Grape Expectations from the Kiwis
It was cold and wet in London for what’s been declared ‘blue Monday’ and my memories of a summer’s day in New Zealand, exactly a year ago, seemed as far away as New Zealand itself.
Just to add to the feeling of damp commuter misery, my Italian-made leather shoes sprung a leak (like almost everything Italian, they are beautiful, but also a triumph of style over practicality). However, my spirits were high as, unlike my fellow District Line passengers, I was off to the Wines of New Zealand annual tasting.
Victoria’s Lindlay Hall was rammed with more than forty tasting tables, and well over double that number of producers. I couldn’t possibly have tasted everything, but I managed quite a few and, in the spirit of my mantra ‘things to try – and why’, I have a few recommendations.
The Kiwis are brilliant at just saying “well, let’s give it a try!”
The New Zealand wine industry is still astonishingly fresh. The pastures of Marlborough were full of sheep as recently as the 1970s and it’s that lack of viticultural history, combined with an Antipodean no-nonsense attitude, that makes them so good at experimentation.
Will a certain grape thrive? Well, the Kiwis are brilliant at just saying “well, let’s give it a try!”.
They built their reputation on Sauvignon, of course, and there were some great examples on show. The widely available Villa Maria range is a sort of ‘John Lewis of wine’ – consistent and very good – so allow yourself to be up-sold to their ‘Cellar Selection’ or ‘Reserve’ ranges, which are well worth the extra few quid. Villa Maria Reserve Wairau Valley Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2016 (£13.99 at Majestic, £11.99 if your buy six) is a beautifully-made standard-bearer for NZ Sauvignon and more refined than some of the cheaper, rather more ‘obvious’, examples on the market.
Villa Maria owns several brands and one of the newest is called ‘Leftfield’, which pretty much does what it says on the label, giving you something unusual to confound your expectations.
A ‘star in a reasonably-priced cave’ (that only works if you adopt the French way of saying ‘cave’), was the Leftfield Gisborne Albarino 2015 (around £14 at Wine Rack and some independents) which was delicious. Gisborne is on the North Island’s north-east coast and shares the fresh and squally coastal weather conditions of north-western Spain, Albarino’s home. This example – a first for New Zealand – has some lime zest, melon, and well-crafted acidity. A refreshing wine, perfect for fish.
There was a ‘masterclass’ too, where we took a tour of a particular grape. New Zealand has been keen to show us something other than Sauvignon for a while and here it was trumpeting Chardonnay from Hawke’s Bay.
Hawke’s Bay is a lovely region on the east coast of the North Island, running alongside the Pacific Ocean. It shares much in common with the Bordeaux region and grows most of the same grapes.
As you will know from a previous post why ABC should mean Absolutely Buy Chardonnay, I am a great fan of this wonderful, versatile grape. There was an intriguing range of wines on show that went some way to underlining that versatility.
We started with a relatively restrained Craggy Range example, then jumped up to a lovely Ta Mata Elston Chardonnay 2013 (£21, from the Wine Society), which had 10 months in French oak, with the smokiness that provides, along with some juicy green melon flavours and a lovely long finish.
We sampled one of my top choices for a ‘luxury night in’
Along the way, we sampled one of my top choices for a ‘luxury night in’ – the outstanding Vidal Estate Legacy Chardonnay 2014 (see the ABC piece again for more about this, and stockist), a smooth, contemporary organically-made wine, with fantastic depth and abundant natural flavours – and we rounded off with a classy Rod McDonald Trademark Chardonnay that I’m struggling to see a UK supplier for.
The prices might seem a little steep, but compared to equivalent wines from Burgundy (and I think it’s fair to draw that quality comparison, frankly), I think they are actually, at the very least, solid value.
I couldn’t get in to the Pinot Noir masterclass, but there were some good reds on show in the hall and I’m generally keener on New Zealand’s ‘Bordeaux blend’ reds. A particular favourite is only currently relevant if you’re reading this in New Zealand, as it doesn’t yet have distribution in the UK (but deserves it), Ka Tahi Rangitura (meaning ‘esteemed one’) 2015 Syrah is a new wine to the market and, although young, was absolutely delicious, rich in black berry fruits, with great potential.
It was only wines on show, bar one diversion – a very comfy-looking Air New Zealand Premium Economy seat being displayed. I know this because the really friendly staff at the stand (stepping onto an Air NZ plane is like arriving in New Zealand itself) kept giving me their delicious doughnuts. This called for a sweet wine and I rounded off with a Pegasus Bay Finale Noble Semillon/Sauvignon Waipara (£23 at New Zealand Cellar), from the Canterbury region of the South Island, which was a magnificent rich, raisony reminder of Christmas cake, pretty good with that third Air New Zealand doughnut and great sustenance heading back out into the rain.