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Today we are talking about one of the newest New World winemaking countries that has shocked the world a few decades ago and is today already one of the wine world’s classics. You know the saying: I am on the other side of the world but if I would dig a tunnel you would hit water but the closest country to swim to would be New Zealand. New Zealand is pretty far away from everything. Even Australia is roughly 2000 km away.
Being far, far away was also one of the reasons why I worked a harvest in New Zealand in 2007. It therefore also took a while until the first vines arrived here. The first vineyard was planted in 1819 by Reverend Samuel Marsden on the north coast but the first wine on record was made by James Busby, who was also influential for the Australian wine scene. He planted a vineyard north of Auckland in 1836.
But this was not the beginning of a meteoric rise of the Kiwi Wine Industry. Instead, the production of wine was low and there were strong restrictions on the consumption of alcohol throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.
21 Comments
Te Mata, Ata Rangi and Felton Road are my favourite NZ boutique wineries but there are many others that produce wonderful wine. Some wineries are very small and are almost impossible to lay your hands on their wine (Stoneyridge and Dry River are good examples). Villa Maria is my favourite large scale NZ winery. NZ is famous for Sauvignon Blanc, well known for Pinot noir, often overlooked for Bordeaux blend styles of red, Syrah, Chardonnay and sparkling wines but most underrated and overlooked NZ wine is Riesling.
It looks like my favorite New Zealand wine is The Infamous Goose Sauvignon Blanc
My tasting notes say:
This straw colored wine has a light body and a medium body. In the nose I get apple, pear, and a floral note. In the mouth I get citrus and honey.
This pairs nicely with candied almonds, dolmas, kalamata olives, and Bree.
I remember the first time I tried Villa Maria Sauv Blanc – certainly grabbed my attention, and I enjoyed it at the time, however, generally speaking Marlborough SB has too much passionfruit to it for me – reminds me of passion fruit soft drinks we used to have as a kid – always too sweet 🙂 The NZ Pinots I've had, I've struggled with alcohol levels, and have had more luck with Mornington Peninsula. I think I need to get out there and try more NZ wines.
Totally with Jancis: Kumeu River all the way. Not sure I'd put them ahead of Leflaive but they certainly punch well above their pricing.
My favourite: Moss Wood Pinot Noir
You mention hybrid varieties as being lower quality. Could you do a video tasting high quality producers using hybrid grapes? Would be great to get your input on these misunderstood grapes. Imo, there are some fantastic wines out there made from hybrid grapes. Cheers.
I’ve enjoyed the Villa Maria Sauv Blanc along with Hans Greyl. Both clean, crisp, citrus in character and flavorful!
Hey, where in Nelson did you work? Can I guess Neudorf?
Just been in the Gimblett Gravels today. I'm working for Te Mata. BTW Really like your videos and your way of explaining things and the level of information you give.
Peregrine Pinot Noir
A favorite of mine is Glazebrook, Savignon Blanc 2021
Late to the party… Waiheke Island, Exiled Pinot Gris!
My favourite New Zealand wines are the pinot noirs from Martinborough, in the south of the north island notably Te Kairanga and Ata Rangi
As a Kiwi:
Clearview [Hawkes Bay]: Reserve Cab France and Reserve Chardonnay
Wooing Tree [Otago]: Rose [Pinot]
Fromm [Blenheim]: Reslings, Pinot and Syrah
Stonecroft [Hawkes Bay]: Old-vine Gerwurtztraminer and Syrah (Although the original winermaker, Alan Limmer, who was a gnius, has retired and passed the vinyard on, and I am not convinced about the new direction 🙂 ]
De La Terre [Hawkes Bay]: Syrah, and would you believe an awesome Montepulciano and, perhaps even stranger, a fantastic GR and Reserve Tannat.
…and, just reminded: Pyramid Valley: Pinot Blanc
I could go on… and on… and on… but you'd get bored 🙂
Cloudy Bay and Spy Valey for Sauv Blanc. I love the tropical fruit notes and bright accidity. These wines are perfect companions to our sweltering summer here in Florida. Never had a Chardonnay from NZ but will look for them, following your comments. Thanks!
There are some great Rieslings being produced in many of the Marlborough sub regions as well as in Nelson. My preferred SB is the Grove Mill, sold by The Wine Society, as its not quite as strident or astringent as many of the others that are sold in the UK. As in many other parts of the world, I think, NZ SB became the white wine of choice here maybe 10 years ago, with the inevitable result that there is now a lot of seriously poor wine at the lower end of the market. With shipping costs from NZ having gone up 10 fold in the past year, and given that duty and vat account for £3.50+ on every bottle, just think before you buy supermarket plonk at £5.99!! Probably 10p – 15p worth of wine in there.
Nomad.
Great video!!! My favourite is Sophia from Craggy Range in Hawkes Bay!
I think you could apprroximate NZ SB by blending grapefruit juice and cat pee. Horrid.
Cloudy Bay!
Boneline Iridium