September/ October – Newsletter

Spring has arrived on Waiheke Island and with it has come sunshine, warmth and longer days. Perfect conditions for our vines to come out of dormancy – hence beautiful green shoots emerging from our Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet!
Speaking of vines we have just completed plantings of around 1000 Sauvignon Blanc rootlings. A new variety for us, so exciting developments should ensue with a new wine style for Saratoga Estate.
We have also just finished the grafting of around 350 rootstock vines which have been grafted to Cabernet Franc – so should increase our harvest from 1 barrel to around 3. Great news for us as Waiheke has proved a fantastic environment for Cabernet Franc, creating a rich, spicy and deeply colored red wine that works wonderfully in a blend or has the ability to stand on its own.
Renovations to our winery are coming along nicely with plastering of the existing structure creating a lovely Mediterranean feel along with the erection of a bell tower on top finishes the building off nicely.
At present, Saratoga is preparing for the bottling of our 2002 wines which will included a Merlot and of course the release of our reserve wine ‘Veritas’ which is showing rich fruit, integrated oak and wonderfully complex and mouthfilling flavors.
Saratoga’s 2003 wines are currently maturing in oak. All varieties have been kept separate so as to express their full characters however, blending should occur around December before returning to barrel once again until around March of next year. As mentioned earlier, the Cabernet Franc is proving outstanding followed closely by the Merlot and Cabernet.

Notes from the Vineyard…..

While jotting down these lines, I am still reeling with delight from our dolphin citing while enjoying breakfast this morning; they entertained us for a good hour, swimming back and forth. And the neighbors were equally entertaining – all of them enjoying the moment, one jumping into a canoe to enjoy the spectacle up close.

To other matters – exciting things going on at the winery – we located the original architect, Greg, who has come back to help redesign the bell tower and gazebo decks for the restaurant. Presently, we have Brian plastering over concrete blocks which will then be painted - I fancy a shade of pastel pink (let’s see if I get my way) – influenced by my recent visit to the Provence countryside. Jason, our engineer, has almost finished the vineyard mailbox – an swept stainless steel model.

We have made a walking path that meanders alongside the vines and through the olive trees from the main road to the winery. One of my pet projects at present is planting fragrant lavender along the edge of the path to enhance the walk. From my notes, you will gather the winery is still a work in progress; but considering the amount of time we have had it, the premises have come a long way. In just a few months, we’ve gone from not having electricity, hot water or phone lines to roads, retaining walls, expansive parking lot and the creation of a huge outdoor seating area in front of the winery and it is a joy to behold. Indulging my penchant for pottering, I have recently planted flower boxes and terracotta pots with annuals in an explosion of colors in mind for our summer visitors to enjoy.

Ending this on a high note and so excited about the upcoming projects before mentioned, till next time, Salute!

…. Pam