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Contents

WineNZ

I N TH IS IS S U E

Spring 2021 CONTRIBUTORS

Martin Gillion, Daniel Honan, Anne-Marie Nansett, Louis Pierard, John Saker, Charmian Smith, Vic Williams.

PHOTOGRAPHY Courtesy of Winenz.com Richard Brimer

DESIGN Spinc Media

PUBLISHERS Colin Gestro 027 256 8014 colin@affinityads.com Joan Gestro joanlucy47@gmail.com

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Urban Winery

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WINE & TIME

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TASTING RESULTS

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COVER PHOTO: Vineyard at Ata Rangi Winery, Martinborough

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Things appear much the same in Martinborough, but behind the scenes a lot has changed. Do check it out.

Greymouth, small town culture, big ideas in an operational winery.

Wine news from all over. Wine sales to China take a dive.

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We only publish results from blind wine tastings; headed

by Simon Nash Master of Wine.

Gisborne Cellar Door highlights

The home of Chardonnay is a very interesting place to visit.

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WineNZ Magazine | Spring 2021

Distilled by Design

A new selection of New Zealand spirit distilleries.

Award winners and a list of all distilleries.

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Contents

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Villa Maria

Looking ahead and investing in business growth.

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NEW BUZZ

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HAWKES BAY

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WINE AUCTION

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NIL ALCOHOL

Terroir the new buzz word.

Bridge Pa region, a must visit.

Hawkes Bay Wine Auction coming your way very soon.

Lyres promotes in the biggest growth sector - Nil Alcohol.

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40 www.winenzmagazine.co.nz

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Feature | Martinborough

Martinborough Plus ça change…

Martin Gillion looks at what has changed in Martinborough and what is still much as it was.

T

he French aphorism, plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose, if I trust my rusty schoolboy French, translates roughly as “the more things change, the more they remain the same.”

It’s a thought that well fits Martinborough in the 21st century, but perhaps in reverse.

For while many things seem much the same, behind the scenes a lot has changed and as development continues it is unlikely to be la même chose!

While vineyards had been planted by controversial Wellington publisher and wine enthusiast Alister Taylor in 1978, the region owes its viticultural fame to the small band of pioneers who, were guided by the 1979 report of Dr Derek Milne; a report which compared the region favourably with Burgundy in terms of climate and soils.

Encouraged by the report, a small number of entrepreneurs

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WineNZ Magazine | Spring 2021

who came to be known as the ‘Band of Four,’ risked all to plant vines on the finnicky gravel terraces of the Raumahanga and Huangarua Rivers adjacent to the town.

Milne’s own plantings at Martinborough Vineyard were joined by those from Neil McCallum at Dry River, Clive Paton of Ata Rangi and Stan Chifney’s Estate. Alister Taylor’s vineyard

was taken over and rejuvenated

by Tom Draper who formed a shareholder syndicate to found the Te Kairanga label.

The band worked co-operatively, developing a regional approach and the beginnings of a regional identity. Information and experience was shared and many of the wines were made at Stan Chifney’s winery and ‘subterranean’ cellar.

Martinborough | Feature The subsequent successes of wines from Milne’s own Martinborough Vineyard as well as those from the other early pioneers, encouraged further serious development in the form of Palliser Estate. By the mid 1990s there were more than a dozen, smaller family owned ventures such as Nga Waka, Voss, Muirlea Rise, Blue Rock and Lintz.

While the pioneers and later winemakers planted the vines of both Burgundy and Bordeaux as well as varieties most associated with Alsace (Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer and Riesling) Pinot Noir became the star of the region’s portfolio.

The Martinborough Vineyards’ Pinot Noirs, made by Larry McKenna in 1984,1985 and 1986, gained both national and international acclaim. The 1993,1994 and 1999 Pinot Noirs from Ata Rangi won the IWSC Bouchard-Finlayson trophies in London and the exquisite Pinot Gris and Riesling wines from Dry River added a further dimension to the region’s character.

Martinborough had arrived on both the national and international radar.

With the opportunity to taste premium wines from an increasing number of more personalised wineries, the region soon became beloved of the ‘Wellington Weekenders’ who braved the short but slightly challenging drive across the Remutaka Range to visit the characterful town and the wide range of winery attractions it offered. On arrival it was an easy stroll from one to another.

The town’s historic buildings at the village centre were rejuvenated and quaint houses and historic-ish cottages were spruced up to accommodate the Wellingtonian invasions.

It was said at the time that anyone offering a cottage for week-end rent, with both charm, atmosphere and a claw-footed bath (for two), was able to name their price.

And that’s still generally true.

These days it is difficult to find a park in the centre of the town on a Saturday; the boutique fashion stores are doing a good trade, the eating options range from organic cafes to sophisticated lunch venues, and the

Martinborough Wine Centre can take you through a wide range of the region’s wines.

Bike riding between destinations has become almost de rigueur especially now that the region has joined the Classic New Zealand Wine Trail that links winery tourismacross three regions, from Hawke’s Bay to Marlborough Most of the vineyards have welcoming cellar doors for tasting and many have options for fine dining lunches or sophisticated platters. Some of them even have one of those quaint cottages to let and I’m sure the claw footed bath will there somewhere.

In those early days the vineyards were very small even

by New Zealand standards. The wineries, also small, were often family owned and the output low. By 1996, After some ten years of self-management Ata Rangi, one of the original ‘band of four’ had undergone some expansion and restructuring but was still producing just 5000 cases. Today, still family owned, it produces 10,000 – 15,000 cases, depending on vintage.

The Wine Bank.

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Feature | Martinborough

Ata Rangi Winery.

While Martinborough’s winery community has expanded to around 30 producers since those first communal winemaking efforts of the four pioneers, it still remains the smallest regional producer with just 1% of the country’s total production and just .025% of the country’s vineyard plantings.

Yet the region remains the most prestigious producer of high quality Pinot Noir (although Otago and even Marlborough might not quite concur) and the legacy of those early years remains.

So ‘plus ça change’?

Well not quite.

The region has undergone considerable change that is not immediately recognisable to those who throng the town on a sunny Waitangi Day. Only two of the original ‘band of four’ still control their own family vineyards with Martinborough Vineyards and Dry River now in the hands of US interests as is Tom Draper’s Te Kairanga.

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WineNZ Magazine | Spring 2021

A number of wineries have been established on areas previously disregarded in the early days. Vineyards now stretch the length of Te Muna road to the south east of the town following the lead of the region’s most celebrated doyen of Pinot Noir, Larry McKenna, who planted vines at his Escarpment vineyard in 1999.

Craggy Range, under the stewardship of Steve Smith MW, also planted vines close the junction of Te Muna Road and Hinakura Road on soils previously disparaged. Indeed the most recent 115ha Craggy Range plantings now extend to the far end of Te Muna Rd and they represent the biggest single vineyard holdings in the region.

But there are other changes that are less apparent.

One of them is that despite the Milne report, aligning the region with Burgundy, there is increasing interest in Syrah, the default vine of the Rhône Valley in France.

To be sure the Murdoch James Blue Rock vineyard planted with

Syrah in 1999 still remains and has expanded. But several other more ‘Pinot focussed’ wineries have developed an interest in the grape. One of the originals, Martinborough Vineyard, has expanded Syrah plantings and Palliser Estate has Syrah vines producing for the 2023 vintage.

Several of the newer players: Moy Hall, Colombo and Cambridge Road, have Syrah planted, although Pinot remains their main focus.

Most of the winemakers I spoke to about Syrah admitted that their plantings were unlikely to shake the confidence of vintners in either Waiheke or Hawke’s Bay’s Gimblett Gravels!

The influx of smaller producers has seen organic and bio dynamic considerations almost universal and has also seen innovation in such things as the experimental fermentation in egg shaped vessels used at Cambridge Road winery and the stunning matching of Asian inspired food with Martinborough wines by the Wellington Chinese proprietors of Luna Estate.

Martinborough | Feature As well, the growing reputation of both the wines and the tourism potential has attracted interest and investment from off shore.

Martinborough Vineyards, Te Kairanga, Dry River and Nga Waka are owned by wealthy American interests. Craggy Range and Escarpment fly the Australian flag and Urlar in the Gladstone area is Japanese owned. The small boutique venture at Colombo benefits from a Swiss, German and Irish pedigree.

But perhaps the biggest change to Martinborough is yet to come.

Te Kairanga, now a part of the American owned Foley Family Wines, is in the throes of developing a winery, barrel hall, restaurant and tasting room to service the demands of increasing tourism; demands that not only come from those ‘Wellington Weekenders’ but also from wider Kiwi tourism in this time of Covid and closed borders.

In another innovative development the new Te Kairanga site will not only carry the wines of both Foley owned local wineries - ‘TK’ and Martinborough Vineyard - but will also provide a new dimension to visitor experiences with the establishment of the Lighthouse Gin Distillery.

The visitor to Te Kairanga will be able to take tutored tastings of both the wines and the gin and the restaurant will pair both with locally produced food.

But despite the fact that Martinborough remains the focus for most people visiting the area the region is now correctly referred to as The Wairarapa Wine Region which not only takes in a number of wineries in the Gladstone area that are mostly based on similar soils as those in Martinborough, but also some such as Matahiwi, closer to Masterton.

Nearby, in a similar appeal to Martinborough’s colonial ambience, the village of Greytown, half way from Martinborough to Masterton, has built its own reputation as a tourist destination. The main street contains a number of period buildings as well as cafes, restaurants, boutique shopping and even a winery in the centre of town.

Of course, there are the quaint, weekend, character cottages for rent.

And yes! Those claw-footed baths are there as well!

Martin Gillion travelled independently for this article.

Poppies

is a beautiful venue in Martinborough, offering something completely different and personal.

Tasting wines in the environment they are created with the combination of good food , good conversation cannot be beaten.

Bookings are essential with the exception of wine tastings, however for groups of over 10 people please give us a call to find out the best time to visit.

06-306 8473 Poppies Martinborough Tasting Room & Cellar Door 91 Puruatanga Road Martinborough 5711 info@poppiesmartinborough.co.nz www.poppiesmartinborough.co.nz

Photos: Jet Productions

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Feature | Urban Winery

ALEXIA

GREYTOWN’S URBAN WINERY

By Martin Gillion

There are plenty of wineries situated in the suburbs of New Zealand cities. Indeed New Zealand’s viticultural heritage harks back to the location of early orchardists and winemakers in Auckland’s Henderson Valley who supplied both fruit and wine to the city. Think Babich, Delegats and even Montana. But in these days a fully operational winery in the outskirts of a small town such as Greytown is quite a rarity.

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WineNZ Magazine | Spring 2021

Urban Winery | Feature

Jane and the 'Concrete Egg' fermenter.

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idely regarded for its boutique charm the town has recently welcomed Jane Cooper’s Alexia winery, built in 2019 on a site less than a km from the town centre.

With experience in Nelson as well as the Wairarapa and Hawke’s Bay, Jane was chief winemaker and General Manager for Masterton’s Matahiwi Estate for a number of years, while also making her own wines from both Wairarapa fruit and that from other regions.

Jane and her wife Lesley sold the contents on TradeMe for $1 on condition that whoever bought it had to take it all away. The native beams went for domestic housing, the corrugated iron for a movie set and reinforcing steel for a bridge. The site they had found for their urban winery dream they now share with both suburban housing and light industrial businesses.

“A boutique winery within Greytown was a long-held ambition of mine and by a moment of luck, as much as design, in 2017 I stumbled across a derelict industrial site on the edge of town. It was an ideal situation being within the town boundaries but with industrial zoning.”

2020 was to be their first vintage and both certainly had to work hard to get everything ready. They did as much of the work themselves even laying the cooling lines! Luckily they were able to get some of the Pinot Noir in before lockdown but the rest of the vintage was harvested by ourselvesNow Alexia offers a truly individual visitor experience. All the processes of wine making are carried out on the premises and the community is welcome to visit.

“It was really just a derelict tin shed containing all the sorts of rubbish you get when land is neglected; car tyres, bottles, shopping trolleys and even a row of cinema seats!”

Says Jane, “The local reception has been rewarding. We ran a ‘Pie and Pinot’ celebration in the summer – a local bakery and our Pinot - which drew in more than 300 local enthusiasts. We’re

looking at running something similar on a monthly basis during the next summer.

Alexia harvested 20 tonnes for 2021 and Jane remarks that like the rest of the country, vintage was a little down, but that quality was good. “I’d like to see us press 30 -50 tonnes in the coming years.”

Similar to other Wairarapa wineries Alexia’s range carries a flagship Wairarapa Pinot Noir as well as a locally sourced Rosé and Sauvignon Blanc and a Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay.

But their ‘Tangent’ wines are a little apart; described as wines that ‘explore something different without losing touch with where the line is drawn.’ It’s a range for which there are no additions except for sulphur and includes Gamay, Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Franc and a multi varietal rosé.

In many ways Alexia’s urban winery harks back to those Henderson pioneers whose companies grew as much from the fruit and vegetables they supplied to the community as the early wines they made.

www.winenzmagazine.co.nz

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Wine & Time

Wine & Time

The latest from New Zealand wine world

S i l e n i Es t a t e s w i n s o n t h e w o r l d s t a g e

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Kingdom, and Japan.

ileni Estates 2021 Sileni Cellar Selection Sauvignon Blanc has been judged New Zealand?s best wine of the year by the jury of wine experts at the prestigious Mundus Vini summer wine competition in Germany.

Founded in 2001 by German publishing house Meininger Verlag, Mundus Vini has become one of the most important wine competitions in the world with over 11,000 wines entered from 35 wine-producing countries.

Entries are judged in two parts, the summer and spring tastings.

This is a very special accolade for the team at Sileni Estates, and we are honoured to be awarded gold medals among our international peers, let alone Best of Show for New Zealand out of more than 37 local entries at such an esteemed show,? says Louis Vavasour, CEO of Booster

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WineNZ Magazine | Spring 2021

We can?t wait for our New Zealand consumers to try this award-winning wine which provides the X-factor demanded from a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. This wine is beautifully balanced with lively freshness and packs tonnes of grapefruit and gooseberry,? he says.

Louis Vavasour.

Wine Group, the owner of Sileni Estates.

Achieving such international recognition is particularly important to us because of our emphasis on export and distribution in particular to the United States, the United

The same Sauvignon Blanc has also this week been awarded the highest scoring accolade, double gold, at the China Wine and Spirits Awards, the largest and most influential wine and spirits competition in China, chosen from a selection of wines entered from 55 countries.

The 2020 Sileni Cellar Selection Syrah also won Best of Show for Hawkes Bay entries at the same awards in China.

Sileni Estates wines are widely available from wine stores, online and supermarkets.

Wither Hills Single Vineyard wine

What’s the reason this range of wine was created?

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Originally, they were created to showcase regionality within Marlborough Showcase what these vineyards could do in the region.

The richness and dark characters in the dark fruit of Taylor River vineyard 2007 all this amazing fruit came on, so they didn’t want to lose those parcels of fruit.

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Trying to capture the essence of what that vineyard can deliver

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The glass of Rarangi Sav blanc has the terroir.

Showcase minerality and nice dry wine

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Created in 2007, two pinots and a sav

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Then in 2014/15 we dropped a Pinot and made a chardonnay

What sets it Single Vineyard from anything else in the region?

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Complex wine blended to perfection

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Creating a perfect balance between all the attributes

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Rarangi is one of the closest to the sea and we feel the wine that comes out of that region is very unique

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The characters out of the vineyard are very unique.

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Taking amazing quality fruit and crafting it into something we believe is exceptional

What’s the one thing that makes each of the single vineyards unique?

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Ben Morven Chard – drier and clay base soils. Open canopy and air movement through the canopy means less disease. Organic wine is

in growth linked to better for you and wellbeing.

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Rarangi – Closest to the sea, get the minerals of the sea.

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Taylor River Pinot – heritage of the sku.

Is the process different for making it?

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No recipe for any of the wines.

We use an artisan side of the wine making to make these wines.

Consistency and quality of wines that come out of the vineyard.

Single Vineyard – help me understand why that is better for the consumer standpoint ■

The increase in quality

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More balanced

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More weight

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More texture

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Richness and intensity

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Site selection makes for better wine. This is the best of the best on the lot.

Vineyards are like people, full of nuances and interesting habits

Wine & Time

W I N E

H E A D L I N E S

Australia’s wine exports to China plunged to just $13million compared with $490 million a year earlier. ★★★

Huge increase in unqualified imported wines were refused entry to China. ★★★

Matt Dicey steps down after more than 20 years as chief winemaker at Bannockburn Winery, Mount Difficulty. ★★★

Pull back from reliance on wine export to China, is the word to New Zealand wine exporters. ★★★

From September, Wine Collective Direct, a global market place where New Zealand wine producers have their own e-cellar door, is adding a digital success programme to its offerings. ★★★

Hawkes Bay tourism promotion to be stepped up. Great for wineries. ★★★

Gaining market share rapidly is the Zero alcohol beer, wine and spirits. ★★★

NZX Delegat Group records a $65.5 million profit, up 87 on previous year, despite lower case sales. ★★★

Outstanding success in Australia is the performance of McGuigan zero alcohol range. ★★★

UK – NZ wine trade pact is due out soon. Watch this space.

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Wine & Time

Top: Courtney Sang, Sam Bain, Albie Feary Bottom: Jess Wilson, Tristan van Schalkwayk, Katrina Jaclson.

Prestigious Decanter World Wine Awards Names Tohu Chardonnay Best In Show

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he wine industry is raising its glass to Nelson’s Tohu Wines – the only New Zealand winery to win a Best in Show award at the prestigious Decanter World Wine Awards 2021 for its Whenua Matua Chardonnay 2018, a single-vineyard wine grown in the rich clay soils of the Upper Moutere region.

Decanter said that this year, some awards went to lesser-known styles from top producer nations. “New Zealand is renowned for Sauvignon Blanc, but it was Tohu’s Whenua Matua Chardonnay from Nelson that won a Best in Show medal. ” Tohu also took out a Gold Medal for its 2020 Tohu Sauvignon Blanc.

The award is a major achievement for Tohu, the world’s first Māori-owned winery, its Whenua Matua Chardonnay standing out amongst more than 18,000 wines from around the globe that were judged, with only 50 being awarded the Best in Show accolade.

The Decanter World Wine Award wins come hot on the heels of success for the winery at the Royal Easter Show Wine Awards last month, with the Whenua Awa Chardonnay claiming gold and winemaker Bruce Taylor being named Winemaker of the Show.

New Zealand Wines 2021: Michael Cooper’s Buyer’s Guide It is currently on sale nationwide at a RRP of $39.99. www.michaelcooper.co.nz MichaelCooperNZWine

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WineNZ Magazine | Spring 2021

F i rst ti me f o r f o ur w o me n to c o mpe te i n th e 20 21 C o rte va Yo ung V i t N ati o na l F i nal

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or the first time in the history of the competition which has been running since 2006, there will be more women than men competing in the National Final being held 25-26 August in Marlborough. Following the regional competitions held throughout June and July, four out of the six were won by young women.

They are Courtney Sang, Obsidian, Auckland; Albie Feary, Ata Rangi, Wairarapa; Jess Wilson, Whitehaven Wines, Marlborough and Katrina Jackson, Chard Farm, Central Otago. The young men competing are Sam Bain, Villa Maria, Hawke’s Bay and Tristan van Schalkwyk, The Bone Line, North Canterbury.

“This strongly endorses that viticulture is an exciting career for both men and women” says Nicky Grandorge, Leadership & Communities Manager at New Zealand Winegrowers. “All six contestants are very passionate about viticulture and love the variety of skills and knowledge required to run a successful vineyard.” They will be tested on a range of these during the National Final, which consists of both practical and theoretical challenges.

There are some amazing prizes to be won at the National Final. These include a Hyundai Kona for a year, an Ecotrellis travel grant, an educational visit to Australia with Corteva, Bahco golden secateurs and other cash prizes.

The winner will also go on to represent the wine industry in the Young Horticulturist of the Year competition in November.

Rhys Hall from Indevin in Marlborough was the 2020 winner. Will the trophy remain in Marlborough this year, or be heading off to another region?

For more information about the competition and conference please contact Nicky Grandorge, nicky.grandorge@nzwine.com, 021780948 or see https://www.nzwine.com/en/ initiatives/young-vit/

Wine & Time

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Feature | EIT

First Students Take the Plunge in New Zealand’s Wine Business and Innovation Programmes

EIT

in Hawke’s Bay has opened the doors to the first dedicated wine business programmes in New Zealand. Aimed at current industry employees who wish to progress their careers, as well as those who wish to move into the wine industry, these postgraduate level programmes will build students’ knowledge of a wide range of industry issues through a commercial lens.

‘We asked senior people in the industry what they would like these programmes to do,’ says Rory Hill, who is leading the Wine

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WineNZ Magazine | Spring 2021

Business courses, ‘and there were two things that stood out. The first is they would like graduates to have a broad understanding of the wine industry, so they can be conversant with what viticulturalists, winemakers and wine salespeople do on a dayto-day basis, as well as the pressing issues that face the industry as a whole. The second is they would like graduates to understand business, in a more generic way, and to be able to apply this knowledge to real-world wine business problems.’

The programmes are currently offered fully online, for flexible learning, wherever students are based in New Zealand.

Courses within the programmes include Global Wine Marketing, Sustainability in the Wine Industry, and Technology and Innovation in the Wine Industry, as well a set of courses from EIT’s School

of Business and Computing. ‘A key part of the value of these programmes is the ability to upskill in a range of business areas whilst also building specific knowledge of the wine sector,’ argues Dr Hill, adding that ‘students have flexibility in taking courses each semester that fit the time they have available to study.’ The first cohort of students was welcomed on 19 July, and they are studying towards the Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma and Masters Degree in Wine Business and Innovation.

Whilst training in viticulture, oenology and winemaking has taken place at EIT, and more widely in New Zealand, for decades, these are the first dedicated programmes in the wine business area. Similar programmes are available in Australia, California, and Europe, and they reflect a greater focus on market knowledge and business skills as the industry grows and becomes more competitive. The next intake of students will be in January 2022, and prospective applicants are encouraged to contact Rory Hill on rhill@eit.ac.nz.

Gisborne | Feature

Alena Kamper, student, Bachelor of Viticulture and Wine Science concurrent degree and 2020 Bragato Trust Undergraduate Scholarship winner.

C E YO N IE R E P X E F O H AT LE V EL W R E T T A M NO

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Cellar Operations

Bachelor of Viticulture and Wine Science

Interested in getting a taste of the wine industry? This is an intensive 5 month level 3 programme covering the basics of wine making and finishing, procedures during a winery harvest, and working in a cellar team. The integrated practical work is run in tandem with Hawke’s Bay wineries and students complete a paid vintage in a winery.

This 3 year degree provides a strong science background with practical industry interaction. It also provides an in-depth focus on growing grapes and making wine as well as essential industry skills related to people management and wine marketing. Make your own wine, develop a wine palate, get a tractor and forklift license, complete a commercial winery vintage and a research project all within the degree structure.

Starts 17th January 2022. Fees-free.

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Tastings | Tastings Results

OUR BLIND WINE TASTING RESULTS

The WineNZ guarantee

O

ur buying guide provides you with trusted, independent, expert recommendation on what to buy, drink and cellar.

Each panel tasting is judged by three experienced tasters chosen for their authority in the category of wine being rated. All wines are tasted blind, and are pre-poured for judges, in flights of 8 to 10 wines. Our tasters test and score wines individually but then discuss their scores together at the end of each flight. Any wines on which scores are markedly different are retasted; however, judges are under no obligation to amend their scores.

The tastings are held in the controlled environment of EIT

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WineNZ Magazine | Spring 2021

tasting suite: A plain white room, with natural light and no noise.

We limit the number of wines tasted to a manageable level- a maximum of 70 per day. Allowing judges to taste more thoroughly and avoid palate fatigue.

SIMON NASH Master of Wine.and Director of MN consultancy.

25 + years international wine experience.

BARRY RIWAI Head winemaker Alpha Domus winery.

OLIVER STYLES Journalist and Winemaker.

ScORING SySTEm 95-100: Classic A great wine.

90-94: Outstanding A wine of superior character and style.

85-89: Very good A wine of special qualities.

80-84: A good wine Solid and well made.

6 year stint with UK Decanter magazine.

Chardonnay | Tastings

Chardonnay T

here’s never been a better time to drink New Zealand Chardonnay.

Consumers are spoiled with a wider range of higher quality styles than has ever existed before. We’re now seeing the outcome of 30 years of learning in both vineyard and winery, and the benefit of recent great vintages all coming together to showcase the best in New Zealand of the world’s greatest white wine variety.

best countries in the world to make Chardonnay in. And the wines submitted in the latest tasting provide some example of all of this. There’s diversity of style, good regionality, sympathy in the handling of the fruit and increasingly assured oak treatment at a generally higher level than before seen.

It’s now recognised that New Zealand is proving that outside of Burgundy this is one of the

Domain Road Vineyard Defiance Chardonnay Central Otago 2019 Peach and pear aromas, good primary fruit structure on the palate, good fruit is allowed to shine through with oak in a supporting role lovely lemon zest finish.

Mid yellow, gold, bright, youthful, hints of smoky notes, some mineral character, soft, ripe mid palate, solid core of juicy fruit, bound with good acids, will develop, v ripe.

Points: 95

$32.00 TASTING TEAM

TOP CHOICE

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Tastings | Chardonnay Coxhead Creek Vineyard Chardonnay Matakana 2020

$29.95

Tight on the nose with meal and sweet spice, full but well balanced palate, cream toffee and warm cinnamon spice. Super balanced wine with potential to age gracefully.

Bright, pale, ripe, juicy, nice integrated oak on the nose, full bodied, with nice honeyed characters, nice grippy tannins, youthful, sound and will improve.

Points: 89 Main Divide Chardonnay North Canterbury 2020

$20.99

Char, toasted grains, orange blossom perfume. Robust palate with oak tannin structure, roasted peach flavours and weighty mouthfeel.

Full bright gold, lemon honey on the nose, quite weighty, full, ripe style on the palate, nice zesty youthful acidity cuts thru the wine. Very ripe, integrated oak.

Points: 92 Eva Pemper Chardonnay Marlborough 2020 Perfumed nose with lime and floral notes, cooler citrus flavours flow through the palate which is delicate and has restrained well balanced oak flavour. A very well made subtle expression of Chardonnay.

$34.90

Mid yellow, gold, bright, youthful, nice hint of reduction, well handled, smoky, restrained, elegant on the nose, good intensity, of fruit, smooth, and sinuous style, long finish. Touch grippy on the end.

Points: 90 Spy Valley Wines Chardonnay Marlborough 2020 Bright lifted tropical fruit expression, pineapple and touch of mango on the nose with toasted coconut flavours adding to the palate. Full and smooth finish.

$24.90

Nice bright, pale, lemon, forward citrus, quite elegant and racy, fruit driven, tighter style, nice acids, attractive deft, elegant. Nice balanced stylish finish.

Points: 91 Holly Matahiwi Estate South Series Chardonnay Wairarapa 2020 Char, toasted grains and a hint of smoke on the nose, vanillin flavours from oak are plentiful but balanced with soft creamy malolactic buttery popcorn. Long oaky finish with strong punchy flavour but reduction just clips the palate.

$32.99

Full yellow, bright, a lot going on here, wet stone, ripe fruit, honeycomb, well balanced, nice mineral, sea shell, on entry, lemon zest, well expressed confident style.

Points: 90 Hunter's Offshoot Chardonnay Marlborough 2020 Complex nose, touch of flint and gunsmoke, nectarine and lime aromas. The palate is surprisingly light and has good zesty acidity. Flinty style but with elegance and structure.

Mid yellow, gold, bright, youthful, vanilla wafer on the nose, quite nice medium style, a bit shy still, solid mid palate fruit, some pineapple cube, ripe finish.

Points: 88 20

WineNZ Magazine | Spring 2021

$34.90

Chardonnay | Tastings Pask Declaration Chardonnay Hawke's Bay 2019

$40.00

Sweet spice, pear and nectarine aromas, similar flavour through the palate which builds on the finish. Toasty length with great mid palate richness that's ready to go.

Bright lemon, youthful, nicely restrained, lemon, citrus, with vanilla wafer, soft across the palate, rounded mouth filling style, ripe fruit salad, sound finish.

Points: 93 Pask Gimblett Gravels Chardonnay Marlborough 2019

$22.00

Tutti frutti esters, lime marmalade aroma and flavour, touch of toasted grains gives focus on the end of the palate.

Full bright gold, quite nice lifted ripe, lemon curd, nice on the palate, good acidity, sinuous, very well integrated fruit, oak, elegant and supple.

Smoky traces, long finish.

Points: 88 Brennan Chardonnay Central Otago 2019 Has a youthful hue, caramel and rice pudding spice aromas, palate is smooth and rich with caramel and browned butter goodness. There is enough acidity to hold everything together, fashionable style right now and made well.

$29.00

Bright lemon, youthful, lifted, ice cream wafer, american soda, up front, juicy, round soft and sassy style, sweet fruit, just lacks weight and follow through.

Points: 88 Ashwell Chardonnay Wairarapa 2019

$28.00

Golden straw hue, mature barley sugar flavours just starting to show, palate is seamless with more citrus flavour. Aged well with good complexity.

Ripe bright, full lemon, youthful, quite restrained, smoky hint, on the palate, a more angular style, good acidity, quite racy, lime and citrus, finishes well.

Points: 88 Pegasus Bay Chardonnay North Canterbury 2018

$44.00

Toast, char, smoke and flint all interplay and are hard to pull apart.

Complexity is balanced with ripe peachy fruit and full weight on the palate that as oodles of drive. Full on charry and forward.

Bright gold, quite assertive wetstone/mineral and also rich notes too, on the palate, 2 elements, wetstone & ripeness of fruit, some jazzy acidity plays in the background too (added).

Points: 92 Ashwell Chardonnay Wairarapa 2016

$28.00

Pale and youthful, understated nose with mealy complexity, still tight on the palate and enjoyable.

Ripe looking, bright, full yellow/gold, lively, lemon and grapefruit notes play out on the nose, soft on entry, lacks grip/concentration, sound citrus fruit, mid weight.

Points: 87 www.winenzmagazine.co.nz

21

Tastings | Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir O

ne might reprise the Chardonnay comments in relation to NZ Pinot Noir. The same arc of learning, experience and expertise, coupled with good vintages is producing a similar outcome here. New Zealand’s affinity with Pinot is well known but in the past there were peaks of Pinot Noir but also too many wines which were quite simple or light or dull. Now, better clonal options and greater vine age, coupled with winemakers’ increased experience and confidence and good recent vintages are really paying off.

The average quality level of Pinot has lifted significantly as the wines in the tasting show.

$28.90 TASTING TEAM

TOP CHOICE

Hunter's Pinot Noir Marlborough 2020 Baked cherry, strawberry guava, complex aromas of well integrated savoury spice. Rounded palate the relies on fruit weight and fine tannin to give length.

Nice dark, bright, ruby red, velvet, and violet perfumed nose, good weight of fruit mid palate, lovely fruit tannins, develops well across the palate, elegant, lovely finish.

Points: 95

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WineNZ Magazine | Spring 2021

Pinot Noir | Tastings ME By Matahiwi Estate Pinot Noir Wairarapa 2020

$23.99

Boysenberry coulis colour and aromas with wild strawberry, very fruit driven nose, dark dense palate, fresh fruit and full bodied with a dusting of fine tannin.

Intense colour, depth, quite extracted, pippy nose, still very youthful, lively bright acids, nice juicy, racy plum fruit, ripe, mid weight, moderate complexity.

Points: 87 Three Miners Warden's Court Pinot Noir Central Otago 2020

$44.99

Dark colour with hints of red, darker roast and mocha notes with array of berry fruits. Good freshness to the palate, array of cherry and toffee flavours with fine bitter cocoa phenolic tannin structure.

Deep ruby red, quite weighty, dry, nice redcurrant, quite restrained, sweet, juicy, mid palate, some raspberry and good grippy fruit tannins, nice, will develop well.

Points: 90 Jackson Estate Homestead Pinot Noir Marlborough 2020

$23.00

Red cherry aromas, hints of bay leaf and licorice root. Fine chalky tannins and bright acidity show the wine's youth and potential to mature. Really enjoy the darker savoury characters some reduction but fruit is first.

Quite intense, dark red, bright, nice chunky, brawny, oaky, oatmeal, lots of fruit, lots of weight, youthful wild berry, powerful and promising.

Points: 90 Holly Matahiwi Estate South Series Pinot Noir Wairarapa 2020

$46.99

Super dark colour with lashings of spice and oak. Full robust palate, cedar and plum flavours, sweet vanillin on the finish.

Intense, chunky, bright, dark plum, concentrated, nice ripe fruit, still youthful, good weight and nice fruit tannins, good velvetty texture and after taste.

Points: 88 Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir North Canterbury 2019 Olive tapenade, wild strawberry and hints of bayleaf. Tight complex and structural palate, oak is more obvious but not intrusive, also giving fine velvety tannin.

$54.00

Soft, rouge, nicely expressed raspberry and bramble fruit, lively zesty on the nose, also on the palate, good grip, ripe fruit, quite intense, nice mid wine good acids.

Points: 91 StoneCutter Estate Pinot Noir Martinborough 2019

$45.00

Sweet spice and cherry, berry notes, the palate has wild thyme and earthy forest floor characters. Some very ripe cherry and rosehip notes, long focused finish with just a touch of oak vanillin sweetness.

Intense deep colour, nice savoury mushroom, very ripe!, heavy mid palate, very ripe, slitely hot fruit.

Points: 90 www.winenzmagazine.co.nz

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Tastings | Pinot Noir Main Divide Pinot Noir North Canterbury 2019

$24.00

Red plum, oak spice then loganberry, palate is full with oak just a bit over the fruit, fine velvety finish.

Attractive deep red, dry, mushroom, a bit closed up, solid mid palate fruit, good finish, nice weight of fruit. Solid ripe Pinot. Well made.

Points: 89 Spy Valley Pinot Noir Marlborough 2019

$32.90

Game and preserved cherry, very subtle wine, loads of good fruit with oak in support. Lovely delicate palate, ripe fruit, very gentle and good length.

Nice dense dark ruby,nice ripe raspberry fruit, good weight mid palate, ripe fruit tannins, round across the palate, nice finish with good coating tannins. Well balanced.

Points: 90 Brennan Misfits Pinot Noir Central Otago 2018

$24.99

Paler then the others, fine berryfruit aroma, hints of game, gentle palate with good acidity and finish.

Pale with bricky tinge, nice brambly, tart fruit, on the palate solid fruit, good grip and juicy fruit tannins, drying a little but with ripeness and a good finish.

Points: 90

Ashwell Pinot Noir Wairarapa 2018

$40.00

Oak spice, sweet vanillin and a hint of red plum. Chewy tannin, plum flavour and loads of sweet spice on the finish.

Nice ruby and vinous, quite ripe, some marmite characters on the nose, nice intense solid core of fruit mid palate, quit chewy tannins.

Points: 89

The Elder Pinot Noir Martinborough 2018

$75.00

Cherry and leather notes, showing some maturity. Lovely structure to the palate, fleshy fruit weight and good carry.

Quie pale red, looks older than it is, light cherry nose, some solid fruit, on the palate good mid weight style, nice grippy tannins, fully expressed, sound, at it’s peak.

Points: 90 Domain Road Vineyard Defiance Pinot Noir Central Otago 2017 Cocoa, cherry and a hint of char, full concentrated palate but still with liveliness, dark roasted flavours and licorice abound. Firm oak tannin that has drive but just shortens the finish.

Dark, quite rich looking, solid, berry fruit, quite foursquare, chunky, solid fully expressed with good fruit and a sound finish.

Points: 88 24

WineNZ Magazine | Spring 2021

$65.00

Syrah | Tastings

$65.00

Brennan 2016 Pinot Noir Central Otago 2016 Plum and red fruits, good soft velvety tannin and fine game flavours through to the finish.

Dark with soft edging, nice marmite and dark berry fruit, good mid palate, quite fleshy, nicely expressed tannins, good solid core of fruit, drinking well. At it’s best now.

Points: 90 Jackson Estate Somerset Single Vineyard Pinot Noir Marlborough 2014

$48.00

Lifted nose, vanilla and oak, fruit is gently fading into the background, soft supply tannin with quince paste on the finish.

Nice dark ripe and developed. Dry on the nose, some ashes, dry fruit character, solid mid palate fruit, quite intense, note especially varietal, but ripe and chunky.

Points: 85

Pask Gimblett Gravels Syrah Hawke's Bay 2019 Mulberry, aniseed and plum, fine tannic structure with sweet fruit fullness to the mid palate.

$22.00

Dark intense, bright, quite inky, rich but also soft, full body and full clavoured, lovely ripe coating tannins, nice richness and finish.

Points: 90

Karikari Estate Syrah Northland 2017

$45.00

Dark and brooding, char, smoke and spice with plum and prune on the palate. Full on super concetrated wine loads of chewy oak tannin, long dry finish.

Dark chunky, intense, quite weighty looking, meaty, quite rich and a bit stewy, and very savoury on the palate.

Points: 88

Pask Declaration Syrah Hawke's Bay 2019 Spice, blackberry and vanilla, soft juicy palate full of fruit sweetness and oaky sweet spice. Boysenberry pie on the finish, fine chalky tannin.

Bright dark and intense, nice lifted violet, very ripe, fragrant, very good tannin expression mid palate, juicy, violets and elegant, super balance.

Points: 95

$50.00 TASTING TEAM

TOP CHOICE

www.winenzmagazine.co.nz

25

Feature | Experience Marlborough

E X P E R I E N C E

MARLBOROUGH

By Joan Gestro

W

Stefan, took us through the winery filled with barrels from France, painted in red; the reason, Stephan explained, to stop the dribbles staining the barrels and looking unsightly, hence they are painted in red wine. We so enjoyed our wine tasting hosted

by Stefan, and looking forward to return for more.

e visited Hunter’s Wines; a family owned vineyard, and met with the owner, Jane Hunter, a gracious lady, gave up her time to meet with us. Jane is known around the world as ‘the first lady of New Zealand wine’.

We happily recommend this tour with Phil, who is very knowledgeable and has a passion for this area, as all Tour leaders have a connection to this region. Thanks Phil and Jess, who is the business owner, it was a great experience.

Jane and her team are looking forward to, once again, greet old and new friends through their Cellar Door to enjoy a glass of wine and a light lunch.

The Cellar Door opened on the 2nd of September. The property, with its lovely native gardens, is impressive indeed, leaving one with a sense of permanence. We recommend a visit.

Hunter’s Wines (NZ) Ltd. 603 Rapaura Road, Blenheim wine@hunter’s.co.nz +64 3572 8489

Marlborough Wine Tours PHIL, our Tour Director, having lived and worked for 30 years in the area, had us entertained and informed with a running commentary.

Our visit to Clos Henri Vineyard, organically run by the famous Sancerre family, proudly revealing the depth and elegance of terroir for 10 generations. The quaint old church brought into the vineyard is a charming setting for the Wine Tastings.

Framingham Vineyard, offer gluten free platters, cheeses

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WineNZ Magazine | Spring 2021

Marlborough Wine Tours marlboroughwinetours.co.nz Jane Hunter in Hunter Wines beautiful tasting room.

and crackers, cater for concerts and weddings in beautiful surroundings.

We lunched at WAIRAU River Winery, Restaurant, log fires welcomed us from the chilly mountain wind. Besides the comprehensive menu there also is a very generous Platter for two.

My homemade heart-warming chowder, loaded with seafood, very creamy and delicious.

Colin’s lamb burger was amazing with fresh salad. the battered fries; a first for us, why not as great crunchy treat, yum!

Fromm Vineyard. The owners of this completely organic vineyard originally came from Switzerland.

The vines here are very happy sharing their ground with weeds.

Our charming host and owner,

03 574 2889

The Marlborough region; Driving through this part of New Zealand Wine Region is an unforgettable experience.

We felt privileged to be able to do this at this point in time for obvious reasons. And just 20 minutes south, you’ll be in the Awatere Valley, where we were gob-smacked at the extensive planting of vines as far as the eye could see and beyond, with plantings on flat ground extending up the valleys and beyond, a massive area, vines for ever! a truly awesome sight to behold.

We travelled independently and have put forward unbiased recommendations for our readers.

Gisborne | Feature

GOLD Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships 2020

92

points

Decanter UK

www.winenzmagazine.co.nz

27

Feature | Gisborne

A glass of wine, something to eat in lovely surroundings - the joys of visiting cellar doors.

G I S B O R N E

Winery Visits Tasting is meant to take you out of your comfort zone, to try something you wouldn’t normally, says Shona Egan of Bushmere Estate, and I totally agree. Visit wineries, try something different from your usual tipple and explore the diversity of your favourite varieties.

By Charmian Smith

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WineNZ Magazine | Spring 2021

Matawhero Matawhero is one of the key winery visits in Gisborne, not only for the fine wine, lunch platters and peaceful ambience among the vineyards, but also for its history.

Bill Irwin was one of the pioneering grape growers in Gisborne, importing vines like the famous Mendoza chardonnay clone in the 1960s. In the ‘70s and ‘80s his son Denis made wine, his famous gewürztraminer and chardonnay becoming icons of the New Zealand industry. Denis even sent Queen Elizabeth wine after her 1978 visit to New Zealand.

Kirsten Searle and the late Denis Irwin share a bottle of Matawhero’s iconic Irwin Chardonnay which celebrates Bill Irwin and his son Denis, founding the vineyard in the 1960s.

Gisborne | Feature Kirsten and Richard Searle bought the estate from Denis in 2008, replanting the run-down vineyards and restoring the cellar door building.

Don’t forget to check the underground cellars with dusty bottles from the 1970s and ‘80s as well as Denis’s private cellar which represents some of the best New Zealand wines of the period - probably undrinkable now, but an essential part of the history, Kirsten says.

Do try Matawhero’s fresh gooseberryish sauvignon blanc, the fragrant, dry gewürtztraminer, and, of course the wonderful chardonnays. Matawhero winemaker Kim Crawford uses American oak rather than French, lending a hint of vanilla which marries well with the undertones of citrus and stone fruit characteristic of Gisborne chardonnay.

An unusual variety in New Zealand, chenin blanc is a crisp, creamy, lingering white - Kirsten describes it as a cross between sauvignon and chardonnay.

Matawhero also makes a fragrant, slightly earthy merlot with a grippy finish, and a juicy malbec with a hint of eucalyptus from the nearby gumtrees.

The Searles are planning to offer vineyard accommodation next summer. matawhero.co.nz Millton Millton Vineyards is a taonga of New Zealand wine. On their return from Europe in 1984 James and Annie Millton took over the family vineyards and converted them to biodynamics - the first in the southern hemisphere.

Over nearly 40 years they have built an enviable reputation for their wine and their devotion to their principles. Now many other leading wine producers are following in their footsteps as concerns about the environment, soil degeneration, and wine additives are becoming more mainstream.

Millton’s modest cellar door is surrounded by trees and the Te Arai vineyard nestled in a bend

of the Te Arai river. In summer they serve platters.

Their wines vary from classics such as the rich, zesty Opou Riesling, the complex, textural but totally delicious Opou Chardonnay, and the harmonious Te Arai Chenin Blanc (one of the best in the country), to wines at the leading edge of modern trends, such as field blends and skin-fermented “orange” wines with no additions.

With the Milltons’ long experience and meticulous winemaking, these are among the best of their style in New Zealand.

There are refreshing Crazy by Nature blends and the delicious skin-fermented Libiamo (meaning “let us drink”, an aria from Verdi’s opera La Traviata) which are certainly not to be missed.

I was blown away by the field blend Libiamo which oozes tropical fruit, mango and peacharine, with intriguing hints of herbs and a wonderful texture.

“The gewürztraminer gives the aroma, the muscat gives it the fullness and marsanne gives it weight,” says Annie.

The intense, rich Libiamo Chenin Blanc 2017 was made in an amphora, a huge clay jar with a narrow neck, an ancient wine vessel revived for natural winemaking - a marriage of ancient traditions and modern trends which characterises the Millton Vineyard. millton.co.nz

Bushmere Estate David and Shona Egan have been growing grapes for nearly 50 years, but when the corporates pulled out of Gisborne about 15 years ago, they decided to produce their own wine and open a cellar door. At first they served platters like everyone else, then put in a commercial kitchen and restaurant when they found people wanted more.

About 5 years ago they sold the restaurant, housed in a former fruit packing shed, to Melissa and Ian Murphy and it remains the only vineyard restaurant in the region.

Amelia Riwai based in Hawkes Bay makes the wine. Try the invitingly fragrant pinot gris, the ripe gewürztraminer oozing rose petals and the typically rich peaches-and-cream chardonnay.

Bushmere’s point of difference is montepulciano - a serendipitous mistake as they thought they were planting replacement chardonnay but found the vines had been wrongly labelled, Shona said.

It makes a delicious rosé oozing summer berries and pomegranates, a fresh, a very drinkable red and the pièce de résistance, Diavolo Rosso, a fortified port style, ideal with blue cheese or chocolate truffles. bushmere.com

A real family affair: Geoff and Nicola Wright of Wright’s vineyard and winery with their five sons, from oldest to youngest, Noah, Eli, Luke, Guy and Otto.

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Feature | Gisborne

Wrights Wrights is a real family affair.

Geoff and Nicola Wright run the operation with the help of their five boys. In the kitchen Noah, the oldest in his early teens who is said to have a fine palate, makes particularly deliciously rustic pizza for lunch - I can recommend the Farmers Market pizza. Elijah asked me if I could guess how many rows he had weeded that morning - 26 was the answer.

Luke brings the food to the table, and even the youngest two, Guy and Otto help stack bottles.

Geoff’s great grandfather, Stanko Jurakovich, was one of the early Yugoslavians to make wine at Kumeu west of Auckland - hence the Wrights’ claim to a 90-year winemaking history!

While working as an accountant Geoff came to Gisborne following his dream to own a vineyard. Nicola, who says she came to Gisborne “in search of Mr Wright”, is a barrister and solicitor.

Chardonnay and the Wright’s Estate Chardonnay from the old Ormond Valley vineyard which had a similar mineral note but more palate weight and spice from oak ageing.

gewürz should. While Gisborne reds are sometimes lacklustre, Hihi’s Montepulciano 2019 is a ripe, fragrant, spicy red with firm tannins - this Italian style wine is ideal with pizza or pasta.

The Wrights also have a stall at the busy Gisborne farmers market on Saturday mornings where you can taste and buy their wine.

Despite not having regular cellar doors, several other winemakers are happy to show visitors their wines if you phone first.

wrightswines.co.nz

hihi.co.nz

StoneBridge

TW

The Gisborne farmers market is also cellar door for David and Mairead Hart’s StoneBridge wines. I particularly enjoyed their 2019 viognier, rich with oodles of fruit, lots of nutty creaminess from barrel fermentation, and their 2020 pinot gris, deliciously fresh with attractive pear and stone fruit. Unusually they also offer “40fied”, a port made from merlot.

TW stands for Tietjen Witters, wine from neighbouring vineyards on the “golden slopes”, a narrow strip of vineyards running along the lower slopes behind Ormond, Waihirere and Hexton, that have become famous particularly for their chardonnay.

facebook.com/StoneBridgeWines

Hihi

With a philosophy of sustainability, the family run their three vineyards organically.

They planted a vineyard at Ormond, built their mud-brick house there and also bought an older vineyard in the Ormond Valley. The cream corrugated iron winery and cellar door with shady pergolas and garden, once a fruit packing shed, is in cooler the Manutuke vineyard near the coast. Not surprisingly, it’s family-friendly and there’s live music in summer.

Also at the market is Andy Nimmo with his Hihi wine, named after the elusive stitchbird.

Owner, winemaker and general dogsbody, his self-described, innovative, affordable wines offer a different outlook on Gisborne.

Their philosophy of social justice, biodiversity, ecorestoration and plant-based consciousness, appeals to younger customers, Gen Y and millennials who are now in their 20s, Nicola says.

You can taste perhaps a dozen of his unconventional wines at the market, ranging from a sparkling albarino (he’s the only one crazy enough to make one, he says) and Bubbly As, a sparkling gewürztraminer/ albarino with a fresh finish, to a few different port styles.

The Wrights make two tiers of wine: fresh, fruit-driven wines with minimal preservative under The Natural Wine Co label, while the Wrights Estate wines are more complex. The aromatics, pinot gris, sauvignon blanc, rosé and a sparkling wine are good drinking but my picks were the chardonnays, the fresh, lively fruity Natural Wine Co

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WineNZ Magazine | Spring 2021

Making just chardonnay and pinot gris would bore him, he says.

It’s well worth calling to make an appointment to visit one or other of the partners, Paul Tietjen or Geordie Witters, for not only are the wines fine but also the experience of driving into the vineyard, Paul pulling up on his tractor, and tasting wine on the deck of his house overlooking the vineyard. This is the sort of encounter that inspires people to venture into grape growing themselves.

Clearing junk from the seat of his ute, he takes us round the vineyard, explaining the soils and the many varieties he grows.

“I want to make people laugh with Gizzy Fizzy [actually an attractive, slightly nutty sparkling] and cater to more than one palate.”

Don’t miss his 2019 Albarino - a Spanish variety oozing fruit but still fragrant, fresh and textural, one of his best. My other favourites were the rich, nutty 2018 Viognier, and his several gewürztraminers at different levels of sweetness which ooze rose petals as good Gizzy

A man of the land: Paul Tietjen of TW wines is likely to pull up on his tractor and show you his wines on his deck overlooking the vineyard.

Gisborne | Feature What had looked like a flattish vineyard from the road proves to be gently sloping, hence the golden slope moniker.

and her husband Jeremy.

Appropriately, the wines depict native birds, a different bird for each variety. There’s also a reserve range, The Family Co, and a couple of sparklings, Cosmos a fresh, fruity blanc de blancs, and Luna, a sparkling muscat.

Back in the early 1980s the young Paul Tietjen had been impressed by the rave reviews of New Zealand wine he’d seen in the UK and came back to plant a vineyard in 1983.

Longbush Gewürztraminer 2020, whose label sports the koromiko (bellbird), is fragrant and intense but, unusually for Gisborne, restrained, perhaps because it was so young. I also tried the 2017 which was much more floral, oozing rose petals with a rich, silky, oily texture. It obviously takes time to develop.

While others were planting kiwifruit, he bought land from his father and planted vines.

For many years Nobilo bought his grapes and their Tietjen chardonnay was one of the most highly rated in the country.

Paul still sells grapes to other growers, but he and his friend and neighbour Geordie Witters decided to start their own label in the late ‘90s. The wines are made at Solander cellars in Gisborne.

They produce chardonnay and pinot gris of course, but also some unusual varieties such as verdelho, carmenère, viognier and malbec.

TW like to hold their wines until they are ready to drink rather than rush them on to the market, so there are some older vintages among their current releases.

I particularly enjoyed their 2013 Verdelho, a white variety from Portugal, full bodied with a rich complexity. Viognier 2016 is rich, understated, textural and beautifully balanced with that slight saline, oiliness that you expect from this variety.

As expected, the chardonnays are delicious. There’s a fragrant Estate Chardonnay with a hint of creamy nuttiness, a richer Reserve with undertones of oak, and a superb Platinum Chardonnay, tight, textural, intense wth a lingering complex finish.

TW’s fresh, lively rosé is from carmenère, a red variety much planted in Chile, and they also make a soft, easy merlot, and a peppery malbec with hints of dried herbs. twwines.co.nz

Bond Block Denny Zame’s Italian great uncle Antonio Zame established Capri vineyards in the 1950s,

Don’t miss the 2020 Longbush pinot gris with fantails on its label, oozing ripe pears and stone fruit, longbushwines.com For a personal experience visit and taste at Denny Zame’s Bond Block.

making fortified wines that were popular at the time.

The childhood memory of visiting his vineyard and winery inspired Denny to buy his present vineyard at Ormond about six years ago However, when no one wanted to buy his first crop, he decided to produce his own wine made by John Thorpe of Solander cellars.

Denny grows chardonnay of course - I was impressed by his 2019 chardonnay, beautifully balanced with juicy stone and citrus fruit, the palate filled out with light nutty oaky undertones.

He also makes a sparkling blanc de blancs, a rich, fragrant pinot gris, a gutsy rose and a soft fruity merlot. bondblockwines.nz

Longbush John Thorpe, a member of the entrepreneurial and hardworking Thorpe family (see sidebar), runs contract winemaking facility Solander cellars, his own wine label, Longbush, and a few restaurants.

Longbush is named after the Longbush Reserve, a stretch of native bush alongside the Waimata river and the Waikereru Eco-sanctuary restored by his sister Dame Anne Salmond

T

here are many other artisan winemakers who don’t have cellar doors. You may find their wines at some of the places below, or buy them on line.

Gisborne Wine Centre The place to find a large selection of Gisborne wines from many of the smaller winemakers is Gisborne Wine Centre and Crawford Road Kitchen on the inner harbour.

Besides selling wine they offer food to share and tastings that may include unusual wines like the late Denis Irwin’s 747 Estate La Blanc Peche, a powerful textural nutty buttery viognier, or the structured Taruheru Chenin Blanc, or the wonderfully rich and zesty Millton Opou Riesling, gisbornewinecentre.co.nz

Bridge Estate Another place to taste Gisborne wines is Bridge Estate, a rustic wine bar and cafe in a converted stable, which serves tastings and platters in a vineyard just outside Gisborne. You may find the elegant Ashwood and Spade Oak wines or the the softer StoneBridge wines and Andy Nimo’s quirky Hihi wines among others. bridgeestate.co.nz

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Feature | Gisborne

A wine tasting: one of the most enjoyable things to do when on holiday.

Siduri Wine Bar If you’re looking for something different, call by Siduri Wine Bar in Peel St. This hip space with cool music specialises in organic and biodynamic wines, offering about 8 wines by the glass that change regularly - when we called there were 6 unusual Europeans listed, not unlike what you might see in a Parisian wine bar. Of course there are sometimes local wines on offer too. Owner Sam Millton (son of James and Annie of Millton Vineyard) is very knowledgeable also serves antipasto snacks and pizza. It closes over vintage when Sam is working at Millton. instagram.com/siduribar

Sunshine Brewery A winemakers told us the 30-year old Sunshine Brewery had improved 500% so we called into their taproom.

Apparently they have a new brewer and there’s huge line up of brews on tap, from classic IPAs and golden lagers, through a range of hoppy beers to interesting specialities such as mango and passionfruit sour, or a slightly funky gruit Belgian pale ale. A good spot for those looking for a cleansing ale after too much wine tasting. sunshinebrewing.co.nz

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Thorpe T

he Thorpe family of Gisborne is remarkably entrepreneurial. Their parents, Jack and Joyce, came to Gisborne in the 1950s to start Columbine Hosiery with Jack’s brothers George and Alan. Later they developed kiwifruit, persimmon and navel orange orchards.

Their children followed in their entrepreneurial footsteps and the third generation are now involved. John Thorpe runs Longbush wines, the winemaking facility Solander Cellars and restaurants such as The Works, in a former freezing works on the inner harbour; Bill Thorpe developed orchards and diversified into First Fresh, packing fruit from local orchards and distributing it here and overseas; Rick and Carol started Waimata Cheese, now the largest privately owned cheese producer in the country; Geoff Thorpe runs Riversun vine nursery which supplies much of the planting material for vineyards around the country; and their sister, Distinguished Professor Dame Anne Salmond, is a well known historian, anthropologist, social scientist and writer.

Gisborne | Feature

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Feature | Distilled by Design

Distilled by Design Distilleries NZ Spirits openDSAforMember Cellar Doors and Tours

— DISTILLED BY DESIGN AWARD WINNERS 2021

❖ Distilleries can be open for tours, retail sales and tastings; as well as hosting private events/functions. ❖ Information on each individual distillery can be found by visiting the distillery’s website. Click on each distillery logo on the DSA Member’s page: distilledspiritsaotearoa.org.nz/membership/current-members ❖ You can see the location of the distillery in New Zealand here: distilledspiritsaotearoa.org.nz/membership/map-of-members

T o u rs / E vents and Cellar D o o r

Lunatic & lover barrel rested rum

Wild rain Vodka

34

Marlborough roots dry gin

Thomson Local folk & smoke single cask Whisky

WineNZ Magazine | Spring 2021

Auckland

1919 Distilling Ltd- By Appointment Only

1919distilling.com

Auckland

CarbonSix Distillery

carbonsix.co.nz/visit-us

Christchurch

The Spirits Workshop (Curiosity Gin)

thespiritsworkshop.co.nz

Dunedin

No8 Distillery

no8distillery.com/tours

Geraldine

Humdinger Gin

humdinger.nz

Golden Bay, Takaka

Dancing Sands Distillery

dancingsands.com

Golden Bay, Takaka

Kiwi Spirit Distillery

kiwispiritdistillery.co.nz

Hamilton

Good George

goodgeorge.co.nz

Kapiti Coast

Koakoa

koakoa.nz

Marlborough

Elemental Distillery - By Appointment Only

elementaldistillers.com

Marlborough

Johanneshof Cellars

www.johanneshof.co.nz

New Plymouth

BeGin Distillery (Juno Gin)

junogin.co.nz

Oakura, Taranaki

LWF Distilling

lwfdistilling.com

Oamaru, North Otago

The New Zealand Whisky Collection - cellar door at the new location planned in the near-future.

The New Zealand Whisky Collection

Queenstown/ Arrowtown

Broken Heart Spirits

brokenheartspirits.com

Queenstown

Peaked Distillery (private tastings by request)

Peaked Distillery

Queenstown/ Wanaka

Cardrona Distillery

cardronadistillery.com

Ranfurly

Lammermoor Distillery Ltd

lammermoordistillery.com

Reefton

Reefton Distillery

reeftondistillingco.com

Stratford, Taranaki

Fenton Street Distillery

fentonartscollective.co.nz/distillery

Thames, Coromandel

Coromandel Distilling Co

Coromandel Distilling Co

Waiheke Island

Waiheke Distilling Co (tbc opening end of 2020)

waihekedistilling.co.nz

Waihi, Coromandel

Kaimai Brewing and Distilling Co Ltd (sell directly from the Waikino Tavern. Don’t offer formal tours but always happy to chat to visitors and show them around)

kaimaibrewinganddistilling.co.nz

Wellington

Denzien Distillery

denzien-urban-distillery.business.site

Wellington

Southward Distilling Co

southwarddistilling.com

Wellington

Aurora Distillery Ltd (Gin Experience events)

auroradistillery.co.nz/gin-experience

Cellar D o o r S ales o nly Martinborough

Te Kairanga Cellar Door (Lighthouse Gin)

lighthousegin.co.nz/contact

Distilled by Design | Feature

Dancing Sands Sun-Kissed Gin Tasting notes: ❖ Dancing Sands Sun-Kissed Gin is made up of fresh strawberries and locally sourced rhubarb infused with their dry gin, creating a nod to summer nostalgia. The gin has a lovable sweetness full of candied strawberry notes and a delicate balance with the tartness of rhubarb. The original dry gin layers of cardamom, coriander, and peppercorns still shine through making this gin quite complex. ❖ Sun-Kissed Gin won a Silver NZ Spirits Award in 2021 and has won several more awards, including, Silver SIP Awards (2019), Silver New Zealand Spirits Awards (2019) and Bronze San Francisco World Spirits Competition (2019) ❖ Sun-Kissed Gin is bottled at 37.5% ABV

Price: $79.99

Dancing Sands Sauvignon Blanc Gin Tasting notes: ❖ The Dancing Sands Sauvignon Blanc Gin preserves the vibrant passionfruit, green apple and lime flavours of New Zealand’s most iconic wine, Sauvignon Blanc. ❖ Upon uncorking the Sauvignon Blanc Gin, the nose unmistakably channels scents of a Marlborough Sauvignon. On the palate, classic Sauvignon Blanc flavours shine through with undertones of juniper berries and manuka leaves from Dancing Sands’ Dry Gin. ❖ A world-first, Dancing Sands’ Sauvignon Blanc Gin is made with vacuum distilled Sauvignon Blanc, incorporating the state-of-the-art distillation processes involved in wine-making. ❖ Sauvignon Blanc Gin won a Silver NZ Spirits Awards (2021) ❖ Sauvignon Blanc Gin is bottled at 37.5% ABV

Dancing Sands Distillery www.dancingsands.com

Price: $79.99

Kiwi Spirits delightful dry gin Kiwi Spirits delightful dry gin is an elegant spirit bursting with aromatic delights home grown botanicals picked fresh from the grounds of our unique distillery.

Vibrant lavender and zesty lemons are distilled to create our beautifully balanced delightful dry gin.

Perfect for the classic G & T or Martini, with delicate florals hints of gentle citrus tones that create a fragrant and delicious taste experience. www.kiwispiritsdistillery.co.nz

www.winenzmagazine.co.nz

35

Feature | Distilled by Design

Wild Rain Vodka Premium (43%) Tasting Notes: A Premium New Zealand Vodka, neutral and pure on the palate. A smooth, pure spirit that sets the stage for creative cocktails. At 43% abv Wild Rain Vodka can also be enjoyed straight.

Price: 700ml $79.99

Rifters Original Dry Gin Little Biddy Gin Classic (40% ABV) Tasting Notes: Like its namesake, Little Biddy Gin – Classic, is robust and hardworking with a striking aromatic bite. Native Toatoa endures the harshest winter conditions without losing its fresh, vibrant tannic character. Blended with Tarata, Horopito, Rimu and majestic Douglas fir, this is a versatile and easy drinking gin with a complex palette of spiced citrus and warm resin.

350ml

Tasting Notes: This Original Dry gin is an enhanced dry gin full of botanical flavour, pure, clean and balanced. Experience warm woody and citrus tones, with a fresh dry finish.

Price: 350ml: $44.95 700ml: $78.95

Price: 700ml $84.99 www.Reeftondistillingco.com

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WineNZ Magazine | Spring 2021

www.riftersgin.com

OVERSEAS SPIRITS Distilled by Design | Feature

Raising the

s t i r i p S s a Overse

— Imported spirits that capture local taste buds.

Old Pulteney 12 years old 40%

T

he Spirit of Cardrona is an inspirational business story about a young woman who pursued her unlikely dream of setting up a world-class distillery in Cardrona. It is the story of Desiree’s upbringing, of her persistence and resilience, of overcoming life’s trials, tribulations and natural shyness, to succeed on a pathless-travelled.

Desiree spent two and half years visiting the world’s greatest whisky distilleries and learning from some of the world’s great masters before risking all she had to make her dream a reality. Her quest to produce a single-malt whisky that would compete with the best whiskies in the world is a classic story of Kiwi persistence, self-sacrifice and dedication to excellence.

The Spirit of Cardrona is an inspirational business story that will appeal to anyone who loves a bold, brave and brilliant entrepreneur.

Desiree Reid-Whitaker is the founder and managing director of Cardrona Distillery in Central Otago, New Zealand.

Desiree is a Nuffield Scholar and former farmer from South Canterbury. In 2011 she began researching distillation and the crafting of great whiskies and spirits. In 2013 she sold her farming business and went in search of the perfect location to realise her dream of creating a whisky that would stand tall on the international stage. Two and a half years later, the spirit flowed from the Cardrona stills for the very first time, and her journey to create world-class spirit began. Desiree lives in Wanaka with her husband Ash, and their two children.

Hailing from one of Scotland's most northerly distilleries, Old Pulteney resides in the old fishing village of Wick. Pulteney's whiskies are known for their gentle honeyed, vanilla sweetness, and a touch of marzipan nuttyness. The distinctive slightly salty tang tells of the distilleries home by the sea. A great introductory dram for those new to whisky.

Price: $76.00 www.oldpulteney.com

Benromach

10 years old 43% The Benromach distillery is famous for its traditional style of single malt whisky, with flavours of creme brulee, dried fruit, peppery oak spices and a distinctive, gentle background note of peat smoke uncommonly seen in Speyside whiskies.

A characterful and old-school tasting dram that has broad appeal and a serious following around the world.

Price: $85.00 www.benromach.com

Imported by www.whiskygalore.co.nz

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37

Feature | Distilled by Design

Bloody Shiraz Gin Straight away you get pine forest notes, white pepper and spices. The gin is beautifully balanced with a delicious sweetness and nice tannins to finish. The ABV of this totally unique gin is 37.8% which makes it perfect for mixing in cocktails.

Try it in Bloody Shiraz Spritz, with gin, grapefruit juice and sparkling wine.

Rare Dry Gin Four Pillars Rare Dry Gin is spicy but with great citrus – a truly modern Australian gin. We use whole, fresh oranges which is unusual, but Australian citrus is highly aromatic and supports the spicier botanicals like cardamom.

The Tasmanian pepperberry adds warmth rather than heat, and the lemon myrtle is a beautiful alternative to lemon peel. This gin is perfect in a G&T with orange, or in any classic gin cocktail.

Imported by www.ticketyboo.co.nz

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WineNZ Magazine | Spring 2021

Dewar's blended scotch whisky White Label

❖ Founded in 175 years by John Dewar, John Dewar & Sons has grown from a small wine and spirits merchant shop in Perth Scotland, to become and globally renowned and celebrated blended scotch whisky enjoyed around the world. ❖ Our secret sauce is our double aging, simply put all our whiskies are aged, blended and then aged again for extra smoothness ❖ No one likes a show-off but we can’t ignore the fact that Dewar’s is world’s most awarded blended scotch whisky, accumulating over a thousand awards to date.

Four Pillars Gin www.fourpillarsgin.com

Gisborne | Feature

Made to be enjoyed in good company @riftersgin riftersgin.com

www.winenzmagazine.co.nz

27

Feature | Villa Maria

Investing in wine business growth Villa Maria’s renovated Hawkes Bay cellar door in the Gimblett Gravels.

S

ince Sir George Fistonich started Villa Maria in the 1960s it has grown from a one-man operation to one of the country’s largest and most respected wine producers. Over 50 years it has acquired vineyards and brands around New Zealand, built three large wineries and added several new brands and ranges.

Now it is setting its sights on becoming one of the world’s great wine companies. To fund that goal it is looking to raise additional capital to invest in its global growth strategy and has started by selling 31ha of vineyard land at its headquarters and winery, now surrounded by suburbs and industrial development in Mangere, Auckland, and the Vidal winery site in Hastings.

Another part of this process is restructuring its brand portfolio.

Villa Maria wines range from supermarket staples to some of the country’s most iconic such as Ngakirikiri The Gravels or Keltern

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WineNZ Magazine | Spring 2021

Chardonnay, and Single Vineyard and Reserve wines.

Villa Maria has also acquired three Hawkes Bay wineries over the years, Vidal, Esk Valley and Te Awa/Leftfield.

Recently Villa consolidated all the Hawkes Bay winemaking in a large new winery commissioned for the 2018 vintage, says group chief winemaker Nick Picone.

“From those four brands operating independently we now had to operate under one roof sharing resources. A lot of logistics were quite challenging to work though and, to be quite honest, it’s taken us a couple of years to get there,” he said.

“It was long overdue that we pause and reflect on where the company’s at and whether it’s still relevant to have all these brands and complexity. Then Covid came and it put more pressure on the need to come out of that leaner, smarter, more focused,” Nick said.

The focus is now on the Villa Maria brand which is 85% of the company’s production. The

Nick Picone, chief winemaker at Villa Maria.

other 15% was spread across five different brands which was costly and complex and has been rejigged.

The Esk Valley winery in Bayview, north of Napier, has been decommissioned and its winemaking moved to the new winery although the historic open concrete vats that gave such character to its red wines have been replicated.

Villa Maria | Feature Esk Valley has been repositioned as a boutique Hawkes Bay producer and has its own space in the Villa Maria Gimblett Gravels visitor centre beside the new winery.

This visitor centre and restaurant overlooking the vines is now the public face of Villa Maria in the Bay. Besides the main tasting room, the Esk lounge and private tasting facilities, the restaurant overlooking the vines offers small plates and platters.

It has been remodelled from the former Te Awa cellar door but the trademark windmill is still at the gate.

The Te Awa label has gone, but one of its brands, Leftfield with its quirky labels, has been remodelled as a lifestyle brand.

The historic Vidal winery in Hastings, where older locals remember playing in the vats as children, is now the site of a retirement village and the brand, stripped of its various tiers, now joins Thornbury as a mainly supermarket and export brand.

Villa Maria’s Platinum range introduced a few years ago has also been discontinued.

Villa Maria retains its other ranges, Private Bin, the gold label Cellar Selection, the black label Reserves and the Single Vineyard wines with a new white label.

It has also introduced a new organic range, Earth Garden.

Villa Maria started converting its vineyards to organics about 16 years ago and now 30% (about 100ha) are certified.

Braided Gravels albariño from the company’s Gimblett Gravels vineyards. Esk Valley will also have one from 2020.

“Villa Maria’s had a history of experimentation with niche varietals and albariño is one of the few that has galvanised our viticulturists, winemakers and marketing areas around its true potential,” he said.

Not only does it perform well in the vineyard being resistant to disease, humidity and drought, it also makes exciting wine.

“It has that acidity and salinity and vibrant fruit - Kiwis are used to a diet of fresh, crisp white wines and this offers it.”

He is also excited about the future of Hawkes Bay chardonnay, especially after the stunning 2019 vintage. Master Sommelier Cameron Douglas has selected a representative dozen of diverse styles from Hawkes Bay producers to be sent to overseas wine writers to showcase the variety.

“I truely believe that chardonnay is a hero and great for the region. The obvious challenge in front of us is it’s one of the most widely planted grapes in the world. Marlborough sauvignon blanc has its positioning because the style is so unique, whereas everyone makes chardonnay. But what you can say is that the quality and consistency of our chardonnay, even the value of them when they are stacked up next to Burgundy, sets Hawkes Bay apart,” Nick said.

Another of the jewels in Hawkes Bay’s crown is its Bordeaux varieties, merlot and cabernet sauvignon, but this category is stagnant at present due to market trends.

“The irony the wines today are arguably the greatest wine’s we’ve produced in the history of Hawkes Bay red winemaking. I don’t think the category thing is to do with the quality of the wine, it’s to do with consumer trends,” he said.

“That whole trend of the world looking for charming, easy drinking affordable wines is explained why those aromatic and softer styles of wine like pinot gris are continuing to do really well.”

Besides making lots of on-trend rosé they are also exploring other red varieties, such as cabernet franc and tempranillo which can produce lighter, fresher, easydrinking reds.

But meanwhile they are excited about their 2019 top-end reds. It’s one of the greatest ever vintages, he says - a handy tip for those who are not swayed by the ups and downs of fashion trends and love this classic style.

Besides the new Hawkes Bay cellar door in the Gimblett Gravels, tastings are also available at all Villa Maria’s other wineries, the large Marlborough winery, and tasting room and restaurant at the winery near the Mangere airport in South Auckland.

“When I walk into one of our organic blocks and notice the increase in life in that vineyard block, I feel good about that — about that fruit, about tasting that fruit, about being in that environment, about making wine from that fruit,” Nick says.

He is also excited about the future of albariño, a Spanish white variety that is finding favour in New Zealand. They already produce Leftfield and Cellar Selection albariños from Gisborne, and have recently introduced a Single Vineyard

A comfortable space at Villa Maria Gimblett Gravels tasting room.

www.winenzmagazine.co.nz

41

Feature | Terroir

Exploring terroir: one vineyard, three winemakers: four vineyards one winemaker.

Terroir has become a buzz word in wine

Almost a holy grail for some winemakers. The concept that the flavour of something grown in a particular place - a few special rows, a block, a vineyard or even a subregion - can express the unique character of that place.

Sceptics, of course, often say terroir just a marketing ploy.

In the prestigious Cote d’Or in Burgundy, France, they will tell you that wine is the grapes’ way of expressing the soil or terroir. It’s similar in the steep Mosel vineyards in Germany where wines from a certain vineyard can have a consistent character, subtly different from that from a nearby vineyard with a different soil, slope or aspect. It’s certainly something I’ve experienced tasting wine there.

To express terroir successfully requires sensitive viticulture and winemaking. Pinot noir

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WineNZ Magazine | Spring 2021

Terroir | Feature and riesling (the varieties in Burgundy and the Mosel respectively) are probably the most responsive to revealing subtle and sometimes not so subtle differences, depending on their soils, exposure, vineyard and, increasingly, the vineyard microflora.

Of course it helps enormously if crops are kept low, the vines are old so their roots go deep into the soil and vineyards are farmed organically or biodynamically so the soil fungi and other microbes are healthy and can have an input. Often a pied de cuve, a small fermentation started in the vineyard a week or so before harvest to capture and propagate the wild vineyard yeast, is used instead of commercial yeast or even wild yeast floating round the winery.

It’s sometimes described as the equivalent of a sourdough starter in bread making.

But then there’s the winemaking decisions. Does the winemaker include some stems in the ferment as well as the grapes? How long and at what temperature does the ferment continue and how long do the skins and wine remain in contact? What is the oak regime?

How long does it stay in barrels, large or small, old or new, the degree of toast or char inside them? How, if at all, is it fined or filtered?

Needless to say, it’s usually the more expensive wines, those handled more carefully and produced in smaller quantities

that go into single vineyard labels.

Being intrigued by all this, I organised a tasting for the Wine Federation of Otago, a long-standing group of wine enthusiasts and collectors, to see if we could distinguish particular characteristics of individual vineyards. The wines were served blind.

We started with Cloudy Bay’s two pinot noirs, 2019 from the Wairau Valley in Marlborough and the 2017 Te Wahi from the Cromwell basin in Central Otago.

This was followed by three 2017 pinots from the organic, closeplanted, 30-year old Clayvin Vineyard in Marlborough by three different winemakers, Giesen, Fromm and Te Whare Ra; then seven single vineyard 2019 wines made by two different winemakers in Central Otago, Gibbston Valley (organic) and Rockburn (not organic). Three of these seven came from the Gibbston subregion, two from Bendigo and two from other parts of the Cromwell Basin.

So what did we find?

It was easy to identify the Cloudy Bay wines, the red fruits and tanginess of the Marlborough, and the darker fruits and brooding nervosity of the Central. However, the Te Wahi at $120 was more than twice the price of the Marlborough wine and two years older, so were we really comparing like with like?

Eagerly we went on to the Clayvin wines. Although all excellent, each was quite different. Prices varied between about $60 and $90.

Giesen’s was a statement wine oozing dark fruit, spicy oak with an almost grainy texture.

Te Whare Ra’s was almost floral, charming, harmonious and textural, and very drinkable, while Fromm’s was bigger and more structured, slightly funky with darker flavours, texture and complexity.

because we were not comparing them with wines by the same makers from other vineyards to see if there was a commonality between the Clayvin ones.

An idea for another tasting sometime.

The Central Otago wines seemed to have more in common even though they came from different subregions.

In good vintages like 2019 Gibbston, the coolest area, can produce the best fruit. Bendigo, often described as the hottest region, nevertheless has some higher, cooler vineyards such as School House.

Soils are different too, sandy loams, silt over glacial outwash gravels, and varying amounts of schist, as well as different aspects, altitudes and gradients.

The Central wines varied between $65 and $100.

Tasters could mostly distinguish between the Gibbston and the Cromwell Basin wines, but opinions were divided as to which was which!

On revisiting the wines after the labels were revealed, those from Gibbston - Rockburn Eight Barrels and Gibbston Valley Glenlee and Le Maître, did seem more floral, while the Bendigo wines, Gibbston Valley China Terrace and School House, seemed to have darker fruit. Rockburn’s Eleven Barrels from the Parkburn vineyard on the Wanaka road was perhaps most characteristic of Central - fragrant, dark cherry fruit, vibrant and juicy, perhaps because of less new oak. Rockburn’s The Art from Bannockburn showed more red fruits, mineral and spicy oak.

But was this a matter of the oft-repeated saying - a glance at a label is worth 30 years of experience?

We’ve got a long way to go before we get to the stage of the Cote d’Or or Mosel, one taster remarked. However, checking how things are going and testing For us, winemaking styles our palates is hugely enjoyable. obscured the specific vineyard A comfortable space atthat Villawas Maria Gimblett Gravels tasting room.

We’ll do it again sometime! character, but perhaps

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43

Feature | Oak Estate

H e r e ’ s a ta s t e o f w h a t ’ s t o c o m e i n t h e

Hawkes Bay Bridge Pa region

M

The Bridge Pa Triangle is one of Hawkes Bay’s premier wine subregions, nestled in the warm inland flats west of Hastings where once the great Ngaruroro river flowed.

Charmian Smith explores the Triangle’s cellar doors and discovers the delicious reds and complex whites grown there.

any of New Zealand’s prized wine growing districts are found on the deep gravels left behind when braided rivers change their

courses.

The Ngaruroro river in Hawkes Bay has produced two such distinctive areas, the Gimblett Gravels and the Bridge Pa Triangle.

Millennia ago it flowed though a gap in the hills near what is now Bridge Pa, past Pakipaki, then out to sea near Havelock North, building up its bed with stones and gravel. About ten thousand years ago it moved north to what is now the Gimblett Gravels wine district, then in 1867 during another big flood it moved to Twyford.

NORTH New Zealand Hawke’s Bay

Bridge Pa Triangle Wine District Hawke’s Bay New Zealand

Pacific Ocean

Roys Hill

Oak Estate Cellar Door

Napier Hawke’s Bay

Babich St Johns Vineyard 10ha

State Highway 50

Ash Ridge Cellar Door

Oak Estate 6ha

Mathills 5ha Milmine 8ha

TK Vineyards 11ha

Ngaruroro River

Sileni Hikumutu Vineyard 17ha

Te Mata Bullnose Vineyard 16ha

Constellation Highway 50 Vineyard 108ha Villa Maria Keltern Vineyard Constellation Airstrip Vineyard 25ha

Sileni Wedd Vineyard 16ha

Harding Double or Quits 16ha

Links Winery 41ha

Paritua Vineyards & Winery 68ha

Kim Crawford Te Tua Vineyard 112ha

Sileni Hautapu 48ha

Sileni Redmetal Sileni Talbot Lyons Vineyard 8ha Vineyard 12ha 14ha

Paritua Winery Cellar Door

Sileni Estate Cellar Door

Three Little Pigs Vineyard 3ha

Daysh 13ha

Bostock Wines 12ha

Prins 6ha

Howell Mulcaster 12ha Brittains Terra Rossa Vineyard 9ha Alpha Domus 20ha

Howell Strathnaver Vineyard 17ha

Taylor Wai-iti 8ha

Maraekakaho Road

Winery owned or leased vineyard

Bostock Wines Cellar Door

Te Mata Isosceles Vineyard 17ha

Leveret Estate Tantallon Vineyard 118ha

Ngatarawa Road

Sowersby 10ha

Church Road Redstone Vineyard 145ha

Elephant Hill Triangle Vineyard 23ha

Hastings Bridge Pa Triangle

Ash Ridge Winery 13ha Vicki’s Vineyard 19ha

Bostock Wines 10ha

Alpha Domus Cellar Door

Douylliez Ailleurs 10ha

Sileni Drycreek Vineyard 29ha

Meridiem Trust 16ha

Abbey Cellars 13ha

Barendsen Vineyard 25ha

Lesley’s Vineyard 8ha

Alcock Vanston/ Smith Almoritia Waikahu 8ha 5ha Howell/ Prospect Vineyard 15ha

Korongatā Marae

Leveret Campbell Brook Vineyard 40ha

Abbey Cellars Cellar Door

Mangaroa Marae

Bridge Pa Township Lyons Hillside Vineyard 2ha

Grower owned vineyard

Malbec 20ha

Pinot Noir 10ha

Syrah 151ha

Merlot 337ha

Viognier 19ha

**Minor Red Varieties 6ha

Red Varieties 57% - 610ha total

Cabernet Franc 30ha

Deep gravels 20+ metres

Cabernet Sauvignon 56ha

Hawke’s Bay’s northerly location and mountains to the west give it one of the warmest and driest climates in New Zealand. With growing season warmth of around 1480 degree days along with moderate rainfall and free draining soils, the Bridge Pa Triangle plays a big part in the emerging story of Hawke’s Bay as a great temperate-climate wine region of the world.

White Varieties 43% - 465ha total

*Minor White Varieties 18ha

Latitude: 39.4 S Land Area: 2,000ha with approx 1,250ha in grapes Soils: Alluvial - sandy loam over gravels Annual Rainfall: 750mm Mean January Temperature: 19.5 degrees C Sunshine Hours: 2280 Growing Degree Days: 1480

Varieties Planted Topsoil 40-70cm

Pinot Gris 102ha

Formed over thousands of years by the changing course of the Ngaruroro River these are the oldest soils on the Heretaunga plains.

Moderate depth sandy loam covers deep beds of gravel known locally as “red metals’ due to red colouration from the iron content.

This excellent growing environment allows the vines to thrive without irrigation until early summer and the grapes to ripen evenly into early Autumn while excess moisture is drained away in wet weather.

Chardonnay 200ha

Soils and Climate

The Bridge Pa Triangle Wine District comprises the largest concentration of vineyards in Hawke’s Bay. It is the special nature of the soils and climate here that provide depth and flavour to the wines. The most important grape varieties being Merlot, Syrah, Cabernets and Chardonnay. The district is roughly delineated by three roads: Ngatarawa Road, State Highway 50 and Maraekakaho Road forming the triangle.

Sauvignon Blanc 126ha

Overview

*Mainly Sémillon.

Includes Albariño, Fiano, Arneis, Gewürztraminer, Sauvignon Gris, Chenin Blanc. **Mainly Tempranillo.

Includes Marzemino, Montepulciano.

bridgepatriangle.nz Hawkes Bay

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WineNZ Magazine | Spring 2021

Hawkes Bay

Oak Estate is a boutique winery located in the Bridge Pa Triangle along the cycle way on Ngatarawa Road.

Casual atmosphere, wine tasting, all day Artisan food surrounded by vines.

Oak Estate

Oak Estate’s red barn beside a large oak tree on Ngatarawa Rd is not to be missed. Not only does it serve the best food in the Triangle according to locals - and I have to agree - it also has some delicious wine. This is not surprising as it’s owned by a chef, Swiss-born Stefan Lötscher who used to run Pure restaurant in Herne Bay Auckland, and his partner Nadine. They are a passionate couple, full of ideas and plans.

They took over the 6ha vineyard, house and barn about five years ago, started tweaking the vineyard plantings and installed a commercial kitchen.

Here Stefan makes his own bread, pâtés, chutneys, terrines and condiments for the platters and for sale, and offers a few main dishes as well.

It’s a small, charming place with a couple of tables inside and several spilling over the deck and into the vineyard behind the barn.

Chardonnay is their main variety but he and Nadine have planted Chenin Blanc, Tempranillo and Syrah.They also buy grapes from nearby vineyards and wines are made by neighbouring winemakers.

A glass of the satisfyingly nutty Methode Traditionelle Blanc de Blancs is a great way to start lunch here, but don’t miss tasting the other wines.

Chardonnay is their specialty, the nutty, creamy Home Bock 2018 (their first vintage) and the stylish, more layered 1000 Vines Reserve 2018, from a patch of particularly deep gravel behind their house. For something different there’s a late harvest Chardonnay 2018, rich, sweet and silky, oozing ripe peacharines.

Their first Chenin Blanc is 2020, fragrant with hints of Cox’s Orange apples, silky and mouth filling with a dry finish.

Oak Estate syrah 2018 is very drinkable with lovely juicy fruit and supple tannins, but my favourite was the 2019 Malbec, fragrant with dark fruits supported by background oak and firm but supple tannins.

They only made six barrels and I can see this is likely to become much sought after.

COVID Level 2 Cellar door and bistro opening hours: Thu - Sun 11am - 4:30pm... Please enquire via email to info@oakestatewines.co.nz

Feature | Hawke's Bay Wine Auction

Hawke’s Bay Auction Lots are sure to impress This year we celebrate 30 years of the Hawke's Bay Wine Auction and wineries from within the region generously creating wines to be auctioned and gifted to Cranford Hospice!

T

he 2021 event will be hosted at the COVID-19 postponement date on 13th November at ToiToi HB Arts and Events Centre in Hastings, drawing oenophiles, wine lovers and those that enjoy a casual glass of wine with friends from near and far.

The Hawke’s Bay Wine Auction committee recently announced the release of this year’s 40 Auction Lots. With one feature artist and a travel package in the

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WineNZ Magazine | Spring 2021

mix, this year’s line-up is extremely impressive.

The Live Auction includes packages, from Alpha Domus, Askerne, Bilancia, Black Barn, Bostock Wine, Bridge Pa Triangle Wine District, Brookfields, Church Road, Clearview Estate, Collaboration, Crab Farm Winery, Craggy Range, Decibel Wines, Easthope Family Winegrowers, Elephant Hill, Esk Valley Estate, Gimblett Gravels Association, Hawke's Bay Wine, Helio Wines,

HopesGrove Wines, Junction Wines, Lime Rock, Mission Estate Winery, Monowai Estate, Ngatarawa Wine, Paritua Wines, Pask Winery, Radburnd Cellars, Sileni Estates, Smith & Sheth, Squawking Magpie, Stonecroft, Te Awanga Estate, Te Mata Estate, Tony Bish Wines, Trinity Hill Wines, Villa Maria, House of Travel Hastings and this year’s Feature Artist – John Lancashire. Along with a selection of Silent Auction lots which will be available to bid on at the event.

Hawke's Bay Wine Auction | Feature

This year’s Ambassador Blend is a collaboration with Event Ambassador Mike McRoberts, Elephant Hill restaurant and their newly appointed, but well-known winemaker, Hugh Crichton.

For this years, Hawke's Bay Wine Auction, John Lancashire (also known as Monday.Painter) has painted ‘You can’t tell the sky what to do’ a triptych piece of oil on canvas art split into three canvasses. The power of triptych art lies in its ability to work as a coherent piece, as well as three separate works of art. Three canvas stretchers at 910 W x 1210 H x 30 with a combined measurement of 2730 x 1210.

participating wineries, local businesses, corporate partners, supporting bidders, and volunteers, has raised funds which have been solely gifted to Cranford Hospice, these funds help Cranford care for patients and their families living in the Hawke’s Bay, each and every day. Supporting Cranford Hospice is the core charitable mission of the Hawke’s Bay Wine Auction, whose cumulative

giving surpassed $3.9 million in 2020.

Hawke’s Bay Wine Auction tickets are available at hawkesbaywineauction. co.nz, where you can also find absentee bidder registration if you are unable to come along and Swirl, Sip, Savour and Bid! To follow update’s sign up at www.hawkesbaywineauction. co.nz or ‘like’ Hawke’s Bay Wine Auction, Facebook page.

All auction lots are available to view at hawkesbaywineauction. co.nz and will be showcased on Hawke’s Bay Wine Auction Facebook page between now and event time.

Since 1991 when the first Hawke’s Bay Wine Auction was held, the generosity of

www.winenzmagazine.co.nz

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Feature | Lyre's

Celebrate spring with Lyre’s

W

ith spring upon us, there’s no better time to get excited about the season ahead – including the prospect of delicious cocktails enjoyed with family and friends, whether virtually or in person.

And with many New Zealanders embracing health and wellness and exploring the sober-curious lifestyle, lower and no-alcohol options are more popular than ever – with the category growing 32.7% YOY according to IWSR data.

Lyre’s, the world’s most-awarded non-alcoholic spirits brand, is the ultimate solution to those wanting to stay social without alcohol, and without compromising flavour. Featuring a range of impossibly crafted non-alcoholic spirits that are designed to taste just like the classics they pay homage to, Lyre’s offers everyone the freedom to drink their way, and makes the ideal base for no-alcohol or lower-alcohol spring libations.

The leading non-alcoholic spirits brand has recently added new talent to its team with the appointment of Lyre’s New Zealand Brand Ambassador Andrew Down, a seasoned hospitality figure whose industry career has included world class venues in London, France and here in New Zealand.

Since then, Drew has worked at Lion and as a freelance creative and drinks specialist for Black Pineapple Co. before joining the team at Lyre’s. Celebrated for his extensive experience and passion for training design, delivery and staff engagement and education, Drew has been involved in opening bars and

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WineNZ Magazine | Spring 2021

restaurants, designing new programs, and refreshing dated training programs in existing venues.

To celebrate spring, Drew has shared his favourite drink of the season – the wonderfully light, bright and refreshing Lyre’s Old Cuban.

Drew says, “The mint plant in my balcony herb box is going bananas at the moment, so drinking plenty of these is a great way to use it up.

The Old Cuban is a little bit like a daquiri and a mojito had a baby, and the addition of Lyre’s Classico adds some luxury. The original Old Cuban was created

Andrew Down, Lyre’s New Zealand Brand Ambassador.

in 2004 by Aubrey Saunders at the Pegu Club in New York.

What’s amazing about the Lyre’s range is that so many classic and modern classic cocktails can be recreated without the alcohol! I’d be drinking this in the evening sun, before dinner as a cheeky aperitif.”

Lyre’s is available via lyres.co.nz now.

Lyre’s Old Cuban INGREDIENTS

METHOD

➽ 2 Parts (60mL/ 2 Fl Oz) Lyre’s White Cane Spirit

Shake all ingredients except Lyre’s Classico with ice.

➽ ½ Part (15mL/ ½ Fl Oz) lime juice

Fine strain into glass.

Add Lyre’s Classico slowly.

➽ ½ Part (15mL/ ½ Fl Oz) sugar syrup

GLASSWARE

➽ 8 mint leaves

Cocktail coupette

➽ 2 dashes aromatic bitters ➽ 1 Part (30mL/ 1 Fl Oz) Lyre’s Classico

GARNISH Mint leaf Libations!

Food & Wine Events | Food

Food & Wine Events Marlborough wine group region major events ➽

Wine and Food Festival

EVENTS FOR THE REST OF NEW ZEALAND ➽

(February)

➽

Young winemaker of the year

(January- February)

➽

(September)

➽

Cellarbration (October)

➽ ➽

➽

Hokitika Wildfoods Festival (March)

➽

Bluff Oysters Food Festival (May)

Wine Show (October)

North Canterbury Wine and Food Festival (Waipara Valley) (March)

Cellar door of the year (October)

Central Otago Pinot Noir Celebration

➽

Hawkes Bay Wine and Food (June)

➽

Wellington on a Plate (August)

➽

Whitianga Scallop Festival (September)

➽

Toast Martinborough (November)

➽

Waiheke Wine and Food Festival (Date unknown)

➽

Craggy Range (November)

➽

Taste of Auckland (November)

➽

Pinot Noir New Zealand Christchurch (February 2022)

➽

Wellington Wine & Food Festival (February)

➽

North Canterbury Wine & Food Festival (March)

➽

Wairarapa Wines Harvest Festival (May)

➽

Ripe Festival Wanaka (March)

These are mostly annual events with dates being as accurate as possible.

Please Google for updates as they are posted by organizers of events.

www.winenzmagazine.co.nz

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Gisborne | Feature

NOT DRINKING?

HERE’S A KINDRED SPIRIT

Curious?

lyre’s Non-ALCOHOLIC BIANCO SPRITZ

LYRES.CO.NZ www.winenzmagazine.co.nz

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