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.
Showing posts with label Variety Gewurztraminer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Variety Gewurztraminer. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Christmas is coming
It seems like Christmas was only yesterday but like me I am sure you know it is already that time of year again. One month from today and we will all be reflecting on Christmas Day 2010 but before we can reflect we need to plan and as this is a wine column we need to plan what we will be drinking on the big day.
If you like to start Christmas Day with a glass of bubbles you have got time to shop around and pick up either some great value New Zealand sparkling wines or to save your pennies for a bottle of something special from the French region of Champagne.
For Sari and I we always start with champagne; if we can’t be a little decadent on Christmas Day when can we be? Because the world economy is still recovering very slowly champagne houses in France have a bit of surplus stock so you will find some pretty good deals being offered by many retailers. Fifty dollars will buy you a very respectable bottle of Champagne but if you want to push the boat out a bit then the sky is the limit - $300 plus for rare or ultra premium wines.
I know this sounds expensive but a mid-range champagne at around the $100 mark can make your Christmas a very special occasion and you have four weeks to plan for it.
Last week I went to a tasting of Pol Roger and Charles Heidsieck Champagnes at Casa del Vino where we tasted everything from the $110 Pol Roger Pure NV through to the $320 Pol Roger Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill 1999. The latter was the star of the tasting as you would expect but the Rosé Champagnes ($150 & $240) were stunningly elegant and oh-so-drinkable. If you want premium champagne for your Christmas Day then drop in and see Anne and she will help you choose the right wine for you.
If your budget won’t quite stretch to premium bubbles then you have some great New Zealand choices. Old favourites like Cloudy Bay’s Pelorus, Daniel Le Brun’s No 1 Family Estate Number Eight or Allied Domeque’s Deutz are absolutely reliable wines made in the traditional champagne method and you will find them on special for $20 – $45 depending on the wine. Then there is always the old faithful Lindauer. It doesn’t set the world in fire but you can always find it somewhere for about $10 a bottle.
Whichever sparkling wine you choose stay away from the ultra-cheap ($4 - $7) carbonated wines, the bubbles are artificial like soft drinks and will just give you a huge headache.
If you see very cheap imported champagne be wary if it is parallel imported. The storage and age is not guaranteed by a distributor and the quality can vary significantly from bottle-to-bottle. They can be great value but if it is not as exciting as you expected then you have been warned.
I have been drinking
Saint Clair Pioneer Block 2008 Lone Gum Gewurztraminer - $21
This multi-trophy winning wine is simply stunning. The wine is full bodied and bursting with rose petal and Turkish delight characters with lashings of sweet lychee and delicate spice all bound together in a luscious, oily texture in the mouth. Named as Winestate’s New Zealand Winery of the Year 2010 it comes as no surprise the trophies for this wine contribute to 100 trophies the winery has won over the years.
Julicher Estate 2009 99 Rows Pinot Noir - $25.45
A gold medal Martinborough pinot noir for $25? They do exist and this is living proof. The light colour understates the delightful intensity of this wine. Packed with ripe dark cherry, elegant vanilla and soft toasted oak flavours wrapped around silky tannins this wine is a warm delight.
If you like to start Christmas Day with a glass of bubbles you have got time to shop around and pick up either some great value New Zealand sparkling wines or to save your pennies for a bottle of something special from the French region of Champagne.
For Sari and I we always start with champagne; if we can’t be a little decadent on Christmas Day when can we be? Because the world economy is still recovering very slowly champagne houses in France have a bit of surplus stock so you will find some pretty good deals being offered by many retailers. Fifty dollars will buy you a very respectable bottle of Champagne but if you want to push the boat out a bit then the sky is the limit - $300 plus for rare or ultra premium wines.
I know this sounds expensive but a mid-range champagne at around the $100 mark can make your Christmas a very special occasion and you have four weeks to plan for it.
Last week I went to a tasting of Pol Roger and Charles Heidsieck Champagnes at Casa del Vino where we tasted everything from the $110 Pol Roger Pure NV through to the $320 Pol Roger Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill 1999. The latter was the star of the tasting as you would expect but the Rosé Champagnes ($150 & $240) were stunningly elegant and oh-so-drinkable. If you want premium champagne for your Christmas Day then drop in and see Anne and she will help you choose the right wine for you.
If your budget won’t quite stretch to premium bubbles then you have some great New Zealand choices. Old favourites like Cloudy Bay’s Pelorus, Daniel Le Brun’s No 1 Family Estate Number Eight or Allied Domeque’s Deutz are absolutely reliable wines made in the traditional champagne method and you will find them on special for $20 – $45 depending on the wine. Then there is always the old faithful Lindauer. It doesn’t set the world in fire but you can always find it somewhere for about $10 a bottle.
Whichever sparkling wine you choose stay away from the ultra-cheap ($4 - $7) carbonated wines, the bubbles are artificial like soft drinks and will just give you a huge headache.
If you see very cheap imported champagne be wary if it is parallel imported. The storage and age is not guaranteed by a distributor and the quality can vary significantly from bottle-to-bottle. They can be great value but if it is not as exciting as you expected then you have been warned.
I have been drinking
Saint Clair Pioneer Block 2008 Lone Gum Gewurztraminer - $21
This multi-trophy winning wine is simply stunning. The wine is full bodied and bursting with rose petal and Turkish delight characters with lashings of sweet lychee and delicate spice all bound together in a luscious, oily texture in the mouth. Named as Winestate’s New Zealand Winery of the Year 2010 it comes as no surprise the trophies for this wine contribute to 100 trophies the winery has won over the years.
Julicher Estate 2009 99 Rows Pinot Noir - $25.45
A gold medal Martinborough pinot noir for $25? They do exist and this is living proof. The light colour understates the delightful intensity of this wine. Packed with ripe dark cherry, elegant vanilla and soft toasted oak flavours wrapped around silky tannins this wine is a warm delight.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
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.
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
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.
Monday, March 8, 2010
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.
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.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
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.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.
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