Vineyard Virgins - The Unexpurgated Memoir of a Passionate Pioneer Winegrower

When Kim and Jeanette Goldwater planted their first tiny vineyard on a couple of hillside acres on the magical little island of Waiheke in 1978, just 15 miles East of Auckland City, all the leading experts warned them that grapes would not grow in that salt laden island environment. The Goldwaters, both 4th generation New Zealanders, had no experience of winemaking but doggedly persisted with their island experiment eventually proving the sceptics wrong by winning numerous international awards for their wines. This success encouraged them to expand their enterprise, first into Marlborough and then into the Hawkes Bay, to eventually become one New Zealand's largest and most prestigious winegrowers. In this story, Kim Goldwater relates just how this couple of ingenuous but passionate Kiwi battlers succeeded in creating a world renowned pioneer winegrowing enterprise on that remote little antipodean island. He captures the passion, optimism and determination in overcoming the numerous obstacles thrown in their path, not only by the vagaries of the weather but also by the experts and the bureaucracy. Not only did they succeed in their endeavour but flourished -- against all odds -- the reality of their enterprise far exceeding their dream.