The Country 12/12/25: Blair McLean and Jane Hunter talk to Jamie Mackay

We head to Marlborough to give you the chance to win some cherries and bubbles for Christmas. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
There's the season for giving here on the country. We've
already given away the thousand dollars of Ravo Bank cash
to that wonderful charity. And I had nothing to do
with this. I didn't pick it. Remember the IHC Calf
and Rural Scheme that thousand dollars has found a great home.
So let's continue on with the generous theme because we
are going to give away some bubbles and some new

(00:22):
seasoned cherries for Christmas. Let's welcome on to the country
our viticulture correspondent Blair Blizzard MacLean and of course our
favorite winery owner Jane Hunter from Hunters' Wines. Ladies Before gentlemen, Jane,
you've taken time out of a busy day because you've
been taking a wine tour because you sell a manager

(00:44):
fell over and broke his or her arm.

Speaker 2 (00:47):
Absolutely, So everyone's just taken off on the Christmas lunch.
And I've got these wonderful people from one of the
cruise ships here and we're doing some and of course
starting with the beautiful Mirror Miru which is startling wine.
Absolutely the wine for Christmas.

Speaker 1 (01:08):
Yes, And I neglected to mention that you two wonderful
people are based in blenhm of course that is the
wine capital of the country. Blizzard MacLean Blair, when you're
not working for Fruit Fed Supplies, supplying all the vineyards
and wineries in Marlborough with everything they need for all
your services and supplies, talk to Blizzard. You've got a

(01:29):
wee side hustle. You've got a cherry orchard.

Speaker 3 (01:32):
Yeah, Jamie, thank you, good Heed, that was thank you.

Speaker 1 (01:36):
Don't worry. There's no such thing as a free lunch.

Speaker 3 (01:39):
I know we will we cherries on the way to you,
Jamie when the McCoy's are right. No, you know we're
fled out picking cherries here in sunny Marlborough. I wouldn't
say it's been the greatest of seasons. We've had regular
rain events with I think we're up to our ninth
or tenth helicopter flight over the orchard to dry the cherries.

(02:02):
But we're yeah, we're probably leading into sort of ten
days before Christmas and then we'll be done. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (02:09):
I'm looking at mine's my drought index map from Newer
Earth Sciences Z and ZEN and yeah, there isn't much
yellow in the Blenham area, so I'm sure that the
livestock farmers will be welcoming that, Blair.

Speaker 3 (02:20):
Yeah they are, and the great guys are too. Really
because rain after flowering and we've certainly finished flowering on
grapes isn't a bad thing. It sizes up very nicely
and keeps everything growing. And we've got another fore casted
fifty odd mills next week, so that'll be great for
the pasture.

Speaker 1 (02:38):
Great for the pasture, not so good for the cherries. No,
do you run the risk? Do you get in and
pick them before they burst? How does it work?

Speaker 2 (02:46):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (02:46):
We do. We also have rain covers and we have
friends of Mulbra helicopters. They'll probably be in for the
tenth time this year, coming and drying the cherries as
soon as the rain stopped.

Speaker 1 (02:56):
Well, you just send them above for that shameless plug.
Abra helicoppers for all your helicopter needs. Not many of
us need helicopters, Blair. But I guess it becomes very
expensive when you are running an orchard.

Speaker 3 (03:08):
Yes, but that's just the way it is. Otherwise you'll
save the crop. But lots of summer fruit coming right
around the country. Jomie Central Otago starting picking apricots, beaches Nectarat.

Speaker 1 (03:20):
I had my first new season Nectaren earlier in the weekend.
It is to die for Central Otago does beautiful stone
for it? Okay, Jane Hunter from Hunter's Wine. Of course,
this is bubbles and cherries. Mirror Mirror is your bubbles
of choice. But you do much more than that.

Speaker 2 (03:39):
We absolutely do. I mean, So Blanc is our signature
but Mirror Mirror is our biggest seller in the New
Zealand market, so of which we are very pleased. But
Sauvignon Blanc remains our biggest seller in our export markets
and it certainly, as I say, has been our signature

(04:00):
wine since the mid eighties when we first started with it,
and we've just changed our labels. We've got really smart
packaging and yeah, the wine some twenty twenty five vintage
is outstanding, great, great fruit character, lovely balance and you
know it goes with all our local Marlborough produce, muscle, salmon, oysters, asparagus,

(04:25):
you know all those things.

Speaker 1 (04:26):
That's great time for me to play Santa claus On
behalf of you, two guys, Blizzard, McLean, Blair. What do
you got You've got to match what Jane's got, because
she's got in her fun pack. One for the North,
one for the South, two mirror mirror, the best Christmas
bubbles you can get. Two Sevenyon blancs, two Pino Noirs.
What a great fun pack that is? What are you
going to give them a container load of cherries?

Speaker 3 (04:49):
I could give them a story of my tri scoring ability.

Speaker 1 (04:54):
I think they prefer the cherries. What do you got?

Speaker 3 (04:56):
Yeah, so we've got some expot quality cherries thirty two
mil beauty, one for the North, one for the South,
and they as soon as you give me their addresses, Jamie,
they'll be seen to a on Monday and right probably
midweek and they are top quality, juicy, beautiful, du beautiful.

Speaker 1 (05:13):
We're going to get them to you before Christmas, we promise.
And if we don't blizzard, you're going to be shot.
I can't say that, can I? Anyhow, I know Jane
will fulfill her side of the bargain. So here you go, folks,
it's Christmas chair time. It's bubbles and cherries you need
because we're going to make your work for this aweb.
But you need You need to text the following to
five double O nine with your name and your courier address.

(05:35):
Hunters wines get the possessive apostrophe in the right place.
We can afford to be fussy because there'll be lots
of entries, So hunters, wines and cherry Bank. That's the
name of Blizzard's orchard. Thanks guys, thanks for being such
wonderful contributors throughout twenty twenty five. Catch you back for
a prosperous new farming here in twenty twenty six.

Speaker 2 (05:56):
Thanks Shenmy, and best wishes to use for Christmas and
the New Year. A quatch