Welcome to Wrights Vineyard & Winery
Finding 'The Wright Wine' is like finding a needle in a hay stack. At Wrights Vineyard we work from the grassroots to produce hand crafted boutique wines in an ethical and environmentally friendly way. Our grapes are organic, organically grown using biodynamic techniques. In the winery additives are kept to a minimum, to show case the vintage, wines and terroir of the vineyard.
At present we do not have any fixed open hours for our cellar door, we welcome appointments, so if you are wanting to try our wines, you are welcome to contact us for an appointment.
Our phone number is (06) 862 5335, 027 656 8222. Our address is 232 Ormond Valley Road, Ormond, Gisborne.
A great chance to meet us in person, and see our vineyards. Here how we manage our vineyards organically and biodynamically. We look forward to seeing you. There is no tasting charge.
Recent Reviews and Stories
Yvonne Lorkin - Hawkes Bay Today, 15th May 2012
Yvonne Lorkin reviewed our Verjuice throughout her newspaper columns around the country. - Here is the link to Hawkes Bay Today Story - http://www.hawkesbaytoday.co.nz/news/wine-juice-but-not-as-you-know-it/1375654/
This
was a great story. Our verjuice is so tasty and versatile every store
should be stocking this as a non alcoholic alternatve. This is a snap
shot of what Yvonne had to say - "Wrights
Verjuice 2012 - it was superb, and I've been using it regularly as a
dressing with Dijon mustard, salt and pepper, which I mix through
sauteed cannellini beans, softened leeks and bacon"
Sue Courtney, Rodney Times, 8th May 2012
Sue did a story on the Wright family 'Quite Organically Wright'. This story can be viewed by clicking on the following link. - http://rodneytimes.realviewdigital.com/?iid=62638#folio=16
Sue also has a weekly blog where she reviewed our wines see link - http://www.wineoftheweek.com/blog/blog201205.htm#20120501. She rated our 2010 Gewurztraminer 5 out 5, and rated our other wines very highly.
Wrights Entity Methode Traditinnelle 2010
Great news we have now released our long awaited Entity Methode Traditionnelle 2010, bottle fermented and traditionally hand riddled. This wine was the focus of the recently aired Country Calendar Show on our vineyard, wines and lives.
We are very excited with the 2010 Methode, grown from our organic grapes and certified organic (conversion). The only New Zealand made, organic certified Methode on the market. This is a fantastic drop – a balanced, elegant wine with a crisp palate, fine bead and creamy textured finish. Lifted citrus and floral aromatic notes.
We have a stunning new artwork on our new label. Local artist Michael Burt has produced an abstract work of our Terrace Vineyard. Celebrating the bio-diversity of our vineyards and helping to create balance and a harmonious existence of life.
The following wines are still available from us - Wrights Reserve Gewurztraminer, Wrights Gewurztraminer, Wrights Reserve Chardonnay, Wrights Chardonnay, and Entity Methode Traditionnelle 2010.
Country Calendar, Saturday 25th June, TV1, 7pm
We were featured on national television, on the 25th June. Katherine Edmond and her crew filmed our Methode Traditionnelle wine making process, sustainable practices and family. A great chance to learn more about our philosophy and find out more about us. If you missed the show, it can ve viewed at TV1 NZ web site on demand. Here is the web link to view - Country Calendar Online Video Link.
Preservative Free Wine
The 2011 vintage saw us look at making NZ's first preservative free wine to the market. Our customers often ask us for this, so we thought we would deliver.
We recently ran the final wine trial for this preservative free wine. However were not happy with the finished product. So sorry to say, we will not be releasing a preservative free wine this year. However we will not give up on this and will try again with a different approach in mind for the 2012 vintage.
More Wine Reviews
This is the wine review of our Wrights Reserve Gewurztraminer 2011 by John Bartlett, Director and Owner of New Zealand Wine Directory, 9th November 2011.
“Tonight Glenys and I opened the bottle of Wrights 2011 Reserve Gewurztraminer and what a stunner it is! Wrights are certified organic so grow their grapes & handcraft their wines using ethical and environmentally friendly, biodynamic techniques. The 2011 Gewurtraminer was made in two batches with the second left on the vines and picked later producing some botrytised fruit. This was barrel-aged for 6 months then blended together to result in this amazing Gertz!
On pouring it showed bright & deep gold in colour, and on the nose “Intoxicating & heady” said Glenys. There is rose petal, Turkish delight & a hint of burnt toffee leading into intense marmalade and stone fruit, ginger and more toffee on the palate with great length & moreish finish.
This really is a complex and textured wine which is drinking beautifully even at such an early age but with a little more time I’d expect that it can only get better. Although we tasted (i.e. drank) this without food it has such depth and concentration that it would be a perfect match for Thai or other similar spicy foods.”
Country Calendar and Alison Gofton
March was a busy month for us, with Country Calendar filming us for this season series, visiting us for three days. Great opportunity for us and it was great people to work with. I personnally think our kids will be the star of the show.
Alison Gofton and her crew, visited us, as we are lucky to be picked to be included in her upcoming cook book in August 2011 release. Nicola - now known as 'Top Chef', cooked up a storm in our 9 by 3 metre shack we live in at present, with our two kids. They will be publishing some of Nicola's recipes with our Olive OIl, Verjuice and Wine. A fun day was had, even though the weather was not great. Again our kids will probably feature in the book more than us.
The Gisborne Herald on the 14th February visited our vineyard and did a story on the seasons first pick of grapes - our verjuice.
This story an be viewed on You Tube at Video Clip Gisborne Herald - 2011 Seasons First Pick Grapes. Or just visit Gisborne Herald at www.gisborneherald.co.nz
We have been busy working on new outlets around the country for our customers. Check out our outlets area for an updated list of our current stores around the country. Don't forget though, you can still order direct from us.
To keep in contact with us and up to date with our wine releases, you can subscribe to our bi-monthly newsletter, on the left of this page, just enter in your email address and click on 'Submit'.
For those that did not know, we manage our vineyards organically by using biodynamic techniques. Our vineyards are AsureQuality certified. At present we manage 30 acres, covering two vineyards.
Take shelter from the rain
In the words of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “The best thing one can do when it's raining - is to let it rain”. What else can you do?
Time to focus on the fruits of the new vintage with sparkling clean tanks and an empty winery.
The rising costs of everything, has seen our first price increase in 3 years. To keep absorbing these costs would see Nicola with more gray hair than Geoff!
It's not just us that says this wine is good. Yvonne Lorkin recently reviewed this wine for us:
“Made entirely from chardonnay, this is an organically produced Blanc de Blanc from Gisborne’s Ormond Valley, and if you’re expecting something frilly and feminine – forget it. This fizz reflects the ‘chaos factor’ of family life for Geoff and Nicola Wright as they work hard to maintain their organic vineyards, their busy winery and three energetic young sons. The wine has complex yeasty, nutty, biscuit-based aromas followed by crisp acidity and a smoky, mineral note on the finish. It is also New Zealand’s only certified organic méthode on the market and it’s brilliant with grilled calamari sprinkled with lemon juice and fresh herbs.”
In the early hours of the morning on the day before the first pick of grapes for the Methode Traditionnelle, we are beavering about at 5.30am. With our mad professor hats on we are brewing up a fantastic load of biodynamic preparation 501. This is a great drop, to be applied at sunrise. Although the clouds did block the initial rays of sun, we got there in the end.
Preparation 501 (ground quartz crystal, amongst other goodies), increases the photosynthesis on the leaf canopy, toughens up the grapes skins, brings longevity to our wines in the bottle and increases the sugar levels of the grapes on the vine. An important spray for us, coming into harvest.
Geoff sticks those toothpicks between the eyelids to stay awake, beaming widely – vintage is here. The bird bangers are cracking through the air, he finally found the bird kites that keep flying off the poles. Time to reap the rewards of what 2011/2012 has brought us.
With the vintage later than normal, the cooler temperatures have seen an early increased leaf drop. Luckily Geoff only did one leaf pluck of the grapes, giving the grapes more leaf so to help the plant have more energy to carry through the extended vintage. The cooling evening and morning temperatures and dropping leaves remind us Mother Nature has brought autumn to bare on the valley.
Although a wetter vintage than normal, there have not been botrytis conditions, so we are facing off the storms with a clean crop. The bunches are nice and open and we have even levels of ripeness. Geoff is very excited with the open bunches, cleanness of the grapes and now reduced leaf cover around the berries due to an early autumn. We have some exciting winemaking initiatives planned for the 2012 vintage wines.
Currently, we are being filmed by Emma Heke of OURS. Emma is making a documentary and television series to inspire young and old minds alike to think outside the square, step into the wilderness and try something new. Emma has been on the road with her 7 year old son, Connor, for almost 6 months gathering stories of those who have escaped the rat race and paved their own way. Check out her website at : www.oursdvd.co.nz.
This week has been a rollercoaster ride. In the last 5 days, we have bottled the 2012 Verjuice – yes, it is now ready for sale to wow your friends and family, also our Reserve Chardonnay 2011 (sad to say the 2010 is almost sold out). We have also bottled the Vintage Methode 2011 (to be released in another 3-4 years) and disgorged more of the Entity Methode 2010.
Geoff, Nicola, Noah, Elijah & Luke Wright