New Zealand wine

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Wine-producing regions in New Zealand
Wine-producing regions in New Zealand
A selection of New Zealand wines
A selection of New Zealand wines

New Zealand wine is largely produced in ten major wine growing regions spanning latitudes 36° to 45° South and extending 1,600 km (1,000 miles). They are, from north to south Northland, Auckland, Waikato/Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, Wellington, Nelson, Marlborough, Canterbury and Central Otago.

Contents

[edit] History

Wine making and vine growing go back to colonial times in New Zealand. British Resident and keen oenologist James Busby was, as early as 1836, attempting to produce wine at his land in Waitangi.[1] In 1851 New Zealand's oldest existing vineyard was established by the Roman Catholic church on land in Hawke's Bay. Due to economic (the importance of the protein export industry), legislative (prohibition and temperance) and cultural factors (overwhelming predominance of beer and spirit drinking British immigration), wine was a marginal activity. Dalmatian immigrants at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century brought with them viticultural knowledge and set up the nascent NZ wine industry in West and North Auckland. Typically their vineyards produced sherry and port for the palates of New Zealanders of the time, and table wine for their own community.

The three factors that held back the development of the industry simultaneously underwent subtle but historic changes in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In 1973 Britain entered the European Economic Community, which required the ending of historic trade terms for New Zealand meat and dairy products. This led ultimately to a dramatic restructuring of the agricultural economy. Before this restructuring was fully implemented, diversification away from traditional protein products to products with potentially higher economic returns was explored. Vines, which produce best in low moisture and low soil fertility environments, were seen as suitable for areas that had previously been marginal pasture. The end of the 1960s saw the end of the New Zealand institution of the "six o'clock swill", where pubs were open for only an hour after the end of the working day and closed all Sunday. The same legislative reform saw the introduction of BYO (bring your own) licences for restaurants. This had a profound and unexpected effect on New Zealanders' cultural approach to wine.

Finally the late 1960s and early 1970s noted the rise of the OE (Overseas Experience), where young New Zealanders travelled and lived and worked overseas, predominantly in Europe. The OE as a cultural phenomenon goes back before this time, but by the 1960s a distinctly Kiwi (New Zealand) identity had developed and the passenger jet made the OE experience possible for a large numbers of New Zealanders who experienced first-hand the decidedly different wine-drinking cultures of Europe.

[edit] First steps

In the 1970s, Montana in Marlborough started producing wines which were labelled by year of production (vintage) and grape variety (in the style of wine producers in Australia). The first production of a Sauvignon Blanc of great note appears to have occurred in 1977. Also produced in that year were superior quality wines of Muller Thurgau, Riesling and Pinotage.

The excitement created from these successes and from the early results of Cabernet Sauvignon from Auckland and Hawkes Bay launched the industry with ever increasing investment, leading to more hectares planted, rising land prices and greater local interest and pride. Such was the boom that over-planting occurred, particularly in the "wrong" varietals that fell out of fashion in the early 1980s. In 1984 the then Labour Government paid growers to pull up vines to address a glut that was damaging the industry. Ironically many growers used the Government grant not to restrict planting, but to swap from less economic varieties (such as Müller Thurgau and other hybrids) to more fashionable varieties (Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc), using the old root stock. The glut was only temporary in any case, as boom times returned swiftly.

[edit] Sauvignon Blanc breakthrough

New Zealand is home to what many wine critics consider the world’s best Sauvignon Blanc. Oz Clarke, a well known British wine critic wrote in the 1990s that New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc was "arguably the best in the world" (Rachman). Historically, Sauvignon Blanc has been used in many French regions in both AOC and Vin de Pays wine. The most famous had been France’s Sancerre. It is also the grape used to make Pouilly Fumé.

Following Robert Mondavi's lead in renaming Californian Sauvignon Blanc Fumé Blanc (partially in reference to Pouilly Fumé and partially to denote the smokiness of the wine produced due to its aging in oak) there was a trend for oaked Sauvignon Blanc in New Zealand during the late 1980s. Later the fashion for strong oaky overtones and also the name waned.

In the 1980s, wineries in New Zealand, especially in the Marlborough region, began producing outstanding, some critics said unforgettable, Sauvignon Blanc. "New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is like a child who inherits the best of both parents—exotic aromas found in certain Sauvignon Blancs from the New World and the pungency and limy acidity of an Old World Sauvignon Blanc like Sancerre from the Loire Valley" (Oldman, p. 152). One critic said that drinking one's first New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc was like having sex for the first time (Taber, p. 244). "No other region in the world can match Marlborough, the northeastern corner of New Zealand's South Island, which seems to be the best place in the world to grow Sauvignon Blanc grapes" (Taber, p. 244).

[edit] Climate and soil

The wine regions in New Zealand stretch from latitudes 36°S in the north (Northland), to 45°S (Central Otago) in the south.

Wine regions are mostly located in free draining alluvial valleys (Hawke's Bay, Martinborough, Nelson, the Wairau and Awatere valleys of Marlborough, and Canterbury) with notable exceptions (Waiheke Island, Kawarau Gorge in Central Otago). The alluvial deposits are typically the local sandstone called greywacke, which makes up much of the mountainous spine of New Zealand. Sometimes the alluvial nature of the soil is important, as in Hawke's Bay where the deposits known as the Gimblett Gravels represent such quality characteristics that they are often mentioned on the wine label.

Another soil type is represented in Waipara, Canterbury. Here there are the Omihi Hills which are part of the Torlesse group of limestone deposits. Viticulturalists have planted Pinot Noir here due to French experience of the affinity between the grape type and the chalky soil on the Côte d'Or.

The climate in New Zealand is maritime, meaning that the sea moderates the weather producing cooler summers and milder winters than would be expected at similar latitudes in Europe and North America. Maritime climates tend also to demonstrate higher variability with cold snaps possible at any time of the year and warm periods even in the depth of winter. The climate is typically wetter, but wine regions have developed in rain shadows and in the east, on the opposite coast from the prevailing moisture-laden wind. The wine regions of New Zealand tend to experience cool nights even in the hottest of summers. The effect of consistently cool nights is to produce fruit which is nearly always high in acidity.

[edit] Industry structure and production methods

There are a diversity of methods of production of New Zealand wine. The traditional concept of a vineyard, whereby grapes are grown on the land surrounding a central simply-owned or family-owned estate with its own discrete viticultural and wine making equipment and storage is only one model. While the European cooperative model (where district or AOC village wine-making takes place in a centralised production facility) is uncommon, contract growing of fruit for wine-makers has been a feature of the NZ industry since the start of the wine making boom in the 1970s.

Indeed a number of well known quality wine producers started out as contract growers. Alternately, many fledgling producers started out using solely contract fruit as their own vines matured into production. Some producers use contract fruit to supplement the range of varieties they market, even using fruit from other geographical regions. It is common to see, for example, an Auckland producer market a "Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc", or a Marlborough producer market a "Gisborne Chardonnay".

Contract growing is an example of the use of indigenous agri-industrial methods that pre-date the NZ wine industry. Another example of the adaptation of NZ methods toward the new industry was the universal use of stainless steel in wine making adapted from the norms and standards of the New Zealand dairy industry. There was an existing small scale industrial infrastructure ready for wine makers to economically employ. It should be remembered that while current wine making technology is almost universally sterile and hygenic world-wide, the natural antibiotic properties of alcohol production were more heavily relied upon in the 1970s when the NZ wine industry started.

This pervasive use of stainless steel almost certainly had a distinctive effect on both New Zealand wines styles and the domestic palate. The early wines which made a stir internationally were lauded for the intenstiy and purity of the fruit in the wine. Indeed the strength of flavour in the wine favoured bone dry styles despite intense acidity. While stainless steel did not produce the intensity of fruit, it allowed for its exploitation. Even today, NZ white wine tends toward drier end of the spectrum.

[edit] Varieties, styles and directions

[edit] Red blends and Bordeaux varieties

New Zealand Reds are typically made from either a blend of varietals (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and much less often Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec), or Pinot Noir. Recently, in Hawkes Bay there have been wines made from Syrah, either solely or blends, and even Tempranillo, Montepulciano and Sangiovese.

Early success in the 1980s in the North Island lead to red wine planting and production concentrating on Cabernet Sauvignon by Corbans, McWilliams and Mission Estate among others. Very often it was found that vegetal characteristics predominated as Cabernet Sauvignon struggled to ripen in New Zealand conditions. Mediocre wines were often accused of being "stalky". As viticulture improved with experience of New Zealand's "cool climate" conditions and more Merlot and other blending wines were employed, this fault was increasingly eliminated. This trend continues and can be seen in the NZ Wine Institute statistics where hectares planted of Cabernet Sauvignon declined in the period 2003 to 2005, from 741 to 678, while Merlot increased from 1,249 to 1,592.

Typically "bordeaux blends" come from regions and sub-regions that are relatively hot and dry for New Zealand, such as Waiheke Island and Hawke's Bay. Wines that have made a name for Waiheke Island include Stonyridge Larose and Goldwater Estate. Wines that typify the best of Hawkes Bay include Te Mata Estate's Coleraine and Awatea, Esk Valley's The Terraces and Villa Maria's Reserve Merlot/Cabernets. In Marlborough there are a number of producers of bordeaux varietal wines.

However, examples of bordeaux blends can be found as far south as Waipara, in Canterbury where Pegasus Bay's Maestro has demonstrated the recent decade's drift away from Cabernet Sauvignon predominant blends to Merlot predominant with the addition of Malbec.

In general New Zealand red wine tends to be forward and early maturing, fruit-driven and with restrained oak. No definitive regional characteristics have developed in New Zealand, the principal differences between wines being determined by the vintage, vineyard and wine-maker's philosophy. However, some preliminary trends are worth commenting on. Central Otago particularly Bannockburn pinot noir can have distinct earthy, mineral and wild thyme notes. Hawkes Bay bordeaux blends have greater body than other New Zealand reds. Marlbourough Pinot Noirs are notable for their ripeness and fruitiness.

[edit] Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is a grape variety whose importance in New Zealand is greater than the weight of planting. Early in the modern wine industry (late 1970s early 1980s), the comparatively low annual sunshine hours to be found in NZ discouraged the planting of red varieties. But even at this time great hopes were had for Pinot Noir (see Romeo Bragato). Initial results were not promising for several reasons, including the mistaken planting of Gamay[citation needed] and the limited number of Pinot Noir clones available for planting. One notable exception was the St Helena 1984 Pinot Noir from the Canterbury region. This led to the belief for a time that Canterbury might become the natural home for Pinot Noir in New Zealand. While the early excitement passed, the Canterbury region has witnessed the development of Pinot Noir as the dominant red variety. The sub-region Waipara has some interesting wines. Producers include Pegasus Bay, Waipara Springs and Omihi Hills.

The next region to excel with Pinot Noir was Martinborough on the southern end of the North Island. Several vineyards including Palliser Estate, Martinborough Vineyards, Murdoch James Estate and Ata Rangi consistently produced interesting and increasingly complex wine from Pinot Noir at the end of the 1980s and into the 1990s.

At around this time the first plantings of Pinot Noir in Central Otago occurred in the Kawarau Gorge. Central Otago had a long (for New Zealand) history as a producer of quality stone fruit and particularly cherries. Significantly further south than all other wine regions in New Zealand, it had been overlooked despite a long history of grape growing. However, it benefited from being surrounded by mountain ranges which increased its temperature variations both between seasons and between night and day making the climate unusual in the typically maritime conditions in New Zealand. In recent years Pinot Noir from Central Otago has won numerous international awards and accolations making it one of New Zealand's most sought-after varieties.

The first vines were planted using holes blasted out of the north facing schist slopes of the region, creating difficult, highly marginal conditions. The first results coming in the mid to late 1990s excited the interest of British wine commentators, including Jancis Robinson and Oz Clarke. Not only did the wines have the distinctive acidity and abundant fruit of New Zealand wines, but they demonstrated a great deal of complexity, with aromas and flavours not common in New Zealand wine and normally associated with burgundian wine. Producers include Felton Rd, Chard Farm and Mt Difficulty.

The latest sub-region appears to be Waitaki, on the border between Otago and Canterbury.

In a recent blind tasting of New Zealand Pinot Noir featured in Cuisine magazine (issue 119), Michael Cooper reported that of the top ten wines, five came from Central Otago, four from Marlborough and one from Waipara. This compares with all top ten wines coming from Marlborough in an equivalent blind tasting from last year. Cooper suggests that this has to do with more Central Otago production becoming available in commercial quantities, than the relative qualities of the regions' Pinot Noir.

As is the case for other New Zealand wine, New Zealand Pinot Noir is fruit-driven, forward and early maturing in the bottle. It tends to be quite full bodied (for the variety), very approachable and oak maturation tends to be restrained. High quality examples of New Zealand Pinot Noir are distinguished by savoury, earthy flavours with a greater complexity.

[edit] White

In white wines Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc predominate in plantings and production. Typically Chardonnay planting predominate more the further north one goes, however it is planted and produced in Central Otago. There is no discernible difference in styles for Chardonnay between the New Zealand wine regions so far. Individual wine makers and the particular qualities of a vintage are more likely to determine factors such as malolactic fermentation or the use of oak for aging.

New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc has been described by some as "alive with flavors of cut grass and fresh fruits", and others as "cat's pee on a gooseberry bush" (but not necessarily as a criticism).

Other white varietals commonly include (in no particular order) Riesling, Gewürztraminer, and Pinot Gris, and less commonly Chenin Blanc, Pinot Blanc, Müller-Thurgau and Viognier.

Riesling is produced predominantly in Martinborough and south. The same may be said with less forcefulness about Gewürztraminer (which is also planted extensively in Gisborne). Pinot Gris is being planted increasingly, especially in Martinborough and the South Island. Chenin Blanc was once more important, but the viticultural peculiarities of the variety, particularly its unpredictable cropping in New Zealand, have led to its disfavour. Milton Estate in Gisborne produces an example of this variety.

The market success of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and lately Pinot Noir mean that these varietals will dominate future planting.

[edit] Sparkling wine

Excellent quality Methode Traditionelle sparkling wine is produced in New Zealand. Typically, it was Marlborough that was the commercial birthplace of New Zealand Methode Traditionelle sparkling wine. Marlborough still produces a number of high quality sparkling wines, and has attracted both investment from Champagne producers (Deutz) and also champanois wine-makers (Daniel Le Brun). Other sparkling wines from Marlborough include Pelorous (from Cloudy Bay), and the now venerable Montana/Pernod Ricard brand, Lindauer.

[edit] Wine regions of New Zealand

[edit] Wairarapa

The Wellington/Wairarapa wine-growing region is one of New Zealand's smallest, with several sub-regions, which include Gladstone, Martinborough, Masterton and Opaki. Martinborough was the original area planted, on the basis of careful scientific study, in the 1970's, which identified it's soils and climate as perfecttly suited to the ciultivation of Pinot Noir. As a consequence, many of the vineyards established there are older then their counter-parts in the rest of the Wairarapa. Subtle differences are seen in the wines from the South Wairarapa (which includes Martinborough), which has more maritime influences, to those grown further north.

[edit] Martinborough

Martinborough is a small wine village located at the foot of New Zealand’s North Island, in the South Wairarapa, just 1.5 hours drive from Wellington, the capital city. The combination of topography, geology, climate and human effort has led to the region becoming one of New Zealand's premier wine regions in spite of it's small size. Less than 2% of the country's wine production is grown in Martinborough, yet in shows and competitions, it rates much more highly. The local Winegrowers organisation states: "Officially New Zealand's sixth largest region, Wellington/Wairarapa is small in production terms but makes a large contribution to the country's quality winemaking reputation."[2].

The vineyards are shielded from the elements by steep mountains, while the growing season from flowering to harvest is amongst the longest in New Zealand. Naturally breezy conditions control vine vigour, creating lower yields of grapes with greater intensity. A genuine cool climate, with a long, dry autumn in NZ, provides an ideal ripening conditions for Pinot Noir and other varietals, such as Riesling, Syrah and Pinot Gris. A small number of wineries are producing Cabernet Franc of a high standard. Most of the wineries are located on the area's alluvial river terraces near the township (the Te Muna, Huangarau and Dry River Regions).

Martinborough wineries are relatively small and typically family-owned, with the focus on producing quality rather than quantity. Relatively small yields enable Martinborough winemakers to devote themselves to handcrafting superior wines. Among the many long-established wineries, several, including Te Kairanga, Ata Rangi, Palliser Estate, Murdoch James Estate and Dry River, have become internationally recognised as premium producers of Pinot Noir.

Key production figures:

  1. The total Wellington/Wairarapa producing area is 758ha.
  2. The Wairarapa currently has 54 wineries, more than twice the 24 in the region in 1995.
  3. Predominant varieties for the 2006 vintage were: Pinot Noir (38%); Sauvignon Blanc (35%); Chardonnay (11%); Riesling (0.08%); Pinot Gris (0.03%).& the Cabernets (incl. Cab sauvignon & franc (0.012%); and the remaining 16% includes Merlot, Syrah, Malbec, and Gewurztraminer.
  4. In 2007, the producing area in Wellington/Wairarapa represented just two percent of the total New Zealand wine producing area.

[edit] Wairau Valley, Marlborough

In many respects, the Wairau Valley and the districts surrounding Blenheim are the home of the modern New Zealand wine industry. It is the largest wine district in terms of production and area under vines. It has a number of sub-regions including Waihopai valley, Renwick and the Spring Creek area.


[edit] Trends in production and export

The initial focus for the industry's export efforts was the United Kingdom. The late 1970s and early 1980s were not only pioneering times for production but also marketing and as with many New Zealand products, wine was only really taken seriously at home when it was noticed and praised overseas and in particular by British wine commentators and critics. For much of the history of New Zealand wine exportation the United Kingdom market, with its lack of indigenous production, great thirst and sophisticated wine pallet has been either the principal or only market. In the last decade the British market's overwhelming importance has eroded; while still the single largest export market, it now (2006) makes up only one third of total exports by value, only slightly larger than the American and Australian markets.[3] Japan is a particularly strong importer of high-end New Zealand wines: in 2006, it spent NZ$14.44 per liter of wine imported, compared to New Zealand's average price of NZ$8.87/L.[4]

New Zealand's wine industry has become highly successful in the international market. To meet the increasing demand for its wines, the country's vineyard plantings have more than tripled in the ten years ending in 2005. Sales continue to increase. For example, "From 2004 to 2005, exports to the United States skyrocketed 81 percent to 1.45 million cases, more than two-thirds of which was Sauvignon Blanc, still the country's undisputed flagship wine."

[edit] Praise and criticism

One critic described drinking Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc to "hearing Glenn Gould playing Bach’s Goldberg Variations". Cloudy Bay Vineyards set a new standard for New World Sauvignon Blanc and was arguably responsible for the huge increase in interest in such wines, particularly in the United Kingdom. Veuve Clicquot, the French Champagne producer, now owns a controlling interest in Cloudy Bay.

In 2006 Grove Mill Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc won three trophies at the International Wine Challenge in London, the most prestigious award was for the best Sauvignon Blanc in the world. Continued acclaim for the wines of Marlborough will add to the ground work of such companies as Cloudy Bay Vineyards, Saint Clair Estate Winery and Montana.

Following on from the early success of Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand has been building a strong reputation with other cultivars; Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Syrah are just three examples.

The opinions of expert commentators vary. For example, renowned wine critic Robert Parker in his Wines of the World, while noting the success of New Zealand's Sauvignon Blanc and the enormous amount of interest in New Zealand's wine, only devotes a couple of pages in a very large two volume book to New Zealand. Parker disparages most New Zealand red wine as 'atrociously vegetal', saying that it is 'unbelievable' that anyone could find something to praise in those offerings. He does, however, make more complimentary remarks about New Zealand Pinot Noir.

By comparison, Jancis Robinson observes, when commenting on NZ Pinot Noir that, while "comparisons with Burgundy are inevitable, New Zealand Pinot Noir is rapidly developing its own distinctive style, often with deeper colour, purer fruit and higher alcohol. While regional differences are apparent, the best wines do have Burgundy’s elusive complexity, texture and “pinosity” and are capable of ageing". She goes on to say "It is a testament to the skill and craft of New Zealand producers that poor examples are infrequently encountered".

[edit] Wine competition controversy

In late 2006, questions emerged about the integrity of New Zealand wine competition following the accusations of cheating by Marlborough based winery Wither Hills in the October Cuisine Magazine annual wine competition. Wither Hills was accused of submitting a smaller batch production under the same label of a different wine that was available for public purchase. During the competition the Wither Hills 2006 Marlborough Sauvignon blanc won a perfect five star rating but when compared to a supermarket purchased bottle of the same label was found to be a different wine with varying degrees of alcohol and sugar content. Winemaker Brent Marris claimed the discrepancy came from two separate bottling runs and that the wine sometime commonly changes from when it is bottled in July and a second batch is later bottled in December. The wine submitted for the wine competition was a limited first run bottling. An external audit by the New Zealand Winegrowers Association found no irregularities in Wither Hills accounting of their production and no evidence that Wither Hills deliberating submitted a different quality wine to wine competitions. In the previous decade, two other wineries were found guilty of this offence Lintz Estate and Coopers Creek and stripped of their wine competition awards.[5]

In response to the controversy, the New Zealand Wine industry looked into the problem of having different wines potentially being sold under the same label. A criticism of Wither Hills was the lack of labeling their wine submitted for wine competition as a first release wine which would have distinguished it from the different wine that was available in the supermarkets. Many New Zealand wineries do make it a practice of labeling smaller or first run batches with a different label then its larger runs and these are typically the wines that are submitted for wine competitions. This presented another question for the wine industry in judging the value of wine competitions when the sizable number of these wines will not be available for the public. This opened up the competitions to criticisms of being "gold-medal or high-score hunt(s)". A possible solution that has been proposed is for wine competitions to purchase entrant wines from a supermarket or public seller instead of having the wineries supply the wines directly.[6]

[edit] Statistics

[edit] New Zealand wine production

Year 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Productive vine area (hectares) 6,110 6,610 7,410 7,580 9,000 10,197 11,648 13,787 15,800 18,112 21,002 22,616 24,660
Total Production (millions of litres) 56.4 57.3 45.8 60.6 60.2 60.2 53.3 89.0 55.0 119.2 102.2 133.2
The National grape harvest has increased dramatically in the last decade.
The National grape harvest has increased dramatically in the last decade.

[edit] New Zealand wine production by grape variety (hectares)

Year 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Sauvignon Blanc 4,516 5,897 7,043 8,860
Chardonnay 3,515 3,617 3,731 3,779
Pinot Noir 2,624 3,239 3,623 4,063
Merlot 1,249 1,487 1,492 1,420
Riesling 653 666 806 853
Cabernet Sauvignon 741 687 678 531

Source of statistics: New Zealand Winegrowers Statistical Annual 2007

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  • Oldman, Mark. Oldman's Guide to Outsmarting Wine. NY: Penguin, 2004.
  • Rachman, Gideon. "The globe in a glass". The Economist, December 16, 1999.
  • Sogg, Daniel. "Standout Sauvignons", Wine Spectator, November 10, 2005, p.108-111.
  • Taber, George M. Judgment of Paris: California vs France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting that Revolutionized Wine. NY: Scribner, 2005.
Footnotes
  1. ^ winepros.com.au. Oxford Companion to Wine. New Zealand.
  2. ^ nzwine.com New Zealand Wine Regions
  3. ^ (NZ) Wine Exports. Retrieved on 2008-02-21.
  4. ^ New Zealand Winegrowers Statistical Annual 2006. Retrieved on 2008-02-21.
  5. ^ Arnold, Eric, Wine Spectator (December 7, 2006). Controversy in New Zealand: Wither Hills winery accused of cheating in wine competition.
  6. ^ Arnold, Eric, Wine Spectator (December 8, 2006). Analysis: New Zealand Wine Industry Confronts Controversy.

[edit] External links