Misha & Andy with some of the Jebsen team

After a day of training the Jebsen Fine Wine team in our wines and visiting some of the most luxurious boutique hotels in Shanghai to introduce them to Misha’s Vineyard wines in order to get them listed in all the right places, we held our first wine dinner on the 1st November in a private dining room at the luxurious JW Marriott Hotel at Tomorrow Square. We had 25 guests, comprised of both customers and trade guests invited to attend the sumptuous dinner. We even had some friends from the US who happened to be visiting Shanghai at the time join us for the dinner. (It was great to see you Colleen!). It was a really fun night and we enjoyed the most spectacular views over Shanghai.

In Shanghai, we already have wines listed at M on the Bund, the House of Roosevelt, a few more amazing places with many more hotels about to list our wines. Andy and I look forward to spending more time in this fabulous city and are planning to do education on New Zealand wine with our winemaker Olly as this is a market with plenty of money to spend but just a little more convincing that New Zealand wine is a good alternative to French wine which still dominates the market of course!

Private Dining Room at JW Marriott, Shanghai

Raspberry Sangria Sorbet, Lemongrass Jelly and Amaebi with Lime

Green Tea Smoked Bay Oyster and Chanterelles Mushrooms
Misha’s Vineyard Lyric Riesling 2010

Bamboo Clam “a la Plancha “with Citrus Fruits on Spiced Leek Compote
Misha’s Vineyard The Starlet Sauvignon Blanc 2009

Confit Black Cod in Sichuan Pepper, Tomatoes and Fennel with Provencal Olives
Misha’s Vineyard Dress Circle Pinot Gris 2010
Misha’s Vineyard The Gallery Gewurztraminer 2010

Grilled Wagyu Beef Strip loin and Potato in different Textures
Misha’s Vineyard The High Note Pinot Noir 2008
Misha’s Vineyard Verismo Pinot Noir 2008 (Reserve)

Bitter Chocolate Soufflé and Ice Cream with Truffle

Thanks to the wonderful Jebsen team including Sarah, Christine, Stephen, Thomas, Ken, Ryan, Vivian, and Ken for making our first visit so successful. See you all soon!

“Setting out from Asia, our home for many years, we wanted to find the best place in the world to grow cool climate grapes and most particularly Pinot Noir – the “holy grail” of grapes and also the most difficult to grow”, says Misha Wilkinson of her impetus for starting he own winery in New Zealand seven years ago.

After 18 months and much walking over potential vineyard land, Wilkinson and her husband, Andy, found themselves standing on the dramatic lakefront terraces of Bendigo Station, a high country sheep station in the Central Otago region of New Zealand where some of the world’s finest Merino wool is grown. The couple knew instantly that this was the site for Misha’s Vineyards.

Download PDF. Wine Ways, Wine & Dine Magazine

“Since New Zealand doesn’t have a presence on the track at the Formula 1 it’s nice that we get a showing at the prestigious Paddock Club” said Misha Wilkinson, who owns Misha’s Vineyard Wines with her husband Andy.

An initial group of over 70 white wines were taste-tested separately for four different hospitality categories including the Formula One Paddock Club during the extensive selection process. The tasting sessions included three rounds of blind tasting by Singapore GP’s key management, select groups of corporate clients, as well as professional wine connoisseurs.

“We are delighted to complement our current world-class menu selection with the addition of this premium Sauvignon Blanc. Through a rigorous selection process, we ensure that the selected wines perfectly enhance the synergy and balance with the food being served,” said Lea Yuen Ming, Food and Beverage Director, Singapore GP Pte Ltd.

Misha’s Vineyard is one of the very few Central Otago wine producers growing and making Sauvignon Blanc. “We only have two hectares of Sauvignon Blanc, which is grown on such a steep slope that we can only hand-pick it when walking down the slope, not upwards” explains Misha . “Our style of Sauvignon Blanc, which is made with a portion of the wine fermented naturally in old French oak barrels, is different to the Marlborough style and I think it shows that Central Otago is a very versatile region and can produce great white wines as well as Pinot Noir”.

Misha’s Vineyard ‘The Starlet’ Sauvignon Blanc is continuing to live up to its name and has also just been chosen to be served by the glass for the next twelve months at the brand new nightclub Avalon which opens in Singapore on the 16th September. Part of Steve Adelman’s multi-billion dollar Marina Bay Sands complex, Avalon will be housed in the phenomenal architecture of the Crystal Pavilion, designed by world renowned architect Moshe Safdie. Avalon is positioned not just as a nightclub but as a lifestyle destination and promises to bring Hollywood glamour to Singapore. “It’s certainly appropriate that a wine called ‘The Starlet’ is part of that experience” says Misha.

Misha’s Vineyard wines are distributed in Singapore through Crystal Wines and in New Zealand through Negociants New Zealand.

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Race Notes:

• 2011 FORMULA 1 SINGTEL SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX runs from 23rd to 25th September 2011 with the race being held at 8pm on Sunday 25th September. This is the third time that Singapore has held this race and already it has earned the title of “the jewel in the Formula One crown”.

• Singapore first staged this event on 28th September 2008 – it was the first-ever night race in FORMULA ONE history.

• The 5.073km-long Marina Bay Street Circuit, with 61 laps, offers a combination of long straights and fast and demanding turns, providing drivers with a gruelling challenge.

• The Singapore Formula One Paddock Club™ is situated in the Pit Building directly above the Formula One™ team garages. Unrivalled views, unparalleled access, seamless service and the finest cuisine and wines are all provided with an extraordinary attention to detail. A 3-day pass costs approx NZ $13,722.

Race information www.singaporegp.sg
Paddock Club www.f1corporate.com/f1-races/singapore/paddock-club-singapore

For further information please contact:

Misha’s Vineyard Wines Limited
Misha Wilkinson – Director/Owner Tel: +64 210 2200812 Email to misha@mishasvineyard.com

* Editors Note: A range of high resolution photos of Misha’s Vineyard is available on request – but not related to the Grand Prix event.

About Misha’s Vineyard Wines Limited www.mishasvineyard.com
Misha’s Vineyard is located on one of the most spectacular sites in New Zealand at the edge of Lake Dunstan in the Bendigo sub-region of Central Otago. The sun drenched north-west facing terraces of the 57 hectare (140 acres) estate provide the optimal conditions for producing world-class Pinot Noir and a range of aromatic white varieties. The ‘no compromise’ philosophy behind Misha’s Vineyard wines required an exacting sustainable viticulture regime, hand-picking of the estate-grown fruit and considerate as well as minimalist winemaking methodologies. Under internationally renowned winemaker Olly Masters, the highly anticipated range of Misha’s Vineyard wines won critical acclaim from their launch in 2008 and in 2010 they were named one of New Zealand’s Top 20 Producers by UK Decanter magazine.

Download PDF Press Release

Master Sommelier Cameron Douglas reports on his recent visit to Central Otago in the Thirst section of the July 2011 edition of Hospitality Magazine.

“The majestic landscape that surrounds you when you step off a plane at Queenstown airport is a showstopper. My wife and I were excited to come back to this region for another wine adventure – the purpose of the visit was to experience first-hand the vineyards and stories of Locharburn and Misha’s Vineyard”.

Download PDF of the article Central Otago, by Cameron Douglas

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

These two wines are the only New Zealand wines chosen amongst a select group of 16 in the Aromatics category, which has been identified as one of the key wine trends of 2011. For the past seven years, The Top 100 has provided visitors to the LIWF, the opportunity to try some of the world’s best wines in specific categories chosen to provide an insight to the current wine trends. The Wine Gang, a group of the UK’s most respected wine critics including Tom Cannavan, Joanna Simon and Anthony Rose, was chosen to compile this year’s list of the ‘best of the best’ from their vast pool of collective experience.

In addition to Aromatics, the other themes selected by this year’s judging panel are: The Pinots, Rhone Varietals around the World, Natural Organic and Biodynamic, and Surprising Wines. All of the wines are selected on the basis of overall quality, consistency, and value for money. The Top 100 is a perennial favourite among visitors to the Fair with visitors able to try the wines during a free-pour tasting during the three-day event.

Misha’s Vineyard “Limelight” Riesling has attracted amazing accolades since its first release in 2008. Equally Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc has won praise from wine critics around the world with UK journalist Matthew Jukes describing it as “jaw-droppingly brilliant wine.” The 2009 vintage of both wines represented New Zealand last year at the Tri Nations Wine Challenge where they each won Gold against the best wines from Australia and South Africa.

In New Zealand, the wines of Misha’s Vineyard in Central Otago and Greywacke in Marlborough are distributed by Negociants New Zealand and the winning wines from both producers will be part of a showcase of wines touring New Zealand in a national trade roadshow from 14th to 16th June visiting, Auckland, Dunedin, Wellington and Christchurch.
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For further information please contact:

Misha’s Vineyard Wines Limited
Misha Wilkinson – Director. Tel: +64 210 2200812 (mobile) Email:misha@mishasvineyard.com
Greywacke
Kevin Judd – Winemaker/Director Tel: +64 21 451 137 (mobile) Email:kevin@greywacke.com

* Editors Note: A range of high resolution bottle or vineyard photos from Misha’s Vineyard and Greywacke are available on request.

Download PDF Press Release

A sensational menu prepared by celebrity New Zealand Chef Peter Gordon accompanied wines from Misha’s Vineyard in Central Otago at The Providores and Tapa Room in Marylebone High Street, London on 3rd May. The menu was an eclectic mix of dishes with exotic spices and delicately prepared seafood and meats which matched the wines perfectly.

The Providores and Tapa Room, featuring a popular formal dining room and a cafe/wine bar in the heart of London, is the home of the most exciting and innovative fusion food in the UK, and Britain’s largest range of New Zealand premium wines.

Download PDF of Providores Menu

The 2011 growing season has thrown some interesting weather at us. The first half of the season was warm and dry but in January temperatures dropped and have stayed unseasonably cool and wet for much of the rest of the growing season. Overall we have still managed to come through with a great finish to the season due to some diligent vineyard management and keeping crops low. We’re delighted with the amazing fruit that’s been picked so far. This year’s harvest started slowly on Wednesday 30th March with a short day as we took a little Pinot Noir from the House Block. They were just 4 year old vines and their first “producing” season so we had to ensure the vines had a well balanced yield given the youth of the vines. Over the next couple of days we picked mainly Pinot Noir including the Abel clone of Pinot Noir from our Lakefront block– always a lush and flavorsome section of the vineyard! After three days of harvest we had partially picked 4 of our 8 clones of Pinot Noir – with still a lot of vineyard to go! Winemaker and official harvest scheduler, Olly Masters, tasted a lot of fruit on the Monday of Week 2 of harvest, and as usual, Olly is not in a rush to get the fruit off the vine as he waits for the berries to develop the flavours he’s looking for so we didn’t resume picking until Wednesday.

The first white varietal to be picked was the Sauvignon Blanc on our “Ski Slope”. It’s an interesting area to harvest. We pick mostly downhill as the bucket runners would simply not manage to get full buckets up the steep slope to the tractor and trailer and our picking crew would struggle to climb uphill as well. Thank goodness for the Misha’s Vineyard mini-bus to get them from the bottom of the hill to the top in order to start another downhill run. Ski Slope also tests the brakes on the tractors with two 400kg harvest bins on the trailer facing straight down the slope to the lake. The Sauvignon Blanc from Misha’s Vineyard is quite different from the more typical Marlborough style of Sauvignon Blanc produced in New Zealand. It’s more tropical and luscious than herbaceous and grassy. We think it’s the stunning view these vines have that makes the difference!

Friday started with 7 1/2 tonnes of Clone 667 Pinot Noir from Lakefront then we switched to Gewürztraminer – all .95ha of it in our “Fruitbowl” section of the vineyard. Gewürztraminer is one of the best varietals for being able to taste the wine flavours in the fruit before processing. It has really delicious lychee and musk flavours with a fruit sweetness that makes you want to munch on bunches while you’re picking!

Thanks to this year’s hardworking harvest team from Germany, Poland, Japan and of course New Zealand. It’s tough getting up in the cold to be picked up in town and driven up on site ready to start snipping at 7:30am. The starts can be quite icy until the sun starts to warm the air, but of course running up our hills warms everyone up!. However the spectacular view from Misha’s Vineyard on a beautiful Central Otago day is worth it!

Download PDF ..or.. read more

The Misha’s Vineyard wines selected by Harvey Nichols for the exclusive promotion include “The High Note” Pinot Noir as well as two of their aromatic white wines, the “Dress Circle” Pinot Gris and “Limelight” Riesling. “What struck me was the purity of expression of these aromatic white wines from Misha’s Vineyard” said Ivan Dixon, Wine and Spirits Buyer for Harvey Nichols. “Central Otago is renowned for producing some stunning Pinot Noir but Misha’s Vineyard is proving that the region can also produce outstanding white wines as well”.

Named as one of the “Top 20 Producers in New Zealand” by Decanter Magazine, Misha’s Vineyard has just joined the portfolio of Indigo Wine, a boutique distributor specialising in premium wines to the UK on-trade and specialised retail sectors.

Twice winner of the International Wine Challenge (IWC) Specialist Merchant of the Year for a specific portfolio range, Indigo Wines is excited to now be extending their representation of premium wines from New Zealand. “The reputation and growth of New Zealand wines in the UK has been phenomenal and we have been looking to expand our offering from New Zealand and particularly keen to find some great Pinot Noir” said Ben Henshaw, Director of Indigo Wine. “We were intrigued when we heard about Misha’s Vineyard – top quality Pinot Noir but also beautiful Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and exotic Gewurztraminer, all lovingly crafted by Olly Masters, the former winemaker from the famous Ata Rangi Estate” he added.

Misha’s Vineyard was established by Andy and Misha Wilkinson to produce a range of high quality cool-climate wines on a spectacular lakefront site in the Bendigo sub-region of Central Otago – the Pinot Noir capital of New Zealand. A ‘no compromise’ philosophy has been implemented across the entire operation which requires an exacting sustainable viticulture regime, hand-picking of all their estate-grown fruit as well as considerate and minimalist winemaking methodologies.

The naming of the Misha’s Vineyard range of wines was inspired by Misha’s opera-singing mother and also Misha’s early career in the theatre which included a stint at the Royal Opera House. “The appointment of a distribution partner is a critical decision for any vineyard but we believe our partnership with Indigo Wine fulfils our ‘no compromise’ philosophy” said Misha Wilkinson. “And to launch our wines with an exclusive promotion at Harvey Nichols certainly hits ‘the high note’ right from the outset!”

Misha’s Vineyard wines are destined for fine-dining restaurants, premium hotels and specialist wine retailers across the UK.
The range of Misha’s Vineyard wines that will be distributed by Indigo Wine is:

• Misha’s Vineyard “The High Note” Pinot Noir 2008
• Misha’s Vineyard “Dress Circle” Pinot Gris 2009
• Misha’s Vineyard “The Gallery” Gewurztraminer 2010
• Misha’s Vineyard “Limelight” Riesling 2010
• Misha’s Vineyard “The Starlet” Sauvignon Blanc 2010

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For further information please contact:

Misha’s Vineyard Wines Limited
Misha Wilkinson – Director Tel: +64 210 2200812 Email to misha@mishasvineyard.com

* Editors Note: A range of high resolution photos of Misha’s Vineyard is available on request

Indigo Wine (UK)
Ben Henshaw – Director Tel: +44 7799 671 648
Olly Bartlett – Marketing Tel: +44 7776 217 726
Trade Enquiries +44 207 733 8391 Email to info@indigowine.com

About Misha’s Vineyard Wines Limited www.mishasvineyard.com
Misha’s Vineyard is located on one of the most spectacular sites in New Zealand at the edge of Lake Dunstan in the Bendigo sub-region of Central Otago. The sun drenched north-west facing terraces of the 57 hectare (140 acres) estate provide the optimal conditions for producing world-class Pinot Noir and a range of aromatic white varieties. The ‘no compromise’ philosophy behind Misha’s Vineyard wines required an exacting viticulture regime, hand-picking and considerate winemaking methodologies. Under internationally renowned winemaker Olly Masters, the highly anticipated range of Misha’s Vineyard wines won critical acclaim from their launch in 2008 and in 2010 they were named one of New Zealand’s Top 20 Producers by UK Decanter magazine.

About Indigo Wine www.indigowine.com
Indigo Wine was established in 2003 by Ben Henshaw who was inspired by his family’s purchase of a vineyard in the Languedoc and so decided to move from technology to a career in the wine trade. Focussing initially on a Spanish portfolio, Indigo Wine has since grown its agency business with terroir-driven and family-run vineyards from France, Portugal, Italy, Austria and more recently New Zealand. Working with some of the most renowned winemakers in Spain from both the well-established to the ‘up-and-coming’ wineries has resulted in Indigo Wine winning the International Wine Challenge (IWC) Specialist Merchant of the Year for their Spanish portfolio for the last two years. With a focus at the on-trade and specialised retail sectors, Indigo Wine has gained a solid reputation within the trade with Jancis Robinson commenting “We British wine drinkers should be grateful for the sleuthing skills of importer Ben Henshaw of Indigo Wine”.

(Translation)
The high humidity and temperature in Hong Kong makes people sick when the heavy rain steadily pours down sometime. It’s good to cheer yourself up with a bottle of wine that is aromatic and with high acidity – for instance a white wine or rose which has been slightly chilled..

Wine has been categorized by its regions – grapes and the climate differences make a lot to the its feel and taste as well. A warm climate is favourable for red and the wines tend to be full-bodied and powerful with high level of alcohol, like Napa Valley of California and Hunter Valley of Australia, and the island of Sicily in Italy which are all famous regions with warm climate. Cool climate wine regions will produce good white wines with high acidity and an elegant style, mixed with a very fine mineral taste as well. For example like Mosel of Germany, Chablis of France, Tasmania of Australia and also Central Otago of New Zealand.

I had a chance to try the wines produced by Misha Vineyard at Bendigo, which were very good. Some of the white wines have a lovely flowery scent and they managed to control the maturity of the grapes creating a very good balance of acidity. They are good for the hot summer of Hong Kong. The Starlet Sauvignon Blanc has a nice hint of herbaceous flavours and an elegant acidity. This is good to be served before your meal. I personally love their Gewürztraminer – the most complex of the range. To serve it with appetizers would be a very nice treat!. The High Note Pinot Noir is inspiring and fruity. Keep it chilled for 15 minutes and it will surely brighten up the wine.