Phil Handford

Phil Handford's Story

 " In 2001 I facilitated the formation of Grasshopper Rock. A dynamic equity partnership of five slightly crazy families. Good keen men and women, hunters and gatherers at heart who love to test themselves both physically and professionally. Pinot Noir is the world’s most difficult grape to grow and is often called “the heart break grape”. The grape is thin skinned and temperamental, it needs understanding and nurturing in the vineyard. The best pinot noir needs to be grown right on the edge of the climatic limits and the cool Central Otago climate is certainly “growing on the edge”.

 This is what makes it so exciting – because it is so difficult.

 Our aim is to produce the best pinot noir in the world. Best in the world may seem bold but it gives us a clear focus on what we need to do achieve great things. We searched for the best vineyard land and the site we found is now one of the southern most vineyards in the world.

Grasshopper Rock is a small vineyard dedicated exclusively to pinot noir. 38,000 vines were planted on our 8 hectare site in 2003. It is exciting to be part of a vineyard that has been achieved international recognition in such a short time.

Our most memorable moment was when Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate awarded our first vintage 92 points. Until then I had been naive about how much influence one persons name could have. We received emails from around the world and suddenly stores wanted to stock our wine.

The finest moments are when I look back and see what we have achieved in only a few years. After all our planning and hard work, our first three vintages have all achieved outstanding reviews and awards with writers calling Grasshopper Rock “world class” and one that every pinotfile should put on their watch list.

 My words of wisdom for all aspiring winemakers would be...

 'It is the last five percent of work and attention to detail in the vineyard and the winery that is the difference between good and great wine.'"