Television Appearances

Proprietor mired in controversy again

Redbank and Mr Neill featured on T.V.1 last night in current affairs programme Close-Up in segment devoted to Keith Stewart’s proposed classification of N.Z. vineyards – a kind of antipodean version, using Maori words, to rate vineyards in a Bordeaux or Burgundy “grand cru” method.

Proprietor strongly objects to this – in Europe (unless you’re Lafitte or Rothschild) most growers regard this as a pompous anachronism, and given that it handicaps second growth downward, surely inhibits the pursuit of excellence by those producers. More than that we see it as self evident that it’s at least a couple of hundred years too early to tell which are the premier vineyards of N.Z.,  an industry still in its infancy.

The Proprietor observed (unseen on the segment) that he would in all likelihood be dead by then (200 years time) and if not he would almost certainly not be feeling very well. Keith might be a bit crook himself by then.

We like Keith – it was he who first identified out Pinot as “sexy.” He got that right, but then even the best writers get a bad idea once in a while. And we reckon the best thing to do with bad ideas is take them out the back, knock them on the head and put them out of their misery. But rock on Keith!

Incidentally Redbank looked great on T.V. (Well done team!)

The Proprietor looked…well, “ordinary” would be a kind way of putting it.

Redbank has also been featured recently on The Great Outdoors on Ch.7 in Australia, and The Tem Show on Prime in New Zealand with the amazing all-rounder, Temuera Morrison.