Welcome to our tenth annual Autumn Newsletter! Yup, it’s been ten years since our little business here on Waiheke Island kicked off, yet it seems that the absolute joy of opening our first bottle of “The Point”, and the sheer panic and terror of opening day in the restaurant was only yesterday!! Time flies when you are having fun!

A season of extremes! Spring commenced with two weeks of warmth and budburst followed by the coolest, wettest six weeks in memory. Remember snow on the Desert Road in November? Then, BANG instant summer and the hottest, driest spell on Waiheke Island for over fifty years, with no significant rainfall for the past four months. The ground is as hard as the hobbs of hell! Fortunately, however, we established our vineyard without irrigation and, now 15 years old, the vines have deep enough roots to survive.

Picking commenced and finished a week or so earlier than usual. A small Chardonnay crop has resulted in ripe, flavoursome musts and very clean wild-yeast ferments. A barrel-and-a-half this year. Not a lot!

The Cabernets and the Syrah were the big beneficiaries of the big dry – small berries with very focused, rich flavours and abundant ripe tannins. The Merlot crop was somewhat reduced, a result of the cold spring and less than complete fruitset. However, what there was had lovely flavours. Overall, the 2010 vintage will be one of the smallest on record.

Our aim here at Te Whau is to produce, in a restrained manner, “wines of place”, terroir wines, vinified from high-quality fruit, the result of intensive vine management, which enables character and personality to be derived from climate, aspect and soil, rather than manipulation in the winery. Hence: wild ferments, no fining, no chemical additions and absolute minimum use of sulphur. Wines of elegance and balance to appeal to sophisticated palates.

It was a thrill to open noted British winewriter Hugh Johnson’s sixth edition “Wine Companion”, a classic review of the world of wine as he sees it, and to find us rated amongst the leaders of New Zealand winemaking, alongside Stonyridge, Neudorf, Felton Road and Ata Rangi amongst others. Good company to keep.

Michael Cooper OM in his long-running and essential “Buyers Guide” has elevated Te Whau Chardonnay to “Classic” status, and Bob Campbell MW featured all our wines in recent “Gourmet Traveller WINE” magazines, rating the 2008 Syrah at 95 points (“the best Waiheke Syrah I’ve tasted”) the 2008 Chardonnay at 95 points (“complex..classy”) and 2007 “The Point” at 91 points (“dense..savoury..rich..elegant..complex”). All very encouraging!

However, the most satisfying feedback we get is the consistent positive comment from YOU our loyal customers! Thank you!

For the third (yes – third!) year in a row our vineyard restaurant has been named “Winner – Best Rural Restaurant” in the annual Metro/AUDI Restaurant of the Year Awards.

The judges commented: “After 10 great years Te Whau is still at the top of its game, [and] provides the best destination dining not just on Waiheke Island, but in the whole region”. Praise indeed, and a real team effort.

Head Chef Marco Edwardes was also included in the prestigious US-based “StarChefs” Hall of Fame in their first review of the New Zealand culinary scene, alongside such leading lights as Michael Meredith (Merediths), Al Brown (Logan Brown), Martin Bosley (Port Nick Yacht Club) and Des Harris at Clooney’s. Again, good company to keep.

We also won a Fodor’sChoice award for the fifth year in a row, and yours truly (that’s me!) features on a Pure New Zealand video on YouTube promoting this country’s fantastic food and wine culture and, of course, beautiful Waiheke Island. (Search YouTube for Pure New Zealand Waiheke).

The restaurant is on winter hours now – Lunch on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and Dinner on Saturday evening. We hope to see you sometime.

Cheers!

Tony and Moira Forsyth

Sunday, 8 May 2010

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