Pinot And Pyramids

This weekend I spent an enjoyable day in North Canterbury with Peter Radford the founder of Escorial Group.

Escorial is a fibre we have been working with for a couple of years now and it was a real pleasure to spend the day with Peter at his home and to view one of the three remaining flocks of this amazing sheep. I could go on all day about Escorial ( and have been known to on previous occasions ) so if you don't know about it visit the website Escorial Group.

Peter is situated in the Pyramid Valley and the main Escorial flock remains at Mt Arden. The area is a limestone rock formation near Waikari in the North Canterbury region of New Zealand. Situated 80 km north-west of Christchurch it is home to one of New Zealand's largest paleontological site for moa fossils. In 1938 the landowners Joseph and Rob Hodgen opened the area up for excavation and in the early 1940s fossil hunters began their research work at this site and unearthed the remains of long extinct birds including more than 183 complete moa skeletons and tens of thousands of fossil bone fragments from about 46 species of modern birds.

Well known winery Pyramid Valley Winery is very close but over lunch we enjoyed wine from another Vineyard Mount Beautiful. The unique soil structure, rainfall and geographical position of the area makes the wine unique in its taste.

I have to say it was one of the most enjoyable bottles of wine I have drunk in some time, I am not a big Wine drinker and endorse a quality over quantity approach.

It could have been the serene still dry heat, the food or the company that made it taste extra special. This area is producing luxury product; Wine, Fibre and Meat that is boutique in nature but of the highest quality. It is being exported all over the world and is world class. 

Worth a toast I think.