Introduction
General Findings
Index of Wines, by Varietal: Whites, Reds,
Index of Wines, by Winery: Page 1 (A to M), Page 2 (N to W)
Tasting Notes, in time sequence of tasting: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3
Some Wine Links of Interest
Lunch at Annie's in Christchurch
(Click on thumbnail for full-size image)
The notes below are from a three-week trip to New Zealand, the country that brought its fine sauvignon blancs to the world's attention, that is gaining a reputation in pinot noir, and that's the leader in screwcap closures and self-adhesive labels. There was opportunity to taste lots of wine: besides going to winery tastings, I ordered wines by the glass with lunch and dinner; dinner usually with three different glasses that we two shared. When the trip was done, I found that I had actually tasted a total of 116 different wines!
Goals: The goals I had in mind before going were toI chose not to investigate cabernet sauvignon/merlot, not much of which has shown up here in the USA. To my surprise, a varietal that gets lots of play in New Zealand is pinot gris, and there's more gewürztraminer than one might expect.
- sample pinot noirs to find out how good they were;
- find sauvignon blancs other than the ones I knew;
- taste some chardonnays to get the sense of the New Zealand style;
- try some rieslings, also to sense the style.
Books: I also found and bought two very good books on New Zealand wines:The first is oriented toward varietals and tasting notes, the second toward the wineries. Both were a great help in sorting through all the wines I tasted, although the impressions and notes below are my own.
- Michael Cooper's "Buyers Guide to New Zealand Wines 2005", Holder Moa Becket (2005)
- Peter Saunders "A Guide to New Zealand Wine 2004", Clarity (2003)
New Zealand is a delightful place for the wine enthusiast. Most wineries have "cellar-door" sales and tasting. Tasting is often free, and sometimes for only a nominal charge. There generally a wide range of wines to taste, and not just a few bottom of the line ones. A number of wineries had associated restaurants or cafés; the ones we visited (Clearview, Whitehaven, Saint Clair, and Allan Scott) had relaxing outdoor settings with good food and fine wines by the glass.
Restaurants not only had very good wine lists, but usually also offered several wines by the glass. We quickly decided to have several wines by the glass at dinner rather than a single bottle.
About the varietals, and some of the wines that we enjoyed most:
Sauvignon Blanc: lots more that I had not known about about, with most very good, and no disappointments. The style varies some, with more or less grassiness, some more elegant and others with what I call "sharp elbows". They continue to have the well-known, and consistent bracing acidity. Of 39 tasted, the favorites were2004 Astrolabe Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New ZealandPinot Noir: in the ones I tasted, a wide range of styles, from overwhelming fruit to well-balanced and fine to thinness masquerading as elegance. There seems to be no consistency, so it's best to try before buying. Although we visited Martinborough, we did not include Central Otago, a well-known area for pinot noir, in our trip. Of 29 tasted, the favorites were
2004 Forrest Estate Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand
2004 Huia Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand
2004 Lake Chalice Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand
2004? Lawson's Dry Hills Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand
2004 Palliser Sauvignon Blanc, Martinborough, New Zealand
2004 Te Whare Ra Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand
2004 Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand2003 Allan Scott Prestige Pinot Noir, Marlborough, New ZealandChardonnay: also a wide range of styles. I was hoping to find some made in the French style, given the natural acidity of NZ wines. Some leaned in that direction, others were quite lush. Fortunately, none had the over-oaked character of California and Aussie chardonnays, nor the softness of some residual sugar. A number of wineries made unwooded chardonnay, often quite good and less expensive. Of 17 tasted, the favorites were
2002 Nautilus Pinot Noir Reserve, Marlborough, New Zealand
2002 Palliser Pinot Noir, Martinborough, New Zealand
2002 Rockburn Pinot Noir, Central Otago, New Zealand
2003 Schubert Pinot Noir, Wairarapa, New Zealand
2002 Seifried Pinot Noir, Nelson, New Zealand2004 Clearview Estate Unwooded Chardonnay, Hawkes Bay, New ZealandRiesling: tended to be made wholly- or off-dry (corresponding to the German "trocken" or "halb-trocken"), or as a late harvest wine. Altogether they were well-made, usually with some of the varietal floral characteristics and good acidity. Of 16 tasted, the favorites were
2003 Clearview Reserve Chardonnay, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand
2002 Martinborough Vineyard Chardonnay, Martinborough, New Zealand
2003 Seifried Winemakers Collection Barrique Fermented Chardonnay, Nelson, New Zealand2004 Craggy Range Fletcher Family Vineyard Riesling, Marlborough, New ZealandGewürztraminer: this was a surprise. Apparently it's a difficult grape to work with, but a fair number of wineries offer it. The NZ wines generally have the varietal "musty-apple" character, but often with lower acidity and somewhat short taste. Of 5 tasted, the favorites were
2002 Framingham Dry Riesling, Marlborough, New Zealand
2003? Sherwood Riesling, Waipara, New Zealand2003? Artisan Gewürztraminer, Gisborne, New ZealandLate Harvest (sweet) wines: A number of wineries take great pride in making intense botrytis late harvest wines, and are delighted to pour a taste. They are also very good. Of 4 tasted, the favorites were
2004 Lawson's Dry Hills Gewürztraminer, Marlborough, New Zealand2002 Cloudy Bay Late Harvest Riesling, Marlborough, New ZealandPinot Gris: another surprise, listed on many wine lists under "aromatics", along with riesling and gewürztraminer. Most wineries make one, but I did not try any; they are apparently made a bit off-dry with their own flowery character.
2003 Allan Scott Late Harvest Chardonnay, Marlborough, New Zealand
About the notes:
The notes are personal impressions, by a wine-lover but non-professional in the field. As such, they are often cursory and incomplete, and with rare exceptions lack the myriad of flavor components so beloved of wine writers (such as the famous NZ gooseberries). The notes also will not follow the generally over-heated, self-congratulatory prose of winery descriptions of their products (is that what I was drinking?). Finally, the ratings are a rough reminder to myself of how much I enjoyed the wine, and are highly subjective; they may often be a bit higher than they should be for being enjoyed with food or in the very pleasant environment of a delightful vacation trip.
New Zealand http://www.nzwine.com/index.html
Site of the New Zealand Grape and Wine Industry.http://www.tizwine.com/
Lots of interesting stuff, including some tasting notes.http://www.travelenvoy.com/nzwine.htm
"The Wine Guide": looks like a complete list of NZ wineries in all regions, with links.http://www.winesofnz.com/
Kind of an ugly format, but lots of NZ wineries are listed by region.Hawke's Bay http://www.hawkesbaynz.com/food_wine/results.htm?cm=18&c[]=163
Descriptions of 36 Hawke's Bay wineries and links to some. There's a good map within the site.Marlborough http://www.destinationmarlborough.com/dm/wineandfood/
Links to other linkshttp://www.winemarlborough.net.nz/
Currently being re-designed. Had a very good map with Marlborough winery locations.Martinborough/
Wairarapahttp://www.wairarapanz.com/wine.html
Winery and other links, with two very good maps of Martinborough and Wairarapa wineries.Nelson http://www.bonz.co.nz/nelsonRegion/nelsonCity/wineriesAndBreweries/wineriesAndWineTrails.html
Wineries and wine trails in the Nelson region.
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