Thursday, February 23, 2012

Last of the Festivale wine

With Festivale done, it's time to take stock of the wines we presented there.

2009 Pinot Noir is down to its last handful of cases. We will put this one away to allow age development and for use in some planned guided tastings and food matching events.

2010 Pinot Noir is plentiful and going strong! Still youthful, but developing nicely with being allowed to breathe, this wine has fruit like the 2009, but also Pinot's amazing funky/earthy characters. Comments such as savoury, mushroom and forest floor were tossed about by the crowd. It is youth still, but has a lot more going on than the 2009 did.

2011 Chardonnay - wild yeast batch. We had a small batch of chardonnay that came to Festivale with us as a bit of a one off. Its mild oak, savoury and leesy characters were nicely balanced by fresh citrus. This was a hit with people who don't normally enjoy a chardonnay. I have only 3 cases of this wine left.

Very soon, our standard 2011 Chardonnay will be available. It is a close cousin to the above wine, so stay tuned for further news of it!

cheers!

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Festivale 2012

Festivale is done for 2012, and what an experience!


A combination of rain, bright sunshine, big crowds, Daryl Braithwaite, big fat Slim Chefs and a glowing technicolour Polar Bear made for a memorable weekend of fun, wine and good food.

Gryphonwood's first public outing was an eye opener, with a lot of people coming to see us as the new kids on the block. It was a surprise to be announced runners-up for Best New Stall!

I have to offer a big thanks to the many people who helped us get there - you are too many to list, but are remembered nonetheless.

The wines were well received, and our Wine Matched Sampler Platter was a hit. The local produce was stunning.

Check out our website for more pics. In the meantime, have a technicolour Polar Bear!