NEW ZEALAND WINES

READING BETWEEN THE WINES:

No previous wine had shocked, thrilled, entranced the world before with such brash, unexpected flavours of gooseberries, passionfruit and lime, or crunchy green asparagus spears.
— Wine writer Oz Clarke on New Zealand’s Sauvignon Blanc in his book Wine Atlas

New Zealand, hardly a speck in the world wide wineglass a few years ago, is another miraculous newbie in the international wine scene. When it strutted into the limelight, its wines made drinking them worth our time.

Mostly known for its whites (not that mouths abroad don’t water for its reds), New Z puts out vibrant Sauvignon Blancs and brilliant Chardonnays. Not far behind are the recent international “it” wine the New Z Pinot Noir and the Cabernet Sauvignons and Merlots, or the splendid blendeds of the latter two.

2004’s harvest is estimated to be two times the size of that of 2003, which means there may be hope for an up and coming New Zealand surplus. If all goes well, there’s no stopping them!

MAJOR NEW ZEALAND WINE REGIONS

New Zealand’s wine country covers the country from top of the top island to bottom of the bottom island. The major regions in New Zealand are Northland, Auckland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Hawkes Bay, Wairarapa, Nelson, Marlborough, Canterbury, and Central Otago.

THE GRAPES

The top grapes of the New Zealand kind are as follows:

NEW ZEALAND REDS:

Pinot Noir

New Zealand’s moderate climate and vintner enthusiasm serves as bit of charm school for the picky Pinot. The grape fairs very well and has been deconstructed into up and coming world-renown wines. Styles range with terroir from Martinborough’s ripe and intense varieties to the Central Otago’s well-aging boastful black cherry ones.

Cabernet Sauvignon

Even though white grapes hold most the territory in New Zealand, the Cabernet Sauvignon is the most widely planted red grape in the warmer northernmost wine regions. This grape packs a plummy punch in structure and elegance and blends beautifully with Merlot.

Merlot

The New Zealand Merlot shines with smooth and rich blackberry flavor. It’s second to the Cab in red grape crop quantities and is often blended with the Cab to make for a full-bodied berry bang.

NEW ZEALAND WHITES:

Sauvignon Blanc

New Z’s acclaimed Sauvignon Blanc sets the worldwide standard for this varietal. The northern style oozes ripe melon, stone fruit soul while the southern style drips with crisp passion fruit, gooseberry, and herbal spirit. These wines are knocking wine drinker’s socks off internationally.

Chardonnay

In New Zealand, there’s a Chardonnay to tickle every palatal preference. The style spectrum ranges from the soft peachy Chardonnays from Gisborne to the zippy white peach and citrus-flecked ones from Marlborough. Many other styles fall somewhere in between and beyond.

HOW TO ORDER/BUY

Even though New Zealand labeling requirements are not strictly enforced yet, their wine labels contain most the information you need to make an educated choice — from the grape varietals to the origin and producer. If you’re unsure, don’t hesitate to ask your server or wine shop dealer.

Just Keep in Mind:

• If you’re new to New Zealand wines, try the wines for which they’re known. You can’t go wrong with a New Z Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Noir.

• Since New Zealand has just “arrived” on the wine scene, try younger vintages in all varietals. 2000 is an overall great one!

• If you already know what you like — order your usual Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay. Styles may vary a bit, but the basics hold up from country to country.

CHOOSING A NEW ZEALAND WINE

Various Central Otago Producers

Chard Farm	Bannockburn Heights
Felton Road	Gibbston Valley
Rippon Vineyard

Various Gisborne Producers

Villa Maria	Robard & Butler
Corbans	Matua Valley
Millton	Montana
Nobilo	Revington

Various Hawkes Bay Producers

Babich	Church Road
Clearview Estate	Collards
Coopers Creek	Corbans
Craggy Road	Delegat’s
Matua Valley	Mills Reef
Morton Estate	Ngatarawa
CJ Pask	Stonecroft
Te Awa Farm	Te Mata
Trinity Hill	Vidal
Alpha Domus	Esk Valley

Various Marlborough Producers

Allan Scott	Babich
Cairnbrae	Cellier
Cloudy Bay	Pelorus
Collards	Corbans
Cottage Block	Craggy Range
Dog Point	Goldwater
Hunter’s	Huntaway
Kim Crawford	Oyster Bay
Lynskeys	Nobilo
Selaks	Seresin
Stoneleigh	Thornbury
Vavasour	Villa Maria

LEGAL QUALITY CODES

While New Zealand waits for the Wine Act 2003 to pin down some strict regulations in the wine industry, the low-key Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (SWNZ) upholds controls on wine quality.

SWNZ’s role is to:

1. Provide a “best practice model” in the vineyard and winery.
2. Guarantee quality from the soil to the bottle.
3. Address consumer concerns.

If SWNZ “wine accreditation” is met, then the winery may use SWNZ endorsement on their wine label. This accreditation has the following requirements:

1. Wine must be made from 100% SWNZ-accredited grapes.
2. Winery must pass an annual post-vintage audit each year.

References

www.cellarnotes.net
www.cellartastings.com
www.nzwine.com
www.winedoctor.com
www.winexwired.com

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