Olssens - The Vineyard

Olssens - wine in central otago new zealand

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The Vineyard
Established in 1989, Olssens is the pioneer vineyard of Bannockburn and the Cromwell Basin. Founders John Olssen and Heather McPherson engaged a landscape architect to work with the viticultural specialists to plan the vineyard. It is a stunning achievement.

Planning was followed by earthworks and the establishment of some 8,500 trees and shrubs and 6,000 bulbs. Spring in the vineyard is a sight to behold, but Autumn too has its own magic, offering to envelop visitors in a shimmering blaze of russet and gold colour.

· Pinot Noir - clones 10/2, 10/5, 5, 115, 777 & Abel - 5.4ha
· Pinot Gris - clones Berry Smith and B52 - 0.8ha
· Chardonnay - clones mendoza and UDC6 - 0.7ha
· Riesling - clones GM110 and GM198 - 1.0ha
· Sauvignon Blanc - 0.7ha
· Gewerztraminer - 0.3ha
· Pinotage, Cabernet Sauvignon & Shiraz - 0.3ha

Olssens Vineyard Map, Bannockburn, Central Otago

The Winery
Olssen's established their own winery for the 2001 vintage, crushing some 75 tonnes of their own fruit and making wine for a small number of other producers.

The winery capacity following some significant upgrading in 2009 is some now some 400 tonnes. The barrel room and the finished wine store are fully temperature controlled, as are all the fermenters and tanks within the winery.

Oak used is sourced exclusively from France with the exception of a few American barrels for maturation of the Robert the Bruce (Pinotage/Cabernet/Shiraz) blend.

Production of Olssens wines is some 4,500 cases per annum.

Climate
The Central Otago climate is as "continental" as one can get in New Zealand. Bannockburn is tucked into the foothills of the Carrick Range, which sits in the rainshadow of the Alps.

Annual rainfall is some 320 mm and in very hot years January temperatures can reach the low to mid 40's Celsius. It is hot and dry, but the diurnal (day/night) range can be great, which is excellent for the development of flavours in the ripening grapes.

In winter it can also be cold. Frosts are the norm and they can get well below minus 10 degrees, the ponds will often have several centimetres of ice on them through mid winter and occasionally several centimetres of snow will lie on the vineyard, which all goes to help clean up the environment.

Wine Orders
In New Zealand, wine can be ordered by phone, fax, email, or simply click HERE to place a secure order online now.