A vintage year: Cross Hares

The daffodils are in full flower, lambs are frolicking and the vines at Cross Hares are already forming new buds of spring.

For vintners Natalie and Warrick Edwards, it’s been a busy year at the vineyard, but the rewards have been worth all the hard work and anxiety, as by early October they hope to have their cellar door open – “Finally!” Natalie laughs – and the bottling completed of their latest pinot noir, Fork in the Road.

Natalie says the wording on the label of this latest batch pretty much describes the journey from harvest to production to bottling. “It really was a pinot made with love, dedication and the occasional tear… but we got there.”

Another triumph for this gritty, Kiwis-can-do-anything couple is that three of their wines achieved top star ratings from Sam Kim of Wine Orbit this year. All wines are tasted blind by Sam, and the notes on each are solely written by him. Cross Hares’ Ahuriri Run Pinot Gris 2017 and Greenman Pinot Noir 2017 both scored five stars, while their Ahuriri Run Pinot Gris 2018 scored 4.5 stars.

Natalie says they are looking forward to showcasing their wines at the Akaroa FrenchFest from 11 to 13 October 2019 and the Banks Peninsula Festival at Orton Bradley Park, 22 February 2020.

“It’s a celebration – of creating our own label, becoming a local identity and doing what we love!”

Find Cross Hares at 7/1269 Christchurch Akaroa Road, Tai Tapu, phone 027 724 3015, email sales@crosshares.nz or visit www.crosshares.nz.