Seresin Estates
by
Kathy Sullivan
Summary: Seresin Estates is known for its emphasis on organic and Biodynamic vineyards. In a sense, it is a traditional farm with cows, chickens, ducks and horses with hectares of vineyards. They create teas from compost, a key part of biodynamic growing. The Seresin Estate winery and Home Vineyard is in Renwick, New Zealand an area in Wairau Valley.
The owner, Michael Seresin, is a renowned director of photography, for films including Angela’s Ashes and Harry Potter - The Prisoner of Azkaban. Originally from New Zealand he went to Europe and eventually settled in Italy where he discovered his passion for wine. The passion for wine followed with the desire to own a vineyard. Seresin returned to New Zealand and established vineyards and a winery.
Vineyards
The estate has three vineyards. The Home Vineyard is located in the Wairau Valley where visitors will find the cellar door and the winery buildings. This location also has olive trees. Plans are to remove a section of the olives and replant with grapevines. In addition they have traditional farm animals including horses, cows, chickens and ducks. The largest vineyard is Raupo Creek that has 51 hectares(126 acres) of vines and Tatou Vineyard with 15 hectares (37 acres) of land planted with grapes.
The home vineyards consist of 45 hectares (111 acres.) The vineyards are certified Biodynamic by Demeter and also certified Organic. Currently several wines are certified organic and the 2010 vintage wines will be totally certified organic. These vineyards include Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay. In addition there are olive trees planted around the vineyards to provide a buffer.
The Hand Logo
The logo for Seresin Estate is a handprint. The hand symbolizes a dusty hand from working in the vineyard and then patting someone on the back. This leaves a dirty hand print. The Seresin Estate website notes, “The hand is a symbol of strength, gateway to the heart, tiller of the soil, the mark of the artisan, and embodies the philosophy of Seresin Estate.”
A visit to Seresin Estate winery will provide visitors with photo opportunities of the vineyard with the Richmond Mountains as a backdrop. The winery located in the Marlborough region is an area referred to as the “doughnut” because it is located between two hills/mountains ranges and receives much sunlight. The winery focuses on using organic methods in the vineyard including some biodynamic techniques.
Organics and Biodynamics
The owners of Seresin Estate winery seek to minimize the impact of the farm on the land. They try to reinvigorate the land. They believe that the world is a living organism and that everything has its place. There are several compost piles. A section has 12 brick, lined ground pits. These provide an area to incubate the composts. Teas are made from the compost, diluted and sprayed on the grapevines. To prepare a tea, there is a combination of a cow horn and manure from a lactating cow. The manure is placed in the cow horn with group of quartz crystals (silica). A year later the mix will be like a soil.
The owners have a one horse-powered sprayer. The sprayer is horse drawn and used on a flat section of the vineyard when spraying is necessary. Another biodynamic concept is followed; any spraying to be done is scheduled according to the phases of the moon.
Seresin Estate winery hand picks and hand sorts the grapes. The majority of the wines are produced using wild yeasts. The winery produces 60,000 cases of two brands. In the winery, bottling is done in accordance with the phases of the moon.
Cellar Door
A petite-size cellar door (tasting room) offers friendly service. The small size emphasizes the wines. The ceiling and display shelves are of light wood with inset lights. A corner barrel displays four olive oils available. While one is the extra virgin olive oil, the other three have nuances of lime, orange or lemon. Samples are available.
White Wines
Memento Riesling 2009 was produced using natural yeast. The aroma offered mineral notes while the taste was sweet with 40 grama/liter of residual sugar. Sauvignon Blanc 2009 was made with Sauvignon Blanc and a touch of Semillon. The wine was a light yellow. The aroma offered floral and mineral nuances. The taste had notes of flint and the crisp finish was citrusy. Reserve Chardonnay 2008 was yellow. The aroma and taste had oak and pear nuances. The finish was crisp with citrusy notes.
Red Wines
Leah Pinot Noir 2008 was a ruby color. The aroma and taste offered earthy and cherry nuances. The crisp finish also had cherry and earthy notes. Rachel 2007 Pinot Noir was a dark purple with a Sienna hue. There were nuances of cherries on the aroma. The taste also offered cherry notes with hints of flint. Medium tannins were on the finish.
Seresin Estate winery provides an opportunity for visitors to learn about organic and biodynamic concepts. Enjoy your visit to a winery with vineyards and farm animals.
Seresin Estate
85 Bedford Rd, RD1
Renwick, Marlborough 7271
New Zealand
