Has it been six years? Really? When I first met Kirsten and Richard Searle they were a young couple bursting with nervous excitement, having just taken possession of the Matawhero Wines in Gisborne.
It was 2008, they had three babies, a whopping mortgage, a rundown and rambling wine estate and wide-eyed dreams for the future.
Fast forward six years. The property has snapped back into shape, the house and cellar door look positively classy, there's no more need for pushchairs and nappies and Kirsten and Richard are finally being rewarded for six years of hard graft with a stack of medals and trophies at the fourth annual Gisborne Regional Wine Awards.
The winery, which began life in 1975 under the colourful control of Denis and Bill Irwin, scooped the trophy for the highest awarded wine company, plus gold medals for its 2013 Pinot Rose, 2013 Church House Arneis, 2013 Church House Chenin Blanc and 2013 Church House Albarino.
They also collected class wins for the pinot rose, arneis, 2013 Church House Malbec and 2013 Gisborne Chardonnay, and they scored best new white varietal with the 2013 Church House Albarino. To really put the parmesan on the pasta, Matawhero's company viticulturist Jeremy Hyland won the lead viticulturist trophy.