In 1768 the famous English navigator Captain James Cook was asked by the Royal Navy to observe the passage of Venus at Tahiti. His real mission was to search and prove the existence of Terra Australis Incognita (unknown southern land), which we now know as Australia. During his travels, Captain James Cook spent six months chartering the New Zealand coast and proved that the country was not a continent as originally thought, but two separate islands. In homage to New Zealand and the pioneering spirit of Captain Cook, Crew wines created the Chasing Venus portfolio. Chasing Venus wines are produced vineyards in the heart of the Marlborough appellation. Griggs is an old riverbed composed of gravelly, well-draining soils that produce grapes with pronounced grapefruit flavors. The Race Track vineyard is just west of the town of Blenheim and planted to heavy clay soils, which lend herbaceous aromas and flavors. Rounding out the trio is Comely Bank vineyard, which is located just south of Blenheim in the alluvial soils of the valley. Crew Wines is owned and operated by the Gugiere family, former owners and founders of R.H. Phillips. After selling the company, John and his wife Lane along with his brother Karl decided to focus on producing approachable, foodfriendly wines that showcase a specific terroir or varietal.

Tasting notes

Cold fermented in stainless steel, the wine presents assertive flavors of grapefruit and gooseberry and herbaceous notes that is followed by a crisp, lingering finish.

Technical notes

The grapes were harvested from Griggs, McLean, Grove Town and Flower Day vineyards. These vineyards are planted on a variety of soils – alluvial, heavy clay, and well-drained gravel.

Other text

Elusive Venus In 1769, Captain Cook was given command of The Endeavour and instructed to set sail for the Pacific in order to study the passage of the planet Venus across the disc of the sun. This was predicted to take place in June of 1769, an event which would not take place again for 105 years. The trus set of instructions concerning the voyage was secret: Cook was to search for the mysterious and elusive southern continent. In Tahiti, Cook made friends with a Tahitian chief, Tupaia, who led him to New Zealand on the way to Cook’s successful mission discovering Australia. The rest of the world just thought he was out Chasing Venus. About the Appellation Chasing Venus focuses on what New Zealand does best: Sauvignon Blanc. The fruit source is from the Comely Bank and the Griggs Vineyards in the heart of the Marlborough region. The wines are being made under the supervision of winemaker Dan Cederquist and will be made in the aggressive pungent grapefruit gooseberry style that has made New Zealand world famous.