Misha's Vineyard

Trading Places – Part 1

It’s one of the toughest times for the New Zealand wine industry with production excesses and market dynamics creating risky and volatile trading conditions. Whilst most wine producing nations would consider it a bear market for selling wine, New Zealand is still bullish about its liquid assets and seems better placed than most for a strong recovery.
With New Zealand’s biggest trading partners being the UK, Australia, and the US, rampant currency fluctuations are creating serious fiscal pain for exporters. Added to the exchange rate woes, the 2011 harvest was an unexpected 328,000 tonnes with 23% more grapes being picked than the previous year. However Philip Gregan, Chief Executive Officer of New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) still believes wineries can proceed with “cautious optimism”.
In the first of this two-part feature Misha Wilkinson reports on the biennial New Zealand Wine Exporters’ Forum held recently in Blenheim, Marlborough, and the predictions and opportunities that lay ahead for New Zealand wine.

To read the full article download the PDF version below.

Trading Places – Part 1- Download PDF

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Tags: Chuck Hayward, JJ Buckley, Michael Walton, Misha, Misha Wilkinson, mishas vineyard, new zealand wine, New Zealand Wine Exporters Forum, Nielsen Pacific, Philip Gregan, Social Media, WBM, wine Business Magazine

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A Small Advantage

If small is beautiful, then when you have 631 of New Zealand’s 697 wineries categorized as small, then you’d have to logically conclude that New Zealand wine is essentially…beautiful. Of course that’s no surprise at all for Kiwis but what may be surprising is how small can also be viable – especially in these tougher times!

In the July issue of Wine Business Magazine, Misha looks at four boutique New Zealand vineyards and looks at what makes them different – and successful. If you’re a boutique producer and charging premium prices for your wine, it’s a given that you need to be producing outstanding wine. But in an increasingly competitive marketplace, you also need to have that sector factors, stories and advantages that set you apart as a producer and make your products unique and special.

To read the full article download the PDF version below.

A Small Advantage- Download PDF

To subscribe to WBM – click here

Tags: central otago, Central Otago Pinot Noir, Greywacke, Kevin Judd, Misha, Misha Wilkinson, mishas vineyard, Nick Mills, Rippon, Sam Neill, Two Paddocks, Urlar, WBM, wine Business Magazine

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Misha’s Vineyard Training at Taylor’s Uni, Malaysia

Our activities with our distributor, CK Chew, of Finlux in Malaysia included some training at Taylor’s University – which is now the largest and most established hospitality and tourism management school in South East Asia. They have a state-of-the-art modern campus adjacent to a 5 acre lake and they also have the most amazing facility to conduct wine training! Andy, Olly and I presented for nearly two hours to a group of almost 30 students, starting with an overview of what is New Zealand famous for – including of course the All Blacks and Lord of the Rings – and fantastic wines! We also went into detail why New Zealand uses screw caps, what New Zealand’s key varieties are and where they’re grown, and what makes New Zealand wines unique. Of course Olly also took them through 5 wines from Misha’s Vineyard explaining every aspect of the varietals tasted along with a backdrop of some stunning visuals of New Zealand.

Joaquim Dias Soeiro, is the Programme Director at Taylor’s, and he was delighted to be able to offer his students the opportunity to learn about wine from a real winemaker! Olly did a wonderful job explaining everything from TCA to the benefits of oak barrels and even how to evaluate and score wines.

Talking to the next generation of Asia’s sommeliers and hospitality managers is a great way to influence the trend toward New Zealand’s vibrant wine styles. The group was keenly interested in all aspects of New Zealand wines, and continued to ask many very good questions about the wines, packaging, storing and tasting well after the session finished. We are very confident this group of students will join the Malaysian hospitality industry with a keen knowledge and interest in New Zealand.

And as a result of visiting Taylor’s Uni, Misha has ended up with a lot more friends on Facebook with many of the students wanting to come to New Zealand to help with the next harvest! See you all in Central Otago!

Tags: Andy Wilkinson, CK Chew, Finlux, Misha Wilkinson, mishas vineyard, new zealand wine, Olly Masters, Taylors Uni, Wine Distributor

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Misha’s team continues SE Asia tour into Vietnam

We headed to Ho Chi Minh for the 2nd leg of our South East Asia tour and got right into the swing of things with Andy and Olly ordering some local noodles in the Ben Thanh market which was very close to our hotel in District 1 of the city. Ho Chi Minh is a city of motor scooters – and it really is the fastest way to get around town as Olly proved riding through the manic traffic with one of the Fine Wines team to our dinner on the first night in HCMC! Our new distributor in Vietnam is Fine Wines part of Indochina Dragon Importing Company, and General Manager Mr Son, has put together a fabulous team there including Audrey and Anny. As the distributor for Riedel glassware and Vintec wine fridges, they’re in the perfect position to ensure the restaurants and hotels they supply have the right glasses and keep the wines at the correct temperature – very important in a an emerging wine market like Vietnam.

We were able to get acquainted with the Fine Wines team as they generously hosted us for a dinner on the first night there at a wonderful restaurant called TIB where we drank some excellent Errazuriz wines from Chile that Fine Wines also distribute in Vietnam.The next day we headed out to some key accounts including Yacht which has an impressive wine cabinet (courtesy of Fine Wines) which was stocked with Misha’s Vineyard Pinot Noir, of course! We then went to M Saigon hotel and checked they were fully stocked with our wines too! For lunch it was a real treat to go to Maxim – certainly one of the icon restaurants of Ho Chi Minh and it was even more exciting to see our Pinot Noir gracing each table in lovely Vietnamese lacquer-ware bottle holders.

On the second evening we held a tasting event at Xu Restaurant & Bar http://www.xusaigon.com/

It was a very trendy place to have our official Vietnamese launch and it’s even more exciting that we now have two wines on the list of this very international restaurant. Thanks Bien for your support of Misha’s Vineyard and for the stunning food that accompanied our wines at the event. It was also great to have Graham Sims – NZ Trade Commissioner – join us for the launch.

Fine Wines are just about to move to a new retail store just one block from the Park Hyatt Hotel in one of the most prestigious areas of Ho Chi Minh and they are also moving to bigger and larger offices as the company expands. We are so lucky to have found a wonderful partner in this fabulous and emerging wine market in South East Asia.

Tags: Central Otago Pinot Noir, Fine Wines, Ho Chi Minh, Misha Wilkinson, Misha’s Vineyard, Olly Masters, Xu Restaurant

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Misha’s update on our recent trip to Singapore

We love working with our Singapore distributor, Crystal Wines, who really ensured we met with all the key F&B folks while we were in Singapore. On Monday 1st August, they organized a trade dinner at Victoria Peak, a wonderful Chinese restaurant at Suntec City, for 50 people. Guests were invited to come and do a formal tasting of Misha’s Vineyard range of wines followed by a multi-course Chinese banquet. Many of Singapore’s 5 star hotels and clubs were represented at the dinner including the Sheraton Towers Hotel, St Regis Hotel and Republic of Singapore Yacht Club. And some of Singapore’s best restaurants came too including folks from Flutes at the Fort, Lawry’s Prime Rib, Orgo Bar & Restaurant, Que Pasa, Renn Thai, Bali Thai, and many more.

The following evening we held a Misha’s Vineyard Wine Dinner at OSIA – with celebrity chef Scott Webster, who ensured it was one of the best dinners we’ve ever experienced! OSIA is a premium restaurant which is part of Singapore’s Resorts World, a huge Casino complex which has a variety of restaurants and hotels within it. The best menu match at the dinner was the Sea Salt & Vinegar Cured Petuna Ocean Trout with Honey Pineapple Dressing with our Misha’s Vineyard ‘Limelight’ Riesling – sublime! We had lots of friends attend the dinner. Thanks to you all for your support – it was great to see so many Singapore friends again. And thanks to the gorgeous Kori Millar – a Kiwi gal who runs OSIA and ensures it’s a five star experience for everyone, every time!

We also visited a few wonderful places whilst in Singapore where our wines are sold including the Marina Bay Sands Hotel & Casino who have our Sauvignon Blanc and our specially labelled Misha’s Vineyard “Lucky 8” Pinot Noir throughout the hotel and in their High Rollers Club “Paiza”, and popped in to see Kim Drew at The Cliff restaurant at Sentosa Resort & Spa

Tags: Andy Wilkinson, Central Otago Pinot Noir, Crystal Wines, Kim Drew, Marina Bay Sands, Misha Wilkinson, Misha’s, Misha’s Vineyard, Olly Masters, OSIA, Resorts World, Scott Webster, The Cliff

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Millesime Restaurant.

Misha’s Vineyard Wines were formally launched into the Malaysian market on August 11th with a stunning dinner at Millesime restaurant. Chef Max Chin prepared some stunning dishes to match the range of Misha’s Vineyard wines now stocked by Malaysian wine and food company Finlux Sdn Bhd.

Attending the dinner were journalists, sommeliers and trade buyers from the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur. The meal was a series of perfectly prepared small plate dishes including seared tuna, goose foie gras, Hokkaido sea scallops and venison loin. The desert was an amazing Cherve Goat Cheese with Macaroon delight which matched perfectly with Misha’s Vineyard Limelight Riesling.

Chef Max Chin left the kitchen once the food was out to provide entertainment – including getting our winemaker Olly Masters to perform a very brief “Haka” along with Finlux owner CK Chew.

We were truly delighted to see such good interest in the wines and to have a growing interest in New Zealand wines as a serious category of wines within Malaysia. With Asia emerging as a wine market the pure expressions and delicate flavours of New Zealand cool climate varietals is a perfect fit with the cuisine and palates of the region.

For more photos and information visit Misha’s Vineyard on Facebook!

Tags: Central Otago Pinot Noir, Finlux Sdn Bhd, Max Chin, Millesime, Misha Wilkinson, mishas vineyard, Olly Masters, pinot noir

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One of Singapore’s most established and popular wine bars – Que Pasa – hosted a wine tasting of Misha’s Vineyard Wines with our star winemaker Olly Masters presenting the range of wines. It was fantastic to see such interest from the mix of experienced wine aficionados to people who were quite new to wine. Some of the tasters were trying Gewurztraminer for the first time – and loved it!

During the introduction we talked about New Zealand and why New Zealand wine has made such a splash on the world stage in such a short period of time – and had them taste the “freshness and purity” that only can come from a country with such breathtaking beauty and pristine environment. We then went through a tasting of the Misha’s Vineyard wines that was accompanied by some delicious snacks put on by the Que Pasa team to match the range of aromatic white wines and Pinot Noir.

Singapore’s wine market continues to develop at a pace to match the F1! Misha and Andy recalled going to Que Pasa in 1995 when it was the only wine bar in Singapore. Now with wine bars and wine clubs all over the island city it was great to see the first one still delivering fantastic wines and food to its customers. As interest in wine develops in Singapore the style of wine from New Zealand is becoming even more popular. The palate style and Asian food match of our pure cool climate varietals is especially pleasing to Singaporeans looking for wines of elegance and texture.

Thanks to the amazing team at Que Pasa for a wonderful experience, to our great distributor in Singapore – Crystal Wines, and thanks to all those wine lovers who came along to try our wines. We plan to be back regularly to show you new vintages and continue our friendship.

Tags: Central Otago Pinot Noir, Gewurztraminer, Misha Wilkinson, mishas vineyard, Olly Masters, Que Pasa

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Excusez-Moi, C’est Syrah!

Why does New Zealand call its wine Syrah when its larger neighbor calls it Shiraz? Are we being a little pretentious, peut-être?

In the June issue of Wine Business Magazine, Misha investigates the origins of this much talked about variety and why it’s creating such a media sensation. Misha talks to winemaker Warren Gibson from Trinity Hill and Bilancia, wine commentator Sam Kim, as well as Steve Skinner from Elephant Hill Estate, to understand why people are even talking about Syrah given so little of it is planted in New Zealand. The question is whether Syrah is ever likely to be New Zealand’s next coup in the world of wine or remain just the domain of artisan producers.

To read the full article download the PDF version below.

Excusez-Moi, C’est Syrah! – Download PDF

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Tags: Elephant Hill Estate, Misha, Misha Wilkinson, mishas vineyard, Sam Kim, Syrah, Trinity Hill, Warren Gibson, WBM, Wine Business Monthly

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A Blanc Check

With another harvest completed in New Zealand and an ever-increasing volume of Sauvignon Blanc, is it a case of too much of a good thing?

In the May issue of Wine Business Magazine, Misha talks to some key figures in the New Zealand wine industry, including Neal Ibbotson from Saint Clair, one of the country’s biggest Sauvignon Blanc producers and Clive Weston from Negociants New Zealand, on their view of the delicate balance of supply versus demand. With increasing production the question is whether New Zealand still has room for growth with its signature variety.

To read the full article download the PDF version below.

A Blanc Check – Download PDF

To subscribe to WBM – click here

Tags: Misha, Misha Wilkinson, mishas vineyard, Negociants, Saint Clair, Sauvignon Blanc, WBM, Wine Business Monthly

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Getting into the Riesling habit?

Apart from Pinot Noir there are few (if any) other grape varieties that can create such passion and almost religious fervor among its followers – but Riesling manages an almost cult following.

In the April issue of Wine Business Magazine, Misha looks at Riesling’s place within a New Zealand and global context, and also reports on “In Praise of Riesling” held in the Waipara Valley earlier this year when devotees of this grape variety congregated for a day of adoration!

To read the full article download the PDF version below.

Getting into the Riesling habit – Download PDF

To subscribe to WBM – click here

Tags: Misha, Misha Wilkinson, mishas vineyard, Riesling, Wine, wine Business Magazine

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