Wild South
Country: Marlborough, New Zealand
About
Located in the lower reaches of the Waihopai Valley on the sunny southern side of Marlborough’s Wairau Valley, Wild South focuses on the premium varietals of Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Wild South is dedicated to producing only top quality premium wines that will enhance Marlborough’s worldwide reputation for excellence.
Why Marlborough? Marlborough has the highest sunshine hours in New Zealand. During the ripening period of February to April, the daytime temperatures are between 20 and 28 degrees C with night time temperatures dropping as low as 4 degrees C. This fluctuation of temperatures brings out the exquisite fruit flavours that have made Marlborough one of the world’s premium wine producing regions.
About the Winemaker: 28 year old, Christie Matthews, is a New Zealand winemaker to take seriously. With her formal training (Eastern Institute of Technology, Hawkes Bay; Winemaking Degree, Charles Sturt University of Australia), her experience at both CJ Pask Wines and Montana’s Church Road Winery before coming to Sacred Hill Wines and her natural skill, Christie has an excellent grasp of cool climate wines and is overseeing the production of some of the very best.
Wild Pig
Country: Lanquedoc, France
Website: www.wildpigwines.com
About
High Quality Philosophy: On site, our team of winemakers and encologists have established strong ties with the best local producers and cooperatives, which guarantee a steady supply of the highest-quality grapes and wines of the region.
Vinified with great care and strict temperature control, the wines of Wild Pig distiguish themselves by their up-front fruit, their well-defined character and the unique grapes from which they originate. Thanks to all of these elements, the most discerning consumer is able to appreciate all the pleasure and satisfaction that a great “Vin de Pays d’Oc” wine, such as Wild Pig, can provide.
Torreon de Paredes
Country: Cachapoal Valley, Chile
Website: www.torreon.cl
Special Notes: Read about multiple award winning Don Amado Special Reserve 1999.
About
Since it was founded in 1979, Torreon de Paredes (Towers of Paredes) Vineyards have based its winemaking on one clear and enduring philosophy: only the finest home-grown, hand picked grapes make a good wine. Combined with environmentally sensitive land use, Torreon de Paredes has become a vineyard operation of great distinction.
The vineyard is located 130 kilometres south east of Santiago, Chile in the heart of the renowned Cachapoal Valley. Torreon de Paredes was started by Don Amado Paredes Cardenas (1906-2000), when he was 73, after successful careers as a senior construction engineer, logger, builder and industrialist. When he became a winemaker, his background dictated he could not neglect the physical aspect of the land that was to nurture his wines and his children. The vineyard and its wines had to be solid, durable, aesthetically pleasing and symbolic.
Son of Don Amado, Javier de Paredes, Managing director of Torreon de Paredes, has made two visits to Saskatchewan and one to Manitoba, as a gracious ambassador of smaller estate Chilean wines. The production of good wine, Javier noted, is all about the partnership of the vines, the soil, the climate and people.
Selbach
Country: Germany
Website: www.selbach-oster.de
About
About Tradition
Our assets have much to do with our hands. Since several generations. Since 1661 in our family ownership, as a matter of fact. Our main treasure is simply what nature presents us with: excellent vineyard-sites in the heart of the Mosel region, old, ungrafted vines on steep, south-facing slopes planted on heat-retaining, mineral-rich, rocky slate soil. Granted, these “assets” bring various risks year-in - year-out….but also great opportunities. Most important, however, are the results.
About Nature And Handcrafting
Wine is Nature: a multifaceted, living creation. As wine producers, we have not forgotten that we are people who live from the land, who are dependent on nature. Wine is more to us than just business or a source of income. It happens to be our passion, too. A part of ourselves goes in every wine we produce. As you might expect when looking at our vineyards clinging to precipituous slopes, everything from pruning to harvesting is done by hand in an “old-fashioned”, labour-intensive process. We can proudly present our customers with truly handcrafted wines.
Our philosophy of winemaking is “hands-on” in the vineyards and “hands-off” in the cellar. When this motto is put to use it creates the best possible conditions for making truly fine wines while always leaving the “making” to the wine itself.
This means we try to realize the full potential the individual soils, vineyards and vintages have to offer. It starts with labour-intensive work in the vineyards from pruning (low yields) through careful canopy-management to the culminating point - meticulous, rigorous selection at harvest. It ends with the gentle pressing of the fruit. A slow, cool fermentation with the grapes’ own natural yeasts then “makes” the wines in our cellars. “Hands-on” is needed again for getting the wines ready for bottling. We believe that minimal handling (i.e. pumping and filtering) is rewarded by a maximum of flavor, freshness and delicacy.
We strive uncompromisingly for top quality. And it is quality which speaks for itself.
Most of our wines are still fermented and matured in the traditional oak “Fuder”-barrels supplemented by a small number of stainless-steel vats. We do not use new oak for Rieslings to preserve the delicate structure of subtle fruit and crisp acidity as purely as possible.
About Signature Quality
Selbach-Oster Riesling vineyards lie on a 4-mile / 7 km strech along the Mosel starting in Zeltingen, upstream to Wehlen, Graach and Bernkastel. Vines have been cultivated here since Roman times.
Every single vineyard on that short stretch of river has its own special environment and microclimate?its terroir. Each single lot of wine in the cellar shows its own individual, complex “fingerprint”.
No single day is alike and each year, each vintage has its own unique character, its “signature”.
The grapes mature slowly in a very long, temperate growing season.
All the above represent traditional “values” which we at Selbach-Oster cherish; we try to refine and preserve the liquid result in the bottle, the sleek, tall green Mosel-bottle.
All this in order to present you with Riesling the way we like it: with elegance, complexity and depth of flavor. With the subtlety and fragrance of flowers and the intense mineral quality from our slate soils. With the taste of delicate fruit and a lingering, crisp finish. The way it has always been.
Rozendal
Country: South Africa - Stellenbosch
Website: www.rozendal.co.za
Special Notes: see article “Quality and Maturation” by Doug Reichel
About
Tasting Notes
?An authentic ?cult? wine (all the more remarkable for the winemaker?s belief that he succeeded possible because he ?knew too little?), it?s still considered one of the finest Cape wines of the modern era.? (John Platter South African Wines 2004)
Our History
The farm is situated in the Jonkershoek Valley on the border of Stellenbosch, at the foot of the Jonkershoek mountains. The farm and cellar buildings are more than 150 years old.
Rozendal Farm was purchased by the Ammann family in 1982 and at the time was not producing wine. Merlot grapes where planted in 1983 on Rozendal. Our first vintage ? the 1983 vintage ? was made from grapes from the neighbouring Lanzerac vineyards which where leased at the time to Rozendal farm. In 1984 we planted Cabernet Franc and in 1990 Cabernet Sauvignon was also planted. Wine from our own grapes was made the first time in 1986. Our grapes are hand-picked. Rozendal Farm is currently certified organic and in-conversion Biodynamic (BDOCA 033 GLPr 2003).
Rozendal is between 150 and 200 m above sea level ? this compares with the St.Emillon and Pommerol regions, hence the choice of cultivars.
Our philosophy
Since 1994 Rozendal is managed biologically (bio+logical = biological) with an environmental and health conscious approach which ensures clean air and pure water. In May 2001 we switched to Biodynamic farming methods and have become members of the Biodynamic Agricultural Association.
Quality in simplicity and maturing rather than aging are the threads which link all activities on the farm.
In the cellar
Our wines are made biologically. We do not filter our wines and maturation of our wines (not ageing) takes place over two years in oak barrels. We add minimal sulfur to our wines but work instead with temperature, ensuring that the wine is kept for one year at 18 degrees Celsius and for one year at 15 degrees Celsius. We have also replaced our stainless steel tanks with large French oak vats for the initial wine processes.
Our wines are seemingly easier for those to drink that normally suffer with red wine ? we have many people say that they do not get a headache from Rozendal ? whereas they normally would from other wines.
Our cellar produces between 20 000 and 30 000 bottles of wine per year.
Laurus
Country: Cotes du Rhone, France
Website: www.gabriel-meffre.fr
Special Notes: We think you will be impressed with the elegance of the Laurus Gigondas and Cotes du Rhone.
About
LAURUS is derived from the ancient Roman “laurel” marking honour. LAURUS wines is about a concept that unites contemporary wine-making technology with the best of time-proven, traditional know-how. We seek to produce wines with a strong regional identity combined with a dense, generous and elegant structure. This is the LAURUS philosophy.
Bouwland Estate
Country: South Africa - Stellenbosch
Special Notes: see wine article “Bouwland Shows the Way”
About
The driving forces behind it are South Africa’s internationally renowned wine maker, Beyers Truter, and Jan Hendriks, founder of the Stellenbosch Farm Workers Association (which led to the SA Farm Workers Association). Beyers Truter is co-owner of Beyerskloof and cellar master of Kanonkop Estate, where Jan Hendriks has been working as farm supervisor for more than 10 years. Beyers and Jan are the directors of the new Bouwland Estate and together with the nominated trustees will run the management of this vineyard farm.
“Many of the trustees are people who literally grew up on prime wine farms and are specialists in vineyard cultivation. They have been working in the vineyards all their lives and now are an integral part of creating superior vineyards, wine and a future for their children as co-owners of a wine enterprise,” says Beyers.
“Besides the aspect of being co-owners of an established 56 hectares vineyard farm in a prime wine region, the trustees will also benefit from the fact that Bouwland is a well-established brand in Holland, Belgium, England and Denmark. Our aim is to increase our production to at least 225 000 litres of wine per annum within the next five years.”
“When the story of South Africa’s successful transformation is told, initiatives such as these will be the milestones. They show the way towards a better South Africa, where people live together as prosperous, good neighbours,” said Venete Klein, General Manager of ABSA Agribusiness, the project’s bankers. Absa is the leading bank in agricultural empowerment.
The Bouwland wines
This empowerment transaction was celebrated on the estate with the Minister of Agriculture, Tourism and Gambling, Mr Johan Gelderblom, and at the same time the Bouwland Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot red blend (which up till now has been marketed abroad) and Bouwland Chenin Blanc were also launched in the South African market. The next wine to be added to the Bouwland range is the flagship wine, a so-called Cape Blend in which South Africa’s home-grown Pinotage wine variety will be a major component.
Red wine varieties currently cultivated at Bouwland are Pinotage, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, while Cabernet Franc and Shiraz will also be planted in the near future. The Bouwland wines are made at the Koelenhof wine cellar from grapes cultivated at Bouwland and sourced in the surrounding areas. Beyers Truter is the winemaker and he has two talented trustees at his right hand to unhurriedly and meticulously be taught all the fine skills of making absolute top quality wines.
Bodegas Luzón
Country: Spain
Website: www.bodegasluzon.com
Special Notes: Check out the Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator points on Bodegas Luzon wines.
About
The winery was founded in 1999 by three families who had been traditionally making wine since 1916: The Alfocea Molina, Martinez Gil and Gil Vera families. The winery was incorporated with a view to making quality, bottled wines, using the experience of almost one century of tradition coupled with cutting-edge technologies applied to vineyards and wineries. In 2001, around 750,000 bottles were exported to the highly demanding European and American markets and today its sales enjoy a sustained increase as a result of the excellent price-quality ratio of the company products. Bodegas Luzon has made significant moves toward environmentally careful land use and now bottles an organic red. The Luzon Estate has approximately 500 ha of vineyards majors in red varietiels such as Monastrell (a local variety), Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah, and white varietals Macabeo and Chardonnay. All are grown with great care endeavouring to achieve in making high-expression wines. To this end, various research and development projects are carried out in collaboration with entities such as, the University of Murcia and the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology. Brand names: Finca Luzon, Altos de Luzon, Castillo Luzon, Luzon Dulce. The growing international attention and awards would suggest Bodegas Luzon is succeeding. (Article by Alibaba.com, edited by Doug Reichel and approved by Loren Gil).