but we believed in it, and now it’s widely accepted as the best closure for preserving quality.” HAWKE’S BAY AND BEYOND In response to increasing urban development pressures near Kumeu, the winery expanded to a new vineyard site in Hawke’s Bay.“Buying more vineyards in this area became nearly impossible, so we looked elsewhere,” says Brajkovich. “In 2017, we acquired Rays Road, allowing us to explore Chardonnay further and introduce Pinot Noir.” While Kumeu remains the heart of their operations, the winery’s expansion into Hawke’s Bay in 2017 brought new opportunities.“This site is on limestone, making it perfect for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir,” Brajkovich explains.“We’ve been gradually replacing the original Sauvignon Blanc plantings with Chardonnay, a process that will take another six years.” Additionally, the winery has ventured into sparkling wine production. “We started making bottlefermented sparkling wine in 2012—our Kumeu Cremant, Cremant Rosé, and Blanc de Blanc,” says Brajkovich.“These are small productions but gaining traction in markets like the UK and Spain.” GLOBAL RECOGNITION Kumeu River Wines now exports 70% of its production to over 23 countries, with strong UK and 28 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA VOLUME 07, ISSUE 02
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTI5MjAx