A Day out in the Country

Today we went out early and and visited a few show homes to get a idea on who and what I would like for my house rebuild. Followed by some wine tasting and lunch at Waipara Hills were we shared a wonderful mix platter.

The winery in this blip is Terrace Edge, we had never been there before and their wines were very good along with their olive oil and olives. We were told that the olives are just being harvested now and they didn't want any frost for a while otherwise they well lose their crop.

Terrace Edge is a boutique family estate in the Waipara Valley, New Zealand, committed to producing hand-crafted wine from organically grown grapes - also table olives & extra virgin olive oil of premium quality.

The vineyard and olive grove are situated on the south bank of the Waipara River in North Canterbury, New Zealand. It is the dream of the Chapman family who, in 1999, purchased the property which was part of a long established sheep farm.

The development of the vineyard and olive grove has been a labour of love by the extended family who have used their many and varied skills to see the vision become a reality.

Peter Chapman, Viticulturist, is the youngest of Bruce and Jill’s three sons. Since graduating from Lincoln University in 2003, he has managed the ongoing development of the 12 ha vineyard and 2000-tree olive grove.

Terrace Edge produced its first wine in 2005.

The Waipara Valley is a unique region just 40 minutes drive north of Christchurch. To the east, the Waipara valley is separated from the ocean by a range of hills (Teviotdale Hills) which protects it from the cool sea breezes. To the west lie the Southern Alps which create the hot north-west winds. This ‘Waipara microclimate’ has warm days, cool nights and dry autumns, resulting in a very prolonged ripening period. This promotes development of intense flavours in the fruit.

Terrace Edge overlooks the Waipara River, with stunning views of the valley and the surrounding hills. Heat summation during the day is retained by gravels left behind by an ice-age glacier. The soils are a silt loam, which are free draining and of relatively low fertility, resulting in naturally reduced vine vigour. This produces low yields of optimally ripened grapes.