Central wine Bald Hills snares three trophies in Sydney

Bald Hills vineyard viticulturist Gary Crabbe was pleased when the vineyard's 2015 pinot noir won three trophies in a recent competition. Photo: Yvonne O'Hara

Bald Hills boutique vineyard near Cromwell has won three trophies in the same competition for the same wine, and viticulturist Gary Crabbe is delighted.

The Bald Hills 2015 Single Vineyard Pinot Noir won the Best Pinot Noir, Best Red Table Wine, and Best Wine of Competition trophies in the 2018 Sydney International Wine Competition.

The same wine won gold medals in the Decanter World Wine Awards, the New World Wine Awards and the Air New Zealand Wine Awards last year.

Bald Hills vineyard viticulturist Gary Crabbe said the 2014, 2015 and 2016 wines had also won trophies and gold medals.

''To have so many accolades was pretty impressive,'' he said.

Originally established by Blair and Estelle Hunt, the Cornish Point Road vineyard was sold to a Japanese family in 2015.

''The foundation of what they [the Hunts] did is the key to the winning success. They really loved the place.''

He said the new owner, Yokohama businessman Isao Mita, was introduced to New Zealand wines by the Kiwi crew members who worked for him on his yacht.

''They would bring great wines on board and he got a taste for it and so he bought Bald Hills in 2015.

Mr Crabbe started working for Mr Mita in 2015 to manage the 8.5ha (7.5ha effective) vineyard and Peter Bartle, of Cromwell, has made its wine since 2011.

''My brief was to make the best wine possible,'' Mr Crabbe said.

Bald Hills produces about 200 cases of riesling, 400 cases of pinot gris and about 2000 of pinot noir a year.

The vineyard is two years into a four-year organic conversion, and Mr Crabbe said this year's growing season to date had been ''the most outstanding, bizarre season''.

''It has been quite an extreme season and the question is how it will impact the wines.''

He was referring to the higher temperatures, which made an early harvest look likely.
''We had a good winter run, and the harvest could be three weeks ahead [of the norm].
''That is unheard of.

''I see this season as a glimpse of 25 to 30 years into the future of what it is going to be, with an additional two-degree average temperature.

He said Bald Hills' site - the soil, climate and dryness - had an ''inexplicable X factor'', which it brought to the wine.

''When vines have to struggle and fight during the dry, it brings a different element of depth, intensity and power to the wine.''

-By Yvonne O'Hara
Southern Rural Life