Easier now at Mt Difficulty

Andy and Misha Wilkinson. Photo by Charmian Smith.
Andy and Misha Wilkinson. Photo by Charmian Smith.
Misha's Vineyard, near Cromwell. Photo by Tim Hawkins.
Misha's Vineyard, near Cromwell. Photo by Tim Hawkins.
Mt Difficulty, Bannockburn. Photo by Charmian Smith.
Mt Difficulty, Bannockburn. Photo by Charmian Smith.

Mt Difficulty is one of the best known wine producers in Central Otago, attracting many visitors to its superbly sited tasting room and cafe in Bannockburn.

Since the late 1990s, when five new vineyard owners decided to join forces to make and market their wine, it has expanded.

Most of the original Bannockburn vineyards are now owned by the company, it has established vineyards further up the Cromwell basin and also leases others in the area. With 148ha of vineyard, 48ha of which are in Bannockburn, it is Central's largest producer.

Marketing manager Michael Herrick took me round the vineyards on a glorious Central spring day. Seeing them from various lookouts gave a splendid view of the extent not only of their vineyards but the huge areas of grapes around Bannockburn and Cairnmuir.

The contrast between the dry, bony, rabbit-infested ground over the fence and the neat rows of vines, mostly with green swathes between them, is remarkable.

Later in the season when the leaves emerge they will become a sea of green in the brown desert thanks to the drip irrigation that brings water all the way from the slopes of Mt Difficulty.

The variety of soils, exposures and microclimates in the various vineyards allows winemaker Matt Dicey to produce a large range of wines, from the fruit-driven Roaring Meg label that comes mostly from the large Station and Silver Tussock vineyards up the lake near Pisa and makes up about 60% of their production, through the more complex Bannockburn series sourced from its Bannockburn vineyards, to the Growers' series wines from leased vineyards and the premium single vineyard wines from its own vineyards. Not all the growers' or single vineyard wines are made every year.

He showed me a few tank samples of the 2014 whites which are looking promising despite being unfinished: the fragrant and gorgeously fruity Target Gully riesling; the steely Mt Difficulty dry riesling; the fragrant, gingery Growers Series gewürztraminer; the complex, textural Templars Hill pinot gris; the attractive Roaring Meg pinot gris and riesling; and the tightly structured dryish rosé.

If you look across Lake Dunstan from the Pisa side about halfway up the lake, you'll see a large, sloping vineyard above the road on the lower slopes of the Dunstan Mountains, the neat rows and green leaves contrasting with the brown slopes around it. This is Misha's vineyard, planted by Misha and Andy Wilkinson. The couple had lived in Asia, working in information technology marketing and sales. But like many New Zealanders Andy wanted to return home and they had a dream of building a business together. He and Australian-born Misha eventually decided to follow their ''passion for marketing and wine'' and produce wine suited to both Western and Asian palates.

They set about finding land, finding the best people to consult and work for them, and developing business and marketing strategies. It's sometimes said that marketing is the most important part of wine production and the Wilkinsons have taken this to a pinnacle, starting with the business concept and looking for the factors to make it work. Both driven people, they had a ''no compromise strategy'' and intended to reach for the stars, Misha said.

It took two years to find suitable frost-free land and develop the $1 million irrigation infrastructure which pumps water from the lake to the vineyard 180m above. Eventually they planted the 26ha vineyard between 2004 and 2007, though there is still more land to expand into.

About two-thirds of the grapes is pinot noir and the rest aromatic varieties. Their first small vintage was in 2007 and in 2009 they launched their brand in New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan.

At present they export their 10,000-11,000 case production to around 22 countries. Having lived in Singapore they have also paid heed to feng shui and other Chinese auspicious markers in their vineyard, such as the number eight that features in many aspects, and the reconstruction of the ruins of Ah Foo's Chinese goldminer's hut which they use for hosting visitors and wine tastings.

Their investment has been around $6 million, according to Andy. Besides establishing the vineyard and producing the wine, they invested $100,000 in marketing. Building a brand is a long-term strategy but they love presenting their wine to people, telling their story, teaching people about New Zealand and its wine, and hosting wine dinners.

Misha loves theatre and describes herself as a failed ballet dancer although she danced for Australian Opera for some years.

Her mother, Gloria McDonall, was an opera singer so she spent a lot of time in theatres as a child and later worked in marketing for the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, so it's not surprising she developed theatrical names for the wines to give them personalities.

They look for consistency in their wines, which are made by Ollie Masters, formerly of Ata Rangi.

They include the pungent but understated Starlet sauvignon blanc; the off-dry Limelight riesling with a backbone of steely acidity; the fragrant Dress Circle pinot gris; the firmly structured, spicy High Note pinot noir; and the dense, powerful premium Verismo pinot noir.

 

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