AN IN-DEPTH STUDY OF THE NORTH CANTERBURY WINE REGION.

NORTH CANTERBURY WINE REGION

North Canterbury and particularly the Waipara Valley is home to some of New Zealand’s finest wine. Charmian Smith finds it’s a region of “terroir-ists” - winemakers for whom the terroir determines the style of their wine.

Some of New Zealand’s earliest vines were planted in Canterbury in the 1840s by French settlers in Akaroa - their little sickle-shaped pruning knives can be seen in the local museum. However, the modern industry developed in the 1970s and ‘80s after Dr David Jackson of Lincoln University started planting trial vineyards around the region.

Much has happened in the 40 years since the region’s first commercial winery, St Helena at Belfast just north of Christchurch, startled the wine community by winning gold medals for its 1982 and 1984 pinot noir.

While several early vineyards were planted on the plains west of Christchurch and on Banks Peninsula, the Waipara Valley 45 minutes north of the city soon became the heart of the wine region.

For many years the outlying vineyards languished in the shadow of Waipara, but are now brought together under the North Canterbury umbrella. The wine region officially stretches from the Waiau river near Cheviot south to the Rakaia, west to Waikari and east on to Banks Peninsula, giving a cohesion especially for the small producers outside the Wairapa sub-region.

West of Waipara, through the Weka Pass in the Waikari area are the small but acclaimed Bell Hill and Pyramid Valley vineyards planted on limestone soils. North of Waipara, on the banks of the Waiau, is the large, exportoriented Mt Beautiful; south of Christchurch at Burnham on the original vineyards planted by the Giesen brothers in the 1980s are Straight Eight Estate and until recently Lone Goat. A handful of other small vineyards are dotted round Banks Peninsula, and on the outskirts of Christchurch are a few other producers which are mainly function centres with their own wine labels.

It’s the variety of soils, aspects and climates across the region that is so fascinating, according to Vicki Tutton from The Boneline. Her vineyard on the terraces of the Waipara river just after it emerges from the gorge, can ripen big reds such as the cabernets, she said.

“At the other extreme you’ve still got all the racy vibrant whites. I think as a region we really have a lot of diversity.”

Sheltered from the cool easterlies by the Teviotdale HIlls, heated by the nor’westers, the

The Waipara Valley is the heart of the North Canterbury wine region.

Waipara valley stretches from Glasnevin, past the Hamner Springs turnoff to Omihi in the north. Here you’ll find some of the finest Canterbury wines and most of the region’s cellar doors.

The valley’s varied geology and soils, including river gravels, silt, limestone and clay, with various microclimates, aspects and altitudes make for a diversity of sites, varietals and wine styles - “Liquid Geography” as Terrace Edge eloquently names its riesling.

There was a time when Waipara hung its hat on riesling as the variety that did best, but that was because no other region had claimed it, Greystone winemaker Dom Maxwell and Vicki agree.

North Canterbury riesling are certainly fine - those from old vines at Burnham can be wonderfully ethereal - but the diversity of terroir leads to a diversity of varieties that sing in the region.

Dom thinks chardonnay and pinot noir do particularly well on lower slopes east of the highway where Greystone’s vineyards are.

“We are protected compared to some more exposed places and both of those varieties are fairly sensitive. We have soils that allow for good drainage, and you can’t grow big crops. There’s no way you’d set up here if you wanted to be a big commercial grower. Both those varieties respond very well to moderate crops and the inherent nature of the wine that comes from the soils here - clay, limestone, sandstone - adding noticeable textural characters to the wine.”

Vicki Tutton, co-owner of The Boneline.

While good, commercial pinot noir can be made that is consistent from year to year, some of the more prestigious winemakers, such as Greystone, Black Estate, The Boneline and Pegasus Bay, prefer to let the terroir of different blocks shine through.

That takes time in the vineyard and winery, tasting and smelling individual barrels, working with natural ferments, natural malolactic and nothing added but tiny bit of sulphur for bottling, as Dom explains.

“We all know our only point of difference is our patch of land,” he said.

Vicki adds: once you understand the different soils in your vineyard blocks and learn the characteristics of the grapes the vines produce, you know what to do in the winery.

“You handle the vineyard better but you’re always driven by what’s underneath. You can’t get away from that, but it becomes a really nice relationship with the place.”

She and her family established The Boneline more than 30 years ago but she says it’s going to take many lifetimes - and a group of people who stay with it - to get to the bottom as the finishing point keeps moving.

Dom explains that when you’ve been around long enough to know the land is going to do a certain thing, you either chose to work with it or against it. Needless to say, the wineries that work hardest to express their piece of land are also converting to organic or biodynamic practices, and some, like Greystone, are seriously working to reduce their carbon footprint.

While there are some larger, corporate vineyards such as Waipara Hills and Pernod Ricard’s Camshorn at Glasnevin and Omihi Vineyard here, many are are family-owned and often have other operations such as sheep or olives to supplement their income.

Some are so small that the owners have to do everything, from vineyard work to marketing and pouring wine at the cellar door if they have one.

“It’s hard yakker especially for small vineyards. You can’t get away from any of the work yourself. Vines don’t go to sleep for three weeks. You can’t leave vines,” Vicki says from hard experience.

It may verge on a subsistence model, living on what you can grow and make, but its small businesses like The Boneline, George’s Road, Terrace Edge and Torlesse that a give character and a sense of authenticity to a wine region.

It’s understandable that some people sell up. It’s such a long term thing, you can’t - you don’t achieve much in 10 years because you are still evolving, Vicki adds.

Several vineyards have been sold in the past few years, often to foreigners who may not understand what they are getting into, and there’s a big pressure for land for dairy conversion.

We all know our only point of difference is our patch of land.

Dom Maxwell, Greystone’s talented winemaker.

Pegasus Bay.

Exploring North Canterbury cellar doors can take you far and wide, but Waipara, 45 minutes north of Christchurch, is the heart of the region with most of the cellar doors.

Through the Weka Pass in the Waikari area the highly acclaimed Bell Hill and Pyramid Valley, now owned by AONZ.

At Burnham, south of Christchurch, Straight Eight is worth a visit if you are passing but sadly its neighbour, Lone Goat, has shut down since I called.

There are (or were) a handful around Akaroa and elsewhere on Banks Peninsula but none were open when I visited in January this year (2022), although Takamatua near Akaroa plans to open by appointment after harvest. Presumably it’s a result of Covid, the tourism downturn and other economic disruptions.

Nevertheless, some very skilled winemakers who aim for the top have chosen to work in this region. They are not afraid of experimenting, going back to older ideas or pushing new boundaries. You’ll find uncommon wines like pet nat (natural sparkling wine), amphora-fermented wines, skin fermented wines, field blends and wines that have been crushed by foot. But there are also many fine classic chardonnays, pinot noirs, exceptional rieslings and other varieties to discover.

Waipara is also known for its food. Black Estate’s fine dining restaurant is highly recommended; Waipara Hills has a popular cafe in its imposing building; and Waipara Springs a more rustic cafe. Greystone and Terrace Edge offer wine and food matching, and others offer platters.

Pegasus Bay has closed its award winning restaurant due to Covid but now offers a curated selection of artisan deli products for DIY picnics to enjoy in its extensive gardens.

If you are in the area on Saturday morning, the weekly farmers market at Amberley is well worth a visit for delicious local fruit, vegetables, nuts, goats cheese and other artisan products.

There’s accommodation to suit every taste and budget, from luxury BnBs, vineyard cottages and off-grid pods, to former railway carriages in the camping ground.

Waipara’s vineyard cycle trail runs from the village, crosses under the highway, winds its way through Greystone and Muddy Water vineyards, then across the slope to Black Estate. Torlesse and some of the accommodation providers have bikes for hire.

If you are wined out, a fascinating visit is the Iron Ridge Quarry sculpture park in Ram Paddock Rd in the dramatic Waipara gorge. Sculptor Raymond Herber bought an abandoned limestone quarry many years ago, grassed and planted it, turning it into a peaceful garden with his and other’s sculptures. It’s an ideal place for a picnic.

One of Raymond’s sculptures stands at the southern entrance to the Waipara Valley at the junction of SH1 and SH7.

In these uncertain Covid times it pays to check websites for opening hours. northcanterburywines.co.nz

PEGASUS BAY

The region’s most gorgeous cellar door setting is at Pegasus Bay, a chateau-inspired building set in extensive gardens with a small lake. Put together a picnic

lunch from their artisan deli products and enjoy a glass or bottle of wine in the gardens or relax in the tasting room which harks back in time with wooden floors, benches and tables, arched doorways and a wooden staircase.

Established by the Donaldson family in the mid 1980s, Pegasus Bay has always aimed high. Now Ivan and Chris Donaldson’s four sons are in charge: Matt the winemaker; Edward marketing manager; Michael local sales manager; and Paul, the youngest is general manager.

Chris’s involvement with opera inspired the names for the reserve wines, Bel Canto, Encore, Finale, Aria, Virtuoso, Prima Donna, Maestro and Fortissimo. There’s also a new line of nontraditional wines, Vergence, to discover.

The wines are released at their peak, so expect to taste some with a few years of bottle age.

There’s a fine, toasty 2018 chardonnay and a delicious silky 2019 pinot noir, but one of my favourites over the years has been the sauvignon semillon. The 2019 is nutty from lees ageing but retains a crisp minerality without being overtly herbaceous. It’s always been a great food match.

I love gewürztraminer and Pegasus Bay’s 2019 is an excellent example, the variety’s usual over-the-top ebullience restrained by wild fermentation in old puncheons. It’s textural and charming - an excellent food wine.

Pegasus Bay produces an compelling range of rieslings: the fragrant, dry and concentrated Bell Canto 2020 oozing grapefruit and mandarin will develop well; the rich, citrusy, off-dry 2019 Pegasus Bay; the 2020 Aria late harvest, lush, bright and clean on the finish; and the intense, golden, honeyed 2016 Encore.

For sticky lovers there’s also Finale, the 2019 a decadent but beautifully balanced, rich, unctuous and textural oak-aged sauvignon semillon modelled on a French Sauternes.

They make pinot noir and a couple of bigger reds, but my favourite has to be the 2018 cabernet franc, fragrant, rich and earthy, oozing ripe plums, cherries and hints of dark chocolate on the aftertaste.

When it comes to unusual varieties, don’t miss the 2017 muscat, rich concentrated, floral, redolent with zesty grapefruit, and off-dry - it would probably be my pick for indolent afternoon’s sipping in the garden.

And to top that, you must try 2016 Fortissimo muscat made in a Beaumes-de-Venise style (a white fortified wine from the south of France). Golden and fragrant, hinting of mandarin, dried apricot, wild herbs and lavender, with an oily intensity, it’s reminiscent of the Mediterranean garrigue, pegasusbay.com

GREYSTONE WINES

Winemakers often talk about their wines expressing their terroir, but Dom Maxwell of Greystone is more determined than many to actually show what it means for a wine to be a true expression of a place.

He ferments some wines in the vineyard, where they are hand picked and destemmed straight into vats half buried in the ground. It ensures the wild yeasts are native to the vineyard and not influenced by winery yeasts that may have come from grapes from other blocks or vineyards.

Their small tasting room offers lunch matched with wine, and if you’re sitting outside you’ll see the occasional cyclist passing by on the vineyard trail.

Greystone’s wines are impressive, precise, textural, often silky with with finesse and fine balance. I loved their fragrant, crisp, dry Pet Nat 2021, a naturally sparkling riesling with a light sediment in the bottom of the bottle and a refreshing light fizz. Pétillant naturel is also called methode ancestrale - the wine is simply bottled before it finishes fermenting.

Waipara is not usually known for its sauvignon blanc but I loved Greystone’s 2020, charming, tropical, intense with texture and creaminess from a long fermentation with wild yeast in barrels. The 2020 chardonnay is stunning, fragrant, rich, creamy, silky but with a fine underlying structure and balance - perhaps due to being crushed by feet rather than machine.

I tasted several pinots: the fragrant, textural slightly edgy but ripe and well structured 2018; the fragrant Vineyard Ferment 2019, spicy, silky, harmonious and beautifully poised; the much awarded Thomas Brothers 2019 from three barrels, a charming, spicy, savoury, velvety wine with supple tannins. greystonewines.co.nz

BLACK ESTATE

Black Estate is another of Waipara’s high flyers. Its understated black building at the top of their sloping vineyard offers not only fine wine but also a fine restaurant. They specialise in local ingredients, even making their own sourdough bread with locally grown flour and a starter developed from marc - grape skins left over after pressing. Booking for lunch is strongly advised as it’s often busy.

Often they have older library wines to taste and buy - a wonderful opportunity to compare vintages and vineyards. It’s another must visit for any wine lover.

The wines are mostly single vineyard, their chardonnays and pinots among the finest in the region. Some of their wines, particularly from the Netherwood vineyard look to Burgundy for their inspiration, all aim to be true to the terroir, but winemaker Nicholas Brown is not afraid to embrace more innovative styles, such as pet-nats, (naturally sparkling wines) or skin fermented wine.

The home vineyard below the restaurant is planted with chardonnay, pinot noir and a little cabernet franc and chenin blanc, but there’s also the Damsteep 10k north with riesling and pinot noir, and Netherwood with chardonnay and pinot noir. All are farmed biodynamically and most of the vines are now more than 30 years old.

I was entranced by the complexity and deliciousness of the 2017 Home Block unfiltered chenin blanc, intriguingly reminiscent of limes, tropical fruit, sweet ripe and fresh green apples, charmingly balanced with a bone dry finish.

Don’t miss comparing the chardonnays - the nutty lush but restrained Home Block 2020; the 2015 Home Block which had developed complexity subduing the fruit; while the 2018 Netherwood was a wine to linger over, the complexities, texture and layers of structure developing in the glass - one of the finest chardonnays I tasted on this trip.

A trio of 2015 pinots showed how these single vineyard wines mature, developing tertiary savoury characters hinting of forest floor characters but retaining their freshness.

Don’t miss the 2018 Home Block cabernet franc. While many New Zealand versions emulate the bigger Bordeaux styles, I felt this was more in the lighter Loire style, bright, edgy, sweet white cherries, fresh and totally charming. blackestate.co.nz

Black Estate Home Vineyard.

Photo: Black Estate

TORLESSE

Torlesse is one of the longest established, small family-owned wineries in the region. Kym and Maggie Rayner planted their vineyard in 1991 and now their two sons and a daughter-in-law are also involved.

Just off the main highway in Waipara village, their winery and cellar door have become one of the more characterful visits in the region. An old woolshed was moved on site for the winery, old refrigerated railway wagons used for storage were enclosed, and the spacious grounds offer a haven away from the traffic. Enjoy wine and a platter on the lawn.

The single vineyard wines are modestly priced and a few unusual varieties add a point of difference - a fresh, textural 2019 albariño, and a weighty 2021 verdelho.

It’s interesting to compare wines from the two vineyards, the home vineyard and the Omihi on clay soils a little further north. The fresher Torlesse 2020 chardonnay and the richer 2020 Omihi Road; the fresher 2020 Torlesse pinot gris with with the older, toasty fuller 2017 Omihi Road; the deliciously zesty 2020 Torlesse gewürztraminer and the more lush, almost decadent 2014 Omihi Road; the soft, slightly peppery 2017 Torlesse pinot noir and the weightier 2017 pinot from Omihi.

Kym’s pièce de résistance is his port style wine, fortified and aged in barrels in the winery roof where they slowly concentrate as they release “the angels’ share”. The 10-year old tawny is powerful, concentrated and delicious. Definitely not to be missed. torlesse.co.nz

WAIPARA HILLS

You can’t miss the big, gabled Waipara Hills restaurant and winery, prominent near the turn off to Hanmer Springs. As part of the multinational Accolade Wines it is the only corporate cellar door among the smaller family owned Waipara wineries. However, with 500ha of local vineyards and a popular cafe it is very much part of the Waipara wine scene. When I visited the North Canterbury winemakers were holding a pinot noir workshop in one of its conference rooms.

A discrete bit of eavesdropping impressed me by the quality of

You can’t miss Waipara Hills’ prominent tasting room, cafe and winery on the main highway.

information offered by the wine tasting hosts - a mini wine tutorial lapped up by interested guests. This is the place to come if you’d like to learn more about wine in general, but make sure you book your tasting ahead.

Here you can taste the widely available Waipara Hills wines, their grander cousin Mud House which includes wines from Marlborough and Central Otago, but if you are looking for something different it’s worth tasting the more interesting Saving Grace wines which I though impressive for the price. Because of the small production of this label, innovative winemaking techniques can be used such as a portion of skin ferment in the delicious 2018 sauvignon blanc and the wild ferment in the complex, unfiltered 2018 chardonnay.

I particularly enjoyed the exotic fruit undertones and crisp finish of Saving Grace 2018 grüner veltliner and the zesty, citrusy 2019 dry riesling.

Saving Grace 2018 pinot noir also impressed with fragrant plums, spicy oak, ripe fruit, and grainy tannins. Good value at $28.

If you enjoy stickies, don’t miss the 2019 Saving Grace Waipara Noble riesling, exuding luscious aromas and rich flavours of lime, apricot and honey, with intensity, power, texture and a crunchy finish. waiparahills.co.nz

One of Raymond Heber’s striking sculptures at Iron Ridge Quarry Sculpture Park.

SOUTH BANK

Three wineries and a distinctive sculpture park along Georges and Ram Paddock Roads on the south bank of the Waipara river have formed the South Bank group, hosting occasional events. From the road the land looks flat, but venture into the vineyards and you’ll unexpectedly find yourself on a high terrace with several others stepping down to the river far below, and magnificent views into the far distance.

THE BONELINE

Just where the Waipara River emerges from its limestone gorge, The Boneline’s 60ha vineyard steps down the old river terraces to the Hell Block on gravels beside the river. Vicki Tutton, her husband, brother and sister-in-law planted it more than 30 years ago, revelling in the different soils, from bouldery glacial moraine to silty gravels, not to mention the many fossils found there which inspire the estate’s name.

You can explore this remarkable landscape on a vineyard walk.

Their fragrant wines are distinctive, structured and complex and it’s well worth the 10k trip from the highway to visit their no-frills cellar door.

I loved the two chardonnays: the purity of fruit and nutty, slightly toasty undertone in the unoaked Bare Bone 2020 chardonnay; and the wonderful complexity and minerality of Shankstone 2019 chardonnay, intense, textural, zesty, a wine you want to linger over, enjoying the way it opens in the glass.

The Boneline 2020 dry riesling is wonderfully fragrant, fresh with lime flowers and zest, hints of buttered toast and a well balanced, crisp, crunchy acidity.

The pinot noirs are remarkably different. The Wai-iti 2018 is soft and silky with hints of strawberry jam, but also powerful and textural with a firm, crisp finish, while the Waimanu 2018 is more savoury, reminiscent of forest floor but with plush fruit and a taut, dry, lingering finish.

The Boneline is one of the few places in North Canterbury that can successfully produce bigger reds. Vicki describes the 2019 Amphitheatre Cabernet Franc as a drama queen and it certainly grabs your attention with aromas of blackcurrants, intense fruit, power, concentration and grippy tannins. It begs for a few years bottle age.

Iridium 2018 is a fragrant blend of cabernet franc, merlot and cabernet sauvignon, velvety with oodles of berry fruit but with a powerful intensity and firm tannins. Another wine that begs for a few years bottle age. theboneline.co.nz

The Boneline’s Hell Block on the lowest terrace down by the Wapiara river.

Vicki Tutton and Jack Hill of The Boneline. Terrace Edge Cellar Door.

Photo:Terrace Edge

TERRACE EDGE

Terrace Edge has an olive grove as well as a 13ha organic vineyard along the river terraces high above the Waipara River. Their tasting room, perched near the edge of the terrace shares the sweeping views of others along the South Bank.

Besides wine, they sell pickled olives and a grassy olive oil typical of the region. They also offer wine and food matching.

Here the Chapman family grow riesling, pinot gris, syrah and pinot noir, but they also like to try different things and believe there’s a big future for albariño and syrah and have also planted a white Italian variety, fiano, and St Laurent, a Central European relative of pinot noir which produces a juicy wine with a savoury undertone.

I loved the 2020 Terrace Edge albariño with its suggestions of ripe melon, concentration, power, texture and bright, crisp finish.

Like elsewhere in the area they make a delicious, beautifully balanced riesling. Liquid Geography 2021 suggests lime

and mandarin, ideal with Asian or spicy food, cheeses - blue cheese and gingerbread is a favourite in their wine and food pairing.

Unusually for the region, Terrace Edge’s lush, fresh rosé is made from young vine syrah.

While most of their syrah grows on the slightly sloping top terrace, a small parcel is planted on a 45 degree slope over the terrace edge above the river - a little slice of the Rhône, they call it. The grapes go into the wonderfully fragrant 2020 syrah which hints of black pepper, is deep with concentrated fruit and a a lovely finish. A wine not to be missed. terraceedge.co.nz

GEORGES ROAD WINES

Bumping along a gravel drive you come to George’s Road vineyard hidden on the wide terrace above the Waipara river. It’s one of those small operations where vigneron Kirk Bray does

Georges Road Wine accommodation.

Photo:Alissa Wilson

everything and his wife Alison holds down a day job to support the operation. They also offer vineyard accommodation in a wine pod, and at weekends cheese platters are available. It’s a lovely place to sit with a glass of wine and enjoy the sweeping views.

Kirk returned from years overseas inspired by the small family vineyards he worked in particularly in Germany and in 2003 bought 8ha of land. He planted syrah, pinot noir, pinot gris and riesling.

Of two distinctive 2021 rosés, one made from syrah is darker and slightly toasty, but I preferred the lighter, more charming, textural Field Blend of pinot gris, riesling, pinot noir and syrah.

Kirk offers an interesting comparison between a crisp, fresh, young 2021 riesling and a mature 2016 which is fuller in the mouth, mellowed and silky but still fresh and crisp on the finish. It shows the typical development that can be expected from this versatile variety when made well.

I was enthralled by the barrel fermented 2020 Selection pinot gris with its delicious peachy undertones and rich, creamy, nuttiness.

The fragrant, spicy pinot noir 2020 was crushed by foot and allowed to ferment with wild yeast. It’s still fresh and slightly edgy but a year or two will allow it to mellow.

A stand out for me was the dark-fruited 2020 syrah, peppery and rich with a lovely crisp finish. georgesroadwines.co.nz

Kirk Bray of Georges Road Wines - a man who does everything himself. Straight Eight Estate’s cellar door at Burnham.

BURNHAM

In the mid 1980s the Giesen brothers planted vineyards at Burnham, about 30 minutes south of Christchurch. When they moved their operation to Marlborough a decade or so later, the vineyards, now containing some of the oldest vines in the country, were taken over by others, Matt King of Lone Goat which sadly closed recently, and Straight Eight Estate, a smaller parcel of vines now owned by James Shand and Mary Jamieson.

STRAIGHT 8 EIGHT ESTATE

Walk into the winery that doubles as the cellar door at Straight Eight on SH1 at Burnham and you’ll see the reason for its name - a classic 1935 Light Sports Railton Straight-eight which has been in the Shand family for 50 years. It’s been meticulously restored and is still roadworthy.

After years in the food business James Shand and Mary Jamieson bought the 35 year old vineyard in 2004, and now do everything themselves - growing the grapes, making the wine and entertaining visitors at their cellar door.

James is a character who loves to chat and show his well priced wines and his car.

HIs pet gripe is that people don’t understand small wineries which require the owners to work all the time - in their rare time off James and Mary enjoy gardening and driving their Straight 8.

Like many tiny wine producers they visit shows, sell from the cellar door, on line and in a few local restaurants.

Don’t miss the rieslings which from this old vineyard are typically fresh delicate wines, the best almost ethereal, dancing lightly on the tongue - I’d forgotten how beautiful they can be.

The lively, taut Straight Eight dry riesling 2018 is a good example. There’s also a mature off-dry Mr G riesling 2018, fragrant and fuller in the mouth, and a sweeter Copper riesling 2020 hinting of lime marmalade, both with that characteristic crisp delicacy.

I also enjoyed the unusual 2019 cabernet franc, crisp, textural and vibrant, oozing redcurrants and pomegranates, a typical refreshing cool climate style. straight8estate.co.nz

NEW GREYSTONE WINES HEAD CHEF MAKING UP FOR LOST TIME

Greystone Wines in Waipara, North Canterbury has welcomed their new head chef, Cameron Woodhouse.

Cameron has previously worked at Miro, Inati, and Eliza’s Manor in Christchurch, at Jack’s Point and Amisfield in Central Otago, and at the acclaimed Gleneagle’s Hotel in Scotland.

He says getting to run his own kitchen is a dream come true, even if it comes with a few sleepless nights.

“I love it here. I have full control over the menu, which is something I’ve not had before. It just means I don’t sleep Sunday or Monday because I tend to lie awake planning the week’s menu,” says Cameron with a laugh.

With an ethos very much centred around fresh and seasonal produce, the Cellar Door perfectly aligns with Cameron’s own philosophy on food. On weekends, he and his partner forage for food in the neighbouring Christchurch red zone or challenge themselves to cook up whatever vegetable has grown in abundance in their own garden.

Cameron says he is now eager to develop his foraging skills further, having spent many years learning about nature’s bounty.

A passionate chef, Cameron’s only regret in life is that he didn’t start his career sooner because he listened to those around him in his hometown of Aberdeenshire in Scotland.

“I’ve worked in kitchens since I was 14 but a chef once told me ‘do anything but be a chef’. So I went on to start a mechanical engineering degree. Well, that didn’t stick. I hated it. When I eventually decided to block out those voices, I went back to study to be a chef.”

Cameron attributes his patience in the kitchen and willingness to teach others how to cook ‘the best way not the fastest way’ to his time spent as a pastry chef at Gleneagle’s Hotel in Scotland.

“It’s given me skills which you don’t always find in a commercial kitchen. I just want to share my knowledge with others and make sure nobody makes the mistake I made in not becoming a chef sooner. I would tell anybody to be a chef, there’s no other industry I would rather be in.”

Cameron went on to travel the world, before New Zealand stole his heart and he decided to call it home.

Greystone marketing manager Nik Mavromatis says he is thrilled to have Cameron head up the kitchen at the Cellar Door.

“Cameron is the kind of guy who spends his weekend fly fishing or foraging in the red zone. He is passionate about our natural environment, is an innovator in the kitchen, and shares our ethos around organics.

The Cellar Door is open Thursday through to Sunday, with the four-course menu changing weekly.

Cameron Woodhouse

NORTH CANTERBURY WINERY WELCOMES CHANGES TO ORGANIC WINE TRADE AGREEMENT WITH CHINA

Certified organic winery, Greystone, located in North Canterbury’s Waipara wine region, is among the New Zealand wineries now with greater access to the Chinese market.

Thanks to an Organic Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA), announced by the Organic Exporters Association of New Zealand this week, China now acknowledges NZ’s organic standards.

Greystone marketing manager Nik Mavromatis says the agreement is a huge win for the organic wine industry, with wineries like their own now able to proudly tell consumers in China their product is organic.

“The MRA gives NZ wine companies greater access to one of the strongest markets in the world and helps us show consumers all the organic work we do to make our wines,” says Nik.

While Greystone and other NZ certified organic wineries were able to ship their product to China previously, they had to jump through hoops to gain the appropriate organic recognition, including changing labels.

“You couldn’t say you were organic unless you flew over an inspector from China and covered their fees,” says Nik.

“That was going to cost us $20,000 a year, with licences needing to be renewed every year. Add in the additional labeling costs and stock management, and the MRA marks a big win for all organic wineries in New Zealand.”

Last year, Greystone exported 6,263 cases of wine to China. Nik says he expects this figure to continue ramping up, with the Chinese market keen on what New Zealand wineries have to offer. He experienced this fondness for NZ wine on trade visits to China prior to the pandemic.

“Chinese consumers have a preference for healthy and organic beverages more than any other market in the world. It’s a huge opportunity for us to promote our clean, green, organic produce to China and to show off all the hard work we do in the vineyard and beyond to achieve our organic status,” says Nik.

“In addition, most of New Zealand’s top wineries such as Ata Rangi, Rippon, Neudorf, Dog Point, and many more are all organic. So now China can see the best of what New Zealand wine has to offer. This will help grow our country’s reputation in one of the fastest-growing markets for wine in the world.”

In early 2014 Greystone began the conversion from conventional to organic viticulture. By 2018, Greystone’s entire 33-hectare vineyard was certified organic with BioGro New Zealand. Most recently Greystone began work in regenerative viticulture, planting a mix of flowers and crops between their vine rows.

In a statement, Andrew Henderson, Chairman of the Organic Exporters Association of NZ, says exports of certified organic produce to China are currently worth $93 million and are likely to grow due to reduced compliance costs and the increased certainty and facilitation that this arrangement provides New Zealand exporters.