The Chapman family have made their Terrace Edge North Canterbury wine label one of the most consistent and high quality of the region. Planting vines and olives after purchasing their property in Georges Road in 1999, they supplied contact fruit for several high profile producers but released their own label with the 2005 vintage. The vineyard is planted to the district’s successful varieties of Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and Syrah, of which their bottlings are first-class. To increase diversity, they also have Albarino, Viognier and St Laurent, which are proving to be extremely promising, based on initial harvests.
Bruce and Jill Chapman’s son Pete tends to the viticulture and is extremely meticulous, and the quality of the fruit from the BioGro certified organic vineyard is arguably the primary reason for the excellence of the wines. The other factor is the sensitive winemaking by Gavin Tait and his colleagues at the Muddy Water facility, who the Chapmans have a very close relationship with. Here, I review the new release 2018 Rosé made from Syrah, finally in sufficient to commercialise beyond the cellar door, and the immensely popular ‘Liquid Geography’ medium Riesling. www.terraceedge.co.nz
