Tasting Notes

Musk, Gala apple, pink grapefruit and spice aromatics lead to a fleshy, citrus-driven mouthfeel, showing great density, persistence and length.

About the Wine

Grown at Red Bank Vineyard, Alexandra and featuring the Proprietor’s Grandfather, Sydney Neill Wine Merchant, on the label, Picnic Riesling is our perennial favourite and a wonderful introduction to the pleasure of Central Otago Riesling. We think it is just as much a dinner wine as a luncheon – equally enjoyable at home outdoors, as at the Captain’s Table. Hand harvested and crafted in to a delicious refreshing off-dry style appealing to just about everyone on the planet.

Vintage Comments

Harvest started on the 26th March at The Fusilier, Bannockburn and finished on the 17th April at The First Paddock, Gibbston. Two Paddocks’ Viticulturist, Mike Wing, celebrated his 20th vintage this year and described this significant season as “A game of two halves”.

The first half was characterised by the coldest Spring in five years and hence there was a lot of frost fighting with overhead water, which in turn stimulated weed growth. The finale was a hail event in Alexandra in January that affected some of the vineyards and so the early part of the growing season is aptly described as challenging.

February and March then delivered warm settled weather and ripening progressed well. There was no Autumnal frost fighting and overall the 2024 crop was clean, ripe and at optimum quantity levels.

VINEYARD MANAGEMENT - Soils are schist based gravelly loams. Own roots – cane cuttings from Felton Road. Single cane, one bunch per shoot and very close planted at 5500 vines per hectare. Both shoot and lateral thinned to reduce crop load. Leaves that expose the grapes when ripening are also plucked off to increase sunlight exposure in to the vine canopy. Hand harvested.