New Zealand Impressions

I've just returned from a two-week cycling tour through New Zealand's Southern Alps, tasting two to a dozen or so wines at the end of each day, but because I was drinking and dining with cyclists, not wine geeks, I took no notes. The wines were almost all entry level ones as we were staying and dining in small tourist towns, and I spent only one half-day actually visiting wineries, and so what I'm left with are merely impressions. Here are a few of them. Please remember that I was able to find very few single vineyard or true reserve wines.

The entry level New Zealand wines I've found widely available in the States are generally of higher quality than the almost randomly selected ones I found in New Zealand.

Cabernet Sauvignons, which were mostly blended with Merlot, were unpromising and tended toward harsh tannins that gave little indication of ever coming around.

In the future I'm going to stop saying I love New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs and instead say I love Marlborough Sauvignon Blancs. Others for the most part struck me as relatively simple and lacking the charming fruity complexity of typical Marlborough Sauvignons. I found SBs from relatively cool southern and higher elevation areas we were riding in, principally the Central Otago apellation, mostly monolithic in a citrusy way.

While Central Otago devotes about eighty percent of its wine production to Pinot Noir, it proved the universal theory that good entry level Pinots are the exception rather than the rule. I discovered few that delivered much pleasure, and these were from small producers that do little if any exporting, such as Mud House and Chard Farm. To be fair, though, I should add that most of the Pinots I was drinking may have been from very young vines since the apellation's first wines came on the market as recently as 1983 and the vineyards generally appeared young.

I stumbled on a few Pinot Gris that were fun, a sort of compromise between, say, Oregon and Northern Italy.

As in most other New World wine regions, New Zealand wineries apparently have little commercial incentive to give Riesling VIP treatment, so the ones I tasted were interesting more for potential than performance. But I am left with the impression that if there were a market for high end Rieslings, the cool Central Otago appelation probably would be able to deliver some very good ones. My only take-home purchase was a 375 bottle of delicious 2011 Mt Rosa Late Harvest Riesling.

Clint

It's too bad you couldn't go beyond the basic bottlings, as that would provide a more realistic perspective on the quality (or lack thereof) of NZ wines, and provide more drinking pleasure too. Also, only being in one wine region is rather limiting as well. If you were biking in Hawkes Bay, for example, I think you'd have different impressions about NZ cabernets.

But I definitely agree that Central Otago (CO) rieslings show a lot of promise, and that the basic Pinot bottlings are rarely all that impressive, and young vines are a problem there. I was last there a couple of months ago, and I enjoyed the rieslings more than the pinots for the first time! And I agree CO sauvignon blancs are rather boring compared to Marlborough examples, but there are other regions in NZ (e.g., Martinborough) that do produce some interesting and very different examples of SB that are worth trying.

You must be in good shape after so much cycling in central Otago, as it's a pretty hilly place! Some gorgeous scenery too, isn't there? It's amazing how much the wine industry there has altered the towns and landscapes in the area - 25 years ago there was a completely different feel to CO, and few people went there other than to visit Queenstown. Now it's a bustling region with many tourist destinations and infrastructure (e.g., restaurants). Sounds like a fun trip!

John, yes, it was a fun trip, and we spent only about three days in Central Otago. The eighteen of us were driven out of Christchurch several Kilometers and then cycled over Arthur's Pass to the coast and south to Hokitika and on to Franz Josef and Haast, then turned inland and followed the Haast River to Makarora and thence to Wanaka, a lovely little tourist town and our introduction to Central Otago. From there we cycled to Queenstown, where we spent a couple of nights and I abandoned my friends for a half-day wineries tour. From there we left Central Otago and cycled over Lindis Pass to Omarama, then up to a lodge on Mount Cook and then the next day most of the way to Fairlie, and wrapped up with a short ride the following day before being vanned back to Christchurch. I confess to resorting to the van for the climbs over Arthur's and up Mount Cook, excusing myself with a plea of jet lag as I had been traveling the previous three weeks through multiple time zones.

Wines from most of the major New Zealand appelations, including Cab and Cab blends from the north island, including Hawkes Bay, were available in almost all the little mountain and seaside towns we visited. The problem, as you point out, is that I was generally restricted to entry level, not only because few single vineyard or reserve wines were available but because the group I was with would have considered me daft or pretentious if I had spent more than I did on wine. Come to think of it, a few thought so anyhow. We are nuts, you know. This is confirmed by our other forms of aberrant behavior, such as cycling up the sides of mountains.

Well, that's you fault for combining bike nuts with wine nuts. And we all know nuts don't fare well on long bicycle trips.

Interesting, considering in my long and spotty career, in the waybacks in Texas, I put the first retail wines from New Zealand out on the shelves in Dallas, TX. They were...ahem...modestly received, primarily as an exotic rarity. And truth told, they were the bottom line varieties of the Montana line, so thus nothing to write home about. Okay, but not more than that, and interesting only in that they were from what was considered a strange place for wine. (We were all so egocentrically naive, weren't we? "They actually grow wine there. I thought it was just sheep and icebergs, har, har.")

Then to see how NZ wines blossomed and grew in the world's eyes, and in the mouths, to become a major force. Of course, there is as much variance as one can imagine when one comes to know the land and location, and takes into account the nature of the people. I've had some quite exceptionally good non-PN reds from the North Island,but primarily Syrah and only secondarily Cabernet and Merlot. From the South Island, of course Sauvignon Blanc, but by no means all of those were good as there are still marginal growers and the NZ style doesn't lend itself to plushness in SB. Have high hopes for both Riesling and Gewurztraminer from there. The world doesn't need any more Chardonnay.

And I do love their screwcaps.

Screwcaps? Hoke, I brought along a corkscrew but I don't recall ever using it. Are the Kiwis using corks on many of their high end wines?

Speaking of Kiwis, these people are the world's friendliest. Locals told me Howdy! and G'day! even in tourist towns. When I stopped my bike on the road to look at my map, drivers stopped, too, to ask if I needed directions. And the scenery on the South Island is fantastic.

Many high end wines are also under screwcap these days. Some producers still hold out and use real cork. More are using Diam closures, which can make life hard if you only have a waiter's friend corkscrew.

Not sure why Central Otago wine growers would want to plant Sauvignon Blanc. Pinot Gris is grown all over the country, and they are only now figuring out where it grows best and how to make good wine from it. There is still a lot of very ordinary PG around, and more is going into the ground every year.

Neil, the high-Enders have more reason for Diam now---Luc Bouchard just informed me that al Fevre Chablis---including Grand Cru---are now bottled with Diam.

Neil, don't you suspect the reason Central Otago vinners are planting Sauvignon Blanc is the same reason many American wineries are doing Chardonnay in qually unfavorable apellations. That is, the varietal sells even when it isn't good. Perregrine, for instance, produces an SB even though they must know it's second rate.

Clint, yes, that must be their idea. Even though SB in Marlborough is now by far the largest plantings of SB, or any grape for that matter, some people do not like the over-the-top Marlborough versions.

small producers that do little if any exporting, such as Mud House and Chard Farm.

Don't now about the US, but Mud House is pretty widely available over in the UK.

Chard Farm is available too, but not nearly so readily, and unlike Mud House I did not recognise the name.

Steve, as you may know, Mud House makes wines from all over New Zealand, including Marlborough, Waipara, and Hawkes Bay, and a Mud House wine I ran across in a restaurant in Queenstown was one of the better Otago Pinots I had on the trip, a step up from almost all the rest. Also in Otago, not far from Queensland, I seem to recall being told at the Chard Farm winery they they export to the States only to a few restaurants in New York, but I may have got that mixed up with another winery. That's the problem with not taking notes.

small producers that do little if any exporting, such as Mud House and Chard Farm.

Don't now about the US, but Mud House is pretty widely available over in the UK.

Chard Farm is available too, but not nearly so readily, and unlike Mud House I did not recognise the name.

Steve, Mud H here plus very good The Ned SB.

Bob

Clint,
Most interesting to read your your notes about the wines and the cycling tour. We just returned from a long weekend on the West Coast (of the S Island) in which we took the TranzAlpine express train from Christchurch over Arthur's Pass to Greymouth, then drove down to Franz Josef and Fox Glacier. Certain Central Otago wineries have made great strides with their Pinot Noirs since last I visited here in '01. Among my favorites were Amisfield and Felton Road, with honorable mention to Wild Earth, Rippon and Quartz Reef. Chard Farm's Pinots left me unimpressed. I found the Pinot Gris at most of these producers to be appealing but rarely memorable, but then again I'm not terribly enamored of the grape. And I also found the Rieslings of Central Otago to be a high point. As a temporary resident of Canterbury, I'll put in my plug for the Pinot Noirs and Rieslings of the Waipara Valley. Pegasus Bay is pretty well known (deservedly) but Mud House/Waipara Valley is also worth mention. As you say, Mud House makes wines from all over although it's winemaking facility is in Marlborough, but I found their Pinot Noirs to be very well made.

Mark Lipton

Mark, I wish I had you advice before arriving in Christchurch. I actually spent three nights there, one on the way in and two on the way out, but didn't sample any Waipara wines. Christchurch, as you know but som other readers may not, suffered terribly from a major earthquake and the downtown area is now still cordoned off and inaccessible. Even our hotel about a mile from the edge of the cordoned area was propped up here and there.

A decision to deconstruct the Christchurch cathedral was made recently. As you can imagine, this has not gone down well with may people. There will be a lot of talk yet before anything is done, I think.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/christchurch- ... id=1502981

I've lived in New Zealand for about 6 months now. When I arrived my vague impression of NZ wines was Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. Neither is a favorite grape of mine. In the early days (before we were working) I used to pick up a bottle of whatever was on sale at the supermarket. I was extremely disappointed with the thin, soul-less Pinots. The Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blends were a little better, but not by much.

After doing a little more digging (into the wine scene and into my wallet) I found that the next level up, the reserve level wines from the smaller wineries, were quite good. Some in fact are excellent. Entry level wines generally are on par with similarly priced wines from California. A US$13 bottle of Pinot or Cab is bound to be dull and forgettable. New Zealand is an expensive place these days. It is not a place you will find good cheap wine. However once you get to the US$25-35 range I think many of the offerings are quite good, probably better than you'll find in California for the same price. I've done tastings at a few wineries and invariably I've found that the first wines poured are disappointing and the reserve and premium level are a big jump up. But I've generally found that styles are consistent from wine to wine at a particular winery, which I think speaks well of the level of winemaking involved.

The best wines in the country that I have had (keep in mind that I don't drink Sauvignon Blanc) are from Hawke's Bay. The Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are very good and the Syrah, although not my favorite grape, are even better. There are a lot of small wineries making excellent wine. Equal to or better than what you'd get from the US at the same price point. Even the super-premium bottles which can occasionally be phenomenal are usually in the $50-80 range.

Chardonnay is uneven in NZ. I have had a few in the $30 price range that I think are excellent, but more often they are merely good. Pinot Gris are generally fruity quaffers. I've had a few Rieslings that are good to very good, but there isn't a lot of it grown here.

The best wines I've had in NZ I don't believe are exported, but they include: Stonyridge (their Larose is world class and the best wine I've had from NZ), Clearview (higher level), Beach House, Alluviale (reds), Sacred Hill (Halo), Crossroads (Talisman), Church Road (some of the reserve level), Trinity Hill, Te Mata, Brookfields (their higher level reds), Vidal (reserve).

I think many of the wines can compete dollar for dollar with many parts of the world, but not at the entry level. I think the future of NZ wine is clearly the Hawke's Bay Syrah and some of the Cabernet Sauvignons, especially from the Gimblett Gravels vineyards. Why the international marketing focuses on Pinot Noir is a mystery to me.

Trinity Hill Gimblett Gravels Syrah 2010 took out the trophies for Lighter Bodied Red, Best Dry Red and Wine of the Show at the 2012 Sydney International wine competition. Maybe the Aussies are starting to get nervous about Hawkes Bay Syrah.

http://www.wineoftheweek.com/blog/blog2 ... m#20120227

Where abouts in the country are you based Matt?

Trinity Hill Gimblett Gravels Syrah 2010 took out the trophies for Lighter Bodied Red, Best Dry Red and Wine of the Show at the 2012 Sydney International wine competition. Maybe the Aussies are starting to get nervous about Hawkes Bay Syrah.

I had a few glasses of Trinity Hill Shiraz (probably a low end offering given my location) at a restaurant/bar in Franz Josef last weekend, and I found it fairly flabby and simple, but not the freakshow of so many South Australian Shiraz. Will look for the Gimblett Gravels, but so far it's been the '08 Te Mata Bullnose Syrah that's most impressed me.

Mark Lipton

We live in Taranaki, a region which has no wine of note.

Personally, I would never drink anything labeled 'shiraz'. I don't think I've seen NZ shiraz till now, only syrah. I've not had the Bullnose, but I did have Brookfield's Hillside which was very good, a very serious wine. Last week I had the Church Road reserve which was very good too. I brought home several bottles that I'm excited to try including Elephant Hill and an older Te Awa.

But I'm really just getting started with NZ wine, I'm far from an expert.