Rosé Blends

The genesis of the name Indian Summer came from an unlikely source. We have twin girls in the Plowman family called Indiana and Summer. Their parents had not initially considered the synergy of their names when combined, but upon reflection we all loved what this combination – Indian Summer – represented to us.

Although the exact origins of the term Indian Summer are uncertain, there are a number of suggestions relating to the phrase, with the most widely accepted being that it was noted in regions inhabited by Native Americans (incorrectly labelled “Indians”), or because Native Americans first described it to Europeans, or it had been based on the warm and hazy conditions in autumn when native American’s hunted. The French refer to this time as “l’ete indien”. The last dying light of a seemingly endless summer. Ethereal, wonderful and something we are lucky enough to encounter relatively regularly throughout New Zealand.

There is an obvious irony in using the name “Indian Summer” for a Rosé wine, where the grapes are actually picked earlier rather than later in the season. However, for us the name represents much more than when our grapes were picked to make Indian Summer. Who doesn’t love a never ending Kiwi summer?

Our view is the best Rosé wine keeps you coming back for more and has a refreshing minerality. Indian Summer has traditionally been made from Merlot grapes, however we have started to plant more traditional Provençal Rosé grape varieties such as Cinsault and Grenache as well in order to achieve the minerality we are looking for in Indian Summer and our newer rose blends, particularly Summer Sault.

We have a number of different sites on our estate where we have planted these varieties, all with slightly different soil types. Our vineyards are located in the Tukituki Valley which is a river valley carved by shingle that runs into the Pacific Ocean. Our soil typology is therefore river shingle blended with calcareous clay soils over a hard, calcified clay pan. This restricts root growth of Indian Summer’s vines and causes the minerality of the grapes to pervade our wine.

At harvest time, we pick early in the morning to keep the grapes cool. They are then cooled further to lower their temperature. The grapes are then separated from their skins within a matter of hours of being picked to ensure the colours remain subtle. We often pick over several dates during the harvest period to get the complexity and layering displayed in all of our rose blends.