The Vineyard nest door!!!!

The nice thing about Matakana Valley is that it is so small and made up of very friendly people. There are not many Americans around but those that are here fit in well. Our very closest neigbouring vineyard is called Heron's Flight and is owned by a lovely couple from Calif. who settled her way back around 1990. David Hoskins and his wife Mary were pioneers in growing grapes in Matakana and reciently opened a lovely modern cafe to compliment their vineyard. They are famous for their good Italian wine and food in their new well sited cafe and wine education center just a half mile from our front gate. A great place to sit and view the valley while sampling good food and wine.

It seems that good happenings in life are often from random events. A doctor friend of ours back in Nashville emailed me a few months ago to say that a daughter of a friend of theirs was wanting to work and live in NZ. In Feb, I got to meet Courtney Battle (that young lady) when she first ventured to our little Valley and was able to introduce her to David at our Saturday morning Matakana Farmers Market. Now, things have worked out well for all and Courtney is working at Heron's Flight and "learing the business of wine and food" from an expert with years of experience. They even speak the same brand of English!!! Everyone seems to benefit and now we have another Nashvillian living in Matakana!!!! It is a small world.


The photo shows David and Courtney at the door of Heron's flight cafe this Sunday. They both have a nice smile as they should. Courtney has a neat informative job in NZ and David has a attractive young American lady with a degree in events planning fresh off the boat so to say and enthusiastic to work and learn. (actually Courtney really is fresh off the boat as she sailed in a small boat accross the Pacific to arrive in NZ--not the usual arrival method for Americans for sure!!!)

I went to Heron's Flight on Sun to see their enteresting set up to sell wine straight from the tank into used bottles brought in by customers. This was the second time that David has set up a day to offer the public the chance to come in and "pour your own" wine so to say. We thought it was a neat idea and a fun way to both sell wine and meet people. It was a very good deal for the wine drinkers as they got good red wine for only $12 a bottle and clearly "fresh out of the pot"
The one photo shows their roadside sign with the announcement and the other shot is of David's son demonstating the method of help yourself wine. Kudos to you David and Mary for the idea. I just wish I could copy it!!!! We have no roadside sales or license so unfortunately we can't offer "take a way, do it yourself wine"

Sandra and I are off to the states in the AM so the next post will be from Nashville once we get over jet lag. We leave NZ with a clear blue sky and lovely soft surf down at the beach at the bottom of our hilll. (I am looking at the waves as I type this!!)

More soon;

Dr JIm and Miss Sandra