First XV – Published 19.08.11

In case you missed it the Rugby World Cup is coming to Nelson! To make the most of this outstanding business opportunity RWC Ltd has encouraged regions to organise a series of events that leverage off the media coverage RWC will generate.

Some of us aren’t quite so enthusiastic about the RWC and the effectiveness of the opportunities promised but what we will have are some outstanding events we can all enjoy at a local level. One of these is the First XV wine competition being organised by Nelson Wineart, the local winegrowers association.

Again in case you missed it, Nelson will be hosting three RWC games in the city and the Italian team will be using Nelson as its base for a few weeks, the Americans will be here with a huge media contingent for a week or so and the Russians will spend a couple of days here along with the Australian team.

The First XV competition focuses on aromatic style wines from three countries, New Zealand (only Nelson), America and Italy. The Australians were a late addition after the Christchurch earthquake so it was a bit late to include them in the competition and the Russians miss out because it is about wine not vodka.

Each country has run a competition to select their top 15 aromatic style wines and these will be judged against one another in Nelson by a team of international wine judges. The results will be announced at a gala dinner at the stunning underground cellars at Woollaston Estates winery while all of the wines will be available at a tutored public tasting to be held at WOW where you will also get to listen to and meet the international judges. This is a fantastic opportunity to not only taste a range of top flight wines but to learn about how varieties are produced in different ways in each country.

The final event will be the annual new release tasting at The Boathouse where local wineries show off all of their latest release wines.

The showcase event will be the gala dinner at Woollaston Estates hosted by John Hawkesby and catered by the team from Petite Fleur. Each course reflects food from a different country and will be matched with stunning international and local wines. Treats like the finest Nelson seafood out of the shell, then the Italian influenced clear Osso Buco soup with Italian herbs followed by wild venison leg steak or pan-fried local fish and if you are up for it a dessert trio of mini apple pie, mini doughnut and the famous chocolate brownie – from America of course.

This promises to be an outstanding event and bus transport to Woollaston’s will be running so you can indulge to the extreme (well almost) without worrying about drinking and driving. To find out more about these events and to secure your tickets go to www.wineart.co.nz and follow the links to the First XV competition.

I have been drinking

Seifried Estates 2011 Nelson Sauvignon Blanc – RRP $21
This widely available delight is packed with luscious ripe tropical fruit (passionfruit) and crisp apple flavours with zesty acidity and lingering nettle spice. The flavour intensity and purity on the palate reflects a great vintage and sensitive winemaking.

Buller Wines Beverford Vineyard 2011 Muscato – RRP $18

With only 5% alcohol this is a light fresh wine that screams ‘bring on summer!’ Apple and powdery mineral characters in the aromas a touch of spritz and bright freshly squeezed grape flavours ensure this is a tasty treat. And the low alcohol makes it a perfect lunch time or late afternoon wine.

Clos Henri – Published 05.08.11

A couple of weeks ago Sari and I were guests at the 10th Birthday celebration for Marlborough winery Clos Henri. The Bourgeois family are well know Sancerre winemakers and despite ten generations of winemaking history in the Loire Valley producing sauvignon blanc and pinot noir they were eager to create something new in a country without the restrictions they have to work with in France. 

Because Marlborough is world renowned for its production of sauvignon blanc it was an obvious location for the family to choose but rather than simply coming here and growing grapes the same way they do in Sancerre the Bourgeois’ spent time studying the local climate, soil types and viticultural practices, learning as much as they could about their new location before they applied their French winemaking history to the Marlborough business.

The result is a range of wines that could be described as the perfect marriage of New Zealand conditions and French experience. One of the key differences in production is that in France sauvignon blanc isn’t designed for consumption in the year it is made, rather the wines are designed to age and offer complexities we don’t generally see in young, brash Marlbourough sauvignon blanc. 

Jean-Marie and Arnaud Bourgeois travelled from Sancerre to host the birthday celebrations at Clos Henri and treated their suppliers, distributors, Marlborough friends and the French Ambassador to a delicious French style luncheon, they also let us taste a range of wines from both Marlborough and the home estate in Sancerre, including the exceptional 1990 Domaine Henri Bourgeois Etienne Henri, a 21 year old sauvignon blanc.

This wine from an exceptional vintage proves that sauvignon blanc is more than a one trick pony and Clos Henri in Marlborough have set about proving that such exceptional wines can be produced in this country. As well as being aged on yeast lees for eight months the 2009 Clos Henri Marlborough sauvignon blanc also had a small amount (8%) of barrel fermented wine included in the final blend and this has resulted in a wine that has developed a lovely rounded, rich mouthfeel while still retaining the freshness of classic Marlborough sauvignon blanc.

Another wine from Sancerre that we were treated to highlighted the minerality and elegance of wines produced there. The 2008 Domaine Henri Bourgeois Jadis is made from vines that are a minimum of 50 year old. It was 50% fermented in barrels and 50% in tanks as well as spending some time resting on lees and treating sauvignon blanc in this way has resulted in a wine that has a seductive, fleshy mouthfeel with ripe floral aromas. Typical powdery minerality in the very long finish is the perfect foil to the soft acidity.

Being invited to join this French family at its 10^th birthday celebration was a delightful experience and showed how the blending of two winemaking regions and cultures can lead to something very special. Check their website for more information about where to buy their wines and next time you are in Marlborough take the time to visit the old church converted into a wine tasting facility five minutes south of Renwick

I have been drinking.

Seifried Estate 2011 Gruner Veltliner (grew-na velt-leena) - RRP$21
This is the second vintage of this European variety from Seifried’s. Delicate aromas with a complex array of flavours from zesty lemon, ripe apple and powdery minerality this dry wine is a lovely alternative to aromatic style wines like pinot gris.

Julicher 2009 Chardonnay – RRP$19-$22

From a boutique Martinborough producer recognised for its outstanding pinot noir this is a rich, mouth-filling wine. Even though this was fermented in a mix of new and old French oak and matured on yeast lees it still retains citrus freshness and river stone like minerality. A fantastic wine and worth hunting down. www.julicher.co.nz

Buller Wines – published 22.07.11

It makes sense for any business to maximise the use of all of its resources and this basic business principle applies to wine producers too. Wineries have a huge investment in specialist production equipment, equipment that is only used for a few weeks each year but without it a winery would not be able to operate.
Take the press used to extract juice from grapes as an example. A good quality press can cost tens of thousands of dollars or at the top end large capacity premium quality equipment can run into hundreds of thousands of dollars, all for a few weeks work a year. That is only one item of equipment so you can imagine the cost of establishing a full winery operation.

One asset that wineries have and is often over looked as something that can be used for more than its own purposes is a sales team. Owners of small wineries tend to take on this role themselves while others use national distribution chains to get their product to market.

Medium to large producers however often have their own staff who visit restaurants and wine outlets promoting and selling their wares and it is these producers who are starting to look for other products they can sell at the same time. They add wines to their portfolios they don’t produce themselves and fill a gap in the wines they have to offer.

Tohu Wines, based in Nelson, have recently added a range of good quality Australian wines to the portfolio their sales team has to offer. Tohu is a brand owned by Wakatu Incorporation which is in turn owned by four Iwi making it essentially a family owned business, even if it is a very large family, and they have many similarities to the large family owned Buller Wines that was established in 1921 in Rutherglen (Victoria) and is one of the five oldest winemaking businesses in the region.

The key difference however is in the style of wines each produces and this is where working together really pays off; in Australia Buller Wines distribute Tohu wines and on this side of the Tasman Tohu gets to sell a range of wines that are quite different to their own. Buller wines available here include a low alcohol Muscato ($17) that has a refreshing spritz on the palate and is packed with apple and powdery river stone flavours, a range of fleshy cabernet and shiraz based reds and a stunning fine old muscat ($30) that has been fortified with premium brandy – a wine to warm you through and put a smile on your face. And Robert Parker gave this wine 96 points out of 100 and it has won multiple gold medals and a trophy or two.

Buller wines will start appearing on shelves near you very soon, keep an eye out for them as they deliver great value for money.

I have been drinking

Waimea Estates ‘Trev’s Red’ - $23 (cellar door)

Made from Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Syrah the harvested fruit was fermented together. The intention was to make a light, bright easy drinking red but it turned out to be a medium weight, supple wine with savoury chocolate-dipped plum flavours and a nice long toasty oak finish. The perfect winter everyday red.

Clearview 2009 Old Olive Block - $39.99 (RRP)

Made from a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec this wine won both a Gold medal and the Trophy for best Cabernet dominant blend at The 2011 Spiegelau International Wine Competition. Packed with big berry fruit and cassis flavours and layers of spice and oak that evolve in your mouth, all bound together with silky tannins, this complex wine is worth every cent of its price tag.