Specialized services for the propagation of premium grapevines

Bespoke massale selection process to establish vineyards with an emphasis on genetic diversity and longevity

Areas of Expertise

Ampelography (variety identification)

Massale selection

Own supply budwood (GGS compliant)

Viticultural consulting

Custom Massale Selection Service

Sustainability is inherent in diversity; diversity yields complexity. Massale selection is the age-old practice of propagating from healthy, diverse mother vines with characteristics that complement your specific site, climate conditions, and winemaking objectives. This stands in contrast to clonal selection, where all vines originate from a single mother vine with the intention of uniformity. While clonal selection became globally popular in the late 20th century, a massale selection revival is now taking place in Europe among prestigious producers, large and small.

The first of its kind in Aotearoa New Zealand, NSNZ offers a bespoke service of massale selected budwood for clients looking to establish legacy vineyards. NSNZ invites clients to participate in the selection process as much or as little as they’d like, then oversees the budwood harvest to provide fully GGS compliant material to their nursery of choice. The nursery engages with clients separately regarding choice of rootstock and delivery of grafted vines.

Get in touch via the contact form below or email raquel@naturalselection.co.nz to discuss.

Adventures Blog

View fullsize Kia ora koutou 👋 I'm back home after my overseas adventure, laden down with learnings, inspiration, and incredible wine. An idea I refined over the course of the trip - to offer custom massale selection projects for vineyards seeking to develop prem
View fullsize Tillage I can get behind, if there's a horse in front @closdescapucins.chinon As a "horse girl," ploughing a vineyard with horses was something I always dreamed of trying. Thanks to my longtime French friend and fellow horse girl, Morgane,
View fullsize Applying the knowledge of today to the practices of yore @biscornus I was introduced to Nico by our mutual friend Fiona, who is the unofficial Mayor of the Loire. I met Nico for a late morning walk and talk on his Domaine in Razines. This extended i
View fullsize Pushing up the pink granite hill – literally and figuratively @domainechapel I felt like I had been catfished when I drove into Beaujolais last week. The rolling hills were carpets of orange (the color of grass freshly killed by herbicide), as
View fullsize Permaculture and PIWIs @thomas.niedermayr Immaculate, legitimate, complete "sustainability" is impossible to achieve in man-made agricultural systems, but at Thomas Niedermayr, I'd say they come as close as humanly possible. This 5 hecatr
View fullsize Vivai Cooperativi Rauscedo - VCR VCR produces 80-100 million grafted grapevines a year. To put that in perspective, all the nurseries in NZ combined produce maybe 5% of that in a good year. VCR is not just a powerhouse in the production of grafted
View fullsize Resistant vines yielding beautiful wines @trezerowine Visiting TreZero was a real full-circle career moment for me. I got my start in the wine world 11 years ago at a small vineyard in New Hampshire growing the "old" interspecific hybrids,
View fullsize Viti da seme - vines from seed @agricolaforadori is surrounded by the sheer cliff walls of the Dolomites in Trentino. Standing there elicited feelings of being small and insignificant in nature, while simultaneously sensing that life's possibilities
View fullsize Innesti in campo ai selvatici - field grafting onto rootstock Pasquale at @fatalonewines is a 5th generation vignaiolo on his family farm in Puglia. The Patreras are trailblazers of the region: they were the first ever to bottle DOC Gioia del Coll
View fullsize I met @roberto_seripanni_firulli at @vivalavite_official last week where I tried his lush lineup of Primitivo, including one made excluively out of second set known as "racemi", a traditional Apulian wine style (don't knock it till you try
View fullsize Bio Cantina Orsogna - organic and biodynamic wine cooperative in Abruzzo @biocantinaorsogna Disclaimer: the following content may be biased because I ate the best meal of my life here with wonderful company. Orsogna is a co-op of 300 family-owned
View fullsize Palo - posts I've admittedly never given much thought to trellis infrastructure. In NZ, most of us choose between pine treated with copper chromium and arsenate (CCA) or zinc coated galvanized steel. I won't get into the pros and cons of each, whic
View fullsize Legatura ai salci - tying down with willow At Monte Bernardi in Panzano, Chianti, they use an old-school method of tying down the canes. I spent my first few days in Tuscany learning legatura ai salci from the fabulous, hilarious Rosanna Scortichin

About

Raquel Kallas has over a decade of viticultural experience in research, extension, and industry, spanning across three countries. She holds a Master’s degree from Cornell University and will be undertaking advanced ampelography training with the OIV in July 2025. Raquel gained an in-depth understanding of premium production practices while working for one of NZ’s most distinguished wineries, Craggy Range. She was initiated into the specialized world of grapevine propagation during her time as Technical Viticulturist at Riversun Nursery. Raquel’s unique blend of scientific and commercial knowledge allows her to apply modern insights to traditional practices, to the benefit of vine health, environmental sustainability, and exceptional wine quality.

A smiling woman wearing a black hat and checkered shirt kneels in a vineyard with a black and tan dog with its tongue out. There are green grapevines and grass with yellow wildflowers in the background.