We are a husband and wife micro-producer of zero-zero wine in Rolleston, New Zealand. We make all our wines - from harvest to bottle - in our tiny “garage” cellar in Rolleston, just south of Christchurch, from grapes grown by a single organic vineyard in Marlborough. We work closely with our organic grower Churton Vineyards in the Waihopai Valley of Marlborough and we purchase grapes from the four different varieties that they grow there - Sauvignon blanc, Pinot Noir, Viognier and Petit Manseng. Churton Vineyard is a 22 hectare hillside-planted vineyard situated at 200m altitude above sea level dedicated to producing the highest quality fruit possible. The vineyard is farmed biodynamically and is certified organic (BiogroNZ). The soils at Churton are composed of a deep layer of clay-based loess over alluvial gravels. This dense soil type has good water-holding capacity and Churton aim to dry farm when the season allows. Treatments are confined to minimal sulphur/copper sprays supplemented by organic plant infusions, mineral/clay/earth decoctions and biodynamic preparations. Organic and compost matter is brought to the soil by Churton’s own free-ranging cattle and grass is kept in check by bringing in grazing sheep. Churton have experimented with animal traction and under-vine horse ploughing but currently use a combination of sheep/cattle grazing and tractor work to keep weeds and grass in balance and to occasionally aerate the soil. All the grapes going into A Thousand Gods wines are hand-picked, mostly by just the two of us (although we also use contractors for the bigger picks) and are brought back to our winery in Rolleston for processing. All our wines are fermented naturally by wild yeast and we use no fining/filtering, oenological aids or sulphur at any stage on our wines. We have a vertical basket press which we use for all our wines and elevage is done in a combination of old oak, stainless steel and terracotta amphora vessels. Vinification, elevage and bottling are all done on site.