W I N E T E C H N O L O G Y FAMILY VINEYARDS SUCCESSFUL IN 2016 SEIFRIED ESTATE When Tim Turvey purchased his Hawke’s Bay vineyard in 1986, he wasn’t too sure about the unusual grape variety already flourishing there. But the French-American hybrid Chambourcin has proved so successful that 30 years on, fans now wait with bated breath for each vintage to appear. Turvey’s Clearview Estate in Te Awanga near Cape Kidnappers boasts the hybrid, first available in 1963. The teinturier, a grape whose juice is pink or red, rather than clear like most red vitis vinifera cultivars, is relatively rare in this part of the world, and Turvey – alongside partner Helma van den Berg – decided to experiment with it. Eventually, the coloured juice was transformed into a deep-coloured vibrant rosé called Black Reef Blush, a multi-award winning wine that was originally called Dave’s Blush after one of Clearview Estate’s original growers David Ward, who was the instigator of 50 JULY 2016 the idea to use the ruby-coloured juice for wine. Original winemaker Turvey says the philosophy and process hasn’t changed much over the intervening years. “We’ve just been polishing it up a little. Right from the start we wanted to make a statement with our wines, and this highly-coloured, highly-flavoured rosé does just that.” For Clearview winemaker Matt Kirby, this is his second season winemaking the Blush. He says the red grapes used in the wine are given up to 12 hours’ skin contact, except the Chambourcin, which is crushed and de-stemmed straight into the press, and then pressed out. The wine is cool fermented and bottled early to safeguard the abundant berry character. Clearview Estate Winery is a family owned and operated business that produces iconic wines with pedigree, estate grown and handcrafted. A family-run sustainably accredited vineyard in the heart of Nelson’s fruit-growing region has won big at the largest and most influential international wine competition in the United States. Seifried Estate – run by several generations of the Seifried family – has been awarded ‘Best Sauvignon Blanc’ with a 98-point judges’ review and a double gold medal at this year’s San Francisco International Wine Competition for its Old Coach Road Nelson Sauvignon Blanc 2015. The estate was also awarded ‘Best Late Harvest White’, with a 94-point double gold medal for its Seifried Winemakers Collection Sweet Agnes Riesling 2015, an accomplishment that perfectly celebrates the pioneer family winery in the 40th year since its very first vintage, founder Hermann Seifried says. Crediting the warm summer temperatures during the growing season, Seifried says the estate pays close attention to detail in everything from clonal selection and canopy management, to cropping levels in the vineyard. “We were able to cruise into vintage, and wait for the desired balance of fruit ripeness and that sought-after acidity,” Seifried says. “Both of these wines rely on a purity of flavour… there is no opportunity to hide behind malolactic fermentation or oak.” Winemaker Chris Seifried says the accolades for two very different wine styles makes the weeks and months of hard work in the vineyards and winery worthwhile, and “means a lot to Dad and his vineyard crew, as well as our winemaking team.” CLEARVIEW ESTATE
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