The Journey, The Bad, The Lessons, The Rant...

Novembers newsletter went amiss I’m afraid.

Partly because I was waiting for the results from the NZ Fruit Wine + Cider awards (which didn’t end up coming until the 18th) and then mostly because said results weren’t very favourable which frankly threw me for six and it’s taken me a while to shake it off.

In so saying and with obviously lots of retrospective thinking, I am glad I got such a harsh judgement this early on on my journey. For one, it would not bode well if I can’t handle criticism of my wines, this has been good practise for my resilience! (This was a good read; How to be Resilient in the Face of Harsh Criticism)

Secondly (watch out, it’s a bit of a rant!), my eyes have been opened to the fact that the fruit wine industry or at least the association (FWCMA) is not very supportive - I don’t know whether it’s because it’s an old boys club, or because it’s so cider heavy - not knowing how how the other fruit wine makers think of it (a lot seem pretty closed off), but it kind of feels like we’re the unwanted baby of the FWCMA - tolerated, given basic needs but not cared, loved or even talked about.

I would like a different culture.

So I’m going to have to make it myself.

And hope that others join in.

(Just to be clear I don’t mean I’m going to start another organisation, more a vibe!)

Our category (Fruit Wine) is so small in the market place we need to back each other up, promote other producers not just ourselves, we can’t afford to bring each other down or play wine snobs - because if one person is drinking a fruit wine and enjoying it, they’re going to want to try more and other fruit wines.. surely!

I might be pipe dreaming but hey, that’s how I roll and that’s how I’m here now!

I won’t be getting my off license until February now, as it’s not until then that I’ll have my first wines ready (under my MPI approval that I got around this time last year). Unfortunate that I miss the Xmas period, but you can’t rush wine. In the meantime, here are some other fruit wine producers you can support!

• Lothlorien Winery, their sparkling feijoa and apple wine won the Fruit Wine Awards, you wouldn’t know it though, they’re not singing and dancing about it! weird

• Fruit Cru, make fruit pet nats, I tried their Quinze recently, would go down well for a Xmas champagne breakfast

• Ruahine Ports, they won a few medals in the Fruit Wine Awards for their ports, they’re seemingly quiet about it too. They sell port slippers too

• Suncrest Orchard, more fruit wine ports made from their orchards down south

• Drury Hills Wines, they’ve got some interesting blends

• Celestial Wines, they don’t have a strong online presence but if you can catch Maurice at a market in central North Island you’re in luck!

If you know of any other fruit wine producers in Aotearoa let me know~

Have an amazing Christmas and new year period people, strength to your liver, joy to your heart, have fun and see the good!