DOG POINT IS AN AREA OF MARLBOROUGH NAMED BY PIONEERING SHEPHERDS WHOSE DOGS EITHER WANDERED OFF OR BECAME LOST. The name Dog Point dates back to the earliest European settlement of Marlborough and the introduction of sheep to the district. These were the days where, due to a lack of fences, boundary riders used boundary keeping dogs to protect the local flocks of sheep. Shepherds' dogs sometimes became lost or wandered off, eventually breeding to form a marauding pack that attacked the same flocks they were meant to be protecting. Over time the settlers were able to remove these wild dogs and the area was named Dog Point. These dogs lived on the tussock and scrub covered southern hills of Dog Point Vineyards. This landscape was, and still is, characterised by the iconic New Zealand native plant the Ti Kouka ‘cabbage’ tree which is also an established feature of the Dog Point property. DOG POINT IS HOME TO ONE OF NEW ZEALAND’S CULTURAL AND ECOLOGICAL TREASURES, THE 'TI KOUKA'. Commonly known as the cabbage tree the Ti Kouka is an attractive, distinctive and hardy native New Zealand plant. An endearing feature of the Dog Point landscape, like our wines the Ti Kouka is a natural expression of the land on which it exists. The Ti Kouka epitomises Dog Point Vineyard’s landscape and wines and therefore a stylised version has been 'adopted' for our logo. The Ti Kouka also features on the Dog Point label. ABUNDANT SUNSHINE, LOW RAINFALL AND COOL AUTUMN NIGHTS CREATE A LONG GROWING SEASON. Marlborough is New Zealand's largest wine region comprising 24,000 hectares located in the north eastern corner of New Zealand's South Island bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the East and towering mountain ranges in the hinterlands to the North and South. A broad alluvial plain stretches from the coastline gradually rising into narrow valleys and gentle hill slopes with favourable northerly aspects. Perfectly positioned at 41.3 degrees south, there is a superb synergy of climate and soil, with the proximity to the Pacific Ocean, the presence of prevailing winds and isolation from continental hot air masses creating a temperate maritime climate, with 2500 sunshine hours and 650mm of rain per annum. Although blessed with one of the sunniest and driest climates in New Zealand, Marlborough's heat is tempered throughout the summer months by easterly sea breezes with generally a lengthy dry autumn providing ideal conditions for the long slow ripening of grapes and the evolution of a rich array of vibrant fruit flavours. METICULOUS VITICULTURAL PRACTICES INCLUDE LOW CROPPING AND HAND HARVESTED VINES. These practices ensure that fruit is picked in excellent condition and at optimum physiological ripeness. Soils are crucial to the character of Marlborough Wine. Most have been laid down within the last 14,000 years carved and eroded by glaciers in the high country and carried down to the coast by melt-water rivers. The composition of these free draining alluvial soils varies markedly across the region and influences include a vineyard’s proximity to riverbeds, mountain ranges and exposure to the wind. Dog Point’s white wines are mostly planted on free draining silty clay loams on the flats, soils that predominantly express citrus and grapefruit flavours. Fruit from the hillside blocks have a dominant clay influence and add to the interest of the Chardonnay blend. Clay loam on gentle, closely planted hill slopes are ideally suited to Pinot Noir. These soils express cherry, plum and earthy characters. DOG POINT VINEYARD & WINERY OPERATE UNDER THE BIOGRO PROGRAMME. This programme is an initiative established to promote the production of premium quality wine utilising environmentally friendly and responsible practices. Organic philosophies drive our approach to wine growing and in 2009 Dog Point Vineyards started the process of organic conversion. One of the initiatives we carry out as part of our organic regime is the turning of vine prunings and winery waste into mulch to create a healthy organic compost for use on plantings throughout the property. We also collect leachate from this process and apply it to the vineyards as a fertiliser to help conserve moisture and improve the soil structure. In spring, we plant cover crop such as buckwheat and phacelia between the vines to encourage beneficial insects for biological control of insect pests. And over the winter months, 2,500 sheep and 25 steers are brought onto the property to keep the grass and weeds down, and to add organic matter to the soil.
