What’s cooking?

Sileni’s striking new winery and cutting edge culinary school are winning the plaudits in New Zealand’s Hawke’s Bay region

SILENI ESTATES is a major new vineyard and winery development in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand’s oldest established vineyard area.  It is named after the Sileni who featured in Roman mythology alongside Bacchus, the God of wine who celebrated good wine, good food and good company.

Graeme Avery, a pharmaceutical scientist by background and a successful business entrepreneur with his own medical publishing company, founded the winery in 1997 and formed a partnership with one of New Zealand’s most talented winemakers, Grant Edmonds, who had previously worked as chief winemaker at Villa Maria and Esk Valley, specialising in the production of Merlot-dominant Bordeaux blends.

"I was looking for a complete change in direction", says Graeme. "I have always been passionate about wine and food and my dream was to achieve the highest quality, without compromise and to produce worldclass wines for discerning consumers all over the world."

Winery and vineyards

Sileni boasts a stunning, state-of-theart winery, built in 1999 and designed to crush over 1,250 tonnes of grapes using both hightech and traditional methods.  Gentle airbag presses and t e m p e r a t u r e – controlled tanks give precise control of grape juice quality, while open-top fermenters and cool barrel cellars provide for more time-honoured techniques.

Grant had researched and evaluated the soil types and climate in the area and identified sites with different microclimates suited to the different grape varieties and wine styles Sileni wished to focus on.

The warm "Triangle" vineyards around the winery are planted to Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Syrah and Semillon, while the higher, cooler "Plateau" vineyard, some 10 kilometres away, is planted to Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris.

Both vineyards have soils made up of free draining gravels and silt, with large stones which retain heat.  In addition to the wines from its Hawke’s Bay vineyards, Sileni Estates produces a Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, the internationally renowned premium region for classic New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.

Sileni’s team of winemakers and viticulturalists practise sustainable winegrowing (they are part of the Living Wine group along with several other leading New Zealand wineries). 

With their combined experience of winemaking in Alsace, Bordeaux, Burgundy, California and Chile, they maintain the highest standards in environmentally sustainable viticultural and winemaking practices, producing handcrafted wines which reflect the unique characteristics of the vineyards.

The wines

The Sileni wines are based on classic varieties, including Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Chardonnay. Sileni Estates has built its reputation on its red wines (unusually for a New Zealand winery, Sileni’s production is reddominant) and is best known for its f l a g s h i p M e r l o t / C a b e r n e t s Bordeaux blend, but the winery also produces some stunning white wines, including Sileni’s signature Semillon and its complex Burgundy- s t y l e Chardonnay. Recent additions to the portfolio include an U n o a k e d C h a r d o n n a y, Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc and a Merlot-based Rosé.

There are also plans to produce a Riesling and Pinot Gris in 2005.  The majority of Sileni’s wines are bottled in screwcap to ensure that the quality of the wine in the bottle is not compromised.

"Our wines are designed to express both their varietal characters and also their physical origin in the unique combination of soil and climate that makes up our subregion of Hawke’s Bay.

The wines are fruit-driven in the New World style, but have layers of complexity and an underlying elegance and balance more reminiscent of the Old World", says Grant Edmonds.

Sileni produces three different labels – the Cellar Selection offers rich, soft, approachable wines for everyday drinking and comprises a Merlot, Pinot Noir, Saignée Merlot Rosé, Unoaked Chardonnay, Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc and a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.

The Estate Selection offers equally approachable but more concentrated, complex wines with longer cellaring potential and includes a Merlot/Cabernet Franc, a barrel-fermented Chardonnay and a Semillon, and the Exceptional Vintage (EV) range, produced only in outstanding vintages, offers depth, concentration and complexity, representing the ultimate expression of their terroir.  The latter are among New Zealand’s finest wines. 

Food and wine matching

Sileni’s philosophy is to produce wines to be enjoyed with food. Sileni Estates is far more than just a winery – it is an epicurean centre, housing an alfresco and indoor restaurant, a culinary school ( a t w h i c h J a m i e O l i v e r h a s demonstrated), wine education centre and gourmet food store, showcasing the finest Hawke’s Bay produce.

Graeme instigated the successful Hawke’s Bay wine country branding and helped drive though the public/private partnership which has led to Hawke’s Bay winning major New Zealand tourism awards.

He was recently made chairman of the New Zealand Food and Wine Tourism Network and was voted New Zealander of the Year in 2003.  Sileni is now committed to a major research project to establish a stronger scientific basis for food and wine matching, so enhancing the enjoyment of cuisine through an understanding of the chemistry and molecular basis of flavour and texture harmony.

With listings in some of the UK’s top restaurants it is clear that Graeme Avery’s vision and philosophy is finding kindred spirits among those committed to good wine, good food and good company.

For more information, contact Sileni’s UK agents: Raisin Social, Linden House, 34 Crowhurst Mead, Godstone, Surrey, RH9 8BF

Tel: +44 (0)1883 731173 Fax: +44 (0)1883 731174

email: ruth@raisin-social.com www.raisin-social.com or visit www.sileni.co.nz