On the road again

Posted on November 24, 2009 by Jane

Durvillea on tour: Week One, Shanghai

Over the next couple of weeks I will be blogging from afar and today [actually the 19th of November - Meg] I am in Shanghai, China. Simon, Jason, and I arrived a couple of days ago and have been catching up with our distributor William Feng. This is my first time in China and it is fascinating. Firstly Shanghai is a big modern city with amazing buildings. We have had a wander about the city center with William and his friend Queenie as our guides, both William and Queenie were educated in New Zealand.

It has occurred to me that this is the first time I have visited a communist country. Shanghai bears no resemblance to the Pearl Buck books I read as teenager, or more lately Wild Swans. There is no visible sign of Mao or the Cultural Revolution. It is modern, bustling, and downtown surprisingly European. When we went out to look at the wine and spirit expo it was all a bit grey. Shanghai is preparing for a World Expo next year and there is construction happening everywhere.

We did visit a beautiful temple downtown and a beautiful older part of the city, Yu Gardens. The traditional architecture was lovely. The highlight and greatest challenge was food. Each day William and his friends Harry and Queenie took us to a different restaurant. The most different from any experience of Chinese food I had had before was the hotpot restaurant. As we waited for a table we were offered plum juice, a shoe shine or to have our nails done with fantastical nail art. We were entertained by acrobatic noodle making. The noodles were stretched and tossed with twirling movements like the ribbons in rhythmic gymnastics. The men drank whiskey with dinner and I tried warm black soybean milk which I was not fond of. Set into the table were two chafing dishes in which we cooked our food. One was chilli based and the other began with mushrooms. The first addition was chucks of ducks blood which I tried and tasted like pate. Then various meats, greens and seafood were added. The fine little white mushrooms were delicious but I just couldn’t do the pigs brains.

Harry, William’s friend drove us about which was amazing as the traffic is crazy as you can expect in a city of 20 million. I find riding to work in little old Blenheim a challenge but bicycle riding in Shanghai is death defying. However they do have cycle lanes. I think this is fundamental to making cycling safer and a real alternative needed at home. The pollution was bad and this makes me despair for our planet but as I sit on an aircraft flying across the world I am conscious that I should remember the old “people in glass houses” moral.

This is another emerging market for us and our first container has landed. We attended a function at New Zealand Central which is run by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and everyone is very upbeat about the opportunities in China. (Incidentally we had fantastic nibbles whipped up by Martin Bosley who is a great supporter of Astrolabe in Wellington). We felt we were in good hands with William and it was another amazing opportunity to visit another country.

So now I am flying over Russia and we will be in Dublin tonight.

The next contingent leave today. Henry and Meg fly out from Wellington tonight and we will meet them in Dublin tomorrow night. It is so exciting.

- Jane

Food and family

Posted on October 30, 2009 by Jane

Libby, Arabella and Simon survey the tent before the party

Last weekend was a big one for the Waghorn family. Simon turned 50 and we threw him a big party at Astrolabe Farm. Sadly, none of us took many pictures but hopefully some that my aunt Nicki took will surface soon. A great time was had by all – particular highlight for me was watching Dad pogo-ing around the dancefloor to the B52′s later on in the evening…

Having the whole family together (along with lots of extended family and old friends) got us thinking about the next big occasion in the family calendar – Christmas. Every family has their traditional Christmas (or other seasonal holiday) foods and recipes. We’d like to share one of ours, the Christmas Cake. It’s not that original but , as for many other families, the making of the Christmas cake carries with it a lot of meaning and memories.

Ruthie using the Christmas Cake recipe for Jane & Simon's wedding cake

Our recipe comes from our maternal grandmother (Jane’s mother) Ruth Forrest. Our lovely Nana is sadly in a home suffering from severe dementia but we think of her often, particularly in the kitchen as she was a phenomenal cook. This is Nana’s recipe and the copy we have is precious to us, as it is hand written by her. The hard copies of recipes are so evocative, this one has the smears and smudges of a well used recipe as well as the conversions and additions written by my mother, Jane (and a few extras from Dad/Simon). It’s a very visual reminder of my family tree.

This cake has been a Christmas Cake, a wedding cake and a Christening cake in our family. The lucky way to make it is to let everyone stick their hands into it and mix it up a little.

Here’s the recipe:

recipeccrop

Ruth’s Christmas Cake

625gms Butter

250gms Brown sugar

250 gms White sugar

750 gms Flour

12 eggs

Tbsp almond

1 kg Currants

1 kg Sultanas

375 gms Sunmaid raisins

125 gms cherries

60 gms almonds

250gms peel

2 tsp cinnamon

pinch nutmeg

1/2 cup brandy

Pour brandy over fruit – I leave overnight. Better to line tin the day before also (easier next day). Cream butter & sugar, add essence. Add egg yolks & mix well (little flour with eggs [I can't quite read this bit - Meg.] won’t curdle.

Next add flour & fruit [and SPICE! - Simon's note]. Lastly beaten egg whites.

Cook six hours in lined tin, light cardboard base – newspaper folded about 3 thick then grease proof. Paper above tin about 2 inches – I put piece of cardboard over cake [can't read here! - Meg] about an hour, won’t burn but smells like it will. [Some hard to read instructions about lining tin]. Bake 300 for 1 hour then 250 – cook 6 hours – place middle – tray underneath.

Use 1/2 recipe will be big enough. 1/2 cooking time – don’t panic if getting too brown – turn to 200. Don’t open oven too much.

Leave in tin until cold, then remove.

Good luck.

- Ruth (& Meg)

Meg, Libby and Bella making the Christmas Cake

South of the border…

Posted on October 27, 2009 by Jane

Sunday 11th October

I am writing this blog beside the pool over looking Acapulco Bay. It is a long way physically and philosophically from Astrolabe Farm. However it is very impressive and I feel a little like Alice in Wonderland.

Simon, Murray & Yolanda eating Tacos

We have flown to Mexico to meet our importers Murray Bindon and his beautiful wife Yolanda Estrada.

So we are here on big sister (Astrolabe) business and on Tuesday we begin the meet and greet before a function on Wednesday. However Murray is showing some interest in Durvillea as well. Mexico is a relatively new market for us and this is our first trip. It is a wonderful chance to promote the wine, gain some understanding of the market here and strengthen relationships . However right now we are staying at Yolanda and Murray’s apartment here on the beach. Perfecto.

This is another aspect of the wine business. We get to travel. I never take this for granted and I am always grateful for the opportunity to see countries and places. When we travel we have the advantage of being with locals and learning a little about the culture and life. So this morning we mounted an expedition to Walmart!

Friday 16th October

It has been a busy week. After our relaxing start at the beach we drove back to Mexico City fully recovered from jetlag and and opportunity to see a little of the countryside. We met with Yves and Pierre from Cavas de Francia who distribute the wine. Astrolabe samples had been released but the first shipment was held up in customs. Fingers crossed it will be released soon. That evening Simon presented the wines to an impressive group of about 80. Yves translated as our Spanish is non existent.

The next day we lead a tutored tasting at Citimarket which is an upmarket supermarket. Simon had had an interview with the Food and Wine editor of La Reforma the local paper earlier in the day. Today he had another interview with a columnist from the same paper.

Tomorrow we head home. Mexico has been a fantastic place to visit and I hope the wines do well here. Looking forward to getting home and seeing how the chooks, cat, garden and everyone are. Big week next week as Libby turns 22 and Simon 50!!!!!!!!

- Jane

aaaaaaaaargh…..A green tale

Posted on October 5, 2009 by Jane

There are several strands to the Durvillea story. So far you have met some of the people involved, the women of our family. From me you have heard a little about our life at Astrolabe and it is from here that the green strand evolves. Another aspect is that we are real people with a real story to tell. Durvillea is not brand that will disappear as the sauvalanche of 08 ebbs away.

It isn’t easy being green of any shade. So what shade is Durvillea? Well I’m not sure. I suppose it depends how you measure it. Claiming to be environmentally friendly is a dangerous game. How do you measure it? Do you need to pay up to be certified as carbon neutral , how do measure that carbon footprint? So what words do you use to describe a way of living.

For me this is part of my everyday life. So this is what do we do.

Jane's bike at Astrolabe Farm beside her Olive Oil and recycling baskets. How green is that?!

I recycle.I take my own bags shoping. I grow vegetables and keep chickens, produce our own wine and olive oil. I buy freerange pork and chicken. I ride my bike to work when I can. I always hang my washing outside or on the verandah. I don’t spray the roses or the olives. We mulch all the pruning’s from the property. We drive small cars. We have extensive gardens and trees. We are planting an area of the vineyard as a firewood coppice. The idea is that the carbon absorbed from the atmosphere as the tree grows balances the carbon released during combustion.

Alder trees for coppicing firewood

Sounds good, maybe apple green.

But…..

I use roundup to control weeds, I buy coffee from overseas, I fly overseas to sell wine and sometimes just for pleasure, the mulcher runs off a diesel tractor, I still buy commercial cleaning products. Okay pale apple green.

So that is how we live but what about the wine. Well, we have a vineyard and we are part of the sustainable vineyard programme as are all the vineyards we source fruit from. They are all certified or working towards it. There is one who isn’t, they are heading the biodynamic way. That makes them bright green and rapidly getting darker.

So when we began Durvillea I wanted to think about how we could make the product itself more environmentally sensitive, aware, lessen the footprint,be more sustainable. The easiest way I thought was to use a lighter weight bottle. Now traditionally the weight of the bottle is equated with quality of the wine. I don’t get it. I don’t really care how big the punt is. However the problem with using a light weight bottle means they are not as strong and when stacked in pallets this can be a problem. In our first run we had a few problems. However aside from the energy used to produce glass it means we can put more bottles in a container which means less carbon footprint. Hooray- a measurable thing.

Durvillea Cartons

Then we decided to use cardboard cartons without overgloss and a limited amount of inks. However when they get wet they get soggy. Then we used a label made from recycled materials but when the wine was put in an icebucket the labels scuffed. We have had to revert to a normal label until we can source a more suitable recycled paper. We have continued with the carton and a light weight bottle. We are trying. It’s not easy being green.

So what colour green am I? I haven’t done the sums, I am sensitive, aware, and my footprint is pretty average. I think sustainable is the word I would use. I think that makes me seaweed green.

PS. Meg is going to teach me to make cleaning products when she comes home next.

Jane's hedge

PPS. I’ve been trimming the hedges at Astrolabe Farm, and this is what I’m aiming for…..

Hedge friends (Edendale, Southland)

Down on the Farm – Cautionary Tales of Chicken Keeping (Part Two)

Posted on September 7, 2009 by Durvillea

The Famous Five

Janeolives

PART ONE HERE

Sunday 30th August – It is pouring with rain here and I have just been down to visit the chickens. Wet chickens look very dismal. They were hoping I would open the gate. So now they are huddled in the coop looking very disappointed with life.

After my saga with Hillary and Roger I was a little shattered and the flock was depleted to 2 remaining hens, Winnie and Dot. However Barb Sutton came to the rescue.

Now Barb is really a legend in her own time. Barb is proprietor of Birchmore Farm at Blind River and is the purveyor of a variety of farm produced goods at the local farmer’s market. After asking her where she bought her chickens from she turned up with 3 lovely ladies in cardboard boxes. Bess, black, beautiful and the leader of the pack. She was named after the black haired daughter in the poem “The Highwayman”. May, (Mayflower) the barred Plymouth Rock and Hettie, small, red and by far the smartest of all the hens. However as the mother of 3 redheads I firmly believe that this is not a coincidence.

chickengroup

So the girls established themselves and I decided that there was room for more. Egg megalomania. I wanted more. Also for some extraordinary reason I love chickens. So I bought 2 baby wyandottes, Mihipeka and Fran, and a very beautiful little black silkie. Now silkie’s have a ridiculous topnot that looks very much like a Russian ladies fur hat, think Dr Zhivago. I was tempted to call her Anna from Anna Karenina but Antionette she became. She was very sweet but definitely the odd one out. I was concerned about how she would fit in with the others who are all large bodied hens. Hens are not into individuality. Obviously this concerned her too as she drowned herself in the pond. I suspect she dipped her head in and the weight of the water in that fabulous topknot was her undoing. I was devastated and feeling that the trials of chicken keeping were just too much much. However the needs of the survivors meant I had to keep going.

Chickenonsink

I kept Fran and Mihipeka separate for 2 months and integrated them slowly with the others. Carefully lifting them as they roosted into the hen house. The pecking order establishment thing is an unpleasant process.

Daily I let the hens out to free range and one day I came home to find May ripped to bits in the olive grove. She had been killed by a dog and while I don’t have an eye witness account I suspect “Basil” a Jack Russell who sometimes roams to our vineyard. I am not fond of dogs especially small chicken killing dogs.

egg

So now I am down to my fabulous five. Egg production is up. They spend more time penned to protect them but it is roomy. I plan to add some girls soon.

Sunday 6th September: I began this post a week ago and the weather this weekend was fantastic. I have spent the weekend in the garden. Today I picked 2 spears of asparagus the perfect accompaniment to a poached egg. Winter has passed, spring is here and life is good down on the farm.

- Jane.

Down on the farm – Cautionary tales of chicken keeping (Part One)

Posted on August 24, 2009 by Durvillea

Roger We are just back back from a week in the North Island doing sales work. We began with a dinner for Astrolabe at Soto, a day in the trade, then down to Hamilton for a dinner at Domaine and more calls. I did my first Durvillea tasting at Te Rapa New World while Simon tasted Astrolabe at The Hamilton Wine Company. The fantastic thing about this industry is following the wine through from growing to serving it to customers. We finished off with a tasting at the Merchant of Taupo.

So home and one of my first jobs was to check on the chickens. They are starting to lay again and my two young ones for the first time. Now, I currently have 5 chickens. Three are Wyandottes, one red, one black. Beautiful but not the best layers.

Cautionary tale No1: if you want a reliable supply get Brown Shavers.

My chicken keeping began in an impetuous way. I was at dinner with friends when one, Lorraine, asked if anyone wanted a rooster. She had one that was being picked on and was in emergency housing until a new home could be found. I said I would have him. So Roger arrived to live in the dog run.

I loved Roger. He was beautiful and benign. At least I thought so.

Cautionary Tale No2: don’t judge a rooster by his tail feathers.

Roger in the olive grove

Next, Pete, an old chap at the gym, offered me some girlfriends for Roger and so I inherited 3 beautiful but aging golden laced wyandottes, Winnie, Dot and Hillary. Unfortunately Roger just couldn’t cope and began to attack Hillary. He become, I am sorry to relate, a sexual maniac. He attacked Hillary so badly she was almost dead. The chicken house looked like a scene from a horror movie . So it was obvious that poor old Hiliary needed to be put out of her misery. So I took the axe shaking, but just as I raised the axe, telling myself I had to do it, my sister grabbed the axe and did it for me. You see I had just had my hip replaced and in those early days there is a chance that you could dislocate with bending. I don’t think swinging an axe is recommended.

Winnie, Dot and Hillary

Cautionary tale No 3: It’s not all eggs, and fluffy chicks keeping chickens. You need someone who will dispatch the chickens (ie. a chicken executioner).

So now Roger was back in the dog kennel in isolation and despite my best efforts at rehabilitation he continued unrepentant to attack the remaining girls. So with the help of Sophie a contract was placed on his head and a young man from another winery did the deed.

Cautionary tale No4: stay on the right side of Sophie

: Roger and the girls

That’s all for part one, sorry it’s been a bit grim! I’ll be back soon with part two and more tales of life, death, and free-ranging.

- Jane.

Down on the farm (Astrolabe Farm that is)

Posted on August 16, 2009 by Durvillea

Blossom and olives by Nicola McLernon

Now, Meg normally writes these blogs but in attempt to let her focus on her Masters I have been given Monday mornings to fill you in on what is happening here on Astrolabe Farm. Astrolabe Farm is our home, vineyard, olive grove and gardens. It is the home to Astrolabe and Durvillea as well. Most of all it is where we live and it my responsibility to look after the property.

I don’t do this alone. Nick Taylor looks after the vineyard and olive grove and helps me with the big work in the garden. I love working on this property and the plan is that I should spend about half my week here. However this in not a 9-5 lifestyle. Work is dictated by the season. Right now Nick has finished pruning and there is vineyard maintenance to do and then olive pruning. The vineyard is about 4ha and we have three varieties: riesling, chardonnay and pinot noir. You can try them in Astrolabe’s Grovetown Riesling and Noble Riesling , Chardonnay and a small portion of the Pinot Noir.

Spring has come to the garden. The rhododendrons, camellias and daffodils are out. The plums are in full blossom and apricots just about out.I have bought the seed potatoes and laid them for sprouting. I need about a week in the garden to prevent the weeds getting away and seeds in. No luck this weekend as it is wet. However, this also has to happen around sales trips at this time of year, and the everyday office work.

Pruned Olive trees - photo Nicola McLernon

This morning I was packing to go to Auckland and I heard a an unusual bird call outside. The tui are back as the kowhai is flowering. Marlborough has few native birds in the valley and it is encouraging to have this pair living here. We have a pond on the farm which has been re-established with native plantings. Together with the large number of trees in the gardens and around the house this means that we are hopeful that tui will remain resident. Over winter we have had a white heron which often could often be seen on the pond.

In fact birds feature quite strongly here. Last autumn a pair of ornamental pheasants turned up. The male was ridiculously showy and has not been seen for some time. I suspect he had his comeuppance for being so flambouyant as I found tail feathers on the driveway. However Widow Pheasant is still to be seen pottering about in her suitably subdued colours. The hawks patrol the vineyard and olive grove daily and of there is a resident colony of Californian Quail in the hedgerows.

Planting garlic

However, most dear to my heart are my chickens but they are really a story in themselves. So welcome to Astrolabe Farm and next week it’s time for my Chicken Tales (a saga of feathers and fertility) ……..

- Jane

Who’s that girl? Introducing Jane!

Posted on August 13, 2009 by Durvillea

Jane

The second ‘Who’s that girl?’ interview in an occasional series – questions and write up from Meg.

Jane Forrest really is the person at the heart of the Durvillea story. She is wife to Simon Waghorn (winemaker) and mother to Arabella, Libby and Meg. Jane is also a director of Astrolabe Wines and a multi-tasking machine who works in the office, out on sales trips, and among the vines, garden and olive grove at Astrolabe Farm.

What is your role at Durvillea?: I am responsible for leading the brand into the marketplace. That means I am involved in decisions right through from production to sales. However it is not me alone; the unique thing is way my daughters Meg, Libby and Arabella and my niece Sophie are also involved. This is a blend of family and business. Durvillea works from within Astrolabe, we refer to it as Astrolabe’s little sister. The relationship is strong but the brands are separate.

How did you come to be involved in the wine industry?: I married in! Simon Waghorn, our wine maker, and I met at university. We have been together for almost thirty years. As Astrolabe grew I became more involved on a daily basis and for the last four years I have worked in the office, with marketing, entertaining guests and clients and just about anything else that needs doing. We are a small team. For the last four years we have lived at Astrolabe Farm which means that I am also involved in grape growing. Durvillea has given me the opportunity to step forward and lead my own project. It is very exciting.

What’s the best part of the industry?: I think the spirit of hospitality that underlies why we make and sell wine. It is a great thing to share and enjoy food and wine . It is something that is intrinsic to the way I grew up and they way we live. It also brings you in contact with lots of interesting and wonderful people.

What about the worst part?: When my children were small it was the long hours of vintage. Now, for me it is the double edged sword of family and business being so closely linked that it’s hard not be thinking and talking about work all the time.

What are some other jobs you’ve had?: I was a librarian and most recently the Children’s Librarian at the Marlborough District Library. I studied librarianship while Simon was at Roseworthy [Roseworthy Agricultural College in South Australia – where Simon studied oenology. Meg]. I am also a qualified teacher and loved being a new entrant teacher. I have also taught ante-natal classes and worked for Family Planning as an educator.

Where’s the best place your work has taken you?: The Marsh’s Library in Dublin. Dublin is our largest export market. The Marsh Library is in the close of St Patrick’s Cathedral is a hidden gem. Closely followed by the New York Public Library!

What do you like about living in Marlborough?: The wonderful light.

Where would you take a visitor to Marlborough?: A picnic in the olive grove here at Astrolabe Farm is always good. Mind you a tour around the coloured fountain in Seymour Square is also a family favourite. More seriously, if we are taking people out for dinner we usually go to Hotel D’Urville. However for more casual family dinners we often go to Dodson’s for pizza.

Nick (vineyard manager) & Jane

What’s your favourite wine varietal?: It depends on the weather. I am a seasonal creature. Give me Pinot or Chardonnay with fires and casseroles but now there is a hint of spring in the air I am looking forward to the asparagus coming up in my garden. In anticipation I am drinking Sauvignon Blanc.

What has been your favourite thing so far about your involvement with Durvillea?: Working with my girls.

Who would you recommend Durvillea to?: Everyone. I picture Durvillea as wine at a price point that makes it accessible to share with friends. A bottle to put in the supermarket trolley when you are shopping for dinner.

If you were to describe the Durvillea Sauvignon Blanc in one sentence what would you say?: Great value, over-delivering on quality, with a fabulous label.

Winter gardening at Astrolabe Farm

Posted on July 29, 2009 by Durvillea

Here are a few pictures of us out and about on a frosty winter’s day.

Harvest ’09

Posted on June 30, 2009 by Durvillea

Claire & Arabella

Looking back towards our house from the vineyard

Here are a few pics from this year’s vintage. Picking the Pinot Noir at Astrolabe Farm this day were Jane, Bella & Meg. We also had much appreciated help from our cousin Claire and her partner David.

It was a great Marlborough day that day. We really do get great weather! We were handpicking obviously and because we are all somewhat ‘vertically challenged’ we didn’t bother taking the nets off – we just picked underneath.

Handpicking grapes is pretty social & pleasant work. The grapes are at a nice height and you aren’t carrying anything much around with you.

Just after these were taken we went inside for a delicious lunch of pinwheel scones made by Arabella & picked some walnuts & pears for Claire and David to take back to Christchurch with them.