New Zealand Wine Rocks...

New Zealand Wine Rocks...

I’m feeling very guilty that I’ve been back in the UK now for over a month and I have not shared with you all my thoughts and experiences from my trip to NZ.

I was lucky enough to meet some great wine makers and taste some lovely (and some not so lovely) wines from this fantastic country. On the worlds wine stage, New Zealand is a small producer punching well above its weight. I mean this in a positive way because it deserves to be a world player and can now give the old world wines a real run for their money.

I’m going to share my experiences of 4 winery’s all readily available in the UK, US and Europe. In the order that I visited them they are: The Highfield Estate, Wither Hills, Lawsons Dry Hills and Montana. The first thing you will note is that they are all based in or around Blenheim in the heart of Marlborough. I was fortunate enough to visit Canterbury, Central Otago and Auckland while I was there, all excellent regions producing some fantastic wines but I have to focus on one area at a time or any comparisons will become meaningless.

Driving around Blenheim is just like driving around any major wine producing area in the world. You are surrounded by vineyards, Wineries and signs offering tastings everywhere. It reminded me a bit of a cross between Margaux, the Napa Valley and Stellenbosch.

Highfields was first and my first taste of something other than Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Noir on this trip. A 2001 Riesling, superb pear drops and honey on the nose followed by a delicious long finish and a very strong desire to just pick up the bottle, find a quiet spot and finish the whole lot.
This region of New Zealand is famous for its Sauvignon Blanc so it was clear I had to sample some from each and see if I could detect the subtle nuances and differences from each Estate. I have to make a big confession here as to not being a big fan of the Sav Blanc. Not something I voiced while I was over there but the strong Capsicum intensities, acid nose and disappointing taste generally leave me cold. That said Highfields produces some pretty good 2007 SB, a great nose, some fruit and honey and overall a well balanced wine. Their Pinot Noir was not bad as well, having thrown half of it over my shirt and then bought a T Shirt with Red wine stains on it I felt like I had really arrived. The 2006 PN was okay, not much nose, it needs more time in the bottle but over all fine.

Wither Hills is massive compared to Highfields, a huge show off Winery looking very modern and frankly copying what Robert Mondavi was doing 20 years ago. Sadly the wines bear no comparison. Now it may have been that they only show their newest and least ready to the flocks of tourists but I have to say I was totally unimpressed. The 2007 SB was weak, it lacked any sort of nose, taste or finish and supported all my preconceived notions of how hard it is for NZ SB to shine on the world stage. The 2007 PN was far too young, tasted like it had been bottled yesterday and smelt like the inside of a stainless steel vat. It is sad that this is one of the names I recognised from a major UK supermarket, I just hope their buyers don’t buy this stuff on price without tasting it first.

Lawson’s Dry Hills is a gem amongst the big players in this region. Producing some interesting and dare I say it, outstanding wines which must be drunk. The 2008 SB was a delight, very well balanced, easy to drink and clearly some thought had gone into the wine making to get the right mix of fruit and acidity. The PN 2006 was superb! A fantastic drop of red wine with loads of fruit, finish and a taste that makes you want to drink more and more. The real star was their own 2005 Late harvest Riesling. Rich and complex the apricots and aromas just hit you followed by a palate of honey, figs and all things nice that make it absolutely delicious.

Montana has been under the eye of Chief Winemaker Gerry Gregg pretty much since it was a cow shed in a field. Now one of the largest producers of wine in the whole of New Zealand they produce a range of some the most exciting and innovative wines to come out of this country. Gerry is a lovely man, full of enthusiasm about the wines and despite now being under Pernod Ricards control, Montana is still doing its own thing extremely well. The Sauvignon Blancs were a delight, I tried their Road Rail 2007, Festival Block 2006 and ‘B’ Bancroft 2008 SB’s. All were rich, balanced clean and a delight to drink. I also tried their Forgotten Valley 2007 Pinot Noir. Massive Cherries and Plums with a superb finish and although young looking has the complexity and finish to get even better over the next few years. I also tried a Gewurztraminer, 2005 which was a real revelation. A million miles away from the Gewurz’s I know from Alsace this was lush and creamy tasting of lychees and Honey fighting to get out of the glass. It also had the longest aftertaste of any wine, superb value for money and a real find. I hope they let it out to the world at large soon. The ‘O’ Ormond was a classic Chardonnay. Full of flavour and I rate this as high as the 1999 Meursault I’m drinking at the moment.

My conclusion from this trip is simple. The Kiwi’s may have launched themselves onto the world scene with Sauvignon Blancs and Pinot Noir’s which will stand up well in any country against their own. The real treat and the real future of their success and ultimate world domination has to be through the other grape varieties that they are slowly perfecting and quite rightly keeping to themselves!