Cuisine Wine

Ostler Wines

In the old art deco post office in the township of Kurow, you’ll find The Vintner’s Drop. Here, Ostler Wines managing director Jim Jerram offers tastings of his own Ostler wines, as well as selling those from a number of the Waitaki Valley’s other producers.

Made by Jim’s brother-in-law winemaker Jeff Sinnott, Ostler Caroline’s Pinot Noir is the flagship of the winery’s pinot fleet, made only in years of exceptional fruit quality. It’s named for Caroline Plummer – a young woman who assisted in the planting of the original block, before her untimely death in 2003.

The entire Clos Ostler vineyard is planted on limestone substrata – the limestone wall in the Caroline and Audrey grape block pictured on the previous page was built from millennia-old limestone boulders
that were uncovered in the earth when the block was planted.

The Vintner’s Drop also stocks local wines from Lone Hill, Black Stilt Wines, Q Wine, John Forrest Collection, Waitaki Braids, Bobbing Creek, Valli Wine, Otiake Estate and Otiake River Vineyard’s EarthKeepers label. There are clearly still a number of people with enough faith in this area to take the plunge – the quality of the wines will tell you why.

Our picks Ostler Lakeside Riesling 2011 and Ostler Caroline’s Pinot Noir 2010.

Plus Visit the nearby Kurow Museum, built in 1880 and originally a dance hall, to find out more about the history of the area.