What is this? And where is it?

Actually, it is not a secret defense weapon in the US Air Force arsenal, but upon approaching it, it does look numinous and otherworldly. It is actually the Peregrine Winery, situated in Gibbstown, New Zealand, on the famous Central Otago Wine Road, a road that takes the oenophile 20 minutes outside Queenstown, NZ on a great tasting trip, beginning with Peregrine.

Before discussing the wine, it is important to mention this architecture's many awards, the most recent being the
New Zealand Supreme Architectural Award. Judges from UK magazine The Architectural Review like it too, placing it, in 2004, in the top five of its annual emerging architecture awards. The jury described the Winery as "an elegant blade of light [that] contrasts with the rugged and sublime natural landscape. But Chris Kelly, the architect, described the building in a more avian manner: "It was recognized early on that the building would be important in reinforcing the Peregrine wine brand, so the changing roof gradient was inspired by old images freezing the kinetic rotation of a bird in flight. The roof is evocative of the majesty the Peregrine or native falcon has as it glides on the thermal uplifts off the heated land." However it is interpreted, it is also on DesignCrave's 2009 list of the Ten Architectural Wonders Of The Wine World, for among other things, its inventive handling of space and light.



The architecture is just one part of this tripartite meditation: another is what the architecture houses: the wine. I had the chance to interview the co-owner, Greg Hay, of this winery while on my travels in New Zealand, that I wrote about in Luxist recently.  I wanted to know more about Peregrine's wine, and its brand that combined awards-winning wine with its unique brand -- the first to my knowledge -- of avian philanthropy.

First, how have your wines been doing within the past few years?

"Most recently, our Pinot Noir 2007 was awarded Champion Wine of Australasia from any variety, and well as placed in the top 10 Pinots in the world at the International Wine Challenge in London. We have also won Top of its Class at the International Wine and Spirits Competition, Gold at Air NZ Wine awards, Gold at Sydney Top 100 Wine awards, 5 stars in Cuisine Magazine and several others. The white wines have also done exceptionally well, particularly the Pinot Gris and Rieslings but Wine awards and accolades aside , the best gauge for us is that we are still selling out of the wines that we make each year"

Talk a little about your philanthropic endeavors as it relates to Peregrine wines, and how this connection began.

"We named our winery Peregrine, mainly because we wanted to be associated with the endangered species, the Peregrine. The idea of using the New Zealand falcon (Karearea in Maori) as the brand for the winery came about as I had been allowed to keep injured and orphaned falcons where I lived, then either nurse them back to health or teach them to feed for themselves as they would in the wild and then let them return to their native habitats after about 4 months. They nearly became extinct in the 60`s and 70`s in NZ. Therefore I felt that there was some great work we could do to make their chances of survival greater by supporting and funding conservation projects. We wanted them to soar in the skies again, thus our logo is Wine With Altitude. Peregrine Falcons are majestic birds and reflect a lot of what Central Otago is about as a region and also represent the ethos behind our wines well, that being the combined ideas of power with elegance. We also support programs for Wingspan, a Birds-Of-Pray Sanctuary."

How does Peregrine support Wingspan?

"We have been supporting Wingspan for about 9 years now. They are based in Rotorua, and there is a very high quality avian hospital, used as a captive breeding program and education center for injured and orphaned raptors or birds of prey. We don't necessarily work on a % of profits for any of our conservation work but more look at individual projects that are put before us that we can totally fund and be actively involved in. We have other work through the Fiordland Conservation Trust where we fund projects helping save the South Island Saddleback bird as well as the Mohua, also endangered NZ birds."

How long has your winery been producing? What does the crop look like for the coming year?

"The brand starting out with its first vintage in 1998 so it has now been about 12 vintages . The first we actually made in this facility was the 2003 vintage with the previous ones being made offsite. Our 2009 is now in the bottle and just starting to come onto the market and 2010 vintage looks like they will be two best vintages ever seen in Central Otago, with great concentration and complexity but with amazing finesse also."

[This was sent to me by a forum member:]

This was sent to me by a forum member: I'm surprised no one posted this as Syracuse is a special place. 


Subject: Re: Syracuse Falcon report

I got a call from Jean Soprano this afternoon. Unfortunately it was not good news. One of our Syracuse Peregrine Falcon juveniles was found down on Almond Street under the viaducts beneath I-81. It was found by a taxi driver who contacted DEC and they got the bird from the driver and delivered it to Jean in hopes that it could be saved. Jean called her vet who came out to look at the bird and determine what to do. X-rays showed multiple broken bones and other injuries. The bird was very emaciated and apparantly had been injured and remained unnoticed for several days. It was not possible to save it. Jean told me the band number was 94 black over W green with blue tape on the Fish and wild life band. When he was banded this spring, this young male was called "Chinook" after the warm wind that blows out of the Rocky Mountains, and the Chinook salmon that return to spawn in the Salmon River. This was the first time that one of Fancy and Groucho's offspring did not make it out of Syracuse. As far as we know, the other three from this year's brood are still around town. Hopefully they will make it out on their own soon and the next report we hear of them will be when they find mates and begin to raise young of their own.

OH that poor baby, out there injured. It was nice of the Taxi driver to report him. I'm so sorry Syracuse, what a tragedy. Safe flights for the 3 others, I wish them well.

I have mine set up so I'm logged in forever also, haven't had a problem yet. Good luck Nic.

Holy Callidora!! Suzanne, your hubby took the most amazing pics of the food exchange. It's wonderful to see this, even if it's a pic sequence. You all must have been in awe seeing it LIVE. Miss C has grown up so quickly, (after being the baby and whining most of the time), she's a little lady. Thank Don for this great set of photos and THANK YOU for posting.  them.

6:49am MAK/Dan/Jim Dorr: Beauty on SW corner and back to C on SE corner. MAK at Frontier parking lot, Dan at Ped bridge and Jim D on Broad St bridge. C kakking.

7:00: C still kakking, B flew off, must be on E side. Jim D radioed Archer eating breakfast on FCT. All 3 accounted for.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jggilbert/4612826329/in/set-72157624239399976/ Some really great photos.

http://www.nj.com/shore/blogs/index.ssf/2010/07/shore_birds_eyes_bigger_than_h.html Story and more photos.

6:33am (MAK/Dan): On broad St bridge, Beauty on HSBC NW corner, flew around to SE corner.

6:37: Callidora appeared above Beauty kakking. Both having breakfast together.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7T8Hhp3pSc&feature=player_embedded#! How cute!

July 23 Update and 2010 Nest Summary

This year's nesting season at the Dunn Memorial Bridge was unusual in a number of ways. First, was the pairing of the female with a male that still had immature plumage. This immediately raised questions as to whether the female would even lay eggs this year. The female did lay four eggs, although a couple of weeks later than usual, and two of those eggs hatched. The incubation period was also several days longer than expected. So far, so good.

Two chicks hatched on the evening of May 28th. Six days later, one of the chicks apparently died and was removed from the nest box by one of the adults. The adults continued to feed their remaining chick, but at the age of about 3 ½ weeks, we noticed that the chick's tail and wing feathers were not as well developed as is typical of peregrine chicks that age. It appeared that the chick was being well fed, and from that point on, feather development seemed to continue at the normal rate.

The chick first left the nest box at a little over five weeks, an activity that typically first occurs at a little more than four weeks. Once outside of the nest box, the chick appeared to be active and agile on top of the concrete pier as it finished growing and exercising in preparation for its first flight. It fledged in Mid July at around seven weeks old instead of the usual six weeks.

The early fledgling stage is very challenging for all birds, and attempting those first flights from nest sites in urban environments poses additional hazards. Since 1998, a total of 33 young have fledged from the Dunn Memorial Bridge. We know that five of those died shortly after fledging. Three landed in the river and were not able to swim to shore, and two were hit by vehicles on top of the bridge. On July 17th, this year's single fledgling was found on the sidewalk on top of the bridge. Not yet a strong flyer, the bird likely flew very low over the bridge and was hit by a passing vehicle. A veterinarian who specializes in the care of birds of prey determined that its injuries were too severe to repair, and on July 20th, the bird was euthanized.

On a brighter note, another pair of peregrine falcons has been nesting on the Route 7 Bridge over the Hudson River in Troy. A pair was first confirmed on the bridge in 2007 and the Department of Transportation (DOT) installed nest boxes in 2009. Four young fledged from the box that year, and another four chicks successfully fledged in 2010. Information on viewing opportunities at that nest site will be posted on the web site next year.

OK so is 2 weeks going to make a difference in her coming back to Rochester? If so, then what? Will they teach her to hunt? Will she go to a hack box? I feel so bad for Jemison, (the one who was doing so well). I pray she can come home and be with her family and they will accept her back. Guess only time will tell. Thanks for the update.

7:33 (MAK) Callidora on Chase building, NE corner. All 3 in sight.

7:23pm (MAK): A on 2nd I beam OCSR North side, C and B on Xerox, South side. All accounted for.

Did you ever saw a grasshopper eat?
And have you any idea what a grasshopper likes to eat?
I made this movie 3 days ago in my garden.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Y8PODgQLqc

greetings Aafke

Guess they eat "GRASS"! Very cool Aafke, I never saw a grasshopper eat. I don't see many grasshoppers.

I am familiar with the awesome work of Nancy Laird and Nabisho (her partner).  Nabisho is a member of my favorite pigeon forum.  Nabisho & Nancy not only rehab birds of prey, they rehab and give a permanent home to PREY BIRDS that are not releasable.  

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f34/we-made-the-front-page-of-the-local-paper-46078.html#post491845

She's amazing...thanks for the link. Yay for the rehabs. 

Any word on Jemison's X-rays? It's been since Friday. Just curious.