What compelled you to go into winemaking?
I grew up on the west coast of the north island, in one of the more rural parts of New Zealand. My parents are farmers and I grew up seeing them work 24/7. I knew I wanted a better work-life balance, but one that still tied into my horticultural, agricultural background, so I studied viticulture. I was only 17 and the legal drinking age was 21, at the time, but we’d always had wine on the table, to go with the lamb and beef from our farm, and homegrown vegetables. It felt natural to enjoy food and wine together.
Do you have any advice on how to make the most out of a special bottle of wine?
I don’t bother with too many rules, because it’s all about enjoyment, but I do think most people serve wine too cold. It doesn’t bring out the aroma, and it can taste more bitter, so make sure you have the right temperature for the wine variety. That’s the best way to make sure the wine has the right level of interest and intensity.
How does the process at Cloudy Bay differ from Old World wineries that have been doing it for centuries?
There’s nothing wrong with tradition. We’ve been doing things a certain way for thousands of years because they work, because they create great wine, and a lot of what we do at Cloudy Bay still adopts those methods. One difference is how much we involve the customer. It’s important to us that we aren’t just making wine and telling them to drink it. We’re making wine for them, so it really helps to know how they perceive it, and whether we’re on track from a style perspective, or need to evolve.
What inspires you to buy a bottle that you haven’t tried before?
I like to buy from different producers who make wine from the same vineyard. For example, Burn Cottage and Gibbston Valley both make wines from a couple of the same vineyards. It’s cool to taste those wines and look at the different philosophies, what story they’re telling. Wine is all about the story.
What are you working on right now?
We’ve got two more days of vintage before we’ll have all our fruit in, and then it’s going to pour down. It’s a busy time, and there are a lot of extra people in, to get it all done while the weather looks good.
So, how’s that work-life balance going?
It’s funny – I’ve ended up working just as much as my parents, six or seven days a week, 12-hour days. It’s lucky I enjoy it.
See more from Nikolai St George at cloudybay.com
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
