{"id":1408,"date":"2020-05-19T04:47:54","date_gmt":"2020-05-19T04:47:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/?p=1408"},"modified":"2020-05-19T04:47:56","modified_gmt":"2020-05-19T04:47:56","slug":"winemaker-series-malcolm-rees-francis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/?p=1408","title":{"rendered":"Winemaker series: Malcolm Rees-Francis"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Winefolio recently made a trip down to Central Otago, spending a few days visiting wineries and Cellar Doors. We were lucky to meet some great characters, and we couldn\u2019t pass up a visit to the winery holding the current \u2018Nissan Champion Wine of the Show\u2019 Trophy<\/strong> at the New Zealand Internatinal Wine Show<\/strong> \u2013 our biggest wine competition. That\u2019s the \u201cbest wine around\u201d gong by the way! We\u2019re here to meet the maker of that wine \u2013 Malcolm Rees-Francis<\/strong> from Rockburn<\/strong>. He\u2019s been kind enough to offer to open up on a Saturday morning \u2013 so he\u2019s officially our last stop on the trip. Seems fitting \u2013 best \u2018til last and all that\u2026<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

WineFolio<\/strong>: I\u2019ve been to see quite a few wineries on this trip \u2013 and another one that I\u2019ve visited is Carrick \u2013 and I would put Rockburn in with them as a label that is producing exceptional wine \u2013 including a couple of cuvees of what I\u2019d term \u2018the classic Central Otago Pinot\u2019 but\u2026 they seem to have been slightly overlooked today \u2013 maybe as others have elbowed their way in?<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Malcolm Rees-Francis<\/strong>: Our marketing budget isn\u2019t as big as or as impressive as some others. And I certainly feel, of course, that our status should be greater than it is. I feel that our wines stand up alongside some of those other ones that get a lot of that attention. But what gets the attention is the personalities and the experience that some of those other producers can offer – as opposed to just the wine on the shelf.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

WF<\/strong>: But you\u2019ve got personality in spades \u2013 I was at the Awards where you were quite the dapper young man. Quite the showstopper!<\/p>

MR-F<\/strong>: Thanks, but that suit does a lot of the heavy lifting. But as a Central Otago winemaker, there\u2019s some very large personalities down here. That you have to technically compete with. In many ways you\u2019re not competing at all, but in other ways you have to share attention and column inches. It is a bit of a competition to see who will be noted after something like the Pinot Celebration? Writers come in and then they have to go away and write “X” about it, and who\u2019s going to get mentioned?<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

WF<\/strong>: Peregrine is another one \u2013 I met Nadine and she\u2019s very focussed and makes what I\u2019d call another quintessential Central Pinot.<\/p>

MR-F<\/strong>: That\u2019s what we\u2019re trying to do at Rockburn<\/strong>, and our vineyards were originally sited and planned by Greg Hay who set up Peregrine, so it comes from the same thought process. They\u2019re twice the size of us these days \u2013 they\u2019ve grown significantly, whilst we\u2019ve remained relatively static. But then they take a lot of fruit from contract growers, and so do we for our entry level Devil\u2019s Staircase<\/strong> and stuff like that. But I look at others growing, getting bigger, updating everything \u2013 labels, vineyards, and going organic and so on \u2013 and we haven\u2019t done that for quite some time, and we probably do need a bit more of a push. I do my best and we put good wine in the bottle, but you need the stuff all around that as well. Did you visit our Cellar Door, in Gibbston?<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

WF<\/strong>: No, I haven\u2019t, I did wonder if I\u2019d have time to do that one the way back. I like to visit the Cellar Doors, and there\u2019s a few I haven\u2019t managed \u2013 like Gibbston Valley, Amisfield and the new Shed at Cloudy Bay. Which I ought to go to, because some of what I do is Tourism and Wine Tourism in particular.<\/p>

MR-F<\/strong>: Well that\u2019s what the Cloudy Bay Shed is there for \u2013 Wine Tourism. I remember it as Northburn, and what they\u2019ve done to it – I\u2019ve been there, and you do go in and you\u2019re impressed. It\u2019s very LVMH!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

We\u2019ve only had our Cellar Door in Gibbston for two years at this point, because we used to be just down in Cromwell. And we have noticed that certainly over this last season that the cycle trail in Gibbston has brought in a huge number of customers to that Cellar Door. Because the Cellar door is at the Tavern, which is a unique situation in Gibbston, we do get a lot of people who want a shady little nook and a wood-fired pizza. It\u2019s working out really well for us.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Rockburn\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

WF<\/strong>: On to winemaking \u2013 how are the vineyards looking?<\/p>

MR-F<\/strong>: The harvest is going to be \u2018challenging\u2019 this year, for different reasons to most other years. We had a garbage summer. We\u2019ll struggle to ripen a large crop. We just haven\u2019t had enough heat in the season \u2013 we\u2019re at least 50 growing degree days less than average, so we\u2019re looking like an \u201905 or \u201907 sort of season. And while one of my favourite Pinots I ever made was my 2007 Rockburn Pinot, we didn\u2019t even pick a hundred tonnes that year. And these days we do 380 tonnes of Pinot, as a rule. We might make a really tasty wine, but you\u2019ve got to pay bills as well.<\/p>

Our current winery building used to be a freezing works, so the whole thing is built out of insulated panels, and had consents for water and trade waste, which is very important. The building was gutted and turned into a winery by the MacArthur Ridge people in Alexandra; with a tank shed built out the front. We came along some years later and basically could just move in. For most of my time at Rockburn it\u2019s just been me, and we took on an extra guy two years ago \u2013 it\u2019s a small team.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Rockburn\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

WF<\/strong>: I\u2019ve been to a few wineries through the last three days, and a few of them are just doing a handful of things, but doing them really well. Talked to Valli about Waitaki; and the other regions I hear a lot of talk about are Bendigo, and Alexandra?<\/p>

WR-F<\/strong>: Yes, I just talked with Kelly, Valli\u2019s viticulturist the other night. Waitaki picks well after everything \u2013 even Gibbston which is going to be well into May this year. Makes for a very long season. Bendigo is very hip, it\u2019s probably the hottest place in Central, so it\u2019s marginal for Pinot out the other end, really. You want flavour and you don\u2019t want alcohol, so I think Bendigo can be very tricky. Whereas Gibbston \u2013 when I first came to Central in late 2000 \u2013 it was a diabolical prospect in those years. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

And I was at Felton Road at the time, but they were leasing a site from there and taking some fruit for a sub-label they were doing. There was not much good fruit out of Gibbston, in most of those years. And the accepted knowledge was that maybe one in five is going to be a great year fro Gibbston. But over the last decade I\u2019ve certainly found at least five of those years have been great for Gibbston. And whether that\u2019s climate change or what I don\u2019t know?<\/p>

WF<\/strong>: You can\u2019t sustain too many 2018s though can you \u2013 if those keep rolling in, it\u2019s going to be very hard isn\u2019t it?<\/p>

MR-F<\/strong>: I never want to see one of those again, frankly. And I see Alexandra getting better and better. People are identifying some key spots down there \u2013 again, we\u2019ve had some relatively warm years and you can get stuff to a really good state out of Alex. We draw a lot of fruit from the old MacArthur Ridge site, which is on the terrace up above Alexandra; and it\u2019s huge and sprawling and very exposed to the wind. But certainly last year we got some great fruit out of there, and Earnscleugh \u2013 the Hinton site is really special if you have an opportunity to see it. There\u2019s some really exciting prospects there.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

WF<\/strong>: Would you say winemaking is artistic or scientific \u2013 and apologies, I ask everyone this\u2026<\/p>

MR-F<\/strong>: What drew me to winemaking was this incredible blend of both. I came from a science-based background, but decided through my studies that it really wasn\u2019t for me, and realised that this winemaking thing had aspects of both. So you start from that background and a lot of what I\u2019ve learnt over the last twenty years is \u2018letting go\u2019.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

It\u2019s a common phrase that \u2018the bravest thing a winemaker can do is nothing\u2019. I have this veritas<\/em> sort of philosophy about winemaking where you do as little as possible, basically. There have been plenty of years where, if we were growing organic or biodynamic fruit, you could technically term my wine \u2018natural wine\u2019; because all I\u2019ve literally added was some sulphur.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

WF<\/strong>: But some things come and go\u2026 whole bunch seems to be a topic of discussion at the moment.<\/p>

MR-F<\/strong>: At Felton Road<\/strong>, whole bunches were always a thing. I don\u2019t use nearly as much in mine as we did at Felton Road. It\u2019s more of a logistics thing basically, because we have to start picking a bit early, and finish a bit late, because of the volume of grapes we have to put through this place. And so I can\u2019t really be waiting around for stems to be ripe. My top notch parcels almost always include some whole bunch. That\u2019s where I started from, twenty years ago, so it\u2019s always been part of it \u2013 Blair always described it as \u2018the house style\u2019. They certainly weren\u2019t doing any 100% whole bunch ferments back then \u2013 at most it would have been about 50%. And I\u2019ve certainly seen, since then, plenty of people doing 100% whole bunch, which involves a lot of CO2 and carbonic maceration and all this sort of carry on. That can make some really really interesting wines as well.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

WF<\/strong>: Can be a bit polarising as well though can\u2019t it? Can you isolate that sort of ferment on it\u2019s own, and if needs be just blend it in \u2013 but if it went incredibly well \u2013 use it on its own?<\/p>

MR-F<\/strong>: It should be polarising, because it\u2019s very different. We can do that \u2013 but blending \u2013 I literally have to do that on the fly. The Rockburn goes to barrel. The Devil\u2019s Staircase components don\u2019t \u2013 they go to tank. And so, each parcel, each ferment, I have to say \u2018yes this is going to be good enough to be a Rockburn\u2019 and that\u2019s going to barrel \u2013 so how many barrels do I have? How many more do I need to fill? \u2018Is this going to be an important component of that final blend, or do I need to pick a later parcel?\u00a0And so I have to run that contiguously with making the stuff. Making the blend on the fly, during Vintage.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

I don\u2019t get to go through the barrels later and say \u2018that\u2019s not good enough, that has to go somewhere else\u2019 And it has to be a blend that makes sense.<\/p>

If you had been here a week ago we would have gone through all of the lots and you would have seen some base modules that have got relatively low alcohol, but some really nice florals; and some later picks that have quite high octane but really dark fruit spectrum; and then we\u2019ve got some whole bunch in there because of the spice \u2013 and then it all works together. You\u2019ve got Gibbston as well, which is an important component to Rockburn. It gives that central Otago overview that we were talking about. So I need to balance that against our plush silky tannins out of Parkburn, and make sure it all works.. but have to do it all at the time, on the fly, and can\u2019t fix it later!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

WF<\/strong>: And you make the \u201cArt\u201d wine \u2013 is that done differently?<\/p>

MR-F<\/strong>: That\u2019s basically going out and finding a great little site \u2013 finding some really good quality fruit, and then just pulling out all the stops. Doing a \u2018winemaking thing\u2019 \u2013 you\u2019re like \u2018right I\u2019m going to use whole bunches, wild ferment, extended maturation, use a lot of new oak, and we\u2019re going to build this huge big boy Pinot\u2019. Some people really like those massive Syrah-esque Pinots, and I can build<\/em> one of those. So that\u2019s what \u2018The Art\u2019 is all about. Whereas the \u201cBarrels\u201d are a selection of our best fruit, or certainly the best expression of site and season that I can identify. I\u2019ll usually have a favourite parcel or two, and I\u2019ll follow them through. So a couple of weeks ago we were just doing that and tasting through the barrels of those.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Rockburn\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

And there\u2019s twenty barrels in a lot, so you taste every single barrel and it\u2019s literally \u2018yes or no\u2019, and the \u2018yes\u2019 get a tick on the barrel.\u00a0Those ones stay, and then the \u2018Barrels wine\u2019 gets named for how many barrels got a tick! It\u2019s always been different, and we haven\u2019t doubled up yet. And it\u2019s not like I count \u2013 literally you\u2019re just going along. So when we racked everything last week, those barrels stay behind. There\u2019s a little pile of barrels at the back there with ticks on! It\u2019s the cream of the crop, and it\u2019s actually a lot of fun, and a very personal project for me as well \u2013 because it\u2019s my palate and what I felt about the season.<\/p>

WF<\/strong>: Is there a point during the year where you just get \u2018a feeling\u2019?<\/p>

MR-F<\/strong>: Yes (laughing). It waivers back and forth but normally by about now you\u2019ve got a pretty good idea of whether it\u2019s going to be good or bad \u2013 there haven\u2019t been many bad ones to be fair. And then, going in to it, when you\u2019re actually in the vineyard, tasting the fruit and in to harvest. You are tasting individual berries,\u00a0and there\u2019ll be some that just really float your boat. There\u2019s key markers that you can taste in some of that fruit, and the more of the really good ones that you find as you\u2019re going about selecting picking dates, the more excited you feel about it. So you can go in with a good feeling, and then your ferments going really well, and you get more excited again. I base all my picking dates on taste \u2013 there\u2019s no rules around it.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

WF: I\u2019ve been talking to winemakers, and the feeling is that New Zealand has got to the point that is has, though, through the science? And that has helped it become it\u2019s own thing, quite quickly?<\/p>

MR-F<\/strong>: Yes, science and hygiene. My view is we\u2019re not trying to be Burgundy, and we can\u2019t because this isn\u2019t Burgundy, and it never will be. It\u2019s the inspiration \u2013 it tells us what a great Pinot Noir can be. We have to find our own way to achieve that.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

You don\u2019t stand here and look over there and think \u201cGosh it\u2019s just like Burgundy\u201d, because it\u2019s completely different. I wasn\u2019t aware of just how different it was until I was there and did a vintage. I saw more rot that vintage than I\u2019d seen in my entire life, ever! There was a sweltering hot day, and I came out of the vineyard, two inches taller because of the clay stuck to the bottom of my boot; it was just so claggy. We couldn\u2019t grow grapes like that in Central Otago \u2013 if they get wet they get really grumpy.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

So it\u2019s completely different. But this is a great place to live and make wine.<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Winefolio recently made a trip down to Central Otago, spending a few days visiting wineries and Cellar Doors. We were lucky to meet some great characters, and we couldn\u2019t pass … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1409,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1408","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interviews-with-nz-winemakers"],"yoast_head":"\nWinemaker series: Malcolm Rees-Francis - WineFolio<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/?p=1408\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Winemaker series: Malcolm Rees-Francis - WineFolio\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Winefolio recently made a trip down to Central Otago, spending a few days visiting wineries and Cellar Doors. We were lucky to meet some great characters, and we couldn\u2019t pass …\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/?p=1408\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"WineFolio\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/wine.folio.1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-05-19T04:47:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-05-19T04:47:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Malcolm-Rockburn-Whitelaw_Photography_4157-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1709\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"David Walker Bell\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"David Walker Bell\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"13 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/?p=1408#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/?p=1408\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"David Walker Bell\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8b8706e15ba32f9782222c431fa75d9f\"},\"headline\":\"Winemaker series: Malcolm Rees-Francis\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-05-19T04:47:54+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-05-19T04:47:56+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/?p=1408\"},\"wordCount\":2677,\"commentCount\":1,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/?p=1408#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/05\\\/Malcolm-Rockburn-Whitelaw_Photography_4157-scaled.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Winemaker Series\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/?p=1408#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/?p=1408\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/?p=1408\",\"name\":\"Winemaker series: Malcolm Rees-Francis - WineFolio\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/?p=1408#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/?p=1408#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/05\\\/Malcolm-Rockburn-Whitelaw_Photography_4157-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-05-19T04:47:54+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-05-19T04:47:56+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/?p=1408#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/?p=1408\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/?p=1408#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/05\\\/Malcolm-Rockburn-Whitelaw_Photography_4157-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/05\\\/Malcolm-Rockburn-Whitelaw_Photography_4157-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1709,\"caption\":\"Processed with VSCO with 2 preset\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/?p=1408#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Winemaker series: Malcolm Rees-Francis\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/\",\"name\":\"WineFolio\",\"description\":\"A collection of writing about New Zealand Wine\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"WineFolio\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/11\\\/WF_final_black.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/11\\\/WF_final_black.png\",\"width\":999,\"height\":389,\"caption\":\"WineFolio\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/wine.folio.1\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/winefolio\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/winefolio.co.nz\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8b8706e15ba32f9782222c431fa75d9f\",\"name\":\"David Walker Bell\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/8597b80119ac3781cc55cc862f5a0514b7945f701d24da2c585751e8ee210ba7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/8597b80119ac3781cc55cc862f5a0514b7945f701d24da2c585751e8ee210ba7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/8597b80119ac3781cc55cc862f5a0514b7945f701d24da2c585751e8ee210ba7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"David Walker Bell\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Winemaker series: Malcolm Rees-Francis - WineFolio","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/?p=1408","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Winemaker series: Malcolm Rees-Francis - WineFolio","og_description":"Winefolio recently made a trip down to Central Otago, spending a few days visiting wineries and Cellar Doors. We were lucky to meet some great characters, and we couldn\u2019t pass …","og_url":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/?p=1408","og_site_name":"WineFolio","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/wine.folio.1","article_published_time":"2020-05-19T04:47:54+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-05-19T04:47:56+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1709,"url":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Malcolm-Rockburn-Whitelaw_Photography_4157-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"David Walker Bell","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"David Walker Bell","Est. reading time":"13 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/?p=1408#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/?p=1408"},"author":{"name":"David Walker Bell","@id":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/#\/schema\/person\/8b8706e15ba32f9782222c431fa75d9f"},"headline":"Winemaker series: Malcolm Rees-Francis","datePublished":"2020-05-19T04:47:54+00:00","dateModified":"2020-05-19T04:47:56+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/?p=1408"},"wordCount":2677,"commentCount":1,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/?p=1408#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Malcolm-Rockburn-Whitelaw_Photography_4157-scaled.jpg","articleSection":["Winemaker Series"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/?p=1408#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/?p=1408","url":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/?p=1408","name":"Winemaker series: Malcolm Rees-Francis - WineFolio","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/?p=1408#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/?p=1408#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Malcolm-Rockburn-Whitelaw_Photography_4157-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2020-05-19T04:47:54+00:00","dateModified":"2020-05-19T04:47:56+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/?p=1408#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/?p=1408"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/?p=1408#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Malcolm-Rockburn-Whitelaw_Photography_4157-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Malcolm-Rockburn-Whitelaw_Photography_4157-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1709,"caption":"Processed with VSCO with 2 preset"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/?p=1408#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Winemaker series: Malcolm Rees-Francis"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/#website","url":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/","name":"WineFolio","description":"A collection of writing about New Zealand Wine","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/#organization","name":"WineFolio","url":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/WF_final_black.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/WF_final_black.png","width":999,"height":389,"caption":"WineFolio"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/wine.folio.1","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/winefolio\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/#\/schema\/person\/8b8706e15ba32f9782222c431fa75d9f","name":"David Walker Bell","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8597b80119ac3781cc55cc862f5a0514b7945f701d24da2c585751e8ee210ba7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8597b80119ac3781cc55cc862f5a0514b7945f701d24da2c585751e8ee210ba7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8597b80119ac3781cc55cc862f5a0514b7945f701d24da2c585751e8ee210ba7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"David Walker Bell"}}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Malcolm-Rockburn-Whitelaw_Photography_4157-scaled.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1408","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1408"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1408\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1416,"href":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1408\/revisions\/1416"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1409"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/winefolio.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}