Food & Wine

Selini Estate sees red

Whether you're in London or New York, it's easy enough to experience New Zealand's most famous wine export - its world-class sauvignon blanc. But now a small group of winemakers in Hawke's Bay, on the sunny eastern side of New Zealand's North Island, is determined to prove to the world that New Zealand can match the best of the reds from anywhere in the world.

Kiwis (as New Zealanders describe themselves, after a flightless native bird) are known for their ambition and do-it-yourself attitude. They have to aim high, to be noticed around the world. This particular idea - to actively promote New Zealand red wines internationally - is the brainchild of Auckland multi-millionaire Graeme Avery, who made his money through his international medical publishing company Adis.

Passionate about wine, it was around four years ago that Avery decided to pursue his winemaking dream, and called upon experienced winemaker Grant Edmonds (formerly of well-known New Zealand wineries Villa Maria and Esk Valley) to talk about the scheme. The pair teamed with financial advisor and director Chris Cowper, with whom Avery had previously worked, and the impressive $NZ20m+ Sileni Estates Winery was born.

Edmonds says it all began when Avery gave him a call and said he'd sold his business and wanted to get into fine wine and fine food. 'He asked if I could give him advice on what he should be doing,' says Edmonds. 'We sat down and had a chat about what he was after and what he intended to achieve. He was most interested in red wine, which is where my interest lies. He had been a good customer of ours when I was with Esk Valley and he loved those wines sufficiently to say, 'well how about you help me get something established'.'

It wasn't the type of chance that comes along every day. Edmonds' small Hawke's Bay vineyard, Redmetal, was, at the time, too small to provide a full-time income. Within six weeks of the initial meeting Avery had a plan on paper.

'We had similar ideas,' explains Edmonds. 'We both wanted to make high-quality New Zealand red wine. He had the vision and resources and I had the experience so we put them together.'

First thoughts centred on a boutique-style operation, but that was quickly consigned to the scrap heap. With Avery's background in international marketing, he wanted the wine push to be international.

'The reason we grew was because as we went on we kept saying 'this is ridiculous it will only go into one market and disappear',' says Edmonds.

The original plan was to crush 350 tonnes (about 20,000 cases) which would have been 'a nice little volume' says Edmonds. 'Graeme said, 'Well, 350 tonnes. We may as well go the extra and go 500.'

Edmonds says three weeks later Avery had another brainwave. 'He came back and said, 'Look I've been thinking about this and 500 tonnes is going to get us about 30,000 cases. That will be the US but it won't even look at Europe, Asia, Australasia, whatever. I think we should double it to 1000 tonnes.'

Now chief winemaker, Edmonds admits he had a few quiet moments of reflection at the prospect, but still believes Avery was right. If you look at the US as being 50 markets in one, and if each took only 1000 cases, that's 50,000 cases.

So that became the goal. At full capacity the vineyard yields 65,000 cases, with just 10 percent destined for the local market.

The Wine

Sileni wines are based on classic varieties including merlot, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon and semillon from Bordeaux, as well as pinot noir and chardonnay from Burgundy.

Avery bought the first piece of land for the venture on November 1, 1997, and Edmonds processed the first wine under the Sileni label for the 1998 vintage (March/April). With the winery not yet built, the 1998 vintage (a fantastic year for grape growing in the Bay) was made in Edmonds' garage. The result was a truly exceptional wine that commands top dollar in New Zealand.

That was Sileni's first EV (Exceptional Vintage) - the Sileni Estates 1998 EV Merlot/Cabernet Franc. It received acclaim internationally as well as locally, described as redolent of ripe blackberries, succulent plums, a touch of liquorice and mocha. The year also produced the fine Merlot/Cabernets 1998, a deep purple red, with complex aromas of dark fruits - rich plum and dark berry fruit flavours - and liquorice.

Enough faith was shown in these and other early Sileni reds for noted 200-year-old Burgundy house and negociant Louis Latour to agree to distribute Sileni wines in the US, UK and even France, giving Sileni instant credibility in the UK market in particular.

The grand Sileni Estates building was erected in time for the 1999 vintage, with young vineyards providing a small volume. Sileni also has a policy of using contact growers for 15-20 percent of the harvest, paying them by the acre rather than the tonne to ensure Edmonds and the other Sileni winemakers can dictate the management of the vineyards to achieve top quality fruit.

Although reds are the focus - merlot in particular - Edmonds says they are having surprising success with semillon as well, which has been snapped up by some British and US restaurants keen to try something new from Down Under.

'In the UK and the US we thought it would be a real struggle because New Zealand is so well known for sauvignon blanc and you say 'semillon' and they say 'what's that?' explains Edmonds. 'But many are getting a bit tired of sauvignon blanc. Restaurants have been saying, 'Great! We have 10 New Zealand sauvignon blancs and we have more chardonnay than we can drink, but semillon is different'.'

Financially it makes sense too, with semillon being a wine that can get onto the market relatively quickly, rather than the maker having to sit on it for 12-18 months as with reds.

The Setting

But Sileni is not just about helping make New Zealand reds well known in the Northern Hemisphere. It's also about providing a first-class tourist destination for the food and wine aficionado.

The vineyard is a stunning showcase for Hawke's Bay, an area that has two cities in Napier and Hastings that enjoy 2200 sunshine hours a year. Hawke's Bay has around 35 wineries, many featuring excellent restaurants, but Sileni is in a class of its own.

Opulence is the first word that comes to mind when you drive through the imposing gates at Sileni, which is located 10 minutes from Hastings. As one wine writer put it: 'Calling Sileni Estate a winery is rather like calling Harrods a shop.'

The winery was designed by Auckland architects Dodd, Paterson Bukowski and Rehm, to maximise views of the vineyard. It rises like a futuristic military base from row upon straight row of vines. In front of the winery are paved gardens and grassed areas in a circular courtyard style, with a Roman villa-feel to their design, although US visitors have described the overall stamp as distinctly Californian.

From the high-roofed foyer of Sileni Estates, the visitor (they come from all over the world) is presented with images of hi-tech winemaking through a huge glass wall. Production at Sileni (the name comes from Roman mythology where Sileni were vintage deities associated with Bacchus, the god of wine) marries a hi-tech look with traditional winemaking methods to achieve its quality end-product.

The winery features the Mesa al fresco lunchtime dining area, overlooking the vineyards, as well as the evening fine dining room known as RD1, reflecting the site's rural address.

Avery's aim for Sileni has been to create a total food and wine experience. As well as the restaurants and winery, visitors can step into what is known fittingly as the Epicurean Centre and Cellar. Sileni's exotic gourmet food cellar features many products from Avery's Vinotica store in Auckland, as well as a temperature and humidity controlled cheese room, locally made and imported chocolates and a culinary school. There's also a food and wine reference library and education centre.

On the first Saturday of each month Sileni has a special Seasonal Food Market. This sees a range of growers and producers from around Hawke's Bay (an area noted for its fresh produce including asparagus, strawberries and kiwifruit) selling their wares. The market also features cooking demonstrations by Sileni and guest chefs.

Edmonds shares Avery's belief that it's simply not possible to have an international wine destination without having first-class food to match.

'The winery is the shop window,' says Edmonds. 'We're targeting the future tourist who wants 'experiences'. They can visit the winery and eat in the restaurant but they might also want a cooking class or information about wine, which we also provide.' The Sileni Lodge can also provide exclusive luxury accommodation, including hands on culinary tuition if requested, for those who want to totally immerse themselves in the food and wine experience.

Edmonds is determined to provide people with an experience when they visit Sileni Estates - and given that many people's happy memories of places visited are awakened with a familiar taste and smell, it's an approach not to be sniffed at.

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