When it rains like it has done in recent weeks, it is hard to believe that people want to move to Nelson for the climate and for a great lifestyle.

For those who have chosen to move here and establish vineyards, they must almost question their sanity, but talk to David Birt and Pam Robert from Kina Beach Vineyards and they know they made the right decision.

On leaving the fuel industry after 35 years, Dave decided to use his considerable marketing experience to his own benefit. A nurse by trade, Pam knows all about attention to detail.

After searching New Zealand for the perfect site to establish a vineyard, they selected 5.6ha of gently sloping land at Kina.

Their choice of site is reinforced during wet weather. Even though the vineyards are on Moutere clay soils, the slightly elevated, gentle slope means there is plenty of drainage, and the north facing aspect means the sun dries things out nicely. Rounding out the positives of this special microclimate is the regular sea breeze, which dries the vines, helping to avoid various fungal infections.

Dave and Pam have been growing grapes at the site since 1998, and have been selling fruit to another winemaker in the region. Their focus has been on producing the very best wine grapes possible - after all, you can't make great wine from average fruit. All the really important stuff in the vineyard is done by hand - pruning, leaf plucking, thinning and harvesting.

The 2003 vintage saw the production of their first wine, under the guidance of talented wine-maker John Kavanagh.

Kina Beach Vineyards has only two wines on offer at this stage, but the meticulous attention to detail in the production of these hand-crafted wines has made for an outstanding debut.

The 2003 Kina Beach Chardonnay ($30) is a super wine. Made in full style, the aromas are packed with elegant creamy stonefruit characters and a touch of spice, while the flavours of peaches and cream are stunningly well balanced, with fine acids and a twist of oak spice. This wine picked up a gold medal at the 2004 Bragato Wine Awards, an impressive first result.

The other wine produced by Kina Beach Vineyards is Pinot Noir, and the 2003 vintage ($40) was awarded a silver medal at the same Bragato show. For my money, this deserves gold, not silver.

Made in full style, this is not a weedy pinot. The deep black cherry colour and big spiced fruit aromas with hints of savoury mushrooms tell you a lot about the wine before you taste it. The flavours are truly multi-dimensional, from sweet fruit up front to herbal fruits, then on to spicy plums before finishing with long, dry and ever so fine tannins.

This is a stunningly well-balanced, complex wine that is full bodied without being a fruit bomb. Hand-crafted from six different clones of pinot noir, I think this pinot is worth crawling over broken glass to find.

Weather permitting, the 2005 vintage will also see the production of a sauvignon blanc from the latest in a string of superb new wineries in the Nelson region.

Kina Beach Wines ... a taste of our place!