Summer of Riesling – Published 03.02.12

It started in New York and now it has reached New Zealand – the Summer of Riesling is a bold initiative to engage the consumer with the many delights the riesling variety has to offer.
This international movement was started in 2008 by Paul Grieco from Terroir Wine Bar in New York and to help local organisers Angela Clifford from Waipara and Duncan Forsyth from Mount EdwardWines in Central Otago kick start the first Summer of Riesling in New Zealand Paul, the self-styled Summer of Riesling Overlord, joined the celebrations being held around the country.

The object of the Summer of Riesling is to encourage the consumption, discussion and enjoyment of Riesling and New Zealand’s Summer of Riesling started on the 12^th January and so far has included winemaker dinners, tastings and wine lists celebrating what is the single most versatile wine grape produced

In 2008 Paul decided that only Riesling would be offered by the glass as the white wine pour at Terroir and the concept has caught the imagination of producers, retailers, restaurantuers and consumers. What began as one man trying to convince customers to try this noble variety has resulted in about 500 restaurants and wine retailers in the US taking part as well as restaurants and retailers in Australia, Canada and now New Zealand.

Pauls attitude of ‘If you like chardonnay then there is a rich, succulent, barrel aged riesling to keep you happy; if you prefer crisp fruity sauvignon blanc then you will probably enjoy a dry, vibrant riesling’ and his belief that providing great service means making great recommendations to his customers (rather than just being a host and giving them what they ask for) was the beginning of the Riesling Revolution and earned him the Summer of Riesling Overlord crown. Last year Terrior Wine Bar had only Riesling on its wine list for the ‘94 days of summer’, 30 by the glass and over 90 by the bottle.

Last week I joined in with two parts of the Summer of Riesling celebration in New Zealand; firstly a national riesling tasting, featuring about 45 versions from different regions in New Zealand, that was attended by wine writers and restaurantuers from the US, UK, Australia and of course New Zealand. This was held at the stunning Tipapa luxury lodge and function venue at Greta Valley, just north of Waipara.

Part two was the CLIMAX celebration dinner at Pegasus Bay Winery where supporting Waipara wineries had a range of aged rieslings for us to sample and each person took along a bottle of riesling that best expressed what they love about the variety to share with their dinner companions. Not only did we experience some stunning wines from around the world but Pegasus Bay showed why Cuisine magazine judge them the best vineyard restaurant in the country year-after-year. Unbelievably good food, a fantastic environment and people who know how to celebrate!

This year more than 30 dining and retail establishments along with about 40 wineries from around New Zealand are celebrating the Summer of Riesling so as the website says “Become a foot soldier, choose Riesling. Viva la Revolution!” www.summerofriesling.co.nz

I have been drinking

Gladstone Vineyard 2011 Riesling – RRP $25
Produced in Gladstone in the Wairarapa this is made in a off-dry style the initial flavour is a burst of green apple that quickly evolves into zesty lime flavours with a backbone of river stone minerality. With a touch of honeyed sweetness in the finish to balance the mouthwatering acidity this would be perfect with pan seared white fish.

Julicher Estate 2011 Pinot Rose – RRP$19.95

This multi-award winning winery in Martinborough has produced another cracker here. Made from 100% pinot noir fruit the wine has a luscious texture in the mouth and is bursting with fresh summer berry flavours – strawberries and cream with a twist of spice and just enough sweetness to make it a delightful lunchtime wine.  

Recent Awards - Published 16.09.11

Wine shows are important for the wine industry for a couple of reasons. Firstly because winning a medal and, in particular, a gold medal or trophy means producers get to put a nice shiny sticker on the bottles they are trying to entice you and me to buy. A medal of any colour is a general indication that the wine is of good quality, it may not necessarily be to your taste but it should be a good example of the variety. The second key reason for those in the industry is it lets producers benchmark their product against other wines; as all judging is blind (the judges don’t know whose wine they are tasting) and because judges at wine shows are generally all very experienced, have palates that are able to detect small nuances in wines and are able to express why they prefer one wine over another it is fair to say wine producers find out very quickly whether or not their wines are up to generally accepted industry standards.However we also need to remember that not every winery enters wine competitions, either because they have already established a great name for themselves in the market place and or because of the expense. By the time a winery pays to enter the competition which can be expensive, sends several bottles of each wine entered and then have the cost of attending an awards dinner if they are in the running for a trophy of some sort it is not a cheap exercise.

On top of that some competitions insist you have a certain amount of wine available for sale after the awards and many small wineries simply don’t make the volume of wine required so are excluded from entering by default.

Having said all of that Nelson wineries have performed exceptionally well in the recent round of wine shows, especially for aromatic style wines. Gold medals for sauvignon blanc, riesling, gewurztraminer, pinot gris, chardonnay, pinot noir and syrah are very good results but two trophies for Riesling is simply exciting. Kaimira Estates Iti Selection Brightwater Riesling 2011 (low alcohol) was the Champion Riesling at the New Zealand International Wine Show while Brightwater Vineyards Nelson Riesling 2011was the Champion Riesling at the Bragato Wine Awards. And let’s not forget Seifried Estate winning three gold medals in the same show for three different rieslings, a fantastic achievement.

For one of New Zealand’s smallest wine producing regions the wineries here certainly punch well above their weight. About 3% of New Zealand’s wine is made here but the region won 4.5% of gold medals awarded (200) at the NZ International Wine Show that attracted entries from around the world and 16% (51 awarded) at the Bragato Wine Awards.

On a local note the fiercely competed for Colin Harrison Memorial Trophy for this region’s best Chardonnay was awarded to Rimu Grove’s 2010 Chardonnay, one to look forward to when it is released later in the year.

Over the next few columns I will have a look at the award winning wines, let’s start with

Waimea Estates 2011 Sauvignon Blanc - $19.00

Bursting with pungent floral aromas of white peach and passionfruit with a palate that is full, rich and fruity with lashings of crisp lime flavours to balance the fullness of the passionfruit characters. With a long juicy finish this wine certainly deserves its gold medal status.

Kahurangi Estate Mt Arthur Reserve Chardonnay 2010 - $22.00

There is nothing shy and delicate about this old fashioned beast. Flavours are packed with big oak characters with lovely creamy butterscotch flavours, a dusting of oak toast and some lovely herbal characters all beautifully balanced and wrapped up in a lusciously rich texture.

Kaimira Estate

With the 2011 vintage grape harvest underway it is a very nervous time for winemakers. The crop across the region is a good size, not too big but plenty of outstanding quality fruit that is packed with flavour and at the moment is in pristine condition.
A few vineyards have some minor issues with botrytis (rot) but nothing that can’t be handled by winemakers experienced in making wine in a sometimes wet cool climate winemaking region. The nervousness is nothing unusual for winemakers at this time of the year as they wait for that final flavour boost in their fruit that bright sunny days and cool nights deliver while keeping a close eye on long range weather forecasts. The message right now is ‘please Mr Weatherman, no more rain!’
As wineries prepare for this year’s harvest it is also time to clear the decks of remnants from the last few years. At Kaimira Estate at Brightwater this means a one day sale to move on the last few cases of some wines.
When I was there last week checking on the state of the current vintage (winemaker Sally had a big grin on her face as we talked about the quality) June Hamilton treated me to a taste of some of the wines being sold at their annual sale where you will be able to taste and buy wines that sell for $18 - $28 for between $9 and $11.
Included are wines from the very good 2006 and 2007 vintages and some bin ends from the 2008 vintage. The 2008 wines I tasted (gewurztraminer and pinot gris) are both very well made wines with elegant fruit flavours and soft acidity. At $9 a bottle or $50 for a six pack these are absolute bargains.
I have been a fan of Kaimira’s Brightwater riesling since I first tasted it way back in 2001 and have been following it ever since. In 2001 it was selling for about $12 a bottle so being able to buy some from the great 2007 vintage now for $9 a bottle is almost criminal. This wine is starting to show some classic riesling age characters, deep rich cooked lemon/lime flavours with a luscious texture and very fine mineral based acidity. If you want to find out what happens when you age riesling then at this price this is a great place to start.
Kaimira’s 2006 Vintners Selection Pinot Noir -$11 a bottle (normally $28) or $60 for a six pack this is another outstanding bargain. Complex layers of flavour balanced with elegant oak spice and a touch of smoky bacon fat it is a complete wine. I have my six pack on order.

Blog followers - sorry I am late posting this article I wrote for The Nelson Mail about a month ago, the celar door sale has been and gone!

I have been drinking

Golden Hills 2009 Syrah - $34.90 at the winery
A double Gold medal winning wine made in a cool climate Northern Rhone style. Packed with rich fruit flavours and balanced with exciting pepper spice this proves you can make great syrah in Nelson. We served this at a degustation dinner recently and it was perfectly matched with a beef and mushroom dish.

Marble Point 2009 Dry Riesling about $20 at the winery
This is a reasonably new label and one to keep an eye on. Located about 5 minutes drive past the Hanmer turnoff this winery is producing wines with purity of flavour, texture in the mouthfeel and a freshness that is very enticing. This particular wine is bursting with lemon and lime citrus characters while a little time on yeast lees has added weight and softness to the mouthfeel. 4 stars from Michael Cooper and worth searching for.

Fossil Ridge

There are many delightful vineyards in New Zealand, some with magnificent facilities, some in stunning locations and others where the natural beauty of a site is enhanced by sympathetic development.
Fossil Ridge’s vineyard, cellar door and cafe are located at the end of Hart Road in the Richmond foothills and falls firmly into the last category.
The tasting room and café is perched on the edge of a pond that supports a range of wildlife and is surrounded by little dining areas. Add to this the delightful decks that give space to sample the wines and enjoy super food in the shade.
Of course they also sell wine. Fossil Ridge has six wines available and you can taste them by buying a tasting plate that includes four wines, a bowl of nuts and a bowl of estate grown olives. What a delightful way to relax and sample a range of wines.
Fossil Ridge wines are aged before being released (other than their rose which is from the current 2010 vintage) so you get to enjoy wines that have had time to develop complexities that only come from bottle age. As an example their 2007 Riesling ($20) has fresh citrus aromas with a hint of richness in the background while the flavours are packed with zesty lemon citrus flavours held together with powdery minerality. The wine is just starting to show deep honey characters and there is enough fruit and acidity to ensure it will continue to live for a long time yet (sealed with a screwcap).
Unlike many others on the market Fossil Ridge 2010 Pinot Noir Rose ($22.50) is made in a dry style so works exceptionally well with food. With a delicate pale salmon pink colour and crisp, clean raspberry and red berryfruit flavours this is vibrant and fresh rather than sweet and creamy.
When you visit Fossil Ridge you can’t help but notice the manicured vineyards and the huge effort that goes into maintaining the vineyards in the best possible condition is one reason owners Darryl and Tranja Fry are able to produce a very good wine from the very fickle gewurztraminer grape. The current release is 2008 ($22.50) and everything about this wine reflects the effort in the vineyard – from the sparkling pale lemon gold colour with a blush of pink to the sweet Turkish delight and rose petal aromas followed by flavours of turkish delight and slightly honeyed lychees and a lush texture in the mouth this is a delightful anytime wine.

Fossil Ridge are open from Wednesday to Sunday each week but will be closed on Waitangi Day.


I have been drinking
Neudorf 2010 Nelson Chardonnay ($29 at the cellar door)
This used to be the little brother to the renowned Neudorf Moutere Chardonnay but it now stands as a fantastic in its own right. Rather than having layers of flavour the characters in this wine are already in complete harmony. The powdery mineral texture to flavours of subtle peach with a twist of lemon and delicate toasty oak come together to make a complete wine. This is another delight from Neudorf Vineyards.

Woollaston Estates 2010 Pinot Gris (about $20)
Made in the same very popular elegant style Woollaston’s have produced for a number of years this is off-dry and packed with flavour – ripe pears, a touch of ginger, soft nectarine and plenty of stony minerality. A beautiful pinot gris with flavour and character.

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.

End of the year

Wow, what a year. We have had everything from tough economic times to an earthquake that made the world sit up and take notice then the tragedy at Pike River that has effected so many people on the West Coast in a number of ways.
Sitting at the top of the South Island we seem to have been sheltered from much of the direct pain suffered others; our economy hasn’t been too bad, not easy but not disastrous. We supported our fellow New Zealanders in their tough times in Canterbury and on the Coast and we supported wine industry by continuing to buy local and searching out some great deals at the supermarkets and liquor outlets.
While the wine industry has been struggling on a national basis, particularly in Marlborough, local wineries have hunkered down, keeping costs under control and focusing on producing some outstanding wines from a great vintage so they can thrive into the future.
In recent weeks we have seen the release of some super wines to enjoy over the holiday season and here are a few I will be enjoying. I already have my Christmas French bubbles sorted – a bottle of Pol Roger ‘Pure’ from Casa del Vino but I think I will make sure there is a bottle or two of No 1 Family Estate’s ‘2006 vintage Virginie Cuvee’ ($58 - a rich mousse and palate with flavours of hazelnut and fresh lemon zest crispness) and their new Rose ($45 – merest blush of salmon pink colour, delightfully well balanced dry style with lashings of cherry and soft nut characters) floating around to welcome in the New Year.
While I am having some time off in the summer sun I am bound to enjoy a bottle of Pied Stilt Pinot Gris ($14.95, fresh and delicate rather than big and sweet, aromas with apple and citrus characters) with a seafood lunch somewhere and more than one bottle of Greenhough Vineyards gewurztraminer ($20 – rich aromas, lush full bodied style bursting with lychee and stonefruit flavours) will find its way to our barbecue table.
On Christmas Day other than champagne there is only one thing certain, we will be enjoying the world class Seifried Estate Sweet Agnes Riesling (about $20) with dessert. 375ml of seductive, lush sweetness to finish the meal with.
I may not make it over the hill to Golden Bay but if you do be sure to check out some of the local wineries. If you are like me and won’t get there then you can still get a taste of the Bay’s wines by popping into Casa del Vino and selecting something from the range made by Parr & Simpson. They produce a beautiful range of wines that have a European style elegance rather than just big fruity wines.
Whatever your plans are for this holiday season please don’t drink and drive, enjoy wine in moderation with food and I will see you again next year. I hope you have a safe and happy Christmas and a very prosperous New Year.

I have been drinking

Parr & Simpson Limestone Bay 2009 Chardonnay - $22
Michael Cooper gave this wine 4 ½ stars and says Parr & Simpson is a label worth discovering. Now that he has told everyone about them you need to make sure you get your share quickly. This chardonnay has a full palate weight with stonefruit, citrus, nut and cream flavours. A slight austerity in the mid-palate adds a complexity that is quite exciting. This is a true delight.

Ohau Gravels 2010 Pinot Gris - $25
Classic quince and pear aromas are reflected in the flavours but with a twist of mandarin and a streak of minerality. Juicy acidity with a hint of Turkish delight sweetness in the finish make this a complete pinot gris experience.

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

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.

Riedel Glassware

I think it is pretty safe to assume that we all know drinking from a glass is much more satisfying and a far greater experience than drinking from a recycled jam jar but does using the right glass improve the wine?

Improve the wine, no, but improve the enjoyment of the wine, absolutely. A couple of weeks ago I attended a Riedel (pronounced ‘reedle’ like ‘needle’) tasting at Casa del Vino where the focus wasn’t on the wine but on the glassware the wine was served in. While it sounds a bit poncy saying you must serve each variety of wine in the correct glass, the correct glass does make a difference to the way we taste a wine.

While the science is quite simple Riedel have dedicated decades of research to the development exquisite glassware that makes a difference to how we taste wine. In short here is how it works; different parts of our tongue taste different flavour components and a glass shaped to deliver the wine to the tongue in just the right spot changes how we experience the flavour and texture of a wine.

With sauvignon blanc for example a glass with a narrower opening at the top will deliver wine to the centre of the tongue first so we can taste the sweet fruit of the wine before the crisp acidity kicks in. If you taste the same wine from a glass with a wide opening where the wine is delivered to the whole tongue the acid totally dominates the experience and you miss out on the sweeter fruit burst.

This principle can be applied to each variety of wine, red or white.

Taking an oaky chardonnay as another example, drinking this style from a glass with a wide opening means the wine is delivered to all parts of the tongue at the same time and in this case you experience a full range of flavours at the same time. Using a glass with a narrow opening puts the focus on bitter oak components that are sensed at the back of our tongue and makes the wine taste quite bitter rather than full and rounded.

There are many other little things that make Rieldel glassware both perfect and expensive, like being made with a large component of lead crystal and they have cut and polished rims rather than chunky rolled rims so the wine pours nicely from the glass and they are beautiful to both look at and use – form and function.

Yes they are very pricy at $50+ a glass but if you look after them they will last for many years and will enhance every glass of wine you drink or you can pay a lot of money for one bottle of wine and serve it from average glassware.

My advice is buy a few Riedel glasses to suit the wine you drink most often and then have a set of good quality multi purpose glasses you can use for other wines. Ann and Mark at Casa del Vino can help you choose the right glassware for your use.

I have been drinking

Saint Clair Marlborough Riesling 2009 ($20.95)


Bursting with ripe lime and grapefruit aromas with lashings of minerality and a full citrus palate this is a true delight. That minerality and fresh but ripe acidity in the finish makes this worth putting in your shopping basket.

La Strada Marlborough Pinot Noir 2007 - $34.90 from O’Neill’s Gourmet Butchery and Deli at the Richmond Mall.


Made by those pinot geniuses at Fromm Winery this wine is a beauty. Layers of ripe spiced cherry, subtle mushroom, black liquorice and delicate oak are complimented by just enough juicy acidity to make one glass simply not enough.

Kaimira Wines - 10th vintage

The vast majority of wine is consumed within a few days of purchase and I must say this tends to be encouraged by many winemakers who tell us to enjoy the young, fresh and vibrant flavours of some wine varieties, sauvignon blanc for example.

Unlike 30 years ago when many wines were imported and because the better wines being sold needed to be cellared for a few years people who were even slightly interested in wine needed to have a cellar to age wines before they could enjoy a reasonable drink.

Today however wine styles have changed significantly, the New Zealand industry has grown beyond all recognition and the quality of readily available, easy to understand, affordable wines has increased exponentially.

All of this means we are now impulse consumers of wine; we buy what we want when we want to consume it. While this is fantastic in many ways we tend to miss out on some of the intriguing magic to be found in aged wines so I always take the opportunity to try older wines when I am offered the chance.

Last weekend I visited Kaimira Estate who are celebrating their tenth anniversary of producing wine. They decided to deal with a small problem they had at the same time. Having the last five or ten cases of a wine floating around a winery causes a few management hassles, the volume left is not really a commercial quantity and it is a nuisance keeping track of them in the store room. So Kaimira decided to sell their ‘bin ends’ at knockdown prices, some for as little as $8 a bottle.

For me however the real treat was that some of these wines were four or five years old and I had the chance to taste them alongside current releases, providing the perfect opportunity to get an insight into how wines made from grapes grown on the same vineyards would change over time.

I have been a fan of Kaimira’s Brightwater Vineyard Riesling from the first time I tasted it, I love the dry minerality with luscious citrus characters but most of all I love the fact it is a dry style wine that allows the aging characters to show in the flavours. They tend to develop a nice oily texture and waxy kerosene characters that can be quite intriguing.

Tasting their 2004 pinot noir was also an eye-opener for me. 2004 was a very wet vintage in the Nelson region and we have not seen many very good wines from it and we certainly have not seen many that stand the test of time, so the fantastic complexity showing in this wine was a real surprise. It is light in colour but has a lush palate weight, is packed with flavour and is perfect drinking right now. Buying it for about $10 a bottle was an opportunity I was not going to miss.

I have been drinking

Kaimira Estate Brightwater Vineyards 2009 Gewurztraminer (about $20 from the winery)

Another great comparison was the 2007 ($18) vs 2009 Kaimira Brightwater vineyards Gewurztraminer. The 2007 was made in a dry (or low residual sugar) style while the 2009 was produced retaining about 30gms/ltr of sugar. Even though it is technically a much sweeter wine juicy acidity provides exceptional balance. This is also a great example of a technically sweet wine that doesn’t taste sweet and is great with food. Try it with blue cheese or Thai food.

Ernst Loosen

In my last column I wrote about the recent symposium to explore aromatic wines that was hosted by Nelson winemakers. This was the second such symposium and this time the focus was on riesling and gewürztraminer.

One of the international guests at the symposium was Ernst Loosen who was born into a great tradition of German winemaking. In the 1980’s he made the move from archaeology to taking the reins of the 200 year old winemaking dynasty that is Weingut Dr Loosen.

I had the opportunity to sit down with Ernst for an hour or so and talk about his thoughts on New Zealand aromatic style wines. It is obvious that he has thrown himself at the challenge of learning about wine, not just 200 years of tradition at the family estate but also about winemaking around the world. He has taken many things he has seen and learned on his travels and incorporated them into Dr Loosen winemaking today, ensuring that not only is heritage preserved but that it continues to evolve.

This attitude to learning about wine is reflected in his thoughts on New Zealand wines. He is quite firm in his belief that New Zealand winemakers must continue to learn about their land and grape growing conditions so they can make the best possible wine from the best quality grapes their piece of paradise can produce.

This wine could be anything from sweet to dry and austere in style and he says there is no point in trying to make something you think the consumer wants if it is not good quality. The focus should always be on quality and then go out and find a market that wants the style of wine produced. He says, for example, there is no point in trying to sell fruity floral wines in Germany where their tastes are more accustomed to dry style wines.

As we talked about the quality of the wines he tasted in his time here he kept coming back to two wines in particular, Stonecroft Gewurztraminer and Vinoptima Gewurztraminer. To use his words “I was totally impressed by the gewürztraminers, that is the style of gewürztraminer I really like …The Stonecroft and the Vinoptima we had in the tasting, even if they are so different I totally understand the style and would say ‘where is the Munster cheese?, they are fantastic wines”

Ernst also told me he does not drink a lot of gewürztraminer but he was excited about not just the quality of the winemaking but the incredible flavours and structure balance. He says New Zealand winemakers are starting to understand the importance of place and this is reflected in Nick Nobilo from Vinoptima growing just a single variety of grape, gewürztraminer, and making the absolute best example of this variety he can. It shows in the finished product.

His final piece of advice for selling our wines overseas – “not only am I a winemaker I am the average consumer and to sell your wines you need to open them with as many people as possible so they can taste them, if they haven’t tasted them they may not buy them”.


I have been drinking

Olssens 2008 Riesling

 From Central Otago this vibrant dry wine has lots of flavour (apple, citrus and subtle honey) with a streak of delightful steely minerality in the finish. This isn’t a shy style, you know you are drinking riesling and you know you are drinking quality.

Big Villa 2007 Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay


Big Villa is the house brand for Advintage Wines who have a reputation for delivering wines that are as they describe them and at great value. In typical chardonnay fashion this is packed with butterscotch and lightly toasted nut characters. Check them out at http://www.advintage.co.nz/ and join their mail list.

Aromatics Symposium

On Waitangi Day about 160 people gathered at Upper Moutere to discuss and taste the wine varieties Riesling and Gewurztraminer. As well as wine enthusiasts most local winemakers were in attendance along with winemakers and wine writers from around New Zealand.

But most importantly there were a large number of world renown wine writers, commentators, restaurateurs and buyers from most parts of the globe – Hong Kong, Singapore, London, New York, Sydney and of course the key note speaker, Ernst Loosen, from the Mosel region in Germany.

The Aromatics Symposium had a focus on learning by sharing knowledge and tasting a range of wines from here and overseas. Speakers like Andrew Caillard (Master of Wine, wine writer and author from the UK) Ernst Loosen from Weingut Dr Loosen (200 years history of winemaking in Germany) and Simon Tam (wine commentator from Hong Kong) had important messages to pass on to wine producers in this country while Alan Limmer (Stonecroft Wines) and Nick Nobilo (Vinoptima) shared their passion for producing gewürztraminer.

To top the day off from an international awareness point of view TV personality and the owner of arguably one of the best palates in the world, Oz Clarke, not only shared his immense knowledge and thoughts on New Zealand’s wine and its place in the world market but he had a film crew in tow. Assuming some of the several hours of footage he took away with him appears on international television screens Nelson will be the recipient of some fantastic regional promotion – for free!

During the day and at the evening function at Neudorf I managed to spend some time talking with Clarke about wine and food in general. He makes a point of drinking and eating local produce where ever he is. He says this gives him a real ‘sense of place’ about a region and its people. He also has a deep fondness for good beer and was mightily impressed with the local brews he managed to taste here. He was particularly impressed with the things the guys at the Moutere Inn are doing in there efforts to foster the local brewing industry.

Congratulations to Nelson Winemakers for arranging an outstanding weekend.

During the day we tasted wines from New Zealand and overseas so how did our wines stack up? In the opinion of everyone there, very well indeed. A few highlights included a fleshy Greenhough Vineyards 2007 Riesling, beautifully balanced Mount Edward 2007 Riesling from Central Otago. From Germany we tasted a rich Jesutengarten 2007 Riesling delightfully balanced with piercing acidity and from Austria a Dursteiner Hollerin 2007 Riesling that had superb aroma complexity with luscious, ripe stonefruit characters.

In my next column I will tell you the Gewurztraminers we tried.

Pegasus Bay 2008 Riesling

Pegasus Bay 2008 Riesling - $22.95 (on special at Freshchoice)


The Donaldson family in Waipara (North Canterbury) have been making a range of outstanding and extremely popular rieslings for many years and this 2008 medium style is a delight. Not too sweet, bursting with zingy citrus flavours that are countered with a touch of honey richness. A luscious wine.