The 2017/18 growing season was legendary, with the hottest January on record and one of the best flowerings in living memory. Prior to harvest the winemaking team identified clean, bright fruit with lovely varietal characters. Plentiful bunches of evenly ripened grapes were harvested before the spring rain soaked the vines. Fruit was harvested with a range of maturity to contribute a broad flavour spectrum.

Yeasts used are selected to express classic Pinot Gris aromatics and contribute a mealy complexity, which is typical of a Pinot Gris wine. A small amount of skin contact helps to extract flavour and build weight of the wine. Fermentation is stopped when balance is achieved whilst retaining some natural sweetness to balance the classic Marlborough acidity. A mixture of warm ferment temperatures are used to add texture to the wine. Cooler ferments help to retain bright fruit and purity. Following a short time on lees the wine was racked to blend, fined and stabilised before filtration to prepare for bottling.

Located in the wine-rich area of Marlborough in New Zealand, the Ara Estate can be found in the Wairau Valley. The place is blessed with the perfect climate, soil and terroir quality. Therefore, the fruits from where Ara wines are sourced from are full-bodied, aromatic and symbolic of the location’s character. It is these factors that make the Ara Wines one of the respected names in the global wine market today.

The Ara Wine Estate is a part of the association known as Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand. All the processes (right from the time of planting the vines till the time of releasing the wines into the market for sales) are performed in such a way that it doesn’t disturb the environment at all.

A striking feature of the Wairau Valley is its climate. The days are very hot, whereas the nights are very cold. These extreme climatic conditions help in creating the perfect atmosphere for the most famous grape varietal of this region – Sauvignon Blanc. This varietal produced here is more flavourful and intense than those produced in most of the other locations.

Apart from Sauvignon Blanc, some of the other varietals that are grown on the vineyards of Ara are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. The expert winemakers at Ara believes that the basic factors that govern the quality of good wine are rich & flavourful fruits, an excellent blend of ancient and modern winemaking tools and the quality of the soil.

Therefore, the winemakers at Ara make use of time-tested yet sophisticated winemaking techniques to create wines that are characteristic representations of the exotic terroirs of Marlborough. The wines crafted at this winery are classic yet simple, accessible yet elegant and quite suitable with many types of foods. The winemaking process here is carried out in perfect harmony with the natural resources around the place.

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