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History
In 1997 Antonio Pasquale and Stefania Muraro and their daughters arrived in New Zealand from Italy, bringing a rich family heritage in the wine business. Attracted to the South Canterbury / North Otago heartland near the pioneer town of Kurow, they bought, planted and now nurture some 30 hectares of vineyards.
The Turner family, who had previously worked the land as commercial orchards, were then employed by Pasquale to plant vines on the steep slopes and gentle plains, and set up a state-of-the-art winery complete with bottling and labelling facilities.
In just over 7 years production has grown to 6000 cases, including the unique Alma Mater aromatic blend, classical French and Italian varieties, Passito (made from naturally-dried grapes) and also an intense Limoncello.
The early history of the Waitaki Valley reflects the rise of rail in the late 1800s. Only the glint in the gold prospectors' eyes and the determination of the hardiest of farming families could overcome the rough and wild landscape. More recently, the massaging of the braided river to form hydro-electric schemes has added ribs of giant dams to the valley's braided backbone. Lakes have brought leisure and the Pasquale Cellar Door at Kurow has added respite and refreshment to the Valley's scenic splendour.
None of this has been achieved without enormous effort and dedication. The Latin motto for the 2010 vintage - Per Aspera Ad Astra - truly captures the essence of Waitaki, and Pasquale: Through Adversity to the Stars.
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Elements
Our newsletter
Spring 2010 Elements (1.1MB PDF file)
Latest Winter 2011 Elements (1.1MB PDF file)
If you have a Black Star Club invitation code, please enter it in the ID field. We will then contact you with exclusive offers.
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People
Cleighten Cornelius
Cleighten and his familly live in Kurow. A keen sportsman, he brings to the winery a robust enthusiasm for aromatic varieties, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Cleighten graduated from Canterbury University with a Bachelor of Viticulture and Oenology and has gained experience in France and at several highly-respected New Zealand wineries.
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Accolades
Hawkesby meets the Philosopher
John Hawkesby enjoys meeting the man whose name is a personal promise on every Pasquale bottle. Follow this link.
Champion Gewurztraminer in Bragato Awards
New Zealand's awards for wines expressing terroir have chosen Pasquale Gewurztraminer for the trophy and a unique gold medal (August 2011). Read more (PDF)
Euposia Magazine praises Pasquale
You'll need to read Italian to understand this story (August 2011) headlined Stella del Sud. Pour yourself a PDF here.
Italian magazine scores our Pinot Noir 94/100
The Italian Wine Journal (July 2011) wrote of our 2009 Pasquale Hakataramea Pinot Noir:
Really explosive...strawberry and ripe cherry, cocoa, tobacco, sweet spices..long, persistent. To compare with the great Pinot Noirs of France.
Alma Mater "flagship"... Riesling "stunning"
Warren Barton writes (June 2011) for The Southland Times (Fairfax):
The flagship of the fleet, for the moment anyway, is a rather delicate and distinctive mix of co-fermented 2010 pinot gris and gewurztraminer blended with riesling.
Warren also loves our Riesling:
The pick of the crop (the grapes are all hand-picked) is a stunningly pure and juicy 2010 Waitaki Valley riesling ($30) with a streak of minerality wrapped in citrus and floral flavours.
Read more
Pasquale Riesling 2010 in NZ's TOP 10
Cuisine Magazine (March/April 2011) lists this Riesling in the country's ten best.
Antonio Pasquale’s bold move to plant vines in the challenging Waitaki Valley is paying dividends. This mouth-wateringly zesty wine from Kurow Estate is alive with appley acidity and burned lemon characters, and has real weight and presence.
Pasquale Riesling 2010 awarded 4 stars from top MW
Bob's Wine Reviews (Bob Campbell MW) March 2011, scored 90/100.
Intense, tangy Riesling with impressive purity and tension. I'm sure the wine has a little residual sugar but it's cancelled by fine, juicy acidity to give a pleasantly drying finish. Lime/lemon/citrus and slate/mineral with subtle floral notes. Very attractive wine.
More praise for Pasquale Waitaki Valley Riesling 2010
Awarding 4 stars, ODT's Charmian Smith (April 20, 2011) writes Fragrant with hints of nectarine, grapefruit and mineral, the initial sweetness and purity of fruit in this classy wine gives way to a steely dry finish, but the richness remains on the aftertaste.
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Sue Courtenay writes in Wine of the Week (1 April 2011)
There's a fine seam of lemon and hints of lemon-scented thyme and something that's almost like pepper on the nose of this powerful rendition of Riesling that can even stand up to a pre dinner nibble of tomatoes and blue cheese on crackers. The bouquet evolves beautifully and the palate is rich and weighty with ripe citrus flavours packing a punch and the thirst-quenching finish has balance and roundness. It's seems very dry but there are some lovely floral intonations coming through and it leaves behind a sliver of sweetness.
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Peter Saunders, annual Wine Guide author, writes in Hospitality (April 2011)
An enjoyable near-dry wine, already awarded gold medal standard and with lots more to offer into 2014.
Read more.
Robert Parker rates "delicious" Riesling
The website of internationally respected assessor Robert Parker has awarded 90 points to our applauded dry style Riesling, which is becoming a real rising star.
The 2009 Riesling gives intense fresh lime juice and lime leaf aromas with a chalky undercurrent and some grapefruit. Dry, very crisp and light bodied, this wine possesses really great tension, nice balance with the faintest hint of sweetness (6 grams per liter) and long steely finish. It’s delicious now but gives the impression that it has some capacity to develop, cellaring to 2015+.
Pasquale Waitaki Valley Pinot Gris 2010
Jo Burzynska in the NZ Herald VIVA of 1 Feb 2012: "intense, drier style of pinot gris, with its notes of crisp apple and nashi pear, infused with ginger, mineral and hints of hazelnut".
Charmian Smith writes in the ODT, March 2011: A firm, dry wine, fragrant with hints of flowers, herbs and ripening pear, a silky texture, and a light bitterness that makes it good with food.
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Peter Saunders writes in Hospitality (April 2011): Elegant..almost dry, rounded off nicely and with a high drinkability. Read more.
Royal Easter Show Silver Medals
New Zealand's longest-established wine show has awarded silver medals to Pasquale Pinot Gris 2010 and our Kurow Village Reserve Pinot Noir 2009. This year (2011) 1500 wines were entered from 276 wineries. Read more...
"Toast of Australasia"
This headline (edited) on the front page of the Oamaru Mail (25/26 March 2011) sums up the full story by Jacquie Webby which begins:
This year's Royal Easter Show wine awards has confirmed the rising star of Pasquale, the family winery in the Waitaki Valley.
Pasquale Waitaki Valley Gewurztraminer 2010
Michael Cooper writes in NZ Listener, January 2011
"One of the best white wines yet from North Otago. Full-bodied, with concentrated lychee, pear and spice flavours, a hint of ginger and a dryish, well-rounded finish, it is already hard to resist."
Gourmet Traveller Wine
Top 100 new releases (Australasia)
Pasquale Riesling 16, Pasquale Pinot Gris (both 2010) and Kurow Village Reserve Pinot Noir 2009 achieve international recognition in the respected Australia-based magazine, Feb 2011.
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Wine Talk
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