Seresin

Country:

New Zealand

Michael Seresin was born in Wellington, New Zealand, but left in the 1960s, when sheep, not grapevines, covered the Wairau Plains. He settled in Italy, where he was captivated by Italian food and wine culture, and began his career as a cinematographer. Over time Michael's interest in wine developed into a passion. In the early 1990s after investigating opportunities to start a winery in Italy, he became aware of the quality wines starting to emerge from his homeland. After visiting Marlborough, and falling in love with the Marlborough Sounds, Michael decided to purchase a home there, followed by the purchase of some land in the Wairau Valley, which became Seresin's Home vineyard. Planting of vines began immediately, followed by the importation and planting of Tuscan olive varieties and significant plantings of natives.

Seresin's first vintage was in 1996. In 2000 the Tatou vineyard was purchased, followed a year later by land in the Omaka Valley which has become our Raupo Creek vineyard.

Regional Description: Located on the east coast of New Zealand’s South Island and sheltered by mountains to the west, Marlborough is one of New Zealand’s sunniest and driest areas. In these bright, but cool-climate conditions, the grapes have the advantage of a long, slow, flavor-intensifying ripening period. High sunshine hours and warm summer days promote flavor development and ripening, while cool clear nights help retain natural acidity in the grapes. Home Vineyard: Located in the central pocket of the Wairau Valley, this certified organic 45 hectare vineyard, which surrounds the winery, is made up of free-draining, silty loam. The land is planted with Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Riesling. Olive groves, orchards, and vegetable gardens are an important part of the vineyard and add to the diversity of the Estate. Raupo Creek Vineyard: The certified organic Raupo Creek vineyard is the largest of the three Seresin vineyards, and is located in the foothills of the Omaka Valley. The clay-rich soils of the 51 hectare vineyard are ideal for growing Pinot Noir. The land is also planted with Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Viognier. An additional 25 hectares are planted with olive groves, vegetable patches, farmland and pasture. Tatou Vineyard: The Tatou vineyard is surrounded with olive trees and planted in Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. The 15 hectare property is certified organic and located slightly west of the Home vineyard in the Wairau Valley. The fruit from Tatou's alluvial shingle soils produces very concentrated aromatic wines with structured tannins.

Using natural and gentle winemaking, with minimal intervention, we strive for high quality, hand-made wines of individuality and complexity. The fruit is handpicked, and then hand sorted before being whole-bunch pressed. Seresin uses natural fermentation, using wild yeasts, indigenous to the winery to give greater interest and individuality to our wines. The Estate is small and hands-on and are personally involved in every step of the winemaking process, which shows in the quality of our wines. Each parcel of fruit from our Estate is pressed and vinified separately in the winery. Having these different components provides the maximum choice in blending, allowing to create unique wines which are truly expressive of the Estate.

Michael Seresin
Inspired by film-makers such as Truffaut and Fellini, Michael Seresin left his job as a PA at Pacific Films in his native New Zealand in 1966 to pursue a career as a freelance camera assistant in Europe.

After eighteen months in Rome and London, he graduated to lighting camera status and by 1968 was working alongside his future BFCS partners, Bob Brooks and Len Fulford.

From 1970 he combined commercials work with shooting movies, becoming a director of photography for Harold Becker, Adrian Lyne and Alan Parker, on films such as "Bugsy Malone", "Midnight Express", "City Hall" , "Angela's Ashes" and most recently, "Harry Potter - The Prisoner of Azkaban".

Clive Dougall, Winemaker
Seresin Estate Winemaker Clive Dougall has over 17 years of experience in the wine industry, both locally and internationally.
His interest in the industry began in his homeland of England; during four years spent managing a busy wine store in London, Clive developed a passion for wine. After completing his wine and spirits studies in London Clive came to New Zealand in 1999; completing a vintage in the Barossa Valley, Australia, en route. Clive worked in the Wellington hospitality and wine scene for 3 years as Sommelier and Maitre'd at Te Papa's Icon restaurant, and also at Regional Wines and Spirits. During this time he used his annual leave to complete 3 vintages at Vavasour in Marlborough. After finishing his Post Graduate qualification in winemaking at Lincoln University he became Assistant Winemaker at Pegasus Bay in Waipara.

Clive joined Seresin Estate at the beginning of 2006.