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Raise a glass to Clos Henri
Clos Henri Vineyard is opening its doors next week to celebrate its 10th anniversary and Bastille Day.
The Wairau Valley winery celebrates France's national day every year and this year, although a little early, is inviting friends and business partners to the estate for a day of merriment, wine tasting and catching up.
Operational chief executive and winemaker Damien Yvon says it is a good time to get all the friends of Clos Henri together "and have a bit of a break and a celebration".
This year the estate is also using the Bastille Day celebrations to celebrate its 10th anniversary.
Estate owner Jean-Marie Bourgeois, a 10th-generation winegrower in the Sancerre region of the Loire Valley, in France, will be over for the celebration.
It was hard to believe it was 10 years since the first Clos Henri vines were planted, he said.
"These past 10 years have been an amazing ride.
"Planting and developing Clos Henri in Marlborough has given us such great pleasure.
"It truly is having the best of both worlds by bringing together the tradition of Sancerre winemaking with the unique New Zealand terroir."
The Clos Henri private function will be held on Saturday, July 9; the next day the winery will open between 11am and 3pm for the public to look around the estate and winemaking facilities.
There will be guided tours to allow people to understand more of what goes into the bottle and tastings so people can see the difference between Sancerre and Marlborough sauvignon blanc.
There will also be the chance for people and families to have a picnic on the grounds.
The cellar door will be open for the day.
Bastille Day, often called la Fete Nationale in France, became an official holiday in 1880 and falls on July 14.
- The Marlborough Express