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Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and all the other Pinots!

Followers will have read in some my old blogs that Pinot Noir is a grape that can mutate quickly to Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc or Pinot Meunier. In each variety there are also lots of different clones....

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Lab Work

I sometimes think a lot of folk get the impression that wine is all about growing the grapes in the vineyard and then converting them to wine in the winery. That is true to a large extent, as is the...

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New Beginnings!

What's new at Murdoch James Estate then?Well, those that follow my blog will know, we are fully committed to sustainable practices, and to us that means more than just monoculture and industrial scale...

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Not all just hard work!

A few months ago, Nicola asked me if I would help Lynn (who runs our cellar door facility at the vineyard), with a Women's Expo in Palmerston North. What a chore I thought. Until I got there. I was one...

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'Moby Dick'

At Murdoch James Estate, we have one of the oldest if not the oldest, balloon presses in New Zealand. It is a Wilmes, made in Germany, and dates from the late 1950's we believe. This is not one of your...

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Amazing happenings at Murdoch James Estate

There are exciting times ahead at Murdoch James Estate. New stairway down cliff under constructionWe have recently purchased an adjoinging vineyard which now takes us up to 38 hectares of planted...

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They tell me it will look good when finished!

New Grand Entrance (to be) Many of you have asked for more information on what we are doing with building extensions and landscaping.There are quite a few things under way. The tasting room is being...

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Article 17

Last Sunday, 20th of November celebrated 20 years of Toast Martinborough.It was a beautiful day with over 11,500 people sharing good food, wine and music with the region's wineries.A wonderful day was...

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Industry Blues not for Murdoch James

In the past 2 years, the New Zealand wine industry took a hammering from low priced competition, high exchange rates, the global financial crisis, over-production, high gearing, and banks not making...

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Article 15

Is it really two months since my last post?!New winery under constructionThe new winery is now making great progress, the landscaping is almost all complete, and the grapes are ripening - slowly in...

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MJE Video on You Tube

We have just reached the end of vintage and have celebrated that milestone by twisting winemaker Carl's arm to make this video - enjoy!

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Project Update

Well, vintage 2012 is over. A smaller harvest than anticipated, but nice quality fruit to work with. We are pleased to have made some very good wines, and having the nice new winery to work in really...

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Excise: And you thought I was exaggerating

Last week I posted a blog on my favourite hate: Excise. You may have thought I was overstating the cost to the industry?Well consider this: Over $2.00/bottle of wine sold in New Zealand goes to the...

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Not all beer & skittles

One of the great pleasures of making and selling wine is meeting your importers and agents all around the world.This week I am in Hong Kong promoting our wines with our importers there (Nathan Fine...

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View from the 101st Floor!

I received a lot of e-mails about my last post, mainly around how high is 101 stories in a skyscraper? Well it is approx 1/2 a kilometer tall (500meters). And what does that feel like? Well the best...

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Tough Vintage for 2012

I am currently travelling in Queensland, Australia, working with our major client's key stores; Vintage Cellars and First Choice. These are both top wine chains in the Australian market, with...

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2013 Vintage Looking Good

Pinot Gris, 26 Nov. 2012.I went out today to take the attached photos of Pinot Gris and could not help feeling we may be in for one of the really good vintages in 2013.I know it is not a good thing to...

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Pinot Gris at Murdoch James

Same Pinot Gris Vine after just 20 days!Just to show how fast they grow, here is a picture of the same vine that was in my post of 20 November; just a touch over 2 weeks ago. Check out just how much...

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Sheep versus Machines - Who Wins?

In past vintages we have always used machines or people to do our leaf plucking. The plucking is intended to remove leaf material from around the bunches so that sunlight can penetrate through to the...

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No need to take your wine on holiday now!

In the past if you went on holiday to Fiji, you had to take your Murdoch James Estate wines with you. I remember a holiday in Rakiraki where I took 2 cases to see me through (don't ask how long 2...

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Boutique vineyards excluded from Air New Zealand in-flight and airport lounge...

Air New Zealand (R)In a letter dated 20 May 2015, Air New Zealand announced sweeping changes to their wine selection process. Historically the airline has invited all New Zealand vineyards to submit...

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Bargain Pinot Noir?

Birth of a Wine Blogger has been in hibernation for a while, a bit like our dormant vines. Recently I was woken from my slumber by a colleague in the industry sending me a link to a Facebook post he...

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Article 2

This is the little rascal

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Article 1

I always get asked, "What's news" at Murdoch James?Well, there is certainly some fantastic news to share today.In an exciting development that reinforces Martinborough’s prominent position as New...

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Article 0

In an earlier blog, I promised if I been unfairly critical of the "Premium" Selection Pinot Noir, made from French and Kiwi wine, that I wrote about, I correct any misunderstandings.Well I don't  need...

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