Kindeli "Naranja" Upper Moutere, New Zealand 2023

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THE WINE: Gewurtztraminer and Pinot Gris, cofermented, on the skins for just a day. Aged in amphora and puncheon.

THE PRODUCER: Kindeli Wines are made in Upper Moutere, on the north west of the South Island of New Zealand. There, Alex Craighead has created a small cellar where he crafts zero additive wines from 10 different varieties. Alex currently farms 11 hectares of grapes across 4 vineyards (a combination of owned and leased), with soil types ranging from clay, to gravel and silt.

Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Syrah are planted on Moutere Series Clay, tended to with organic farming techniques. Sulphur, seaweed, compost, bat guano, and copper are used when only extremely necessary to maintain the health of the plants.

Each spring before the veraison - the ripening of the grapes - a flock of sheep are invited to naturally mow the grass and eat the leaves surrounding the young grape clusters, to increase airflow and reduce chances of rot. It also brings natural fertilisers to the vines, alongside a small herd of cows managed by Alex and his parents.

Sensitive to all forms of wine flaws, Alex has developed many preventative measures to avoid brettanomyces, mouse taint, ethyl-acetate, volatile-acidity, volatile sulphur compounds, and so forth. He creates his own starter culture by crushing grapes and letting them naturally ferment, adding gradually to the must. He uses stainless steel, neutral oak, polyethelene vats and amphora, employing methods such as on skin fermentation, direct pressing and carbonic maceration.