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Matakana wine maker David Hoskins has come up with a novel way of funding a much-needed knee operation.
Faced with a long wait through the public health system, he has decided to offer for sale a select range of wines produced at the Heron’s Flight vineyard over the past three decades.
“I damaged a knee over vintage getting off the tractor,” David says. “Turns out I tore a meniscus and the surgeon says there is no point in repairing the tear, as the whole knee needs replacing. In fact, both knees are equally bad, but the first one can be done privately for $30,000.”
Finding the funds called for some creative thinking.
“I was rummaging through our cellar and discovered that we have bottles of most of our earlier wines.
We started opening them and discovered that they are an amazing snapshot of the Heron’s Flight vintages.
“We decided that the answer to funding the operation might lie in interesting loyal customers and others to buy either a box of six bottles, priced at $500, or a pack of 13 bottles, priced at $1000.”
An initial newsletter outlining the plan drew an encouraging response – the larger boxes sold out immediately.
As part of the promotion, Heron’s Flight is also hosting a vertical tasting at Gusto Restaurant in Ponsonby, where guests will be able to taste each of the wines on offer including the very first vintage, an award winning cabernet sauvignon. Anyone interested in attending should contact Heron’s Flight for details.
David and Mary Evans bought their property in Sharpe Road in the 1980s, initially planting French grapes but then soon after, switching to the Italian varieties.
And this isn’t the first time Heron’s Flight has turned to its wine for help.
About six years ago, when their old tractor needed replacing, they raised the money with a special ‘tractor wine’ offer.
“This time it’s me on my last legs, not our tractor!”
