Misha's Vineyard

Andy’s update on the recent tour of the US.

Over the past 18 months Misha’s Vineyard has been working on securing market placements in the competitive and challenging US market. Part of our commitment to importers and distributors was in-market support from Misha and I, along with our winemaker Olly Masters. We planned visiting three key regions starting 26th February – Northern California where we have special friends – both inside and outside of the wine industry, Arizona, where our special “Fox Block Eight” blend of Pinot Noir for Fox Restaurants has been in the market for a year, and New York where our fabulous importer has been placing our range of wines in some amazing restaurants.

First stop was San Francisco. We love this city and its surrounding wine districts. Over the course of four days we met with some big New Zealand wine supporters and hopefully we influenced some more! Jim Chanteloup, buyer at wine retailer K & L and Chuck Haywood along with Paige from Berkley based retailer JJ Buckley have long been supporters of New Zealand wines and have been responsible for getting New Zealand wines shelf space in their respective retailers. It was fantastic to see a growing list of wines from all parts of New Zealand on offer – and more than just Sauvignon Blanc! Our meetings with importers in San Francisco and Napa confirmed that while there is recovery in the US market – it is slow and cautious.

We were delighted to be able have lunch in Santa Rosa with Dan Berger – a highly respected journalist and wine critic. Dan has been selected to choose the US wine selection for the 6 Nations Wine Challenge – extended from the Tri Nations (New Zealand, Australia and South Africa) to now including wines from Chile, Argentina and the US into the competition. Dan has visited New Zealand on more than one occasion and will hopefully be back again soon. We were able to show Dan some of our wines – carefully carried in our suitcases – with Olly able to explain the detailed winemaking and vintage data for each of them.

We had a little bit of downtime one afternoon so we headed north to tour the famous Napa wine region. While in Napa we were invited to tour the winery and barrel caves at Robert Sinskey Wines with the very funny and entertaining assistant winemaker Zach Gabbert. The scale of the winery tasting room and caves is amazing! While not considered a huge producer, the long tunnels lined with barrels, elaborate tasting room hidden deep under the hillside and immaculate winery facility cannot fail to impress. Zach took Misha, Olly and I along with our friends Mike & Lara through barrel and tank tastings of the current vintage, and a sample of the “Orange Wine” (that Dan Berger had told us about) made from Pinot Gris with long period of skin contact. We also managed to fit in lunch and a tasting at one of Misha’s favourite Napa producers – Frogs Leap Winery.

Next stop was Phoenix where we held our first Misha’s Vineyard wine dinner for Fox Restaurant Concepts (FRC). FRC has about 40 outlets and growing. Most are in Arizona but they are fast expanding in other states. Our wine dinner at Modern Steak in the Scottsdale Fashion Mall was a sell-out and matched five of our wines with an array of stunningly prepared “modern” dishes. After the dinner Regan Jasper – Beverage Director of FRC – took us on a visit to two of the “Culinary Drop-out” FRC venues in Scottsdale and Phoenix – hot spots for people of all ages. The concept really works! Chefs are dressed in t-shirts and bandanas rather than kitchen whites and stripes, the menu is fresh and simple, cocktails are both innovative and really well presented. The larger of the two Culinary Drop-outs’ we visited was an old motorcycle dealership – a huge open sided warehouse where in addition to the restaurant and bar, part of the area had been converted into lounges around small gas fireplaces built into the coffee tables and games – table tennis and bean bag throwing. The large venue was packed late at night when we dropped in for our cocktail, and when Misha and I went back at 3pm on Sunday (while Olly & Regan were playing golf) we were told there was a 1 ½ hour wait for a table!

For our last event in Arizona we held a lunch and Misha’s Vineyard training for FRC managers and staff at another of their Scottsdale venues – Olive & Ivy – a very popular dining spot, and also visited some of the other FRC concepts – True Foods, The Greene House, Blanco, Sauce and Zinburger. On Tuesday we held another sell-out wine dinner in Tucson at North – the authentic Italian restaurant.

While in Tucson we stayed with Regan and his wife Megan – great friends, and incredibly generous and hospitable hosts. As this was Olly’s first trip to the US we fitted in quite a bit of sight-seeing into the timetable including a trail walk through a desert canyon with signs on the side of the trail warning us to be careful of mountain lions and bobcats! Regan calmly told us the rattlesnakes would not be a problem as it was still too cold for them!

The next stop was New York and we knew the temperatures would be a little cooler than Arizona. As we boarded the flight in Phoenix we were told a major snow storm was approaching the North East and that 1600 flights had already been cancelled. But we arrived okay and were surprised to be met off our late night flight by our New York importer Darren McMahon. Darren is about the most enthusiastic wine guy we know. He loves selling wine and has a passion for everything he does. After dropping us at our accommodation in Manhattan at 11pm, he was heading back to his office – 2 hours drive away – to do some more work then drive back to meet us the next morning. We woke the next day to find the city covered in a blanket of snow making the pavements slippery with ice and very wet where the snow had piled into slush. Travel by metro trains seemed the best way to get around and avoid the traffic so we arranged to meet Darren at the first appointment which thankfully was near a subway station.

The customer visits in New York were, well…interesting to say the least! It seems we have our wines listed in some of the very best New York steakhouses and restaurants, many of which have been in business for a considerable number of years and some with links, past and current, to the underworld. Sparks Steakhouse was one such place and is famous for being the scene of the shooting of one of New York’s most notorious mafia bosses. We also presented our wines at a “Gentleman’s Club” frequented by some of Wall Street’s finest – and that’s certainly a first for our listings. New Zealand wines are certainly not ubiquitous in the New York restaurant scene, but they are getting to be better known. Our Misha’s Vineyard style of Pinot Noir and cool climate aromatic wines were very well received and in most cases a visit resulted in a new account, or a new listing in those establishments where we already have one or more wines.

On Sunday we joined Darren and his daughter for brunch at Kiwiana in Brooklyn. Kiwi chef Mark Simmons opened this small but very popular restaurant to feature New Zealand inspired cuisine and New Zealand products. It was great to see some of our wines on the list and a good selection of wines from all over New Zealand.

In addition to NYC and the close surrounds, we also have quite a number of listings on Long Island. We visited some of these restaurants and again, we were just amazed at the scale. Even the smaller Italian restaurant we visited does 300 covers on weekend nights and some of the steak and seafood locations turn through 600 diners in an evening! Darren had organized a Sommeliers Dinner at Four Food Studio in Melville – a modern American restaurant that features a menu to match the season. Misha, Olly and I had the opportunity to tell the large group of sommeliers and restaurateurs about New Zealand wines and the Central Otago region. And of course the Misha’s Vineyard wines were served throughout the dinner with the appropriate course. It was a great way to get people excited about New Zealand wines and it resulted in some immediate listings and orders for Darren!

A delayed flight out of New York meant we missed our homeward connection in Los Angeles. However the unplanned 24hr stopover gave us a sightseeing opportunity so we rented a car and visited Venice Beach and Hollywood – with a brief shopping stop at the Harley Davidson store!

It was a busy 2 ½ weeks but very worthwhile to spend time with our importers and customers, and meet potential new ones! It’s tough to gain a foothold in the US wine market with its multi-tier import rules and low valued dollar. However it remains the world’s largest economy and is growing in per-capita wine consumption so it really is an essential part of any wine exporters market plan. We’re looking forward to the next trip.

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We’re nearly ready!

For some reason this seems to have been one of the busiest seasons in recent past. The work needed to make sure we have the vineyard ready for a great vintage has required extra special care and a lot of attention to detail. We have had many passes through the vineyard with our vineyard team shoot thinning and leaf plucking to get the right balance and fruit exposure to light. We have carefully fruit thinned and taken away bunches that were not looking right for that final ripening.

However thanks to a warm dry latter half of Summer we are ready! The bunch weights are looking good, ripening is a little later than last year but the fruit will benefit from that little longer on the vine. Below is a picture from Vineyard Manager Rich Williams – which we have done each year – of the various varietals and clones on the vineyard. As you can see, the bunches are looking great, still some final colour to come into the Pinot Noir clones that do seem to finish a little later. Berry sizes are nice and we’re looking forward to getting started. The wager is that we’ll start harvest Tuesday after Easter – which will make it one of the later starts for us – but that’s up to Olly. After all, Winemakers do have the final say….:)

 

Andy

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Best of the Best Fair 2013 on Diamond Island

On November 30th 2012, the Robb Report, staged a one night ‘sneak preview’ of the Best of the Best Fair 2013 on Diamond Island, in Ho Chi Minh City where Misha’s Vineyard “The High Note” Pinot Noir was served to guests in premium Riedel glassware. The Robb Report magazine, positioned as the authority on luxury brands and lifestyle, has become a key resource for ultra-affluent consumers globally and is now expanding their focus on the growing luxury market in Vietnam.

This sneak preview, a pre-cursor to a much bigger event that will be staged in 2013, was an ‘invitation only’ black tie for 250 guests so they could discover what the ‘Best of the Best’ was all about. Fifteen brands, one from each of the luxury market segments, were invited to participate and those brand names included Audi, fashion brand Christian Louboutin, watchmaker Jaeger-LeCoultre, Standard Chartered Bank, and Champagne Taittinger. Also exhibiting was Austrian glassware company Riedel, makers of the finest wine glasses for over 250 years, who in turn selected Misha’s Vineyard Pinot Noir as one of just three wines to demonstrate the benefits of serving premium wine in the appropriate Riedel glass.

This is the second time Misha’s Vineyard Pinot Noir has been selected by Riedel when demonstrating their premium glassware. “We are huge believers in using the appropriate glassware to serve good wine” says Misha Wilkinson. “We always knew having the right glasses was important but after attending one of the full Riedel glassware demonstrations in Singapore last year, we really appreciated the profound difference that is made to a wine when served in the appropriate glass – or more importantly, we realized how much a wine can suffer from being served in the wrong glass!”

“We love working with Riedel as not only do they have a great product but they are wonderful to work with so we’re keen to continue our partnership. Presenting some of New Zealand’s best Pinot Noir in the world’s best glassware is simply ’the best in the best’ added Misha.

Tags: central otago, Central Otago Pinot Noir, Misha, Misha Wilkinson, Misha's Vineyard Wines, Riedel, Robb Report, The High Note

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Climbing the Social Ladder

“Before you decide to have a flutter with Twitter, get friendly on Facebook or post on Pinterest there are some basic steps you need to take if you have serious social aspirations. The first step to social acceptance is ensuring your website is fabulous! Let’s face it, the whole point about social media is that it’s interaction in an online world so if your own homepage isn’t up to scratch there’s probably not much point trying to scale the next step. And don’t forget to ensure you link your website to your social media platforms and vice versa….”

In this article Misha outlines what she sees as the business benefits of social media. Like most, she came to social media as a sceptic but pretty quickly learned how these tools could be utilized to build both brand and business. She talks about her social media strategy and ‘fab five’ social media tools and also gives top 8 reasons for using Twitter – “After just couple of weeks that I realised its power and potential and to this day I am still amazed at how such a seemingly simple tool can provide so many benefits for our business”.

To read the full article download the PDF version below.

Climbing The Social Ladder – Download PDF

Misha’s feature “Across the ditch” with stories of interest to the New Zealand wine industry are published in Wine Business Magazine each month.

To subscribe to WBM – click here

Tags: Misha Wilkinson, Misha's Vineyard Wines, WBM, wine Business Magazine

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The Early Summer Update from Rich Williams – Vineyard Manager

Now that spring has officially ended and vines have started to bloom I thought I’d do a bit of an update. Spring has been slightly cooler than normal and wind hasn’t been as strong as it usually is. Frequent rain periods at the start of spring gave us a valuable store of soil moisture which we have been able to use to our advantage. Last year we began the season with a very dry soil profile and had to start regular watering even before budburst. This year I’ve been applying one large amount of water weekly and this has enabled the soil to warm up again in between and has promoted rapid and even vine growth. Though there has been the typical yellowing with the cooler temperatures, the vines have had a reasonably consistent start to the year. Budburst was staggered from its start in the Gewurztraminer on the 18th of September though the majority of the vineyard on permanent cordon was drawn out with periods of rain and cooler soil temperatures.

The crew of casual workers have maintained steady progress as they thinned out shoots starting from the Fruit Bowl before moving to the more advanced House Block, Lake Front, and Ski Slope Pinot Noir blocks. The careful considerate winter pruning has paid off giving a desirable balance through the vineyard and has made shoot thinning the right number of shoots much easier. As the vine shoots grew, the crew were constantly moving through setting canopy wires to protect the shoots from breaking off in the wind. Then we had the usual back-breaking pass through the vineyard removing suckers from the base of the vines.

This year an untimely southerly change brought snow to the surrounding hills and night temperatures plummeted below zero. Many vineyard managers in the region fought the frost with helicopters, wind machines and water with limited success. There was very little in the way of inversion layer and those who did use the first two methods found that they were causing more damage than good by further reducing the air temperature. In some areas there is much more damage to vines cane pruned than on spur pruned (older cordon) which was slightly behind. Also vineyards with well cut grass swards fared better than the ones that let them grow long. For the first time we received some minor damage in a couple of places where the cold air settled. There was a little damage – just a few vines – up by Ah Foo’s house and a little more to the flatter Dress Circle block where the shelter cloth prevented the cold air draining away. Since then we have had some of the shelter cloth removed which I think was doing very little as far as wind protection goes now that the vines are well established. Interestingly on the rows with wind cloth on them there was very little frost damage and on the rows that were recently ripped and had the covercrop planted there was virtually no damage at all as the slightly barer ground enabled more heat to be released keeping the temp’s slightly warmer. Considering we don’t do any frost fighting, the vineyard here came off very well and only emphasises site selection is the most critical call when establishing a vineyard.

On the subject of the trial covercrop, the vines seem to be responding well to the improved soil conditions. Though it is still too early to tell, the vines seem to have a better evenness that the ones that did not have the treatment. There is also a healthier colour to them. The proof will be in the vines ability to hold onto its canopy right through till the end of ripening and to better handle adverse weather conditions such as drought and heavy downpours of rain. The pockets where we had clay that were ripped have improved immensely and what has been brought to the top by the digger simply falls apart in your hand showing increased permeability for water.

Up until last week the vineyard has had below average wind conditions. Since then the wind has picked up causing some chaos. This is totally my fault and I accept responsibility – as soon as I tell Andy that the vines are looking perfect and what a great start they’ve had there is normally a sudden change in the weather pattern! This is why I normally don’t like to comment on whether it is a good or bad season until the wine is in the bottle – call me superstitious! The main problem with wind is the physical damage it can cause to young shoots – even when they are well tucked up. The other problem with wind is the drying effect it has had on soil moisture. I have noticed over the last week when the inter-row started to dry out, just how it started to effect the growth in some of the weaker vines. This has started a little unevenness in some spots though my prayers have been answer with a lovely 14mm of rain so far. This should ensure good moisture as we go into flowering unless the winds decide to persist. On the whole though the vines are in very good condition.

We have a little early flowering in the usual spots – a bit in the Ski Slope Pinot Noir starting on the 28th of November followed by the Abel clone on the Lakefront block and it won’t be long before the House Block Pinot Noir is on its way if it hasn’t done so already. Fingers crossed for some steady and consistent warmth through flowering to promote pollination. Work will continue on wire tucking of which we are starting to get the third wire up across the board. I hope to be starting some work on the canopy interior next week with some lateral removal and we may even do some early season bunch removal. The season is on time as far as flowering goes but maybe a week behind in terms of growth. Given a forecast of nice settled weather pattern, the vines will have no trouble catching up to have another great vintage.

I hope everyone has a Very Merry Christmas and successful 2013!

Rich

Tags: Central Otago Pinot Noir, Misha's Vineyard Wines, mishas vineyard, Rich Williams

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Advocating New Zealand

Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW joined Wine Advocate (or eRobertParker.com) in 2010 with responsibilities for Australia and New Zealand and since that time, she’s delivered three reports on New Zealand with reviews for more than 2,300 wines!

Misha talks to Lisa and finds out how what she looks for when evaluating wines (and what it takes to get a high rating), what she really thinks about New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, how she positions New Zealand Pinot Noir in a global context, and what she thinks are the most exciting emerging varietals from New Zealand. Lisa also provides an overall view on New Zealand wines what she believes are our key advantages as a wine producing country.

To read the full article download the PDF version below.

Advocating New Zealand – Download PDF

Misha’s feature “Across the ditch” with stories of interest to the New Zealand wine industry are published in Wine Business Magazine each month.

To subscribe to WBM – click here

Tags: Misha Wilkinson, Misha's Vineyard Wines, mishas vineyard, WBM, wine Business Magazine

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Smart Money

Investments in vineyards have slowed all over the world with the GFC, imbalance in supply and demand of grapes and wine, and the increasing commoditization of wine. These impacts have certainly been felt in New Zealand particularly after the wine excesses brought about by a bumper 2008 crop along with increasingly unfavourable exchange rates which have caused havoc in terms of profitability.

Misha takes a looks at exactly who is investing in vineyards in New Zealand and finds an investor from China who’s considered a ‘rising star’ among China’s new breed of business people (and with strong New Zealand links), a couple of US billionaires, the ex-head of the New Zealand stock exchange, and a couple of hedge fund managers from Boston. It seems the tide is turning and new money, in fact smart money, is being invested into New Zealand’s wine industry.

To read the full article download the PDF version below.

Smart Money – Download PDF

Misha’s feature “Across the ditch” with stories of interest to the New Zealand wine industry are published in Wine Business Magazine each month.

To subscribe to WBM – click here

Tags: central otago pinot, Central Otago Pinot Noir, Misha Wilkinson, Misha's Vineyard Wines, WBM, wine Business Magazine

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The Fox Restaurant Concepts Olive & Ivy outlets are featuring Misha’s Vineyard Fox Block Eight 2010 Pinot Noir through the November and December festive season. The Fox Block blend was created by Fox Restaurant Concepts (FRC) Wine Director Regan Jasper and Misha’s Vineyard Winemaker Olly Masters from premium 2010 Pinot Noir. Fox Block Eight Pinot Noir is sold across the 40+ FRC outlets in the US and has been receiving great reviews. Regan’s comment on launching this promotion was ” I know you already know this, but the wine is drinking awesome right now!!”

The FRC restaurants http://www.foxrc.com/ include 12 different themed restaurant brands from Italian to steakhouses and gourmet burgers. Olive & Ivy is both a restaurant and marketplace in Scottsdale, Az. They say “You’ll enter your own little Mediterranean world the first moment you set foot in Olive & Ivy” based on the sunny patios and selection of fine wines and deli items. The group is continuing to expand with new restaurants opening across the US almost every quarter. We’re delighted to have our Pinot Noir as part of the Fox Restaurant range of wines and love to hear from our friends in the US when they dine out and find our Central Otago Pinot Noir is the premium wine on the table!

Tags: Central Otago Pinot Noir, Misha's Vineyard Wines, mishas vineyard, Olly Masters, pinot noir

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Last weekend in the cosmopolitan Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, a very special wine tasting event took place -a Riedel comparative glass tasting hosted by Riedel’s 10th-generation company president, Georg Riedel, who flew from Austria especially for the event. In order to demonstrate the benefits of using the appropriate crystal glass for consuming wine, three Robert Parker 90+ point wines were selected and the best news of all was that Misha’s Vineyard “The High Note” Pinot Noir 2008 was one of those three wines!

The event took place in the ballroom of the 5-star Caravelle Hotel to a crowd of 120 people who paid US$110 per seat to attend. Georg Riedel flew from Austria especially for the event where he showcased the designs of his Vinum XL Series, the new generation of Riedel wine glasses, which retail in New Zealand at $68 per glass.

The Vinum XL Pinot Noir was designed in 2008 and came about as a result of several workshops with Pinot Noir producers in Oregon USA. The shape of the glass shows the fresh fruit components and highlights the sweetness, whilst balancing the acidity and deemphasizing the alcohol to create a ideal impression of the wine with Georg Riedel claiming it a “a perfect Pinot Noir dream glass.”

A family owned business established in 1756, Riedel Crystal is recognized worldwide for designing and producing the highest quality glasses for wine and spirits so it’s a huge honour that our Pinot Noir was one of the wines selected to demonstrate the benefits of drinking very good wine from very good glasses!

We have been distributing our wines to Vietnam for 18 months now and have made two trips there. It’s a very exciting market and we’re been amazed to see the developments take place especially in the food and wine sector. Although the country has a population of 88 million, the per capita GDP is relatively low, however there is a large gap between the wealthy urban population and the low income rural population. The higher income levels and westernization are increasing alcohol consumption which is forecast to increase by around 6.5-7.5% each for the next couple of years so it’s definitely a market with growth potential!

We are so lucky to work with a wonderful distributor in this market, Finewines, and we’re hoping to be back in Vietnam again next May for more activities, including possibly our first wine dinner at the top of one of the newest and tallest buildings in Ho Chi Minh City!

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Today we had the opportunity to welcome three prominent wine journalists from China to visit the vineyard and taste through some of our wines. The visit was arranged by New Zealand Trade & Enterprise through their China office and hosted by NZTE representatives David Desmond and Tony Chen.

Mr De Mei Li is one of the most respected wine writers and wine judges in China. He writes for the Chinese edition of La Revu du Vin de France (monthly publication with 50,000 circulation in China), is a wine columnist for the bi-monthly Food Report, and contributes to other titles such as Wine in China, Food and Wine, the Robb Report and Beijing Youth Daily (wine page). His visit is part of the research for a two page feature with a focus on what NZ has to offer in addition to Sauvignon Blanc. We’re looking forward to our next trip to Beijing – De Mei has invited us to come to the Beijing University for Agriculture where he is a Professor in the Food Science Dept.

Ms Zhen MA writes for the monthly Wine in China Magazine which was founded in 2006 and now has a circulation of 67,000. It is the only wine magazine that is approved by the general administration of Press and Publication of the People’s Republic of China. The magazine devotes itself to spreading wine culture and encouraging a healthy consumption of wine. She will produce a 16 page feature in the magazine following her trip to New Zealand which is very exciting for the New Zealand wine industry.

Mr Jun Fang writes for Wine and Spirits Magazine, a monthly magazine for wine professionals, with a circulation of 15,000 nation-wide. He plans to write a four page article focussing primarily on two key interviews for this publication. He also writes for C2 One Living Magazine an elite lifestyle magazine with a circulation of 10,000 in Shenzhen and Hong Kong, in which he will be writing a 4-6 page feature on touring the NZ wine regions.

With our somewhat unique position on the Lakefront Terrace of Bendigo, and our protection of several Chinese gold mining sites on Misha’s Vineyard, the tour had more interest for the visitors than just the vines. We talked about the Chinese who had worked on the land and visited our “Lucky 8” vines and Ah Foo’s House – special for Jun who lives in the southern area of China, originally home to many of the gold miners came from. De Mei was keen to see if he could dig under the Lucky 8 vines to find the original gold coins placed there!

We were delighted to meet the group – although a brief visit it does make such a difference to understand more about our region and also for New Zealand wine producers to learn about the market in China. We’re now looking forward to seeing the articles!

Tags: central otago, Misha's Vineyard Wines, mishas vineyard

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