Happy Monday!!! (2-11-08)

Early Monday morning we were in Marlborough and had the opportunity to meet with Andrew Naylor who works for Montana Wineries (owned by Pernod Ricard, an international drink company). He met us at an overlook of one of their vineyards, Brancott Vineyards, which was an amazing site (Brancott is Montana’s wine brand in the US) . The Marlborough region kicked off its vineyard production in 1972-73, so it’s still a relatively young area for grapes. Andrew joined the company in 1995 and it doubled in size in the next 5 years. So the grape boom is relatively recent. Montana owns 1800 hectares of corporate fruit and 1500 hectares of contracted fruit in the Marlborough region (which is about 4000 acres total). They grow about 65-70% Sauvignon Blanc - Pinot, Chardonnay and Riesling make up the rest. We discussed land cost, labor and government programs and the associated cost of compliance. In USD it would be about $50,000/acre for raw land, $12,000-15,000/acre to establish vineyards (this does not include cost of frost protection/wind machines). Operating cost is around $3000/acre, 80% of which is tied to labor. They need about 500 people to complete the different tasks throughout the year but employee turnover is so bad that they end up hiring 800-900 different workers. Currently about 70% of their labor comes from NZ (the other 30% is mostly Europeans, Czechs and Yugoslavians). However the NZ government established a program relatively recently called Recognized Seasonal Employee (RSE) where they are encouraging all off-shore labor to come from the Pacific Islands. This is the first farm we heard about this program, but we have heard several growers mention it since. So it seems cost of compliance is going to be somewhat of an issue. They will have to pay for transport and housing as well as provide pastoral care. Andrew is a very busy man and I think we were fortunate to steal an hour or so of his time.

Later that morning we visited with Sue at Prenzel’s Distillery where we learned the history of their company and took part in some tastings. It is the largest distillery in NZ and they have nine storefronts across the country (3 run by them and 6 franchised stores as well). They currently have the #1 gin in the world, but they also carry additional value-added products including oils/vinegarettes, ice cream toppings and flavored salts that have done very well for them. One of the most interesting products was a honey liqueur, often used in tandem with hot tea when feeling under the weather. I definitely went ahead and purchased some of that. I imagine it will be my favorite new remedy.

Before heading to Motueka we stopped by Hawkesbury Road, which is clothing company with a heavy focus on Merino wool. Paula (Polly), the owner, shared the history of her family and background. She and her three sisters grew up in the NZ high country and her family farmed sheep. She actually thought that she would spend her life up there, but after her parents sent her to university she developed a passion for quality merino wool clothing. It was interesting to hear her success story and see how she was able to maintain her ties to the agriculture component. The words of advice she had for us was to maintain high quality and keep it simple – keep it smart. Don’t try to get bigger than you are – quality, quality, quality…

After we left some American dollars behind at Hawkesbury Road we headed on to Motueka. Here we prepared a pasta/sausage dinner complete with a brownie dessert and NZ favorite, hokey pokey ice cream. It was delicious and appreciated by all. We were soon all in bed to rest up for another full day of activity.

Jen Snavely

Sidney Kuhn reporting from NZ...

Saturday, February 9, 2008

Christchurch to Waipara Valley

After a filling lunch at Graham and Sue’s, the group headed north to the Waipara Valley and wine country. Our first stop: Sherwood Estate Winery, owned and operated by Dayne Sherwood and his family for 25 years. The winery has 120 acres of vineyards in the Waipara Valley and 100 acres of vineyards in the Marlborough region. The grapes are grown on a standard NZ block trellis, mainly Pinot Noir and Riesling with some Sauvignon Blanc. 90% of the 50,000 to 60,000 cases of wine produced a year (and bottled on site) are exported to 24 countries, namely the US United Kingdom, and Australia. The group was impressed by the winery’s commitment to sustainability, including using biological controls, composting the grape skins for fertilizer, recycling the greywater from wine production to water gardens, with future plans to collect rainwater from the winery’s roof. Thanks to Dayne for the delectable wine tasting and taking the time for visiting with our group on your day off!

http://www.sherwood.co.nz/

Waipara Valley to Kaikoura

After leaving the Waipara Valley, we headed north through the hills and hairpin turns in a van with a trailer hitched, going around hair-pin turns (Keepin’ it real!) to Kaikoura. As we descended the last hill we broke through a fog to catch our first view of the Pacific Ocean coast. White foamy waves rose up to bash against the jagged rock formations that looked like so many beached whales along the coast. The largest strings of kelp I have ever seen beat their yellow-green tentacles against the rocks. On to our first overnight stay in a Holiday Park in Kaikoura, and a fish and chips dinner (a true Kiwi meal). And finally, the slumber that we had all kept at bay throughout the afternoon and evening overcame us.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Kaikoura

Up early for our “Dolphin Encounter”. Headed out about 20 minutes from shore in a small boat clad in our wetsuits, flippers and snorkels and jumped into a thrilling adventure swimming with Dusky Dolphins. After becoming accustomed to the snorkel (many of us were first-timers), we sang to and swam circles with our new gray flippered friends. Wenk had the ultimate experience when he caught a glimpse of some “belly on belly” action! Only a few casualties were conquered by the sea sickness. After enjoying a photo shoot of a hundred or so dolphins, who demonstrated their characteristic somersault tricks, we headed back to shore. A quick picnic lunch reenergized the group. We also had a laugh at the expense of one strange blue-headed seagull who was ostracized by his peers.

Kaikoura to Blenheim

Heading north from Kaikoura we made a side trip to Lavendyl Farm, a vineyard and lavender farm operation. We enjoyed learning about the different types of lavender, how owner Mike Morris retrofitted a Japanese tea picker to help mechanize the lavender harvest, and the process of distilling the lavender into oil and water.

Other side trips included a hike to a stunning waterfall against a moss-covered cliff surrounded by giant tree ferns and watching baby fur seals frolic among the rocks and tidal pools. After a fabulous dinner (including stunning Chris Reid specialty salads) and equally fabulous conversation, we prepared for the adventures awaiting our next day in New Zealand.

We Made It!!!! (most of us) (just kidding)

The group is in a place near Christchurch on the South Island of New Zealand in the beautiful country residence of Graham and Sue Williams, the gracious hosts of today's YGA lunch and the former host 'mum' and 'ded' for Matt and Mary's life here a few years ago. We are all a bit tired and trying to take in a lot of things at once but first impressions are favorable - high 60s with a warm, gentle breeze - Beautiful flowers, friendly people, mountains, fields, rivers. I'll leave the rest of the description to my more poetic co-blogger Caitlin.

btw: the current time here is ~ 11:45 am on Feb. 9. I'll leave it up to you to figure out the time difference because I'm too exhausted.

The day after our first and only night in San Francisco we had breakfast and headed out across the Golden Gate Bridge towards Muir Woods National Forest which is maybe the best place to get acquianted with the california redwood and sequoia trees. it was more chilly than most people expected and there wasn't a lot of sunlight coming down through the 100 ft. canopy. But we were too distracted by the natural beauty to notice. Truly an experience beyond words. Just picture a tree that could be surrounded by no fewer than a dozen people arm to arm!





In the afternoon we drove to Sausalito and had a picnic lunch down on the bay amidst a panaromic view of the Golden Gate as well as all of San Fran and Berkeley and Oakland in the distance. The Bay area is really unique among Urban areas in the U.S. in that it is very hilly and has plainview of other metropolitan areas from almost any point therein. It has a very mediterranean feel and seems to be the only place in the U.S. where you are going to find a really good vegetarian sandwich with avocadoes and sprouts and fresh lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, cheese. Anyway, Sausalito is as idyllic a place to live as I can imagine and we had some good entertainment flipping through some local real estate magazines on the way back to the car.

From there it was back to the hotel and on to the airport for a pleasant 12+ hour jaunt on an over-booked 777. In the words of Mary's Mom, "We survived." And caught our connecting flight from Auckland to Christchurch just as the sun rose (on what some suspect to have been the "wrong horizon"), tea was served, and the impressive grid of the North Island stretched out from the mountains to the water.

Hours later, we're safe and sound and enjoying enormous hospitality, so I'm going to grab my first non-airline food in days. Later today we'll take a winery tour and tomorrow morning we swim with the dolphins.

Virgin America to San Francisco

All went well with the flight. Virgin America provided many features not common to most planes. First, everyone had a personal 9-inch screen on the seat in front of him or her. This screen was each person’s portal for personalized entertainment for the 6-hour flight. A unique feature was the option to chat seat to seat (something similar to instant messaging). Our youngest traveler (Chesley) was a dream and took to flying very well. Some of the growers even were able to catch up with some of their market customers in Dulles and on the plane. This just proves how small the world really is. We arrived in San Francisco at 11:00am local time (2:00pm EST) ready for new surroundings and the chance to explore.

After a quick stop to the hotel we rounded up our three Ford Tauruses and headed to Darby Dan Sandwich Co., thanks to a fantastic recommendation from our Hilton Homewood Suites Hotel. Then we were off to Fisherman’s Wharf. With beautiful weather and no fog, we were able to take wonderful pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. To those of us who have never been here before it was amazing to see the famous San Francisco hills and the trolley cars.

Today was a great start to what is definitely going to be an incredible trip. We are all looking forward to visiting the redwoods and moving on to New Zealand tomorrow evening.

The Infamous Alcatraz


The Local Residents



Trolley Car Town


Classic Frisco


*This is the first of many posts written by YGA Down Under tour members. Tonight, Lindsey Kammerer was gracious enough to push off sleep for just a wee bit longer so that you, our readers, could travel vicariously to San Francisco. Way to step up Lindsey!!! Personally, I can hardly keep my eyes open!

Be Here By Morning

This is not the NORM!!!

It is about 5am and soon we will be scurrying through the free breakfast spread downstairs and then off to the airport on the 6am shuttle. Thank goodness everyone packed light...11 adults, 1 baby and tons of luggage could have made for an ugly start to the day for a 12 passenger shuttle bus driver. The hotel...SCORE! Very corporate yet swanky. The rooms we landed on Priceline ($55/each) have 2 double beds and then a big corner sofa in the living/sitting area. The sofa is actually a sofa bed...hopefully those that were 3 to a room last night figured that one out? There is also this gigantic flat screen TV that can be angled into the bedroom or sitting room, a wet bar, work station, vanity... I only mention this because I warned those that I saw last night that this is NOT representative of our accommodation for the rest of the trip. That being said, it is always nice to get great rooms at great rates. Thanks for having us Hyatt Place! Will try to post a few pics later...if blogger cooperates that is. Um...not sure if it is blogger or the blog operator. On that note, were off. Happy Wednesday!

Why New Zealand?

As an undergrad, I can remember Matt saying, "When I go to New Zealand..."

"Aren't there more sheep in New Zealand then there are people?" I would ask.

"Yeah, 10 times as many...doesn't that sound great?" he would say.

And then reality set in...we graduated, and after a 4 month jaunt through Europe we settled into an adult world. I took a job with Fairfax County Public Schools and Matt went to work fulltime on the family farm. We married 4th of July weekend of the following year (1998), I moved to Smithsburg (city mouse comes to the country) and I traded one school system for another. Together, Matt and I traveled back and forth to Northern Virginia selling produce at community Farmers' Markets and I filled in when needed at the family operation. I went back to grad school, we waited tables during the evenings and weekends in the off season, and time flew by. But, Matt would still say, "When I (now we) go to New Zealand..."

I don't think we knew how we would go. I don't think we knew when we would go. We just knew deep down that we WOULD go. And we did! In 2002 we left on an adventure that would change our lives. Matt had been accepted to the graduate program at Lincoln University, outside of Christchurch on the South Island, and he had secured a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship to cover all of the expenses. So, with 2 suitcases each, we flew out of winter and into summer to start the journey of a lifetime.

We were instantly welcomed by Rotarians from the Lincoln Club...including our "Kiwi Mum & Dad," Graham & Sue Williams, who you will meet on our first day in NZ. I am afraid that they are anxiously awaiting the arrival of their grandbaby so you will be slightly down on the list but you will still feel loved...promise! We found a flat downtown, furnished it with lended/borrowed/bartered items and got busy trying to become "Kiwis" ourselves.

So, what can I tell you about New Zealand? Hum...it is truly remote (the South Island of New Zealand is more sparsely populated than the Outback of Australia), it is an agriculturally based society where farmers and entrepreneurs are one in the same, it honestly looks like it does in the movies (If you have seen Lord of the Rings then you have seen the South Island), the landscape is dramatic (black sand beaches, hot springs, glaciers, rainforest, etc.), and last, but certainly not least, the people are FANTASTIC...honest, genuine, hard workers, friendly...just flat out lovely! You'll see firsthand soon enough!

Our time down under changed our approach to agriculture. It inspired us to think outside of the box, and it made us acutely aware of the fact that we are situated in a market (Baltimore/Washington DC) that much of the rest of the world would love to be in. We came home renewed and with a desire to share our new found excitement with others. This trip is the capstone of "what we learned."

We can't wait to see what touches you. What new ideas you might have as the result of a farm visit or a late night conversation. What you might decide is important or what is weighing you (or your family operation) down. So, that is why New Zealand…only 4 days to go!!!