Intro to Seifried Estate Sweet Agnes Riesling – Seifried Estate Sweet Agnes Riesling is a complex intense dessert wine with lively spicy richness and apricot and peach fruit on the nose and palate. The spice and intensity means it is like an ice wine. Full tasting note and wine making – The Seifried Estate Sweet Agnes was made from 100% Riesling grapes that were hand selected at the peak of ripeness with a large portion of the fruit shrivelled and raisined, caused by natural dehydration. The 2015 Sweet Agnes Riesling is just a delight to sip and enjoy. The nose is brimming with intensity and very seductive and on the generous palate it has luscious concentration and gorgeous fruit intensity. Mandarin and candied peel flavours are complimented by a perfectly balanced backbone of fine natural acidity. Seifried Estate – this is Seifried’s premium label; the fruit for these wines is grown on established vines that are usually in excess of eight years old. The premium selection often uses fruit grown on several different sites, enabling Seifried to produce wines with fantastic depth, complexity and flavour. The producer – Seifried Estate established its first vineyard in 1973, when Austrian-born Hermann Seifried and his New Zealand wife Agnes planted grapes in the Moutere Valley between Nelson and Motueka. The first Seifried wines were made in 1976, and their success inspired others to plant vineyards on the South Island, thus beginning the area’s commercial wine industry now producing 3% of annual national production. Summertime temperatures are slightly cooler than neighbouring Marlborough, and grapes ripen more slowly over a longer period. The wines show great elegance, purity of fruit and minerality. The range includes Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Malbec and Syrah with just a few rows of the Austrian classics; Grüner Veltliner, Zweigelt, and Würzer, a German aromatic. Today Seifried Estate is a family business with involvement of all three children. Over 40 years, vineyard plantings have continued and now with eight specifically chosen sites and each vineyard microclimate and is planted with different varieties. Innovation is also important with a modern winery where they use traditional and modern winemaking methods, & Seifried Estate is proud to be Nelson’s first winery to achieve Sustainable Winegrowing accreditation – defined by a set of industry best practice standards, which provides guidelines for companies looking to protect environmental integrity throughout their wine production. Drink with – Delicious with soft cheeses or with rich desserts. Producer’s website – https://www.seifried.co.nz/
