Tohu Wines

Over many years Wakatu Incorporation, the investment and business vehicle for a number of local Iwi, has invested heavily in the future of the Nelson region while also investing in the future of its people in a number of ways; they have provided education opportunities and have developed their own businesses to provide employment opportunities.

In recent times we have heard quite a bit about their investment in aquaculture research and development in association with The Cawthron Institute but Wakatu Incorporation also now owns all of Tohu Wines (Check out this web site - it is worth a click to visit). They have always had a big stake in this wine business but recently bought out their partners and have set about restructuring and further developing the business.

One of the first things they did after they took full ownership was employ Mike Brown, chairman of Nelson Winegrowers Association and former winemaker at Waimea Estates, as their new CEO. A couple of weeks ago I spent an afternoon with Mike, Tohu Wines winemaker, Bruce Taylor, and the man responsible for turning approx 33ha of gorse covered hillsides in the Moutere Hills into vineyards, Jonny Hiscox.

All three of these people are relatively youthful in terms of their outlook on life and want to create something for future generations. They are prepared to try some slightly different things (don’t tell Jonny it can’t be done!) and I am sure we will see Mike’s hand in new aromatic varieties planned for the future.

Jonny loves growing things and his passion for the land goes well beyond planting grape vines, he has made sure the irrigation pond also support wildlife and has planted around 10,000 native trees, shrubs, flaxes and grasses in various areas around the vineyard that will provide material for traditional Maori cultural uses.

Of the 60ha of scrub covered land available only 33ha was able to be planted in vines and the plan for the balance is to get rid of gorse and plant more indigenous trees and plants and develop some low maintenance amenity areas.

Murray Moffatt is a vital team member in the vineyard and in his very reserved manner said the place has ‘a really nice feel’. If you meet Murray you will know that this simple statement really means Wakatu Incorporation and Tohu Wines are creating something very special in the Moutere Hills.

The delightful vineyard is only part of developing a great wine brand of the future, making good wine is also pretty important and the attention to detail going into this vineyard development will ensure Tohu Wines can expand the range of fine wines they currently produce, predominantly from fruit grown on their Awatere Valley vineyards in Marlborough. Watch this space.

Finally if you haven’t got your ticket yet to the annual regional tasting at The Boathouse on Tuesday next week contact Gisela at Nelson Wineart. Phone 021-1010-366

I have been drinking

Tohu 2010 Sauvignon Blanc - $19.90
This wine recently picked up a gold medal and the trophy for best sauvignon blanc in show at the Bragato Wine Awards. Rather than being a big punchy wine this has elegantly restrained aromas but with beautifully clean apple, gooseberry and lemongrass flavours. Plenty of balanced, ripe acidity and a streak of minerality in the finish make this a perfect match with seafood. A classy wine at a great price.

Ti Point 2010 Rosé – RRP $21.90
Made from merlot grapes grown on the Matakana Coast this is a delightful reminder summer is only a few rainy days away. Pretty in the glass, pretty floral aromas and pretty creamy summer fruit flavours with a twist of lime in the finish adds up to something a lot more than a pretty wine. This is a serious wine to enjoy on a warm, sunny afternoon.

Gort Vintners

In the last couple of weeks we have seen the incredible New Zealand ability to support those affected by the earthquake disaster in Canterbury but a few months ago, on a much smaller scale, winemakers in Marlborough showed the same generosity in helping one of their own.

Gordon (Gort) Forshaw from Gort Vintners in Marlborough lost about $40,000 through the theft of stock and damage caused by partying thieves who smashed bottles, glued bottles to walls threw paint bombs and scrawled graffiti on walls in his Blenheim warehouse before making off with 86 cases of wine along with a five hundred litre tank and several barrels of wine.

However there is a silver lining for this battler from Blenheim. The local industry, co-ordinated by Mike Just from Clayridge Wines, donated wine to help Gort get back on his feet and the wine has been released under the Gort Vintners label as the Wine Thief range.

Being able to have a bit of fun has helped Gort move on from the wonton vandalism he suffered and part of that fun has been putting together a case of wine called The Court Case Jury’s Decision which includes gems like Magistrates Merlot (Hawke’s Bay fruit), Ripped Off Riesling (Waipara), Guilty Gewurztraminer (Marlborough), Stolen Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough) and Pilfered Pinot Gris (Marlborough).

There are 250 cases of The Court Case Jury’s Decision available and while there will be a mix of wines in each case with the exact mix depending on wines left. Receiving your case will be a bit like waiting for the jury’s decision! A few days ago I sat down with Gort and tasted the range of wines and I can tell you they are all very well made, flavoursome wines that will not disappoint and at $140 delivered to your door are exceptional value.

You can order a case by contacting Gort (gort@ihug.co.nz), 03-579-5506 or from Clayridge Wines.

On the Nelson scene if you would like to taste a wide range of new release wines from Nelson then get your ticket to the annual Nelson WineArt tasting at the Boathouse on the 5th October. More than 20 wineries will be there showing off their latest release wines and maybe a few older wines as well.

Tickets are $35 and include a glass to take home, delightful nibbles and tastings of dozens of wines. This event is growing in popularity and tickets are selling out earlier each year so get yours quickly at http://www.nelsonwineart.co.nz/ or by calling the organiser, Gisela, on 021-1010-3566. See you there!

I have been drinking

Mt Difficulty Dry Riesling 2009
We are seeing plenty of ripe fruit-driven styles of riesling on the shelves these days but well made, balanced dry wines like this are still one of my favourite styles and Mt Difficulty are geniuses at producing it year-after-year. Fermented to absolute dry and with a little late harvest riesling added to the final blend this treads the delicate dry acid/fruit sweetness balance line with precision. With aromatic citrus blossom, touches of apple and firm lemon/lime flavours this is fantastic. It is only available from the cellar door for about $25 so contact them and make up a mixed case of Central Otago delights. Maybe include the sweeter Target Gully riesling and a few bottles of affordable premium Pinot Noir. http://www.mtdifficulty.co.nz/

Gort Vintners Magistrates Merlot 2008 - $28
This is now only available as part of the Court Case Jury’s Verdict pack (two bottles in each pack) and is a cracker. Made from Hawke’s Bay fruit from a single vineyard this unfiltered, unfined wine is packed with big punchy berryfruit, plum and toast flavours with talcum powder fine tannins and a touch of acidity to make your taste buds want ‘just another glass please’.

New wine labels

I have come across a couple of labels in the last few weeks that are new to me and I think they are both worth talking about. One is from Nelson and one from Central Otago.
Auburn Wines only produce riesling with the ambition of building a portfolio of rieslings from each of the sub-regions of Central Otago, wines that express the site differentiation. Each wine in this selection of rieslings will be named after their respective sub-regions (Lowburn only from 2009, Lowburn and Alexandra from 2010, and Lowburn, Alexandra, Bendigo and Northburn for 2011). The intention is to make this regional selection in a very clean and pure style so the key differences will be imparted by soil and climate conditions rather than winemaker influence.

Rounding out the range will be a selection of wines that have had some winemaker influence. The incorporation of botrytis, indigenous ferments, skin contact and other influences will add variety to the pure styles of the regional selection and satisfy the winemaker’s desire to experiment. The “Twilight” from 2009 (harvested from the same site as the Lowburn, except with botrytis fruit and skin contact) is a great example but is unfortunately sold out.

In keeping with the boutique nature of the business only 1000 bottles of each wine will be produced. Find out more at www.auburnwines.co.nz .

The second label is local, Gareth and Alex Partington’s Partington Wines label. They purchased a lovely parcel of land in Wills Road, Upper Moutere about eight years ago and have since developed a BioGro certified organic vineyard. The small selection of wines is fully organic, BioGro certified and made in a truly artisan manner.

I particularly like this quote from their website “We believe the extra "hands-on" care we take at every stage allow this wine to express the subtleties of Nelson sunshine and our love and passion for creating an organic wine that treads lightly on the land.”

The wines currently on offer include 2007 ($38.00) and 2008 ($49.50) Pinot Noirs and 2009 Sauvignon Blanc ($24.00)

It is winemakers like Gareth and Alex Partington who make the wine industry so interesting. They are investing huge amounts of energy into creating artisan wines that gives us, the consumers, something exciting to look forward to. This is a new label worth exploring now and following in future years, I certainly will be.

Find out more about them and buy their wines at http://www.partingtonwines.co.nz/

I have been drinking

Partington 2008 Pinot Noir ($49.50) – sealed with a cork
The bronze medal this was awarded at the Liquorland International Wine Competition this year is only the beginning for this wine. Bright spiced dark cherry aromas are seductive and the taste is simply packed with flavour and complexity. Fine tannins provide the backbone for the flavours to hang from while a nice twist of minerality in the background adds even more complexity. A super, handcrafted wine that is worth searching for.

Auburn ‘Lowburn’ 2009 Riesling - $28 from the winery
Made from fruit sourced from 16 year old vines in Lowburn this is a pure expression of riesling grown in the region. The 31gms/ltr of residual sugar are delightfully balanced with low pH, ripe acidity. Delicate floral citrus aromas and flavours will be suppressed if you over-chill the wine but enjoy this lower alcohol wine (9%) late on a Sunday afternoon in the bright sprin

Events and new releases

We are getting to the time of the year where all sorts of interesting things are happening. I know it is early but we can feel spring in the air as the days get noticeably longer and the temperatures are warming up. There is bound to be a sting in winter’s tail but a bit more sunshine makes us feel a bit more positive and encourages us to get out and about a bit.


We are seeing 2010 vintage wines on the shelves with some exciting new wines, there are dinners to attend, courses to gather information from and of course wine to enjoy.

NMIT’s restaurant, The Rata Room, has a number of events coming up. On the 1st September they have a degustation dinner with Fleur Sullivan from the well known and highly regarded Fleur’s Place at Moeraki on the east coast near Oamaru. Located in the most stunning location on the wharf at Moeraki Fleur’s is one of the best places to enjoy New Zealand’s great seafood. The last dinner Fleur created at The Rata Room was outstanding and this is an event not to be missed.

Also at The Rata Room NMIT’s hospitality training team have joined forces with Nelson Wine Art to deliver a series of seminars to help you learn about wine. The first session in the series of six is on the 31st August 7.00pm – 9.00pm where I will host an introduction to wine tasting then each Tuesday for the following five weeks a different winemaker will help you explore a range of wine varieties. The cost is $150 for the whole series and you get to taste about six wines at each session. Book your space by calling 0800-422-733.

On the new release front one of the most exciting new wines to be released in Nelson for some time is a variety new to this region, Muscat. Blackenbrook Vineyards planted what they believe to be the first Muscat vines in the South Island a few years ago and this first release is stunning. Most people are familiar with Muscat as a dessert wine produced widely in Australian and European warmer climates.

As the Nelson region is considered a cool climate region for grape growing planting the vines was very much experimental but the results have been outstanding and reinforce this region’s ability to extract wonderful flavours from aromatic style wine varieties.

Finally a few days ago I had the somewhat dubious pleasure of judging a cooking and wine and food matching competition at the Katrina Gordon Trade Show. Local celebrities were asked to recreate a dish prepared by a chef and then match a wine with the dish. A lot of fun was had by everyone, the results were somewhat mixed and Jonathan Poff and Afeleki Pelenisi from the Makos emerged from the carnage as the winner by making a fine job of recreating NMIT Tutor Matt Fahie’s Venison dish and matching it with Kaimira Estate 2008 Pinot Noir.

I have been drinking

Blackenbrook Vineyard 2010 Muscat - $23 from Casa del Vino and Mediterranean Foods

This is a highly aromatic wine with aromas that excite the senses. It is bursting with rich, floral and spicy Turkish delight and orange blossom aromas that are reflected in the sweet, intense flavours. Delightfully balanced with soft minerality and tantalising ginger spice flavours in the very long finish with ripe acidity that leaves your mouth watering for more of this luscious delight. I will be drinking plenty of this fantastic wine in the coming summer months.

Millton Opou Vineyard 2008 Riesling - $27.50 but look for it on special for about $20

8.5% alcohol, plenty of succulent residual sugar and delicately balanced acidity make this the perfect aperitif. Luscious honeyed citrus flavours mean it will also work very well with seafood.

Tyrrels Wines Dinner in Christchurch

One of the little bonuses, and they are very pleasant little bonuses, that come my way because I have the onerous task of writing a few words about wine is the occasional dinner invitation, even if I do have to travel to Christchurch to partake.

As well as making great wines Greg and Amanda Day from Kahurangi Estate have another string to their bow, Kahurangi International Selections is the brand that imports and distributes a range of international wines. One of these labels is Tyrrell’s Wines from Australia and last week they hosted a number of luncheons and dinners in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch where aged and current release Tyrrell’s wines were served with six courses of delightful food.

Sari and I were invited to the Christchurch dinner held at Riccarton House and sat with Bruce Tyrrell, the fourth generation owner of Tyrrell’s Wines, and Graeme Stringer, the wine writer from The Press. You can probably guess that we talked about all sorts of things happening in the wine industry in both New Zealand and Australia over dinner.

Tyrrell’s Wines were established in 1858 but didn’t start selling their wines under their own label until 1959 and since then have helped shape the Australian wine industry. They were the first to open a cellar door for wine sales so you could argue they started wine tourism in Australia. While Tyrrell’s Wines home is in the Hunter Valley, north easy of Sydney, they have vineyards in most of the premium wine growing regions in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. Selecting premium vineyard sites in each region means they can produce a wide range of wine varieties and styles.

At dinner we were treated to Tyrrell’s Vat 1 Semillon 2002 ($79.99, 13 gold medals) as an aperitif. Dry in style with balanced juicy citrus flavoured acidity and a powdery texture the dried apricot and slight kerosene age characters set the scene for the rest of the meal. Tyrrell’s semillons dominate this category at all of the wine shows in Australia. The first wine served with food was the highly awarded Belford Semillon 2004 ($49.99, 3 trophies, seven gold medals) and the luscious cooked lime and soft acidity were perfectly matched to a fillet of Akaroa salmon.

The Rufus Stone Heathcote Shiraz 2008 ($29.99) has just collected a gold medal at the Decanter international Wine Show in London and is being served by the glass in many London Restaurants, including the Grill Room at The Dorchester Hotel. This is a big wine but avoids being sweet and jammy. A little viognier in the ferment has given the wine freshness with some mouth-watering acidity and lashings of white pepper to balance the bright Berryfruit flavours. The match with Pepper cured beef fillet was perfect.

Tyrrell’s Wines are available from FreshChoice and New World supermarkets or from the cellar door at Kahurangi Estate.

I have been drinking

Knappstein Watervale Riesling 2005 - $20
From the Clare Valley in South Australia this is classic Clare riesling. Floral citrus aromas, rich lemon and lime flavours that are well balanced with low pH acidity. Lashings of minerality tie it all together. If you are a riesling lover then get your hands on some. I got mine from Liquor King in Christchurch but you won’t have to look too far to find it locally.

Edmond Briottet Crème de Cassis - from Casa del Vino
Ribena on steroids! From Dijon in France this blackcurrent based liqueur is fantastic straight-up or add a little hot water for a delightful winter hot toddy. In the spring add a cube of ice and soda water for a refreshing aperitif.