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.

Melbourne & Mornington

Our interest was tweaked a few weeks ago by an ad we saw in the newspaper for the King Tutankhamun exhibition at the Melbourne Museum. A quick phone call to travel agent Tim and before we knew it we were on a plane to the land of Oz for a long weekend. And the fact there are a couple of fantastic wine regions within an hour or so of Melbourne had absolutely nothing to do with deciding to go! We stayed in the centre of the city so we would be close to many of those delightful restaurants we hear so much about and of course they also have shops there that needed visiting.
We only had a few days so we dedicated one day to wine, we rented a car for the day and headed to the Mornington Peninsula where there are about 200 wineries and 50 cellar door outlets you can visit. Because we had a day that meant we also had a problem – so many wines to taste and so little time! The delightful people at the Mornington township I-Site visitor centre helped us plan a day that took in some great wines and ensured we were well fed.
By the time we travelled from Melbourne (about 75 minutes) we had time for lunch and to visit three or four wineries. We decided to have lunch at Port Phillip Estate where they not only have a fantastic restaurant but some excellent wines too.
With a climate not dissimilar to Nelson the wines produced in the region include chardonnay, pinot gris, sauvignon blanc, arneis and pinot noir so it was an interesting exercise to compare their wines with ours.
At Port Phillip Estate we really enjoyed their Chardonnays, in particular the Kooyong Estate 2008 (A$38) and the single vineyard 2008 Faultline Chardonnay (A$60). From the selection of pinot noirs available my favourite and the most expensive (of course) at A$65 was their Single Vineyard Haven 2008 Pinot Noir. While this is still a young wine it is packed with rich, meaty, savoury berry fruit flavours with a hit of liquorice in the finish. The restaurant at Port Phillip Estate is a fine dining experience with food that would not be out of place in a top restaurant in any city and service that was faultless.

Stunning food in a stunning environment at Port Phillip Estate Restaurant

A grey winter's day at Port Phillip Estate

Stunning architectural design at Port Phillip Estate tasting room and restuarant

On a much smaller scale Main Ridge Estate was established in 1975 by Rosalie and Nat White and every drop of juice that finds its way into a bottle there comes from their own small vineyard. Producing predominantly chardonnay and pinot noir with some pinot meunier and merlot completing the range and a dedication to quality the wines are very good. When we were there the merlot had sold out and other wines were available in limited quantities (on bottle per person) such is the popularity of these wines. Top of my list was the 2009 Half Acre Pinot Noir (A$65), a wine packed with flavour concentration and character. This is boutique wine making of a very high standard.
A long weekend break in Melbourne can be quite cheap if you keep your eyes open for good deals on flights. We will be back and we will be spending more than a day in the Mornington Peninsula wine region next time.
Check out www.visitmorningtonpeninsula.org

I have been drinking

Kina Beach 2010 Sauvignon Blanc (about $16)
With vibrant tropical fruit aromas and a smooth textured mouthfeel this is a luscious and spicy wine packed with passionfruit and stonefruit flavours and juicy fresh acidity in the finish this is almost too easy to drink.

Blackenbrook Vineyard Reserve Pinot Noir 2009 ($39)
Another five star wine from a five star producer. This is still a very young wine with appealing concentrated spiced red/black cherry flavours, a touch of gaminess and silky tannins this is another beauty from the talented Daniel Schwarzenbach.

Kahurangi Estate

The vineyards of Kahurangi Estate at Upper Moutere are the home of the modern winemaking era in Nelson and contain some of the oldest vines in the region.
To thrive in any industry owners need to keep changing their business and this applies to the wine industry in a significant way, whether it be growing new markets, planting new desirable varieties, expanding plantings, or even reducing the size of vineyards, change is vital.
The Seifried family recognised their need to change when they built their current facility and moved from Upper Moutere while the current owners of this important site know they need to do more than grow grapes. For Greg and Amanda Day Kahurangi Estate is much more than a producer of fine Nelson wines, it is the public face of a business with many arms.
Sure they grow grapes and make very good wine but they also bottle wine for others using their mobile bottling plants, they store and distribute wine for a number of wineries and finally they import and distribute a wide range of premium international wines, after all if you have a sales team on the road selling wine you may as well give them plenty of things to sell.
Included in the range of premium products the Days are the New Zealand distributors for are Tyrells Wines, Godet Cognac, Krohn Ports and premium Bordeaux wines from the Mahler Besse stable that includes Chateau Palmer, one of the most highly regarded and sought after producers in Bordeaux.
I must admit to having a few bottles of Krohn vintage port in the cellar and am a fan of the Godet Pearadise (sweet pear cognac with a kick!). I recently tried a couple of wines from the Bordeaux selection and will be adding some of these to our cellar as well.
The 2007 Chateau Picard Saint Estephe Cru Bourgeois ($36.90 from the cellar door) deep berry red in colour with lovely soft smoky highlights in the aromas. Blackberry flavours with hints of boysenberry sweetness sit on a tannin foundation that is firm but not too aggressive. Drink it now but get the best out of it in about 5 years time.
The other wine to really impress was Chateau La Couronne Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2007 ($39.60). We decanted this before we drank it to help the flavours open up. This is a very serious wine with a more elegant tannin structure than the Chateau Picard. The aromas have smoky vanilla oak characters while full bodied flavours of red berries and blackcurrant are just starting to shine. Drink now or cellar for about 10 years.
Admittedly you can’t call these wines cheap by supermarket standards but they offer exceptional value for money if you want to start exploring the delights Bordeaux wines have to offer. If you are feeling a little more expansive you can also buy a limited range of Mahler Besse wines in magnums or you can always dip into the savings for a bottle or two of 2006 Chateau Palmer ($396). You can cellar this until about 2030 so maybe it’s something to buy now for a special anniversary in 20 years time.
Check out www.kahurangiwine.com for more about these special wines.

I have been drinking

Saint Clair Family Estate Pioneer Block 15 Strip Block 2009 Pinot Noir – RRP $33.50
Wow, the name is a mouthful and the wine lives up to it. Made from a small parcel of outstanding quality fruit this wine packs a very elegant punch. The pale colour belies the intensity of red cherry and toasty oak flavours. Powdery tannins and a twist of acidity add to the delightful liquorice and spice flavours in the finish.

Sacred Hill Marlborough Pinot Noir 2010 – RP $21.99
Ripe, sweet red and black cherry fruit dominate the initial impressions but the dense smoky oak soon holds up its hand. Sweet juicy fruit characters linger in the very long finish. Another very good wine from a great vintage.

Woollaston Estates

I first met Philip and Chan Woollaston when Philip was Mayor of Nelson in the early 1990’s and we soon discovered we had a mutual love of wine. For me this turned into writing about it but for Philip and Chan a small hobby vineyard on the banks of the Wai-iti River at Brightwater has grown into a huge enterprise that is now housed in a state-of-the-art facility in the Moutere Hills at Mahana.
Woollaston’s website says “Philip and Chan met Glenn and Renée Schaeffer and discovered they shared a vision of creating an estate where fine wines would be crafted. They also share a love of art, literature and the Nelson landscape, so their dream was to develop a winery that was not only highly functional, but was also sensitive to the natural aesthetic of the area and reflected their creative passion.”
They are now into their 7th vintage at the new facility and the vineyards are about ten years old so as wine producers they are starting to reach maturity and this maturity is reflected in the wines they now produce.
With vine age comes flavour depth and complexity and Andrew Sutherland and his team in the winery have learnt all about the idiosyncrasies of the four-level gravity fed winemaking facility. With three vineyards in different locations in the region under their ownership viticulturist Julian Coakley has the ability to grow varieties in soil types and climate conditions that best suit each variety. Moving to full BioGro organic certification means more options are opened up to the winemaking team.
I recently had the opportunity to explore the range of wines offered under the Woollaston Estates label (they also produce wines under the Tussock and Mahana labels) and the current releases show how this organisation has developed over the years. The Woollaston Estates 2010 Sauvignon Blanc ($18) has ripe tropical fruit aromas with underlying fresh herbal characters. The palate delivers vibrant tropical fruits (zesty pineapple and limes) with crisp acidity that seems to last forever in the finish. This is a style I love.
Their Rose ($17) has been both very good and very popular for many years and for the followers of this wine you will not be disappointed by the 2010 version. Made from Pinot Noir grapes the delicate salmon pink colour hints at the elegance of the aromas but belies the dry, spicy richness of the flavours.
Having selected a vineyard site specifically to grow pinot noir grapes it is no surprise Woollaston Estates has a couple of beauties in their stable. The 2008 vintage ($35) is packed with summer berry fruit and lush licorice flavours that are nicely complemented with delicate smoky oak characters. Fine grained tannins add an elegant texture.
While Philip has stepped back from the day-to-day operation of the company that bears his name he is still a director and from his house perched on the edge of the picturesque Mahana vineyard continues to take a keen interest in the business and is still passionate about the ‘hobby vineyard’ he and Chan started in 1993.
Watch future columns for my thoughts on other Woollaston Estates Wines.

I have been drinking
Yalumba Sangiovese Rose - $18 but $11.99 on special at Nelson City Freshchoice
From South Australia this has a dry finish but is loaded with sweet, ripe cherry fruit flavours with a twist of spice. Great value chilled summer drinking.

Seifried Estates 2009 Winemaker’s Collection Gewurztraminer – RRP $23
Seifried’s Sweet Agnes Riesling has picked up so many national and international trophies it is almost embarrassing but don’t overlook the outstanding quality of other wines in the range. This gewurztraminer is a pure delight; rich, seductive exotic fruit and fresh ginger aromas, intense lychee, apricot and spice flavours all balanced with linger fresh acidity. It deserves every one of the 4 ½ stars Michael Cooper awarded this wine.

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.

Wine Lists

For the last few years I have been asked to judge the annual Hospitality Awards Outstanding Wine List award and this year’s task was the most difficult to date.

It has always been challenging comparing wine lists from café/bars with those from formal style restaurants but this year the step up in wines being offered was significant.

When deciding the best wine list I considered a number of criteria with an over-riding consideration for balance. By balance I mean does the list have something for everyone and does it reflect the focus of the establishment. For example I don’t expect a bar to offer the same high value wine I would expect to see on a fine dining style restaurant list but I do expect them to offer wines that reflect the style of food they serve, the price point their customers expect to pay and have a selection of Nelson, New Zealand and international wines.

Just because these establishments are in Nelson it doesn’t mean they should have only Nelson wines on their lists. I think they should have a good representation of Nelson wine but when I go out I also like to drink wine from other regions in New Zealand and I like to try wines from overseas. For example Nelson is not really suited to making full bodied red wines so there should be a choice from Hawke’s Bay or Australia to pair with a rich steak.

In recent years wine marketing companies have been putting a lot of effort into helping the industry offer you, the consumer, better choices and the owners have been investing in more and higher quality stock holdings. This raises another issue faced by the industry, consumer reluctance to pay reasonable money for wines they serve.

I can understand people thinking ‘why should I pay x when I can buy it for y in the supermarket?’ The answer is simply that the establishment has to invest in the stock and have it sitting on the shelf so you can have choices, they need to provide and clean glassware, replace glassware broken by customers, have trained and licensed staff (who they need to pay more to), meet liquor licensing requirements and finally they are a business that needs to make a profit.

The wine lists I judged this year showed that owners are prepared to invest in good product so you can have choices when buying wine in a bar, a café or a restaurant. They are also putting a lot of effort into helping you make good wine buying decisions with many establishments now including a description of the wine so you know whether it is sweet, dry, full bodied or rich and fruity. Some are also making wine match suggestions on their menus so when you are deciding what to eat you can choose a wine the chef thinks will go well with the dish.

When you are dining at one of our fantastic hospitality venues have a closer look at the wine list, you just might be surprised at the well considered selection you have to choose from.

By the way this year’s winner was Hopgood’s Restaurant and Bar.

I have been drinking


Chateau Marguerite Fronton 2007 - $24.95 from Mediterranean Foods

From the South West area of France this is a delightfully rich wine. With plums, prunes, black berry fruit flavours, firm but balanced tannins and a long satisfying finish this is a cracker.








Petaluma 2008 Hanlin Hill Riesling - $28

I bought my bottle of this from Liquor King in Christchurch but it is worth searching for if riesling is your thing. From the Clare Valley in Australia this is a rich, powerful dry wine. Packed with ripe citrus and mineral characters and has a nice oily texture. Great now and perfect for the cellar.

Blended White Wines

A couple of years ago I commented on the production of blended white wine and noted at the time that “blending different wine varieties and styles has happened all over the world for centuries, all in the name of producing a finished product that is better than the individual parts.”

We see this approach in France where Bordeaux red wines are generally made from blending four red wine varieties; they still produce single varietals like Merlot but blends tend to dominate in this famous region. Winemakers have also been blending the white varieties of semillon and sauvignon blanc for many years.

In 2006 John Forrest released the first version of his “The White”, a blended white wine that came with a $50 price tag at the time. In developing The White Forrest set out to make a wine with defining characters that are expressively New Zealand – great aromatics and ripe fruit flavours with fresh acidity.

But does it make sense to blend the pure flavours of some white wine varieties with others? I think it does. Take Forrest’s White as an example. This is a blend of seven different white wine varieties and is made using fruit grown in regions of New Zealand best suited to each variety (viognier from the warm, stony Gimblett Gravels, pinot gris from the limestone soils of North Otago’s Waitaki Valley and sauvignon blanc, riesling, chardonnay, chenin blanc and gewürztraminer from Marlborough) and the distinctive characters of each variety contribute flavour and texture components to the finished wine.

The trend for producing blended white wines has increased significantly in the last year or so and while the cynical talk about it being a way to use up surplus juice I think it is a sign that the winemaking industry in New Zealand is starting to find its place in the world.

New Zealand white wines are characterised by a delightful purity and brightness in flavour and winemakers have been working tirelessly to produce the very best varietal wines they can so is there anything wrong with taking beautiful wines with lush fruit flavours from varieties like gewurztraminer and pinot gris and combining them with the purity and fresh acidity of varieties like riesling then maybe adding a twist of complexity with some chardonnay?

Sure, these wines are not a pure varietal expression but when made with thought and balance they can be an expression of everything that is great about New Zealand white wines and I still stand by my earlier thoughts that blending white wines can turn the mundane into the enchanting.

I have been drinking


Waimea Estates 2009 Edel - RRP $21.90

This is a blend of riesling (47%), pinot gris (38%) and gewürztraminer (15%). Combining the spiciness and rich palate weight of gewürztraminer with the fruitiness of and luscious texture of pinot gris along with the purity and freshness of riesling then making sure there is a little bit of residual sugar to balance the acidity has resulted in a wine that is delightful as a late afternoon aperitif, a great match with Asian dishes and perfect with sweet Nelson seafood. Actually, I could just drink this by itself anytime because it offers so many flavours and characters. A thoughtful wine that is super drinking.

Running With Bulls 2008 Barossa Tempranillo - $17.99

It smells like ripe boysenberries overlayed with smoky oak and tastes like blended juicy black berry fruits with a hint of dark chocolate and has lashings of powdery tannins in the finish. If you like ripe Aussie reds without jammy sweetness then this one fits the bill. Fantastic value, easy drinking elegant red with great flavour and balance that is even better on the second night.