Every winery has a talisman

The smart profile of Crossroads winery and some of the grapes beginning to look very nice on the vines. Photo / Warren Buckland

Crossroads Winery:

Crossroads chief winemaker Miles Dineen has a very good secret and it is clear no amount of arm-twisting or pleading would get it out of him.

Because it is all about ingredients, blends, flavours.

It's a little bit like the dear old chicken colonel with his secret herbs and spices, except that Miles' ingredients are varieties of one main piece.

The grape.

He has been at Crossroads, which is off Korokipo Rd at Fernhill, since 2004 and his skill, focus and passion for the job has seen the boutique winery pick up a string of awards and gold medals year after year - including a prestigious Champion New Zealand Syrah Award.

He has also carefully crafted a unique wine which emerges in a smart and stylish bottle based, if you like, around minimalism - apart from a golden T symbol, the only words upon it are "Talisman" and the Crossroads name.

Talisman is the winery's signature offering and has received plenty of accolades.

So what is it?

Syrah? Chardonnay? Cabernet Merlot?

None of the above and unless your name is Miles Dineen then you'll probably never know.

Talisman is a secret blend known only to him, and the wine is rich and complex ... fruit and oak woven into it.

Crossroads was set up as a privately-owned boutique winery back in 1987 which after a major upgrade in 2009 went on to become part of the Yealands Wine Group.

Hawke's Bay was quite simply the place to make fine wine and vines were planted on the Home Block where the winery and cellar door is situated, as well as Kereru and the Gimblett Gravels (where they have four vineyards) with the first of the gravels varieties emerging the same year Miles took on the chief winemaking role, 2004.

The philosophy is all about hands-on attention to winemaking, and the simple desire to create something special.

There has also been a long association with sustainable growing practices with limited use of machinery, the grazing of sheep to control the grass and weeds and the encouragement of "predators" in the vineyards as more natural way of carrying out pest control.

Vineyard manager Bryon Strachan, a Bay-born chap, looks after that side of things and he is a man not unused to multi-tasking.

He prunes, trains vines and gets on the harvester when required.

It's effectively small parcel winemaking broken into three categories - the top flight (and top secret) Talisman, the Winemakers Collection (which includes chardonnay, syrah and cabernet merlot in the line-up) and the white label Milestone Series (also chardonnay and syrah along with the likes of pinot gris and gewurztraminer).

Like all the Bay wineries, it is an attractive site, and visitors to the cellar door often head for the outdoors and one of the picnic tables.

You may want to track Miles down and invite him to join you for some of the goodies from the picnic basket that you're allowed to bring with you ... and see if you can coax the "secret ingredients" out of him while you're at it.