We loved having these guys to visit... you can explore their full New Zealand wine blog here. But to give you a summary of their experience... here is a little excerpt on Ruru Wines and Immigrant's Vineyard translated from Dutch for you to take a read.
Click here to read the full article (in Dutch)
"On the road – the gravel road bike path where trains once ran – back to Clyde, we passed by Ruru Winery. We had already been tipped off by Judge Rock that a Dutch couple had built a beautiful wine business here, but more on that later.
At 16:05, we stood in front of the gate, but alas, the sign said 'Cellar door 11AM-4PM', and we had to return the bikes by 5PM, 6 km away. So, we thought of getting back on our bikes, but Lucienne – the owner – spotted us and called out, 'please come in', after which we continued speaking in Dutch and tasted various wines... and oh yes, we also called the bike rental to say we were delayed (without mentioning the real reason 😉).
Roland and Lucienne emigrated to New Zealand in the 1980s, and in 2013, they took over this 20-hectare wine business as their retirement project. The vineyard mainly grows pinot noir, but also various other grape varieties. They make their own wines from part of the grapes, while the rest of the harvest is sold.
We tasted eight wines. A beautiful dry (3g/l rs) and fruity rosé from 2023 made from pinot noir grapes harvested two weeks earlier. The 2022 Chardonnay, aged for 10 months in oak with malolactic fermentation, was clearly round, soft, with hints of vanilla and butter. The Pinot Gris 2023 is a fine, easy-drinking fresh wine, which, ideally, should have been slightly less fresh due to partial aging in oak, but the winemaker had already allocated the barrel to another wine.
The 2022 Riesling is made from grapes sourced from the Alexandra region, a wine with plenty of citrus (zest) and off-dry (10g/l rs) due to early fermentation cessation. A lovely fresh Riesling that could have been even drier for my taste. Gewurztraminer grapes are difficult to ripen, which is why most of them have already been grafted over to chardonnay and pinot noir. However, a good wine is made from the remaining 1,800 vines. The 2021 is fresh, above-average acidity, off-dry (8g/l rs), with – but fortunately not too exuberant – the characteristic rose and lychee aromas.
And then, of course, the Pinot Noirs, yielding about 4/5 tons per hectare. Common in Central Otago, unlike Marlborough where much lighter, less concentrated Pinot Noirs are made, up to 15 tons per hectare, recognizable to me as fruit juice, by the way. But let's talk about Ruru's Pinot Noirs, from 2020, 2021, and 2022. 2020 (a difficult year with frost damage and rain, but 3 tons/ha harvested): dried red cherry, structure, concentrated. 2021: somewhat thinner, subtler. 2022: red bed, plenty of structure with aging potential.
And last but not least, they are still looking for an importer in the Netherlands, so if you're reading this as a small importer, get in touch with them, as the wines are a good, beautiful, and unique addition to your assortment!"
