It began with a wild piece of land, untamed and hidden from the world. Falling in love with the view and tricky terrain was part of the story for Loveblock wine duo Erica and Kim Crawford.
As they converted the sheep paddock to plantable vineyard land, they took the decision to tackle organics, a cause that is deeply personal to co-founder Erica.
Erica and Kim’s roots are firmly planted in Marlborough’s Awatere Valley, where they were amongst the first to plant grapes in the area.
Now on their second project, the one that has stolen their hearts and souls, Erica and Kim brought their vision and values to life through Loveblock, born in 2008.
“At first I fell in love with the view. You can almost see the end of the Earth from up there,” says Erica, about the hills behind Wellington on the horizon across the Cook Strait. “It is quiet, and the feeling of space and air filling your lungs I fully love. The aura of peace and time.”
Their vision was to make a wine that was elegant, restrained and complex. A wine that speaks of its place and season. A wine that is grown with love and made with care.
So it began, the two grape growers assumed their roles as tenders of their precious land. They believe in being the land’s custodians, nurturing it and managing soil balance and fertility without outside interference.
It must begin at the start, with the land and soil. Through sowing the seeds of love and good values, Loveblock gained BioGro NZ organic certification in February 2012.
“It is a privilege to be able to truly live one’s values,” says Erica, “Loveblock embodies my journey to organics. This is the industry I love, it is part of my life.”
Loveblock represents the founders’ long-term vision to produce wines from organic and sustainably grown grapes that express their naked sense of place. It’s not just about growing grapes, it is about creating a sustainable, biological, and environmental system allowing the grapes to flourish.
Organics and sustainability is at the heart of everything the Loveblock duo do. With their family owned estate grown wine, they have full control over every process, including controlling viticulture and additives, grape quality and therefore wine quality, and an important one for all the wine connoisseurs, consistent blend.
Their picturesque farm is sustained on a closed nutrient cycle, meaning everything that comes off the farm, goes back onto the farm, including making their own compost to fertilise the grapes, ridding the need of any harmful chemical herbicides, pesticides or fertilisers. Truly organic and sustainable, not to mention all their wines are vegan-friendly.
Loveblock Sauvignon Blanc is their signature varietal, and like signatures, it comes in different forms and styles.
Gorgeous texture and mouthfeel to the Loveblock wine stems from using a variety of vessels which have resulted in these imparting qualities.
The innovation does not stop there though, Loveblock TEE Sauvignon Blanc is thought to be the first in the world to use green tea tannin extract as a natural preservative in replacement of sulphur. That means absolutely zero added sulphur or sulphites.
At Loveblock, the style is more hesitant on the nose, then gallops to layers of interesting texture and flavours prancing on the palate.
Erica and Kim’s large hearts extend out to the community, where they share produce from their sizeable vegetable garden to feed those who work on the Farm. They “believe in community and sharing the bounty of the land”.
“We’ve learnt a lot in our journey and through this process, most importantly that time dictates, and that the rhythm of the seasons and land demands submission. It’s really exciting to be back making wine and tasting the flavours,” says Erica.
Loveblock has put thought and dedication into every process of their wine, from the soil, to the palette. You will need to get your hands on a bottle, or two, this summer and experience the love and magic that has gone into this wine for yourself.
The story of Loveblock really does steel your heart, transporting you to the dreamy Marlborough vineyard, sitting amongst the vines with the sun on your face and a glass of white in your hand.
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