Out of the corner of my eye I spied an orange label in the wine section of the supermarket.
Could that be what I think it is?
On closer inspection I was delighted to see that what I had thought was the orange label of a Sacred Hill wine was
Raise your glass - Sacred Hill is back
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Sacred Hill is back and already winning awards. Part of the successful family team from left, Sam Poulter, Nick Picone, Steve Poulter, and Ben Poulter. Photo / Warren Buckland
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Behind its return is the Poulter family and their secret ingredient is award-winning, well-known Hawke's Bay winemaker Nick Picone.
The Poulter family, Steve the owner, his wife Kerina who manages imports and exports, and their children, Ben who manages the vineyards, Sam who looks after production, branding and sales, and Alexis who is the CEO, are no strangers to hands-on hard graft.
Thirty years ago the Poulter Group was formed. Back then it was a one-man band run by Steve.
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The group is made up of several diverse and growing companies in different industries including supermarket supply, fruit ripening, importing, exporting, shipping and freight forwarding.
In November last year, the family bought Hawke's Bay's Sacred Hill Winery.
They needed a winemaker and as luck would have it, award-winning Hawke's Bay winemaker Nick Picone just happened to be dining at the Westshore Beach Inn at the same time as Sam.
A mutual friend introduced them.
Nick, who worked for Villa Maria Winery for more than 20 years, says the chance meeting was perfect timing for him.
"I loved my time at Villa Maria and am grateful to them for helping me develop and grow," Nick said.
"However, I was feeling as if I was moving further and further away from hands-on winemaking. It dawned on me I was losing touch with what I love doing the most. I was actually considering a complete change.
"So when Sam walked in and we sat down and had a chat, I started ticking off boxes and the thought of continuing on in wine was exciting. Now I feel rejuvenated. I have always had a deep respect for the Sacred Hill brand and being part of this small team helping to rebuild it is amazing."
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Steve said Nick has just slotted in and was now part of the family.
"His knowledge is second to none."
Nick said he makes wine to be "good", not to win awards, and he's pretty proud of his latest efforts.
"When I tasted the rosé out of the tank I thought it was as good as I have ever made. It had colour, balance and the perfect flavour."
I guess the proof is in the glass so to speak. Last week Sacred Hill won two awards in 2022 New World Wine Awards Top 50 wines under $25 for its Sacred Hill Hawke's Bay Rosé 2022 and its Sacred Hill Reserve Hawke's Bay Chardonnay 2020.
They are both delicious and affordable. I love the colour of the rosé.
Sam says their team runs a simple and effective model. "There's not many of us so we don't have to deal with loads of opinions which means we get stuff done."
Steve said owning a winery and vineyards is a "completely different park to live in" compared with the commercial side of business, which he is used to.
"I'm getting used to it now and think it's a very good thing for us as a winemaker team. We are planting for the future and the encouragement from the awards is great.
"We all work hard from Ben, who has a critical part to play in the vineyard and has learned so much, to Kerina who looks after offshore logistics," Steve said.
"We have had lots of positive feedback about our wine and rebranding. I'm really proud of our team and what we have achieved."
