There's nothing quite like a warm fire and a lovely rich glass of red wine in winter. These New Zealand-made Hawke's Bay reds fit the bill perfectly
The Esk Valley Artisanal Collection is an exclusive new range of fine wines in Esk Valley’s portfolio. Differing from its acclaimed Estate wines, where winemaker Gordon Russell plays a supporting role to highlight the grapes’ character in its purest form, in the Artisanal Collection, Gordon’s artistry and vision is on full display yielding soulful wines that perfectly express Esk Valley’s character and Hawke's Bay home.
Esk Valley has a long history of producing thoughtfully-crafted wines that draw not only on the ideal growing conditions of Hawke's Bay, but also the creative community that call it home. Utilising traditional techniques and hands-off approaches, including custom French-made concrete fermenters for the finest parcels of red grapes, Esk Valley marries old-world craft with the freedom of expression and innovation that New Zealand winemaking affords. It’s evident in every bottle of the Artisanal Collection, brimming with character and panache.
Classic Hawke's Bay wine styles are given the Esk Valley and Gordon Russell treatment. The Esk Valley Syrah uses grapes grown in two contrasting Hawke's Bay sites - Stoney Gimblett Gravels and the limestone soils of Heipipi Vineyard in Bay View - and fermented with wild vineyard yeast, in open-top 5-ton concrete fermenters. The ferments are managed by hand to gently extract the colour and tannin, and the grapes are gently pressed before being transferred in French Oak barrels to age for 17 months.
The full bodied Esk Valley Malbec Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon is Esk Valley's first malbec-based wine from their Gimblett Gravels vineyards. These vineyards are close planted with low yields to maximise quality; each parcel has been separately harvested and fermented with wild yeast in open concrete top fermenters. Grapes are hand-plunged to gently extract colour and tannin. They are then pressed into French Oak barrels and aged in cool cellars for 18 months before blending.
The two red wines join three delightful white wines from Esk Valley Artisanal range: the barrel-fermented Chardonnay, select bottlings of Chenin Blanc and Albariño, to make the Artisanal Collection a truly exciting expression of Esk Valley’s vision and craft.
