International awards seal of approval

King Road, already a prominent fertile horticultural area, has earned further accolades with the new Te Whai Bay Wines vineyard winning two international awards.

“Firstly we won silver in the 2014 Spiegelau International Wine Competition then trumped that with a gold for our 2013 Chardonnay at the New

Zealand International Wine Show 2014,” said Nicola Devereux, who is developing the boutique winery with partner John Burt.

“We are absolutely rapt!”

The New Zealand competition comprised of 2,130 entries from 12 countries.

The chardonnay and other Te Whai Bay wines are available to taste at their new tasting room among the vines, which will be officially opened on Saturday October 25 from 2-6pm, with nibbles and music to accompany the free wine tastings.

The couple had not long purchased the two hectare plot and this was from their first vintage from the five-year-old vines.

Produced under the watchful and expert eye of Kerikeri winemaker Rod McIvor, their confidence was further vindicated when McIvor took out the Wine of the Show award for another of his wines.

As Te Whai Bay is also growing Syrah, Pinot Gris and Chamboursin, Nicola is currently furthering her knowledge doing EIT Viticulture and winemaking studies.

“I think it’s important to know not just how to grow the product but also the physiology and the process involved in get-ting the desired end result,” says Nicola.

“The mix of art and science is a fine balance to achieve great wines.”

The vineyard will be open for tasting from the Saturday of Labour Weekend and then seven days, 10am-5pm until Easter.

This area of rural Mangawhai has proved extremely fertile produc-ing several wine awards alongside olives, olive oils and cosmetics, an organic fig orchard plus vegetables.

While the award win-ning wine will no doubt be a hit it is also a complementary element to Nicola’s other business, Wined About Bike Tours, for cycle enthusiasts and casual sightseers who en-joy the area at their leisure.

Now running for four years, cycle groups regularly book over holiday periods and weekends. Cyclists and leisure rid-ers are set off with customised maps of places of interest, eateries and art outlets, now beginning and ending at Te Whai Wines where a little wine-tasting or a picnic among the vines can put a very pleasant seal on a very pleasant day.

By Rob Pooley