I can feel the transition coming.
As all the wines have now been pressed and are either in tank or barrel, we are already looking ahead at some bottling dates. In fact we already have one 2022 wine in bottle, the very exciting Decibel Petulant Naturale. But our next two wines going to bottle are actually going to be red wines. First we’ll have our Malbec Nouveau bottled just in time for our TACO NOUVEAU events on two consecutive Fridays on June 3rd and June 10th. Then in mid/late June we will bottle our Giunta Crunchy Red, another certified organic wine. This chill-able red is very exciting in it’s 2nd year of production. Then the hits will keep coming! Sauvignon Blanc bottling will follow shortly after that as our partners overseas, particularly in the USA, continue to have a great thirst for the Hawke’s Bay style.
The transition is not only out of vintage (picking, fermentation, pressing, winemaking) and into bottling; it is also into events and going out to actively sell my wine. I love this part of the process and I think it is so important to what I do. I think winemakers must be out in the market, pouring for the people, getting their feedback and taking those notes back home with them. Oftentimes winemakers and wineries can get stuck in their ways and fall behind. What is the point of making wine in New Zealand if we can’t be experimental and keep up with the times? I am not bound by some old tradition, laws, or agricultural denomination on what I produce. So why not get out there and find out what the people want!
So it starts right away in May with a wine dinner in Wellington and then two more at the end of the month in Auckland. This is then followed by our two TACO NOUVEAU events in early June. Soon after I’ll be on a flight to visit family in Italy. But while I’m there, I plan to visit Ireland and Sweden, two places that are selling lots of Decibel, Giunta and Testify wines. Then it will be a few weeks in the USA where I am planning a full week of events at McCrossens in Philadelphia with my brother Jamie. I can’t believe it’s been over two years since I’ve seen my best friend. Man, do I miss him and all my family.
So stay tuned for all these exciting new releases and events. I’m looking forward to serving you some great wines.
Cheers,
dB