We are very excited to introduce ourselves as the new owners of Eight Ranges Wines. We absolutely love Central Otago and have been visiting the region for years (including getting engaged in Queenstown). Both of us have a passion for wine and think the wine that Eight Ranges produces is top quality. We hope to continue to run the vineyard in a similar manner to Trevor and Mark and would like to thank them for all the hard work they put in over the years, establishing a vineyard on par with the best.
For now its very much business as usual as we focus on 2 key activities in the coming 4-6 weeks. Firstly, getting to meet as many of our customers as possible with trips to Alexandra and the wider Central region, Dunedin, Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland. As much as this is putting faces to names it is also a key opportunity to hear from the trade what is working and where they would like to see the brand head.
The second key activity is getting our viticulture and wine making teams up and running. Christmas is a busy time on the vineyard with flowering completed and the fruit setting. This is where we get our first indication as to what our production is likely to be when harvest comes around in April. We'll introduce you to the team in the coming months, we think they are world class so are excited about the 2017 vintage...we just need another great Central Otago summer to play her part.
For now though, its back to transitioning and establishing the new Eight Ranges.
Brian, Rebecca and Finley