People You Oughta Know
Hawks Nest Vineyard-Dr. Jim Daniell


by Jimmy Collins


Hawks Nest Vineyard, on the main road that leads to Matakana Valley, New Zealand, is the other side of the world from Middle Tennessee. But thanks to Dr. Jim Daniell, it’s never been closer. Dr. Daniell, born and raised in Tennessee, never imagined he would own a winery—let alone in New Zealand. But as his story reveals, sometimes life is serendipitous.

After attending medical school in Memphis, Dr. Daniell served in the military stationed in Wiesbaden, Germany. It was there he was introduced to wine, not even knowing how fate was beginning to play its role. After selling his practice to his younger partner over 6 years ago, he jokingly refers to his career as a physician as “his past life.” “I was very active around 1980 in developing lasers through a surgical telescope that is called a laparoscope,” he explains. “I was the first person in America to clinically use a laser through the laparoscope which was great for my medical career and it got me invited all over the world—including New Zealand.” Semi-retiring in 1998, the Daniell family settled on New Zealand. “There is no crime or poverty. It’s clean, green, has good seafood and entertainment, and is devoid of extreme cold or hot weather. That, my friend, is New Zealand,” declares Dr. Daniell proudly.

Hawks Nest Vineyard was initially created for tax purposes. The Daniells were running a successful fruit orchard in Matakana and with taxes at 51.5%, they needed to invest in something that would take some time to be profitable. “We had four acres of vacant land that, when tested, seemed to be suitable terrain for Cabernet Franc and Malbec.” Dr. Daniell began planting in 2001 and remarks, “Our plan was to sell the grapes to our neighbor and have him make some wine for us in New Zealand, never thinking of exporting to the U.S.” Once again, the hands of fate intervened. John Worth, who had studied at the best wine school in Australia and worked in Bordeaux, France, suddenly showed up at the Daniell’s door. “He saw our grapes and wanted to make a demonstration wine. We asked what it cost and he said it would not cost us a thing except for the barrels. I should have asked what barrels cost,” quipped Dr. Daniell. At the time, a new French oak barrel cost approximately $1300. They produced two hundred cases of wine and were extremely satisfied with the results.

Robert Lipman of Lipman Bros., Inc. was traveling to New Zealand and decided to stop at Hawks Nest to taste the 2004 barrel samples. Impressed with the results and knowing his portfolio did not contain Bordeaux-style wine from New Zealand, Mr. Lipman was the catalyst to bring Hawks Nest to Tennessee—providential to say the least.

So what are the results? “The Orchard Block Red is a blend that creates some good, but not too high, tannins and a softness and what I think is a really good wine—but I’m biased,” states Dr. Daniell. Actually, two of New Zealand’s most well respected wine writers concur, giving stellar reviews of Hawks Nest. One in particular, Michael Cooper, the “Robert Parker of New Zealand,” gave the Orchard Block Red four stars out of five. This is no small feat as history has shown that Mr. Cooper only gives out four stars eight percent of the time to New Zealand wines.

The 2005 Orchard Block Red is completely sold out and the 2006 has just been released—in screw-cap form. Primary locations to purchase it are The Wine Shoppe at Green Hills, West Meade Wine and Liquor Mart, Grapevine Wine and Spirits, Grand Cru, Woodland Wine Merchants, and Red Dog Wine and Spirits. If your wine store does not carry it, they can contact Lipman Brothers directly to inquire about ordering some.

Life now for the Daniell family involves traveling across the Pacific six times a year and working two harvests—one for grapes at the end of March and early April (this is New Zealand, remember) and the second for their fruit, whose harvest carries into May and early June. Although semi-retired, Dr. Daniell still practices in Nashville periodically throughout the year. There often are wine dinners and bottle signings when he is here in town, so if you happen to run into him, just consider it serendipitous.