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PAKU VIEWS ISSUE 3 SPRING/SUMMER 2011-12
tasted and I highly recommend it to our customers”.
“Many times vineyards use excess grapes and blend
them for their rosé wines”, shares John. “We use the
same high quality grapes that produce our Pinot Noir.”
The only difference at Mercury Bay is that the pinot
noir grapes used for their rosé age in their skins only 2
days rather than the 14 days customary for a Pinot Noir,
hence the difference in colour and body.
The Cellar Door wine tasting room has become a
favourite of both locals and visitors. Be sure to stop
by and taste for yourself. Check their website for
more info and the summer entertainment schedule.
7
Nestled on a hill in secluded Rings Beach, Coromandel,
is a private sanctuary. Surrounded and protected by the
native bush, this gem overlooks one of the country’s best
uncrowded white sand beaches which is unknown to most
— making it one of the best kept secrets as well.
Be spoiled not only with the privacy and natural beauty of the outdoor
environment, but also the luxuriously appointed indoor environment – A self-
contained one bedroom accommodation with spa, SKY TV, freplace and private
deck. Continental breakfast provided every morning.
07 866 2414 • Rings Beach • Whitianga
Email:
Coromandel Brewing Company
– Fun, confdent and pure
Coromandel!
Neil and Karen Vowles created this little
garage based business after stepping off the
immigration plane from the UK less than two
years ago with their two teenage sons, Jake and
Harry.
“Neil loves living on the Coromandel and he loves
beer”, says Karen, “However, Neil couldn’t quite
quaff the beer that was consumed by the majority
so in a mad moment, he decided to brew for his own
consumption and a few select friends”. Before you
knew it he was buying tanks from the States and was
brewing for the entire community. The Coromandel
Brewing Company was born!
“We had never worked together before but we
had owned our own individual businesses, so we
knew it would be diffcult working for anyone else”,
explained Karen. Neither had experience brewing on a
commercial scale, although Neil spent most of his uni
life brewing beer and making wine.
They hadn’t really thought of working together, it
just happened as the popularity of their home brew
increased. Before long the business started to take
shape–Karen took responsibility for sales, marketing
and deliveries leaving Neil to create and produce his
expanding range of beers.
“Our teenage boys help with bottling and labelling.
We occasionally refer to it as our ‘family bonding
time!’” states Karen. “We fnd the secret to a
good working relationship is that each one of us is
responsible for our own area. Since we both want to
be the boss, we split most jobs so we can both be
boss of our area”’. Accounts and book keeping is an
area neither really wanted but has fallen to Karen,
“Which I absolutely hate”.
“In the beginning we spent a lot of time trying to
do everything ourselves, say Karen. “We just can’t
anymore, so we use as many local people and
businesses as possible to work with us”.
Neil and Karen agree about one thing, “For us its all
about having fun and the day the fun goes is the day
we do something else”,
The Vowles offer four beers currently, with a ffth due
Christmas -
Easy Rider
(a light ale),
Good as Gold
(a
pilsner),
The Dark Side
(a bock strong beer),
Cloud 9
(a
wheat beer only available at Christmas) and the future
ffth, a honey beer.
Where can you fnd these handcrafted popular brews?
The Old Mill Café and Manaia Café & Bar in Tairua both
serve all the beers, or for drinking at home, you will
fnd them at Local Dog Bottle Shop and Golddiggers.
For more info, check out their new website:
or view them on Facebook.