Wild Tomato magazine: From holiday visitors to Flaxmore wine producers
BY LYNDA PAPESCH
For the last few years Patricia (aka P) and Stuart Anderson have been steadily establishing their Flaxmore Vineyards label in Nelson Tasman, bringing to reality a dream that started more than four decades ago.
As a lad, Stuart often visited the region annually on family holidays during the 1970s and 1980s and that’s when he first fell in love with Nelson Tasman. While working in London he also fell in love (and married) P and of course he then introduced her to the region. The rest is history.
Stuart and P spent their working lives mainly in Asia and the Middle East - he as an accountant/banker and P as a chartered surveyor - but decided early on that they also needed a New Zealand base to keep their family grounded. “Nelson was always the obvious place to be,” laughs Stuart.
His interest in wine started at university and blossomed when he became acquainted with Australian wine pioneer David Hohnen, who founded Cape Mentelle at Margaret River and Cloudy Bay in Marlborough.
“More recently wine companies which are very focused with no compromise on quality started me thinking. We’d been travelling back to New Zealand regularly and loved Neudorf wines, and as a banker I liked the idea of becoming involved in an emerging market.”
When the opportunity arose in 2006, they bought a 28ha block on Flaxmore Road in the Moutere and two years later set about planting 9ha in pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot gris.
“The area felt right for us, and it was just down the road from Neudorf Vineyards, who we became growers for,” says Stuart.
The property comprises slopes, gullies, dry boney ridgetops and substantial wetland areas in addition to the vineyard so development during the last decade has included more than 5000 exotic and native tree plantings, often during holiday visits to the region. An early addition was an irrigation pond which is now home to many bird species and waterfowl.
Flaxmore Vineyards’ first harvest was in 2011 for Neudorf and it is now that winery’s largest external grower. In the following years the Andersons relocated to Flaxmore Road permanently and now call Nelson Tasman home. Son Robbie (19) is studying architecture at Auckland University, and daughter Issy (16) is at Nelson College for Girls.
They produced their own label for the first time last year with “a modest 600 cases”, and the same number again this year including pinot noir, pinot gris and rosé. Plans are to add a chardonnay to the 2020 list and also to have their own on-site cellar door. The planning process is already under way to convert an old apple packing shed, with budding architect Robbie taking a hands-on interest.
Fully accredited by Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand, Flaxmore Vineyards’ business ethos is to produce quality wines that offer the consumer a view into the vineyard; wines crafted from hand-picked grapes that are an expression of the special characters created by the vineyard’s combination of clay-gravels and climate.
What they are drinking:
Flaxmore Moutere Pinot Gris 2018
Crisp, off-dry pinot gris with citrus, pineapple, pear and subtle spicy flavours. Impressive purity and an ethereal texture add appeal. Lovely acidity helps promote a drying finish. – Bob Campbell
Flaxmore Moutere Rosé
The distinctive 2018 vintage was made from hand-picked pinot noir, grown in the Moutere hills. Pale pink, it is a fresh and lively, medium-bodied wine, with very satisfying depth of watermelon, peach and spice flavours, dry and lingering. A 'serious' style of rosé, it's looking good for the summer of 2019-20. -Michael Cooper