Meet Mabel, Te Mata’s newest recruit

Meet Mabel, Te Mata’s newest recruit

All right. Hands up. This is partially an excuse to shamelessly share pictures of an adorable baby Highland cow.

Her name is Mabel, she was born on 10^th August, she’s the daughter of Ella (also pictured) and she’s part of Te Mata’s small family of Highland cattle. (It’s too small to call a ‘herd’ really).

But Mabel is not at Te Mata simply to earn them instagram likes (however good she might be at doing so). She has a job.

Singled out for sustainability

This week, Te Mata was selected by New Zealand Wine as a representative at Sustainability in Drinks, held in London.

No small feat, given 98% of New Zealand wineries are now sustainability certified.

They were highlighted as the example of ‘Plant Protection’, but Te Mata’s commitment to sustainability goes far further, as their website explains.

In fact Te Mata was one of the five wineries to spearhead Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand in the late 20th century, and the first to have vineyards and winery accredited under the system.

From calf to Coleraine

Now, of course, there are more reasons for adopting sustainable winemaking and grape growing practices than this newsletter has space or scope for.

But, as winemakers, it’s principally important that these practices lead to higher quality wines.

Whether it’s their spring flowers, grown between vines, to both improve soil health and attract pollinators, or Mabel and family, who amongst other roles, produce Te Mata’s biodynamic mixture, all of it is in service of a healthier ecosystem, certainly … but improves the quality of the wine as well.

For proof, you don’t have to look much further than Te Mata’s Coleraine. Widely accepted to be among New Zealand’s very finest wines.

For proof, just look at the scores its vintage flight was recently awarded by the Wine Advocate. Or the praise lavished on it by Neal Martin and Matthew Jukes.

As Matthew Jukes put it: ‘The beating heart of Hawke’s Bay in vinous form. Not just one of New Zealand’s greatest Bordeaux blends (I happen to think it’s in the No.1 spot) but one of the world’s elite versions too.’ 

The sum of many parts

Sure, Mabel is, in isolation, extremely adorable.

But she is also a reminder that wine is agricultural produce, and that the best wine is a result of thousands of small and sometimes unexpected parts.

Whether it’s cows, cover crops or regenerative practices, they all add up to a healthier vineyard. And great wine never starts anywhere else. Cheers Mabel.