Respect the Secret Ingredient in Champion Organic Wine
Respect the Secret Ingredient in Champion Organic Wine
Image: Richard Briggs Photography
A commitment to respect in the vineyard is paying off for viticulture and winemaking teams at Giesen Wines.
The company picked up three trophies for two wines made in the organic Clayvin Vineyard at the 2022 Marlborough Wine Show, sponsored by QuayConnect.
One of the trophies, awarded to Giesen Single Vineyard Clayvin Chardonnay 2018, was for the title of Vit Management Ltd Best Organic Wine.
Giesen Group Director of Winemaking Duncan Shouler says utilising organic practices in the vineyard is both a way to respect the vineyard site, and to get the best out of it.
“Giesen has a strong history with organic winegrowing, and organic wines make up an important part of our wine portfolio,” he says.
“We know that these practices help us discover the full potential of vineyards like Clayvin, in the knowledge that the vineyard is healthy and the vines are in tune with their natural environment. You can see this in the wines.”
Alongside the Best Organic Wine title, the Chardonnay was also awarded the MRC Champion Chardonnay, 2019 and Older trophy.
To receive both awards for the certified organic wine was a welcome result for the whole team, Duncan says.
“This was just a fantastic double endorsement for the effort that goes into the wine both in the vineyard and the winery. A lot goes into growing organically, and indeed into the winemaking.
“It takes an extra degree of effort and dedication to do it. To get both recognition for the quality of this wine as an expression of Marlborough Chardonnay, and for its merits as an organically certified wine is just fantastic,” he says.
The third trophy given to a Clayvin wine was the Wine Marlborough Champion Other Red Wine, awarded to their Giesen Single Vineyard Clayvin Syrah 2021.
The awards were testament to the work put into nurturing the vineyard since its establishment back in 1993.
“The vineyard was set up really with one purpose, to make fine examples of cool climate wine in the Marlborough region. The dense clay soil at Clayvin is quite typical of some sites situated in the Southern Valleys, and these complex soils can yield wonderful structured examples of Pinot Noir, aromatic and rich Syrah, and concentrated and complex Chardonnay,” Duncan says.
“The close planting of the site, 5,500 vines per hectare, organic winegrowing practices, low yield of about 1-1.3kg per vine, and complexity of multiple vine clones planted across varying pan of clay rich soil, combine to elevate the wines to another level.”
Organic Trophy Sponsor, Vit Management director Callum Linklater says sponsoring the Marlborough Wine Show is important to their company for many reasons.
He and his co-director, Stu Dudley were both on the board of Wine Marlborough when it took ownership of the show in 2017.
“We felt a bit of a connection there, and the show is just a perfect way of celebrating our Marlborough success, really,” Callum says.
They are particularly happy to be involved by sponsoring the Champion Organic Wine trophy.
“Twenty five percent of our business at Vit Management is with organic clients so it makes up a really important part of our business, and a part of our business that we really enjoy working in,” he says.