sky diving over the Klutha River, Wanaka, Central Otago
My daughter Rachel and I just returned from New Zealand. I arrived there in mid-October to serve as an international judge for the Air New Zealand Wine Awards , and then did a road trip around the country until the award ceremony in November. In the midst of the trip I also traveled to France for a Central Otago event occurring in Burgundy. Then, Rachel arrived in New Zealand for a few weeks of travel with me. After the reality of the California wild fires, in truth, I felt a lot of strain and it felt like it took a few weeks just to put myself back together. I had to be slow and steady with myself. Gratefully people on my trip were patient and supportive too. People went out of their way to be helpful and I am very grateful. Here in California, when Caleb Taft found out that due to the fires I couldn’t reach wine I was meant to bring with me to New Zealand for a Chardonnay seminar in Auckland he contacted Arlequin Wine Merchant . The two together, Caleb and the shop, donated the wine for me to bring to the seminar. In New Zealand, friends and colleagues hosted me in their homes, scheduled visits for me, and just provided space for me to quietly stay. It made all the difference. Eventually, when I’d finally relaxed enough again, they helped me have a lot of fun too. It was incredibly special to travel with Rachel. We had a great time and she loved New Zealand too. Thank you very much to everyone that hosted me in New Zealand and France. Thank you most especially to the New Zealand Winegrowers , the Central Otago Winegrowers Association , and Air New Zealand for helping me plan my travel. Here are some photos from our recent travels originally shared to Instagram during the trip itself.
To celebrate ten years (it is now eleven) of the Central Otago Burgundy Exchange a group of producers from Central Otago brought their wines to share with vintners of Burgundy in a tasting held in the king’s room of the Hospices de Beaune. The top producers of Burgundy, as well as former stagiaires of the program, were there with the group of Kiwis and a handful of media, from New Zealand, Australia, the UK, the US, and France. Few of us, even among those from France, had been inside the king’s room of the Hospice before as it is not open to the public. A tasting like this, showcasing wines from so many producers, all there together, from outside Burgundy has not happened here before. Around 140 attended from France. 14 producers from New Zealand poured their wine. It was inspiring and incredible to witness the excitement of the tasting. #bourgogne #centralotago
A post shared by Hawk Wakawaka (@hawk_wakawaka) on Oct 21, 2017 at 8:22pm PDT
Deeply grateful for this time with friends. It has, on paper, been a crazy side trip to fly to Beaune in the middle of work in New Zealand, but the time here has also been restorative and special. In truth, after everything that has happened recently I have a lot of sadness to deal with over time. The fires and their aftermath are so massive it is hard to face all at once. Our region has been changed and we are all grappling with that small bits at a time. This trip to Burgundy has been both the culmination of a year spent getting to know a particular story, and the ongoing development of friendships. The last two months have included a wealth of challenges for me from personal change, to loss of loved ones, health crises for others, and being part of a massive natural disaster. What a crazy time. The gift of all of it has been recognizing that life has surrounded me with grace. It has felt as though faith has given me sea legs, and with that there is foremost the grace of friendship. The rest, with plenty of care, sorts itself over time. Thank you very much to everyone that organized this time in Burgundy celebrating the Central Otago Burgundy Exchange for including me. #bourgogne #centralotago
A post shared by Hawk Wakawaka (@hawk_wakawaka) on Oct 22, 2017 at 8:53pm PDT
I gave a ride to a backpacker from one small town to another yesterday. From Austria, he was trained and worked there as an architect but got tired with the way increasing regulations in the building industry there heavily reduced, he felt, the room for creativity of design as the focus turns more strongly to cutting costs. Fed up with his work he decided to make a bold move and left his job, let go his rental flat, and sold everything he owns. He left a bicycle at his parents’ home in Austria and now besides has only what he carries with him in his backpack and wears along the way. The ongoing plan is to simply hike what interests him as he finds it along the way here in New Zealand. Arriving just over a month ago, he has walked many of the mountain trails on the North Island, and is now walking his way down the mountains of the South. Eventually he confessed that besides the peacefulness and calm of it one of his favorite aspects of this trek across New Zealand is the trees he finds in the forest. “The trees here all have, I don’t know what to call it,” he said. After a pause he continued. “Personality. They all have their own personality.” One of my favorites is the fern trees. I have never seen them anywhere else. Here looking up into the canopy of one of the South Island’s fern trees. #newzealand
A post shared by Hawk Wakawaka (@hawk_wakawaka) on Nov 8, 2017 at 4:41pm PST
Clive Paton, a titan of the New Zealand wine industry, standing in the mother block of Abel clone Pinot Noir, planted in 1980 with cuttings Clive got from the man himself, Mister Malcolm Abel, establishing Ata Rangi, and effectively starting the history of Pinot Noir in not only Martinborough but also New Zealand. These vines went on to become the source of Abel clone, New Zealand’s own unique signature of Pinot Noir, for the rest of the country. Clive went on to spearhead bringing Dijon clones into the country as well, and has continued to keep an eye on the future of the New Zealand wine industry researching new possible varieties for the country and focusing on expanding sustainability and preservation efforts not only in winegrowing but for the environment more broadly. It is deeply inspiring to have time with people like Clive both for the opportunity to connect with him as a person, and to deepen my understanding of the history and evolving conditions of the region, the country, and this industry, to reflect on what it means to humbly gain understanding while using that to contribute to the larger community. #newzealand @ata_rangi
A post shared by Hawk Wakawaka (@hawk_wakawaka) on Nov 22, 2017 at 3:53pm PST
Walking a legendary vineyard, Heipipi, The Terraces, near the Esk Valley area, part of Esk Valley vineyards, at the Northern reach of Hawke’s Bay, with a total legend, winemaker Gordon Russell. The Terraces has been a favorite vineyard of mine without my having ever seen it until now thanks to its remarkable history, limestone and seashell soils, absolutely stunning dry-farmed, co-ferment, field blend wine, and the passion of winemaker Gordon Russell for the site. Honestly energizing to finally be there and spend the first half of the day discussing it and its wines with Gordon. The Terraces is yet another example of the rich diversity of Hawke’s Bay. At the north end of Hawke’s Bay, the Pacific Ocean is essentially across the street from the vineyard, cooling the vines and extending the growing season. The Terraces themselves were designed in the early part of the last century, then planted again to a field blend of Malbec, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc in the late 1980s. It ‘s a remarkable choice – planting Bordeaux varieties at a time before new world expressions of them had exploded on the international scene, and Malbec before Argentina had again made it famous. Esk Valley’s The Terraces is one of the most unique sites in New Zealand, and one of the country’s truly great wines. Plus Gordon is just damn cool. #newzealand @gordonatesk
A post shared by Hawk Wakawaka (@hawk_wakawaka) on Nov 26, 2017 at 11:18am PST
The soils at The Terraces, Esk Valley Vineyard, is an uplifted seabed full of limestone and seashells. Walking the Terraces bands of seashells will suddenly appear from the soil, clutched together in surprising stacks. In the soils above these stacks seashells are dotted throughout with less density but still persistent throughout the limestone-based loam. Surprising and cool. The site sits at the North end of Hawke’s Bay, short distance from the Pacific Ocean. The Terraces are planted to a field blend of Malbec, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc, all dry-farmed, and picked together. The fruit is then co-fermented and bottled as Esk Valley Heipipi The Terraces, one of New Zealand’s great wines. #newzealand @gordonatesk (If you look through the three photos they zoom in on the seashell stack visible in the lower right corner of the top photo.)
A post shared by Hawk Wakawaka (@hawk_wakawaka) on Nov 26, 2017 at 12:45pm PST
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