Welcome to the November issue of the Gladstone Vineyard Newsletter.

In this Issue

	New, New, New, New!
	New Wines
	New Awards and Accolades!
	New Specials
	New look in the vineyard
	New website
	New Mailing List Facilities

In Other News

SEAN AND SEAMUS PLAYING THIS WEEKEND

Playing this Saturday at the Cafe, from 11.30 to 3pm, this is the last music event at Gladstone for 2008!  Very popular local lads, their music is fun, foot tapping and great to listen to.  If you are on your way to Toast Martinborough on Sunday, get into the mood with an afternoon at Gladstone this Saturday (15th)

SUMMER SHAKESPEARE IS BACK - thanks to popular demand!

Henry V will be marching through Gladstone Vineyard on the weekend of 5,6,7 February.  More information soon.  Plan your trip to the Wairarapa for a huge Waitangi weekend of fun, Shakespeare and the Martinborough Fair.  Mark this weekend in your diary now.

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New, New, New, New!

Welcome to the new Gladstone Newsletter and website!

And what better time to tell you about our stunning new wines, our latest new awards and our new mailing facilities.  Read on to find out how to buy our award winning wine, and how to make sure you only receive the information you want from us!

New Wines

It's a great time to visit the cellar door.  We have several of our popular new wines available again for the summer. 

• First up, is our ever popular Rosé.  It's a stunner, and has just picked up a Gold medal in the Wine for Asia awards.  Full and fruity with a fresh dry finish, it's a stunner for summer on the deck.  Buy now, it's running out the door!
   
• Back again, after such a shortage last year are our popular Pinot Gris.  We have two available this year.  The Gladstone and the 12,000 Miles Pinot Gris are both available.  Stylistically, the 12,000 Miles Pinot Gris is fresh and floral, with pear, peaches and apricot and a long finish.  The Gladstone Pinot Gris  is more textural with yeasty and nutty complexities.  Both are well balanced beautiful wines, great with food.  Try one, try them both!   
  
   
• Don't miss out on the double gold winning Gladstone Pinot Noir 2006.  We have been able to make some more of this wine available to our cellar door visitors and mail order customers.  This is a stunning wine, superb for drinking now or for cellaring for the next 2-3 years.  Don't miss out, order now!
  
  
• We're delighted to have on sale again the ever popular Gladstone Viognier.  The wine has a combination of tropical characters, with musky hints of orange blossom and jasmine. The palate has a velvety with a traditional oiliness associated with viognier.  Yummy!

All these wines are available now at cellar door, or on our website 

New Awards and Accolades!

GOLD GOLD GOLD, AND SOME SILVER FOR THE CELLAR TOO...

Gladstone Pinot Noir 2007         GOLD, New Zealand International Wine Competition 2008; 
                                                        SILVER Liquorland Top 100 Competition 2008; 
                                                        SILVER Air NZ Wine Competition 2008

12,000 Miles Pinot Noir 2007     GOLD and Top 100 Wine, Liquorland Top 100 Competition 2008; 
                                                        SILVER Mondial du Pinot Noir, Switzerland; 
                                                        SILVER Air NZ Wine Competition 2008

These results build on the growing reputation of the Gladstone region in the Wairarapa for making world class Pinot Noirs. This is the fourth consecutive vintage that we have been awarded a gold medal for our Pinot Noir.  Each vintage has been quite different, so the consistent recognition for our wine is a credit to both our vineyard and winemaking team.

AND....
Gladstone Rosé                  GOLD Wine for Asia Awards, 2008

INTERNATIONAL ACCOLADES FROM LEADING WINE CRITIC JANCIS ROBINSON FOR OUR WINES

Gladstone Sauvignon 2007 Wairarapa  Drink 2008-09; Particularly firm, dry Sauvignon with far more minerality than most New Zealand Sauvignon. Solid and muscular. 13.5%

Gladstone Vineyard Pinot Noir 2007 Wairarapa  Drink 2008-10; Rich and round and a hint of coffee - good luscious fruit on the mid palate. Gladstone is a very serious producer, clearly.14.5%

Tasting Lea and Sandeman, London October, 2008
 

New Specials

A Summer of Sauvignon!

Now is the time to stock up your cellar with Sauvignon for the summer.  We must be crazy, but you get the benefit.  For every 2 bottles (or cases!) of either the 12,000 Miles Sauvignon 07 or the Gladstone Sauvignon Blanc 07 that you buy, you get the third bottle (or case) for free.

That's it a 3 for 2 deal on Sauvignons!  Check it out on our website, or come and see us soon!  Both great wines for summer drinking.  And the Gladstone Sauvignon is recommended for Xmas dinner. Wonderful with turkey or ham!

New look in the vineyard

We have been working hard on our commitment to the environment recently, with new plantings in the wetlands and a  new compost bin.  In the vineyard we have changed the interrow plantings between the vines.   Now instead of grass between every row, we have varied plantings between every second row.

• What? We have planted chicory, lucerne and clover.
• Why? The chicory has deeper roots, which breaks up the soil and stimulates microbial activity (all good!).  The lucerne and clover are both nitrogen fixates which help the vines to grow.
• Watch out for?  And now we are planting buckwheat in every eighth row.  The flowers of the buckwheat will encourage “friendly” predator insects (native wasps in particular) to destroy some "unfriendly" insects, the leafroller caterpillar which causes botrytis

It's all based on the premise that a Healthy Soil means Healthy Vines means Good Fruit means Great Wines

New website

We are pleased to introduce our new, improved website at www.gladstone.co.nz.  Keep an eye on it for details of new wines, events and what's happening at Gladstone Vineyard.  And we'd love to have your feedback - the good and the bad!

New Mailing List Facilities

As part of the new website, we have a new email facility.  Not only does it look a whole lot smarter (and is easier to write, put in pictures, and more!), but it also gives us much better options for keeping in touch with you all.

We want to make sure you get the information you need from us, but also don't want to send you information you don't need.  We will be working over the coming months, to make sure that is the case. 

We regularly send out news, not just about our wines, special offers and their successes; but also about events and music days at the cafe.  You may want to get all our news, but you may not.  We will be able to send you only what you want.  Bear with us, as we get your preferences on file over the coming weeks so that we can keep in touch with you the way you want!

Thanks and regards