This month we are heading south again, to visit Wet Jacket Wines, a small, NZ owned brand in Central Otago, the brainchild of Central Otago Wine Legend, Greg Hay, ex-founder of Chard Farm & Peregrine Wines. Greg and his crew produce a small volume of exceptional, 100% hand-harvested, Central Otago wines that are only ever found in their unique boatshed Cellar Door at the Queenstown Marina and in some of the top bars and eateries around NZ.

BACKGROUND

Why on earth would you name a new wine brand after one of the remotest, wettest, farthest from an actual vineyard, place in New Zealand? Greg Hay had that exact question going around in his head, when on a trip into Wet Jacket Arm (Moana Uta) on the MV Pembroke, he found himself anchored up there at the head of this sound, soaking in its absolute majesty.

There aren’t too many places in New Zealand, let alone the world where you can gaze upon the scenery and know that this is exactly how it has looked for the past 10,000 years or more. Wet Jacket is one of those places.

“This particular evening happened to be a sun soaked, glassy calm moment with reflections in any and all directions, where one could have done a headstand and it still would have made sense. Huge tall, towering peaks standing as sentinels as if to protect this almost spiritual place. With the last of the day’s sunlight illuminating their rugged crowns, it is a place that has special meaning for those lucky enough to have ventured there.” Greg Hay

That night he kept repeating the name… Wet Jacket, Wet Jacket … could it work as a brand name? is there a memorable story behind it? Will people buy into this story? And of course, the most important can it be associated easily with a new wine brand, where the grapes are grown approximately 150 kms away in Central Otago.

The answer to these questions and more was a definite ‘Yes,’ so the ‘Go’ button was pushed on a whole new exciting adventure. Wet Jacket Wines was born.

THE HISTORY

The actual name Wet Jacket Arm was attributed to Captain James Cook, who on his second trip to New Zealand in 1773, arrived on his ship The Resolution after 133 days at sea. He moored it in Tamatea (Dusky Sound) in a very tight, snug little cove not much bigger than his vessel.

This spot was called Pickersgill Harbour. He stayed here with his crew for approximately six weeks, during which time the long boats were sent out in all and every direction to record the depths of this amazing, vast internal waterway.

With weighted drop lines, on one of the longboat trips, the crew came back to Pickersgill after several days recording having been caught out in a ferocious Fiordland storm. Absolutely drenched they were asked by Cook where they had been the past few days to attain this sodden state. From there Wet Jacket Arm was added to the list of inventive place names.

Cook undertook the Celestial Mappings to obtain latitude and longitude of New Zealand – literally putting it on the map for the very first time. Cook also recorded all the ocean floor depths throughout Tamatea (Dusky Sound) and Te Puaitaha (Breaksea Sounds). Interestingly enough these measurements were still used by mariners until as recently as 25 years ago. When the NZ Navy put their Hydrographic Sonar through the region, they only found mistakes in two areas.

Wet Jacket Arm is also the last place in the area that the Moose (liberated in Supper Cove in 1910 after being gifted to NZ by the Canadian government) were seen in the late 1950’s. There is still a lot of debate today as to whether there are a few of these elusive creatures exist, hiding away in the dense bush, not wanting to be found.

New Zealand’s first beer was also brewed in Wet Jacket Arm. Made from molasses and Rimu trees, sadly it wasn’t for pleasure but to stop the onset of scurvy!

THE CELLAR DOOR

Wet Jacket Wine tastings take you on a journey of History, Stories and Wine. Conveniently located near central Queenstown, at the Queenstown Marina, their floating Cellar Door is open every day (except public holidays) for bottle sales and wine tastings.

Bookings for wine tastings are recommended – Shed 3 Queenstown Marina, 3 Sugar Lane, Frankton, Queenstown 9300

WET JACKET WINES

Wet Jacket produce small parcels of exceptional wines from selected vineyards in the Central Otago region. The current vintages available are…

White Wines include Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay & Gewurztraminer & a Sticky Savvy.

Red Wines include 2 x Pinot Noir, a Syrah & a Rose.

Wet Jacket wines are available for purchase online via the website link below: Shipping is available in New Zealand, Australia and across the world. See the website for Shipping & Delivery.

CONSERVATION WORK

Born from a book called ‘My Side of the Mountain’ his mother bought him as child about a young boy and his friendship with a pet Falcon to his time rehabilitating injured Karearea and raising their chicks at Chard Farm in the late 80’s,  Greg Hay’s passion and commitment to NZ bird conservation has only grown and led to many successful experiences over the years including:

• Patron of the former Fiordland Conservation Trust and Eastern Falcon Trust.
• Karearea chick relocations from Wingspan Birds of Prey Centre, Rotorua to various locations in Wakatipu and Hawea.
• Tieke (Saddleback) relocations to various islands in Fiordland, Stewart Island and Orakanui Sanctuary, Dunedin.
• Piwauwau (Rock Wren) relocation from the Murchison Mountains, Fiordland to Resolution Island, Dusky Sound.
• Mohua (Yellowhead) relocation from the Landsborough Valley, West Coast to Resolution Island, Dusky Sound.

The Wet Jacket crew strive to continue this legacy of work. Delivering on this promise, more recently Wet Jacket has entered into a conservation collaboration with Real NZ, a tourism icon in Fiordland including supporting their annual Real NZ Conservation Ball held at Walter Peak station with wine and auction prizes.

The Wet Jacket crew have also volunteered alongside Real NZ and the Department of Conservation on Cooper Island, Dusky Sound and Herrick Creek, Wet Jacket Arm and have first hand experience of the incredible trapping projects.

WET JACKET WINE CLUB – THE PROVIDORES

‘By joining the Wet Jacket Wine Club you get access to all Wet Jacket Wines including older vintages & limited releases, first access to new releases (sometimes months before the general public, invitation to exclusive Wet Jacket events and complimentary wine tastings for you and your crew and priority bookings in the Cellar Door.

On top of the 2x annual subscription cases, any additional wines purchased throughout a calendar year add up to unlock further rewards including restaurant vouchers, private dinners hosted by Greg Hay and even amazing getaways to some iconic New Zealand destinations that are close to the Crew’s hearts’.

Click The Image Below to Visit & Explore The Wet Jacket Wines Website