The Old Schoolhouse Vineyard
Near the inland end of the Wairau Valley in Marlborough lies Omaka, the setting for the Old Schoolhouse Vineyard, where the grapes for Bird wines are grown exclusively. Here, the soils are a perfect combination of free-draining alluvial shingle subsoils with a generous topping of friable clay loam.
The vineyard, named after the historic school house built in 1896 and situated at the north end of the property, was planted with a clear focus on the wines that would be grown – Pinot Noir clones 5, 667, 777, as well as four aromatic white varieties. Being further south and cooler at 120m above sea level, harvest typically comes 10 days later than on the valley floor. The longer growing season gives the grapes more opportunity to develop the exquisite flavour found in Bird Wines.
Marlborough, New Zealand
Marlborough, New Zealand is heaven for winemakers. It’s cool, sunny, pristine and one of the world’s best places to grow grapes.
Marlborough lies at the north eastern tip of New Zealand’s South Island, at latitude 41 degrees south. While this is comparable to the latitudes of warm European wine regions such as Italy and Spain, the cool ocean around New Zealand means Marlborough is firmly at the cool end of the winegrowing spectrum.
Initially, New Zealand’s reputation was built on the astounding qualities of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. In the last two decades, other aromatic white varieties such as Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris have also come to the fore. The region is also proving to be an exceptional place to grow high quality Pinot Noir.
The long growing season gives the grapes time to develop vibrant varietal flavours, retaining a distinctive racy acidity in white varieties.
