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.  

Nelson Region rainfall – published 20.01.12

While the heavy rains and flooding in Nelson that destroyed homes and land just before Christmas last year was headline news the impact on the wine grape growing sector has yet to be fully determined.

Rainfall statistics show some of the heaviest rain in parts of the region since records began with Nelson Airport recording six times its mean rainfall for December – 446mm while in Takaka about 1100mm of rain fell - more than 8 times its normal December total.

City residents got to feel like they were living in Auckland with the closure of one of the main arterial roads into the city for more than a week, resulting in a normal 15 minute drive taking up to three hours and the horticulture sector (particularly market gardeners) having to deal with flood damaged crops.

A photo published in The Nelson Mail showing people walking through a flooded vineyard was a dramatic visual reminder of just how much rain we had and while it probably made many winegrowers hearts sink just a little the effects of the rain on the 2012 vintage are still only best estimates at this stage.

With the main rainfalls occurring over a few days the impact of the rain on flowering and fruit-set was limited. Reports from across the region indicate the hardest hit variety is Gewurztraminer with most growers spoken to expecting no crop this year. Grape berry growth known has ‘hen and chicken’ appears as big and small grapes on each bunch. This is quite normal for the Mendoza clone of chardonnay but its occurrence in other varieties is both unusual and unwanted because the individual grapes will have different ripeness levels at harvest time and this has the potential to effect flavour profiles of the finished product.

The impact of the big wet on other varieties is very much location dependant with vineyards in some areas expecting a harvest at either near normal levels or down 20% - 40%, again dependant on how far through flowering the varieties were when the rains hit each vineyard.

Because of dangerous wet, slippery conditions on some sloping vineyards growers were unable to get equipment onto some vineyards to get disease control sprays on their vines and this has lead to some high labour costs as growers resorted to manually trimming the vigorous canopy growth to help dry the sodden bunches. One grower even resorted to using a helicopter to apply some anti-fungal sprays.

Those who were able to manage their vineyards intensely before, during and after individual rain events appear to be mainly disease free however some are reporting outbreaks of mildew in vineyards and, depending on whether or not these outbreaks can be controlled, this will also have an effect on the size and quality of the 2012 grape harvest in this region.

So it looks like this grape harvest is going to be below average in size in the Nelson region and quality is going to be highly dependent on weather patterns over the next few months. No more rain and lots of long hot days until mid May are at the top of every grower’s wish lists for 2012.

I have been drinking

Kaimira Estates has put together a deal where you can buy two $12.99 wines from their Brightside range for just $20 the pair. This deal is available at Fresh Choice Richmond and Takaka
Brightside 2011 Sauvignon Blanc – RRP$12.99
Vibrant fresh tropical flavours of passionfruit with a twist of lime are supported by firm river-stone minerality characters making it the perfect budget wine to enjoy with seafood off the barbecue this summer.
Brightside 2011 Rosé – RRP$12.99
Made from a blend of merlot and pinot noir the beautiful pale raspberry colour hints at the luscious creamy flavours of the wine. Fermentation in oak barrels adds texture to the mouthfeel and lets the blueberry and currant flavours shine. This is a serious wine for the price point and won’t disappoint rosé lovers.

Sea Level Wines – Published 11.11.11

Occasionally I come across a new wine producer that gets my attention from the very first taste; something quite unusual because it normally takes a couple of vintages for a new producer to get to grips with making the best possible wine from fruit grown in a new vineyard. Sea Level Wines is one such producer. Owned by the father and son team of Mike and Sam Smail this is a new label on the Nelson winemaking scene. Their first wine, a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, hit the shelves in 2010 while the first white wines from the home vineyard at Mariri were produced and released this year.
When I met with Mike and Sam to taste their wines a couple of months ago I quickly understood why the wines are so good so soon, Sam is a senior winemaker for Whitehaven Wines in Marlborough and has a wealth of experience to call on. Mike Smail may be new to the wine industry but is certainly not new to business having been an importer and distributor of goods for many years. His enthusiasm for this new venture is obvious and as well as “bringing resources essential to a fledging wine company” as their website says “he is proving useful at a wide array of tasks including vineyard development, label design and sales.”
Sam has worked for Whitehaven Wines in Marlborough since 1999, having previously
worked vintages in Italy, USA and New Zealand and studied winemaking at the University of Adelaide. Not a bad pedigree for a new wine company winemaker.
The focus of Sea Level Wines is to “make wines with varietal intensity and expressive of the site”. As a small producer Sea Level has a total quality focus and the first wines from the home vineyard reflect the hard work and dedication to quality. Definitive varietal characters, purity and intensity of flavour and perfect balance between fruit ripeness and freshness demand your attention from the first taste.
As well as a Sauvignon Blanc from the Awatere Valley in eastern of Marlborough the Mariri vineyard is planted with Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer and Chenin Blanc. When I first tasted these wines they hadn’t been bottled very long and needed some time to recover from inevitable bottle shock (wines don’t like being beaten up in the bottling process and need to settle down a bit after bottling) but the individual flavours and structure components were all there.
At the first smell of the 2011 Sea Level Gewurztraminer (RRP $23.95) my senses lit up, this is a special wine; delightful perfumed powdery rose and Turkish delight aromas with a palate weight that is opulent and has multi-layered flavours of soft spice, lychees, green apple and Turkish delight. I rated this as a five star wine then and not long after I tasted it with Mike and Sam the wine won a Gold medal at The New Zealand International Wine Show.
Since I first tasted and rated these wines I have been following Sea Level’s show success with more than a little interest and they have continued to pick up awards including a Pure Gold medal for their 2011 Pinot Gris (RRP$18.95) at the Bragato Wine Awards.
These new boys on the block are creating something very special and I will be following them with a great deal of interest in the years to come. Check out www.sealevelwines.co.nz

I have been drinking

Yealands Estate 2011 Pinot Noir Rose – RRP $19.95
I can see why this wine was crowned as Champion Rose at this year’s Bragato Wine Awards. It is packed with red current and raspberry flavours and is made in a dry style. The mouthwatering acidity in the long finish mean it is perfect with food. This is a vibrant, exciting style that I just love. Try it with smoked fish.

Ti Point Matakana Coast Matriarch Syrah 2010 – RRP $44.95
This is an iron fist in a velvet glove - deep red in colour with rich, complex, savoury red and black berryfruit flavours that finish with a delightful pepper burst and a twist of acidity. Two Gold medals already point to this as another wine to follow from one of my favourite newer producers.

Glovers

Dave Glover is one of those characters that add soul to the wine industry. As the rest of New Zealand has moved to screwcap closures Dave is sticking with corks because they affect the way the wine ages and he likes old wines. This is one of the reasons his current release pinot noir is from the 2004 vintage, he says it has the characters he likes in a pinot and it is ready to drink so he is prepared to sell it.
This philosophy of making wine he likes to drink and releasing it when he says it is ok for drinking (he cellars it for you) is also reflected in other aspects of his wine making. He says there are plenty of good wines on the market but many of them are a bit ‘cookie cutter’ and he wants to make something a little different and being a small boutique winery that means he gets to play a wee bit.
Take the current release Glover Vineyards Rosé Fiamma (flame in Italian and $20) as an example, surprisingly it is from the 2009 vintage – young by Glover standards but it is ready to drink. The wine is made in a method called maceration carbonique where whole bunches of grapes are dumped into large vats filled with carbon dioxide, the bottom grapes are crushed by the weight of the grapes above them, and fermentation starts naturally. This develops more carbon dioxide gas, which envelops the upper layers of uncrushed grapes and blocks air exposure that normally would occur. When fermentation begins in the whole grapes they begin to ooze more juice.
The result with the rosé is a wine that is rich with lovely depth of flavour but is not sweet.
While I love Dave’s attitude of trying to produce something just a little different there are a couple of downsides; firstly whenever I visit him we spend most of our time sampling trial wines from barrels that are made in small quantities just to see what happens and all that sampling means I need a sober driver whenever I go to see him. The second thing is that I get to taste some great wines from barrels (like the 2010 pinot – outstanding!) but can’t buy them yet.
The third downside is that with the way we are consuming wine now we tend to go to the supermarket and purchase by price first, variety second and name third. In such a commodity driven market wines like those Dave Glover produces in small quantities don’t make it to the supermarket shelf and I think that is a pity. Dave will say ‘stuff the supermarkets, if people want my wines they can buy it from me’ and there is something in me that likes that attitude.
He can be a stubborn bugger but he does add colour and soul to a wine industry that many people see as losing some of its soul, particularly in the case of corporate producers.
By the way, his current release wines are worth the visit to Gardener’s Valley, they are outstanding value, they are not cookie cutter wines and you are likely to be treated to a couple of samples of yet to be released gems while you are there.

I have been drinking

Monmousseau Cuvee Brut J.M. Rosé – about $25 at Casa del Vino
A sparkling rosé from the Touraine region in France this is not only an elegant dry style wine it is packed with flavour. It has a delicate salmon pink colour, fine mousse and bursting with strawberry and raspberry characters. Better than many rosé champagnes at a fraction of the price.

Seifried Nelson 2010 Pinot Gris – $18 at the cellar door
Seifrieds produce some outstanding aromatic style wines and with a gold medal tucked in the drawer for this one it is easy to see why they are also very popular. This wine has classic pear and soft spicy aromas with rich stonefruit and spiced quince flavours. A luscious texture and balanced acidity make it a delightful anytime wine. Perfect late on a Sunday afternoon.

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.

New Year's Eve

Happy New Year! I trust you have had a great start to 2011 even if we have had a touch of rain in the last day or so. What did you do on New Year’s Eve? I don’t know about you but as I get a bit older I am over going into town and working on a headache; I would much rather have a quiet night around the dinner table.
Now a quiet night doesn’t mean boring, Sari and I use it as another excuse to dip into the cellar to select some older wines to plan a menu around. This year we shared dinner with our favourite dinner companions, Phil and Anna who love wine and food like us and appreciate some of the gems we find in the dark depths of the cellar. They also have some great wines in their collection so it is always a treat to see what they come up with.
Of course you should always start a celebration with Champagne and our choice was Bollinger. This is one of our favourite treats (rich, luscious and so very elegant) and we save it for special occasions. We decided to head to Europe for this dinner so we paired the succulent and juicy Dr Loosen 2000 Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Spatlese (plenty of rich flavour, luscious residual sugar and stunningly well balanced acidity) with a goat’s cheese tart. Now if you don’t like goat’s cheese because it is too ‘goaty’ then you have to try the soft cheese made by Meadowcroft Cheeses in Golden Bay, it is rich and creamy without any of that feral goat flavour.
Phil and Anna brought a 2003 Te Mata Estate Elston Chardonnay to enjoy with the main course and we opened and decanted a bottle of 1996 Chateau Canon-la-Gaffeliere Saint Emillion Grand Cru. Both wines were outstanding and complimented the smoked beef steaks with garlicky potato dauphinois perfectly. The chardonnay is a fully oaked style with enough acidity to liven up the taste buds while the Saint Emillion (merlot, cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon blend) was silky smooth and bursting with huge plum and blackcurrent characters.
We probably didn’t need dessert but we had a non-vintage bottle of Domaine du Mas Blanc Banyuls (a fortified red dessert wine from France very much like a Port) begging to be opened so we had a super-rich chocolate pot with it. Only one of us (not me!) managed to get to the bottom of the cup the dessert was served in and there were mixed reactions to the wine. Personally I loved it but for a couple of our diners it didn’t really work, never mind – more for me!
While we sat in the big comfy chairs and digested dinner midnight rolled around and that of course meant another bottle of bubbles. A hugely decadent night of fine food and great wines shared with good friends, for me the perfect way to welcome the New Year.
However you celebrated I wish you a healthy and prosperous 2011 and don’t forget to get out and enjoy the treats our local wineries have to offer this summer, including live Jazz on the lawn at Woollaston Estates 12 noon to 2.30pm on Sunday. Free admission and bring your own lunch.

I have been drinking
Lindauer Rose
This is a light, fun summer fizz that is perfect late in the afternoon. Pretty salmon pink in colour the wine is medium dry and crisp with full fresh cherry and peach flavours. Once again Lindauer proves they can deliver a quality wine at a fantastic price.

No 1 Family Estate Shooting Star - $22
There is something about sparkling sauvignon blanc that just doesn’t quite work for me, I just can’t get my head around a champagne style wine that tastes like bright fresh and vibrant Marlborough sauvignon. However this one is a very well made (you would expect nothing less from the remarkable Daniel Le Brun stable) and if you love sauvignon blanc then give this a go it does what it says on the label very well.

Old wine treats

Over the summer break I have been lucky enough to enjoy some fantastic wines including a number of older wines.

A couple of weeks ago a friend of ours invited us to lunch with a small group of fellow wine lovers. After we had enjoyed some vinous treats with lunch sitting around the table on a miserably wet Sunday our host disappeared into his cellar and reappeared with a bottle of 1990 Henscke Hill of Grace. This stunning aged South Australian shiraz was appreciated and enjoyed by the small gathering but because it didn’t last long our host disappeared again and returned with a bottle of 1977 (considered the best vintage of the last century) port. Another stunning wine and I can’t think of a better way to spend a wet afternoon, enjoying fine wine with friends and great food.

Also this month Brightwater Vineyards are celebrating their tenth vintage producing wine under their own label and they are doing this by opening a bottle of wine from each vintage of one variety every weekend.

They started with 10 vintages of sauvignon blanc. The next weekend 10 vintages of chardonnay then 10 vintages of riesling. Finally this coming weekend they will be opening 10 vintages of merlot for tasting at their cellar door.

You may be thinking ‘who drinks old sauvignon blanc?’ and it is probably a fair question. We are told by most that sauvignons are best enjoyed young and fresh but this tasting proved that not only are older sauvignon blancs ok but they can be very good.

The most interesting thing to come from this tasting for me was the difference between wines sealed with a cork in the early part of the decade and wines sealed with a screwcap from 2004 onwards. The early wines suffered from bottle variance and some showed quite advanced age characters with one vintage in particular being effected by a batch of poor quality corks with three bottles opened and each one being quite different.

Once we hit the wines sealed with a screwcap the wines still showed some age characters but no where near as much as the earlier wines and they consistently had nice fresh characters. In these wines you could taste the difference in vintage conditions; by this I mean the wines all had very similar characters so you could taste how they were all made by the same producer from fruit grown on the same vineyards but some had riper fruit characters with slightly different flavours and textures that came from vintage conditions.

Woollaston Estates Tussock 2009 Pinot Noir Rose

Woollaston Estates have been producing one of the region’s best roses for several years and the 2009 Tussock version doesn’t disappoint. The delicate salmon pink colour entices while the lush strawberries and cream flavours satisfy the tastebuds. I will be drinking a lot of this over the summer break.