No need to take your wine on holiday now!

In the past if you went on holiday to Fiji, you had to take your Murdoch James Estate wines with you. I remember a holiday in Rakiraki where I took 2 cases to see me through (don't ask how long 2 cases lasted me and my mate Mike!). And a lot of excess baggage and customs duty paid too.

Liam Hindle

Well no more. Yesterday we agreed with Victoria Wines that they would import and distribute Murdoch James Estate wines in Fiji. They have 3 terrific retail shops with a very knowledgeable team. They also distribute to the wholesale trade as well, so we hope to see some Murdoch James wines on the wine lists of some of Fiji's great resorts.Click here for a link to their website.
 
Like Murdoch James Estate, Victoria Wines is also a family company that values great quality and enjoys sharing that with their customers. The company name comes from the location of their very first shop 20 years ago on Victoria Parade, in Fiji’s capital city – Suva. They currently have two shops in the West, in Nadi and Denarau, and one shop in Suva, with a second soon to open at the new Damodar complex adjacent to the University of the South Pacific. With a dedicated team of twenty-five people they will ensure you receive all the assistance you require to select the perfect bottle of wine with which to watch the sun set on their beautiful island home. As Liam, one the founders of Victoria Wines says "We love it, we drink it, we sell it. Enjoy!"

Time to tell you that even busy winery owners need time off!

Leaving Wellington on a cold winter day (about 10 C) we flew to Fiji for 3 weeks holiday. It has been great, as the accompanying images show - warm days (25-30 C) and mild nights (20 C). Very pleasant indeed! Unbelievable as it may appear, it has been hard to leave work totally behind, even though we have a very capable team at the winery. I think when one owns a business, it is almost impossible to totally switch off. It is almost like having a child!!

While we have been away, lots of things have been happening at work; the bottling process mentioned in earlier posts, finalising the 2009 wines and site developments. Most important of these is the sealing of our long gravel drive. No more dust in the café or cellar door, no more mud and potholes in winter and easier access for winery visitors.

To be able to afford to do this after 10 years is a real thrill.

I will include some images of the work in a future post. This improvement will help us sell the winery and cafe for more weddings and functions, an important revenue item for us. We hosted over 20 wedding in each of the last 3 years - all of which were great fun for us and the wedding parties