As regular readers will know, I’m always keen to discover ‘new’ wines – and today I’m talking to a label that popped up on my radar, although I haven’t actually tried the wines yet – Herringbone. Let’s check in with Karen and Troy, and see what it is all about…
What’s the background to the Herringbone label, and what was your personal path to here? My husband and I have owned the vineyard for 7 years now but up until last vintage have been growing grapes for other labels. We really wanted to get to know the vineyard and its potential before launching our own label. We come from a farming background and both of our parents were dairy farmers which is where the ‘Herringbone’ name comes from.
I studied soil science at university and did the post grad Viticulture and Oenology course at Lincoln so it was a long term goal for me to own a vineyard.
The vineyard has been a real family affair. We often have our extended family helping out. This harvest we had 3 generations of our family hand harvesting alongside each other. Troy’s 80 year old mum was our oldest picker and our daughter Ani was the youngest at 14. My parents were also picking with us.
Can you explain what you think defines a Hawke’s Bay wine compared to Marlborough one, for example? There are several sub regions in Hawkes Bay and each one produces wines with subtle differences. The different characteristics of the sub regions allow winemakers to produce a diverse range of styles from the one area.
With a few new, smaller labels popping up in Hawke’s Bay – do you see a change in the landscape there – more diversity? Yes I think there are definitely more smaller, boutique labels coming out of the Hawkes Bay which is great. Consumers are becoming more interested in knowing more about the wines they drink – where and how they are grown and how they are made. I think this is a positive for the smaller labels.
How do you approach selling your brand (and wine) as a new label – how will you get people to try a new Hawke’s Bay wine? Most of our sales are online through our website. I had our first 4 pallets of Rose’ arrive the day before Covid lockdown last year. Thankfully a lot of people were wanting to stock up on wine supplies during lockdown so I ended up couriering wine all over the country. The lockdowns have made consumers much more familiar with ordering food and wine online which is good for smaller operators like us.
Social media plays a big part in how we connect with customers. Our wine is also sold through several restaurants in the Bay of Plenty region which is great for getting our name out there.
Can you tell me a bit about your winemaking style? Our wines are made by Dan Brennan at Beach House Winery which is just around the corner from our vineyard. Our philosophy is to try as much as possible to let vineyard do the talking. We were lucky with 2021 being our first vintage as it was a stunner. The aim is to produce wines that need minimal intervention in the winery. We are lucky that we have a very meticulous vineyard manager (Bridget Wilton) who’s attention to detail ensures that the grapes reach the winery in great condition. Dan is a very experienced winemaker so he’s been great with helping us choose the right wine styles which work best with our fruit.
What is it about wine that brings you the most joy? There’s nothing better than enjoying a nice bottle of wine with friends. I love that there is a wine style that suits any occasion – a glass of bubbles to celebrate the special moments, a nice fresh Rose’ at the beach house in summer or cosying up with a glass of red wine by the fire in winter.
Is there a moment in the winemaking year where you just ‘get a feeling’ for what’s going on / going to happen? There is never a time that you feel confident until the grapes have been harvested and are safely in the winery. Things can change very quickly in the last few weeks of the growing season. A single rain event at the wrong time can definitely cause a lot of stress. Needless to say this vintage was a little stressful for most!
Can you tell me a bit more about the vineyards you are using (are they your land?)? Soil, clones etc? We own a 11ha vineyard on Ngatarawa Road, Bridge Pa planted in Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. It was established in 2000 so the vines are over 20 years old now. The site is located on an ancient river bed and is overlaid with red metal soils which are prevalent in the Bridge Pa area. The site is also sheltered by Roys Hill so has its own little microclimate. Our wines are all 100% estate grown from this vineyard.
If you plan to make other wines than the rosé I have seen, what would they be? We have also made a 2021 Syrah which will be ready for release in another 2-3 weeks. We’re really excited about this wine as Syrah is a personal favourite of ours. This vintage we are also adding a hand harvested Merlot/Malbec which will has finished ferment and is now in barrel maturing.
It seems like everyone make a rosé now – is this now beyond a trend, and taken more seriously? Rosé is definitely here to stay. It has been the fastest growing category for 7 years now. It’s such a versatile wine and pairs well with a lot of the more casual dining options like pizza, tapas, American BBQ.
What do you think are any upcoming trends? Pet Nat seems to be becoming pretty popular. I think we’ll see a lot more of these wines on the market this year from the smaller producers. Dan is doing one this year for his label – Decibel Wines so I’m keen to see how it turns out.
In what ways do you think the NZ wine industry might be affected by Climate Change? The pattern of more extreme weather events will definitely create more challenges in the vineyard during the growing season. It’s the unpredictability and severity of weather events that is hard. This season is the perfect example. We are leaving some later ripening fruit on the vine as the massive amounts of rain in the Hawkes Bay in late Summer/Autumn has meant the fruit is not of the quality we want for our wine.
What are your favourite wines from other people/places, and do you have any stories to tell about discovering those? We were lucky enough to travel through Europe the year before the Covid-19 outbreak. We spent time exploring the Northern Rhone wine region and in particular Cote Rotie where we tasted some amazing Syrah grown on steep hillsides. We had one memorable vineyard tour where we were following the vineyard owner down a path between the vines when he screamed like a girl (his description) and jumped about 4 foot in the air as he’d just about stepped on a viper. Thankfully we don’t have those to deal with in NZ vineyards.
Plans for the future? At the moment its just about taking small steps and making sure we’re producing high quality wines with a low footprint. I’d really like to build up a range of wines focussing on Syrah as our flagship wine and also add some white varieties. Eventually the goal will be to have our wine featured on the wine lists of quality restaurants around the country and to build up a loyal base of customers who trust what we do.
Who would you most like to share a glass of your wine with (and why)? Hmmmmm that is hard! I’d most like to share a glass of wine with my Whakatane High School besties – we’re all spread far and wide now and Covid has meant we haven’t caught up for a few years. Eight of us have a ski trip booked in July so I can’t wait to share a glass or 2 with them.
