Primary Pinot

Tuesday 7 April 2009

Press Release
Primary Pinot

Martinborough Vineyard is working with Martinborough School, the local primary, on a project called Primary Pinot.

Primary Pinot is a fundraising initiative for Martinborough School and is a collaborative winemaking effort where the children of Martinborough School will pick the grapes and Martinborough Vineyard will turn this into wine over the ensuing 6 or so months.

Pete Wilkins, viticulturist at Martinborough Vineyard and Martinborough School Board Trustee member, is the man behind putting the project together. He said 'I had 190 kids, the whole school, out picking today. We all had great fun and then a few of the kids got in and stomped the grapes. This is the beginning of a great long term event'.

After the harvest, while the Martinborough Vineyard's winemaking team work their magic, the school will be busy working on artwork and making the labels for the 300 bottles that will be created. The wine will be released early next year to coincide with the next harvest and the next vintage of Primary Pinot getting underway. The finished wine will then be sold or auctioned.

General Manager, Janine Tulloch of Martinborough Vineyard notes the vineyard is donating the grapes, the barrels and the winemaking to the project and will work with the school in gaining sponsorship for a website along with bottles, capsules and other necessary items.

'The aim of the project is to help cement close links with the school to the community and it will be part of Martinborough School's technology curriculum' said Martinborough School Principal Ann Easter. Ruth Mahupuku-Kelly of Martinborough School who is the school's liaison person said 'We're all extremely excited and enthusiastic about this opportunity and the teachers are thinking of new ideas daily - there are so many facets to this project that we can explore'.

ENDS

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