Imagine being surrounded by bubbles. The bubbles you can drink that is.
That’s exactly what happens to Jascha Oldham-Selak and Sanne Witteveen when they turn up to work at their newly opened NZ Methode Traditionnelle sparkling wine bottling facility/winery at 23 James Rochfort Place, Hastings.
The couple, who are both winemakers and meet at EIT, say they feel as if they belong in Hawkes’ Bay.
“You can generally trust the air, and the weather, and there are fantastic business opportunities here. It’s also a great place to make wine,” Jascha said.
They have spent almost a decade working in the wine industry building foundations.
“Methos is the most technical wine style and it attracts the most celebration. Everyone is happy when they have a glass of bubbles in their hand,” he said.
Sanne said it was an exciting market to grow. “It requires knowledge, experience, dedication and it takes time but it’s well worth waiting for.”
In 2021, Jascha received a business grant to produce New Zealand’s first mobile methode traditionelle bottling service.
“We did that and now it has evolved to building a site here. We are affiliated with WineWorks Hawke’s Bay, which is so supportive of our service. They have state-of-the-art machinery and facilities, which means our clients reap the benefits.
Jascha says methode traditionelle is a wine style using exactly the same techniques that the winemakers use to produce champagne.
First published by HB Today. Click here to read the full article.