TipinuiThe Donaldson Family traces its Kiwi roots back about 1000 years.  In keeping with this we have chosen to honour this special New Zealand wine with an ancestral name.

Coolish weather over the flowering period of the vines impaired pollination, which reduced the size of the overall crop.  The rest of that season, however, was excellent.  The hand harvested fruit was beautifully ripe and in optimal condition when picked.  The fruit came from gentle north facing clay slopes in Marlborough’s Brancott Valley.
 

On arrival at the winery the fruit was further manually sorted and anything that was less than perfect was rejected.  After removing the stems the berries were put into small vats and kept cool for 4 or 5 days to aid the extraction of soft, silky tannins which are found in the skins.  The vats were then allowed to gradually warm and the grapes underwent primary fermentation by their own indigenous yeasts.  Throughout the fermentation period the floating cap of skins was gently submerged twice daily to keep it moist and healthy.  After the fermentation phase the grape remnants were kept in contact with the wine for a period to help it develop structure and body.  The exact duration of this was determined by daily tasting.  The wine was then drained off and put into oak barriques.  Over the years we have selected a few artisan Burgundian coopers whose barrels seem to especially suit our wine and we used these exclusively.

When the weather warmed in the summer following harvest the wine in these barrels underwent natural secondary or “malo-lactic” fermentation.  It remained in these for a total of 18 months.  The best barrels were then selected and carefully blended by taste to produce this wine.

The wine has a vibrant carmine colour.  It is bursting with fruity impressions suggestive of raspberry, blackberry, black cherries and mulberries.  There are also savoury hints of barbequed meats, mushrooms, black olives and liquorice.  It initially seems soft and gentle on the mouth, but slowly expands to become rich and powerful with a long, lingering after-taste.  Although its ripe tannins give it concentration and power, they are velvety and elegant.

Wine is a natural health food