Behind The Vine
Catching up with the Vineyard Crew – Summer in Central Otago
The heart and soul of any vineyard operation are the people who are there every day, rain or shine, doing the work that needs to be done to keep the vineyard in pristine condition. At Twelfth Night, we are extremely fortunate to have an amazing group of people from all over the world working under the watchful eye of our Vineyard Manager, Julien Alexandre and our Seasonal Staff Supervisor, Miran Park This multi-cultural, multi-lingual crew work together to coax the best possible fruit from our vineyard in Central Otago. In late January, Twelfth Night Wine's Director, Beth Ann Dahan spent a week in the region to see first hand the amazing work that the crew is doing. While there, Beth Ann witnessed the main activity of the month - installing bird netting over the entire vineyard. New Zealand is famous for thriving native and non-native bird populations. These hungry birds can devastate a vineyard in less than a day if ripe fruit isn't netted. Most vineyards in Central Otago begin netting either just before the onset of ripening or veraison. On a 25 hectare (60 acre) vineyard like Twelfth Night's, this is a massive undertaking and requires all hands on deck to apply the netting with a net winder machine and then clip all of the nets so that they don't blow away. The video below show how this process works with the intrepid Julien standing on top of the net winder. Another important task this time of year is to monitor the bunch weights of the grapes in the vineyard. At least once a week, Antony Worch, our winemaker goes through every block in the vineyard selecting bunches of grapes to weigh. This process will help to predict the total yield at process. Antony explains this process below. After all that hard work putting on bird nets in the hot summer sun, the crew enjoyed some end-of-shift beers and snacks. Looking forward to the next trip to New Zealand at harvest in April! ...
Spotlight on Twelfth Night Winemaker Antony Worch
In the first of a series of profiles of the people who work with Twelfth Night Wines, we focus on Antony Worch, Chief Operating Officer and Winemaker for Twelfth Night Wines. Antony has been with Twelfth Night since the beginning of operations back in 2012 and is an invaluable member of our team. Let’s get to know Antony!Where are you from? Tell us a bit about your home region. I am from the Alsace region in northeastern France just a few miles from the German border. Alsace is a well-known wine region famous for its aromatic white wines such as Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer. A little-known fact is that you can also find excellent Pinot Noirs primarily in the hilly parts of the region. The region is similar to Central Otago in that it has a continental climate with cold winters and warm, dry summers. The landscape consists of rolling hills nestled between the Vosges Mountains to the west and the Rhine River to the east. Where did you do your university studies? Tell us about the program that you followed and the diploma that you received. I alternated between three regions in France for my studies; Alsace (Strasbourg), Brittany (Rennes) and Languedoc (Montpellier). In Montpelier, I completed a Masters Degree with Honors in Viticulture and Winemaking. The curriculum was strongly rooted in science and applying that scientific knowledge to agriculture and more specifically viticulture. In conjunction with this, I completed a Diplôme National d’Oenologue, the most prestigious graduate course in winemaking in France. What other wine regions or countries have you worked in? In France, I worked extensively in the Alsace and in the Languedoc in the southern part of the country. I also worked in the Hemel and Aarde Valleys of South Africa before coming to New Zealand. When did you first come to New Zealand and what did you do? I first came to New Zealand in 2005 with my partner who was also involved in the wine industry to work the harvest for a three-month period. It was our first long overseas trip and we enjoyed the work, the place and the people so much that we decided to come back for several consecutive years afterward to work for short periods of time. Why did you decide to permanently settle in New Zealand and what attracted you to the Central Otago region? As I mentioned, we were very attracted by the feel of the country, the light and the landscapes but also the people who made us feel at home very quickly. Through my work in the vineyards, I quickly realized that there was great potential to create unique and outstanding wines - especially Pinot Noir which has found in Central Otago a place to express its unique character and personality. All of these things solidified our decision to settle here. What is different about growing grapes and making wine in New Zealand from France? Quite frankly, there is not much difference in the sense that each region in the world has its unique combination of climate, history and objectives. It is all about understanding what style and quality of wine you can achieve and how to develop this potential. What are the biggest challenges and rewards in the vineyard? For me, the biggest challenge is to achieve the best potential of each vineyard block.The landscape in the Twelfth Night vineyard is a mosaic of small parcels or blocks of vines that all have unique characteristics. Understanding how each action and decision in the vineyard affects the parameters and characteristics of the wine is very rewarding. Tell us a bit about the winery. Do you only make wine for Twelfth Night or for other vineyards as well? I have been involved in the wine industry in Central Otago since 2005 and as a result, I have been able to meet and share experiences with many growers and vineyard owners. I am lucky enough to make wine not only for Twelfth Night but also for other, very different and unique vineyards across the region. This has helped me to understand the characteristics of Central Otago Pinot Noir and its great potential. You are involved “from grape to glass” in making the wines for Twelfth Night. How does this affect your job as a winemaker to also be involved in all aspects of the vineyard? Each decision that I make in the vineyard influences the style of wine that can be achieved. Having control over all these operations for Twelfth Night allows me to nurture and shape the wines right from the start in the vineyard and to pass on the unique qualities and typicity of Twelfth Night’s beautiful vineyard. ...
Winter in the Vineyard
As we bask in the hot days of summer here in the Northern Hemisphere, things are quite different in the Southern Hemisphere. In Central Otago, New Zealand where Twelfth Night Wine’s vineyard is located, it is the dead of winter. Essentially, seasons in New Zealand are six months ahead (or behind as the case might be) of those in the United States. July in the New Zealand yields the same weather as we have in January in Boston. And because Central Otago has a continental climate, this means there are very cold temperatures and snow. But it also means bright blue skies, lots of sunshine and beautiful snow-covered mountain peaks. In the Vineyard After the flurry of activity during the harvest in March and April, the action slows down dramatically in the vineyard as the vines lose their leaves and go into a period of winter dormancy. Think of it like a bear going into hibernation! The work slows down significantly as well; we go from having 30-40 part-time workers to our full-time crew of only three to four people. Julien Alexandre is our Vineyard Manager and oversees the important work of pruning and vineyard maintenance that happens during the winter months. Pruning is the most labor-intensive work during this season and is an essential part of keeping the vines healthy and prepared for the next growing season. At our vineyard, we use a method called cane pruning which entails removing extraneous canes and retaining a small number of the best ones. Canes are selected for two purposes: to provide shoots for the coming season and healthy shoots for the next dormant season. The pruned vine branches are then mulched which provides humus to regenerate the soil. All this to ensure a great growing season starting in the spring! In the Winery While the vineyard crew is busy with the pruning, Antony Worch, Twelfth Night’s winemaker is overseeing the many important tasks that are happening in the winery. This is the period when most of the work revolves around preparing the white and rosé wines for bottling. While red wines like Twelfth Night Pinot Noir are aged for at least nine months in French oak barrels, white and rosé wines require less aging and are normally bottled in September. Twelfth Night Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Rosé are all aged on the “lees” for between three and five months to give richness and complexity to the wines. This requires a process called batonnage or stirring of the lees to equally distribute them throughout the wine. At the same time, chemical analyses and adjustments to the wine including filtration and cold stabilisation are being carried out. Careful attention is also paid to the ageing of our Pinot Noir during the winter. The most important task post fermentation is that of “topping up” the oak barrels which ensures that barrels stay completely full. Oak is porous and therefore small amounts of wine (known in winery parlance as the “Angel’s Share”) evaporate through the barrel staves and are replaced by tiny amounts of air. This evaporated wine needs to be replaced constantly in the winter to prevent oxidation and ensure that the complex flavors of the wine are maintained. So even though winter is a time for some rest in the vineyard, lots of important work is still happening to bring you all the fabulous Twelfth Night wines you enjoy so much!...
New Distribution for Twelfth Night Wines in North Carolina & Indiana
Twelfth Night Wines is very excited to be partnering with great distributors in North Carolina and Indiana. In North Carolina, our wines are being represented by The Thirty-Seven Wine Group, a Charlotte-based company that focuses on representing predominantly family-owned and operated estate wines from all over the world. Their portfolio is focused on premium, unique, and eclectic brands that reflect the best of their regions while providing value to their customers. Thirty-Seven Wine Group will be servicing 25 counties in NC including the major metro areas of Charlotte, Ashville and everything in between. The rest of the state will be covered by Paragon Wine Group which is based out of Raleigh. Vino Indiana, based in Wolcottville, IN in the northern part of the state is currently representing our wines to the discerning customers of Indiana. The company only carries wines from family-owned and craft wineries with a primary focus on quality, consistency, and passion. They are proud to be a distributor of quality wine that will provide an enhanced experience for customers of restaurants and retailers. Twelfth Night wines is thrilled to be working with all of these great distributors. If you live in North Carolina or Indiana and want to find Twelfth Night Wines in your favorite shop, please contact all three distributors here....Vine of the Week – The Movie
Remember our project at the beginning of the season? We took a picture of the same vine every week until harvest. Watch our vine growth video!...
Harvest Party!
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