K-Syrah releases ‘que sera’ attitude
02 Oct 2008
New Zealand’s native parrot the kakariki and syrah wine may, on the face of it, have little in common but a mutually beneficial arrangement is about to make the release of one help fund the release of the other.
Ransom Wines from the Matakana wine region north of Auckland has recently released a new brand of syrah and for every bottle sold the company will contribute one NZ dollar towards the release of kakariki at the nearby Tawharanui Open Sanctuary.
Natives reintroduced
The brightly coloured green parakeet with a red crown is being reintroduced to the Tawharanui area along with other native birds like kiwi, pateke and whiteheads.
The winery has entered into a long term sponsorship agreement with the volunteer society that manages the sanctuary and says it is delighted to be supporting the fifth native bird release since the area became predator free.
Ransom has also donated all tasting fees collected at their cellar door to the sanctuary since May 2007.
'K' birds on labels
The winery says the K-Syrah release is designed to change the 'que sera attitude' towards New Zealand’s native birds. The wine bottles' front labels each feature a painting of a kiwi, kereru, kaka, or korimako and list 25 New Zealand native birds whose names begin with 'K'.
It's not only the label that is striking a chord but also the contents - the ruby red, rich and savoury wine is said to have the classic varietal characters associated with top syrah wines.
Robin Ransom of Ransom Wines says he believes syrah has a great future in the north of New Zealand and in the Matakana region in particular.
It's a view shared by Auckland-based Master Sommelier Cameron Douglas, who described Ransom K Syrah 2007 as "the most exciting wine I have tasted from Matakana" in a review of the region for the prestigious American sommeliers magazine Somm Selection.
These topics may also be of interest to you
|
