Bay Harbour: August 02, 2017
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PAGE 10 BAY HARBOUR<br />
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi<br />
Wednesday <strong>August</strong> 2 <strong>2017</strong><br />
News<br />
Banks Peninsula’s volcanic soil<br />
They may be small,<br />
but Banks Peninsula<br />
vineyards are starting<br />
to show they can<br />
match it with the<br />
big players. Bridget<br />
Rutherford reports<br />
TUCKED INTO the hillside in<br />
Charteris <strong>Bay</strong> is a little vineyard<br />
– a vineyard that’s making a<br />
name for itself.<br />
But it’s not the only one.<br />
What started as a hobby has<br />
turned into success for Neil<br />
and Jill Pattinson, with their<br />
vineyard Whistling Buoy taking<br />
out the top award at this year’s<br />
Wines of Canterbury awards.<br />
Their Whistling Buoy Kokolo<br />
Pinot Noir 2015 won the game<br />
trophy and a gold medal.<br />
It was later named champion<br />
wine.<br />
Its Kokolo Chardonnay 2015<br />
and Kokolo Pinot Noir 2016 also<br />
earned bronze medals.<br />
Dr Pattinson, who is president<br />
of Wines of Canterbury, said<br />
there are four main vineyards<br />
that sit within the craters of<br />
Lyttelton and Akaroa harbours –<br />
and all were proving their worth.<br />
He said Banks Peninsula was<br />
an emerging sub-wine region.<br />
But he said it was a given<br />
the area should produce nice<br />
wines – the very earliest plantings<br />
in New Zealand were in<br />
Akaroa in 1840 when the French<br />
settlers arrived.<br />
“What’s unique about Banks<br />
Peninsula is the soils, the aspect,<br />
particularly north-facing<br />
slopes and basically being close<br />
to large bodies of water being<br />
Akaroa and Lyttelton harbours,<br />
which help mitigate the ultraextremes.”<br />
He said the sea air didn’t seem<br />
to have any impact on the wine<br />
and they rarely suffered frosts.<br />
WORK: Viticulturist Cliff Wood<br />
and Neil Pattinson prune the<br />
vines at the Kokolo site of<br />
Whistling Buoy.<br />
PHOTO: MARTIN HUNTER<br />
Akaroa’s Meniscus Wines had<br />
success at the same awards.<br />
For the second year in a row,<br />
its 2015 pinot noir won the best<br />
pairing wine with lamb and got a<br />
silver medal. Its 2016 riesling and<br />
2016 pinot noir also got bronze<br />
medals.<br />
Owner David Epstein said they<br />
were thrilled, especially with the<br />
lamb trophy.<br />
He said Banks Peninsula wines<br />
had certain characteristics that<br />
were starting to be recognised.<br />
“It just shows there must be<br />
something special in the terroir<br />
here in the ground that is very<br />
good for the grapes and the<br />
growth,” he said.<br />
“The volcanic soil that exists<br />
here from years back is giving a<br />
special character.”<br />
They produce pinot noir,<br />
riesling and pinot gris from the<br />
vines on the 2.4ha block which<br />
sits on the south edge of Akaroa.<br />
They make between 4000-6000<br />
bottles each year.<br />
Mr Epstein said all the grapes<br />
are picked by hand before being<br />
sent to Waipara to be produced.<br />
Major upgrade to Russley Road/Memorial Avenue intersection<br />
The Russley Road/Memorial Avenue temporary roundabout will be removed<br />
in early <strong>August</strong> and replaced with a new intersection with traffic lights.<br />
EXPECT<br />
DELAYS<br />
4-6 AUG<br />
The permanent change means traffic will be able to<br />
travel to and from Christchurch International<br />
Airport, under the new Gateway Bridge, for the first<br />
time. It will also allow the project team to complete<br />
the new road on top of the bridge, bringing them a<br />
step closer to completing the upgrade.<br />
New road signage<br />
People travelling through the intersection will<br />
need to pay close attention to the new signage<br />
to ensure their vehicle is in the right lane.<br />
Please be courteous to other drivers who will<br />
also be getting used to the change.<br />
Lengthy delays at Russley Road/Memorial Avenue intersection<br />
While this is an exciting milestone there will be delays<br />
of up to 20 minutes while the changes take place on<br />
4-6 <strong>August</strong>.<br />
HAREWOOD<br />
RD<br />
SH1 RUSSLEY RD<br />
TO CITY<br />
MEMORIAL<br />
AVE<br />
AVONHEAD RD<br />
Route from south<br />
Route from north<br />
If you’re travelling to the airport leave extra time to get<br />
there or take an alternative route to avoid the work site.<br />
NORTH<br />
Worksite<br />
SOUTH<br />
People coming from the north can turn off at<br />
Harewood Road and those coming from the south can<br />
use the new Southern Airport Access (see map).<br />
ORCHARD ROAD<br />
RON GUTHERY RD<br />
TO AIRPORT<br />
SYD<br />
BRADLEY<br />
RD<br />
GEORGE<br />
BELLEW RD<br />
ROAD<br />
CLOSED<br />
For more information about this work and to view the new road layout: www.nzta.govt.nz/russley-road<br />
Russley Road upgrade