Paul and Christine Donaghy have purchased Colin Contracting from the company’s owner/manager Colin Limmer, who will continue with the business as director and advisor. Paul Donaghy has more than 20 years’ experience in the wine industry, most recently seven years as Rockburn Wines Central Otago general manager. In that time, Rockburn became one of the fastest growing super premium Pinot Noir producers in the region, with more than 42ha of plantings and more than 30,000 cases produced. He oversaw the capital expansion of a new winery in Cromwell, and has already overhauled the health and safety management plan of Colin Contracting with Coachio Group, which looks set to make the business a leader in the contracting field. “The move from grapes to kiwifruit has been very exciting,” Donaghy says. “The one thing that has come to light is the amount of negative press around contractors, thanks to a handful of ratbags. (It’s) something that is concerning for the industry and needs to be stamped out - however a positive for our business, as we will continue to endeavour to lead the way in terms of health and safety, the quality of our team and execution in the orchard.” Jagrup Singh is now general manager of operations. 44 DRINKtech MAY 2017 NEW ZEALAND General manager and also chairman of the New Zealand Fruit Wine and Cider Association Hamish Jackson says it’s the first time the company has taken out gold, with its scrumpy made from apple varieties that are not traditionally used for brewing cider. Jackson says the scrumpy is still made from the same recipe cidery founders Brian and Irene Shanks developed in 1989, and the gold comes almost 29 years after the extreme event that helped launch Harvest Cider. In 1988, Cyclone Bola devastated the East Coast, and the Apple and Pear Board did not take the Shanks’ apples out of Gisborne. The couple instead experimented with the fruit, making 5000 litres in the first year, Jackson says. “Harvest led the resurgence of cider in New Zealand but made it commercially viable and more refined,” he says. The company now makes 19,000 litres of scrumpy a day for the New Zealand market alone. More than 500 beers and ciders were entered by 81 local and international breweries. Harvest Cidery won bronzes for its apple cider, Scrumpy with ginger, Scrumpy with lemon, and its Thomas and Rose strawberry and lime cider. APPLES WIN Braeburn and Granny Smith apple-fuelled scrumpy has won gold for Gisborne’s Harvest Cidery, along with a bunch of bronzes for other flavours at the New World Beer and Cider Awards. Vineyard owners Andy and Misha Wilkinson have a spectacular 57ha estate on the edge of Lake Dunstan at Bendigo, just ten minutes from Cromwell, but felt a more centrally located tasting room would be easier for guests to access. With 20 export markets established and ten vintages completed, the Wilkinsons decided it was the right time to open a tasting room to showcase their wines. “We receive calls every day from people visiting from overseas who are familiar with our brand and want to visit,” Andy Wilkinson says. “We are also seeing increased tourism, with Central Otago growing its reputation as a world-class wine and food destination. Cromwell was also recently named the fastest-growing small town in the country, so it’s really exciting to be part of that growth.” Recent figures from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment showed that the Central Otago region had an 11.6% increase in visitor spending across all markets for the year to January 2017. According to Tourism New Zealand, 20% of tourists arriving in the country take part in a ‘wine experience’, up from 13% in 2014. Destination Queenstown’s latest Visitor Experience Survey shows that ‘wine’ or ‘visiting wineries’ is one of the reasons why both domestic and international visitors chose Queenstown as a holiday destination. With the wine tourist in mind, the design concept for Misha’s Vineyard tasting room is to create a simple yet elegant space that enables guests to have a relaxed personal tasting experience. A French country-inspired theme NEW TASTING ROOM Misha’s Vineyard has opened a tasting room in the heart of the Central Otago wine region. The location, overlooking Lake Dunstan on the main approach to Cromwell, is a busy destination for wine lovers. FROM GRAPES TO KIWIFRUIT
FT-May17-eMag
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