Auckland is Gateway to New Zealand for
Wine Tourists
 Auckland’s importance as a wine region is far
greater than its relatively minor share (four percent)
of the national vineyard might suggest. The country’s
largest city is "home base" for each of the
four largest wineries that together account for around
80 percent of the nation’s production.
A car journey from one end of the region (North Cape)
to the other (South Auckland) takes well over four hours
and covers a wide range of soil and weather types. It
is hardly surprising that the wine styles of the greater
Auckland region are about as diverse as it is possible
to imagine. Compare the delicate Pinot Noir of Kumeu
River with the robust Amarone-style red of Vin Alto,
or the blockbuster Okahu Estate Clifton Chardonnay with
the more elegant and restrained Collards "Old Vines" Sémillon
and you will appreciate the difficulty in defining an "Auckland
style."
Auckland is the gateway to New Zealand for many wine
tourists. The scenic beauty of Waiheke Island and the
legendary status of Waiheke wines has made this island
paradise an important destination on any vinous itinerary.
Other districts, including Clevedon, Matakana, the Bay
of Islands and even Kaitaia promise to compete for attention
as their reputations grow.
Canterbury Region Full of Potential
Whenever I visit Canterbury, New Zealand, I discover
new wines that, like small gold nuggets, suggest there
is an enormous amount of great wine not too far away.
St Helena 1982 Pinot Noir gave the nation’s winemakers
confidence to invest in the variety.
Giesen Riesling helped to convince a few Canterbury winemakers,
and me, that the variety has a future in the region.
Waipara West 1985 Pinot Noir, Mountford 1997 Pinot Noir
and Pegasus Bay 1998 Pinot Noir have confirmed my faith
in the region’s ability to make great Pinot Noir.
Pegasus Bay and Daniel Schuster have shown that Canterbury
can also make top Chardonnay.
Canterbury House earned a Sauvignon Blanc trophy for
its 1998 vintage.
Banks Peninsula vineyard Kaituna Valley turned out top
Pinot Noir over several vintages, thanks to a combination
of a great site, mature vines and sensitive winemaking.
Despite the region’s obvious (to me at least) potential,
Canterbury has not yet made it on to the country’s "best
seller" list. Perhaps wine buyers have been dazzled
by the performance of other regions, perhaps they are
waiting for more consistent performance, or perhaps the
small production levels have failed to make a big impact.
Whatever the reason, Canterbury gets my vote as the wine
region with the most potential. Now is the time to discover
and secure wines that may soon be in high demand.
Gisborne Region Sports Unspoiled Coastline
 Once New Zealand’s largest wine-producing region,
Gisborne now has wineries intent on building reputations
for quality rather than quantity. More than half of the
vineyard area is planted in Chardonnay vines, adding
strength to the claim by local grape growers and winemakers
that Gisborne is New Zealand’s Chardonnay capital.
Take one fresh Gisborne crayfish and a bottle of good
Gisborne Chardonnay, find a lonely stretch of unspoiled
Gisborne coastline. Boil the crayfish over an open fire.
Serve with crusty bread and a crunchy salad of locally
grown lettuce and a chilled glass of wine. In these circumstances
it is easy to imagine that Gisborne makes the world’s
best Chardonnay.
Don’t forget to try Gisborne Gewürztraminer,
rated by many as the country’s best. Red wines
account for a relatively small nine percent of the region’s
vineyard, with Pinot Noir soon to overtake the current
leader, Merlot.
Only a few Gisborne wineries invite visitors to sample
and buy – the rest are large satellite wineries
of Auckland-based companies or small producers that sell
only through established outlets.
According to my wine database, Gisborne makes this
country’s
least expensive regional wines. Gisborne wines average
a relatively modest $18.45, compared with our national
average of $22.29
(in New Zealand dollars).
Discover Hawkes Bay, New Zealand,
North Island Wine Capital
 Hawkes Bay is New Zealand’s North Island wine
capital. This historic wine region makes over one-quarter
of the country’s wine and offers a wine trail with
great depth and diversity.
In Hawke’s Bay you can visit the country’s
oldest wineries, tour our largest wine museum, dine at
winery restaurants that are among the nation’s
best, sample top examples of mainstream wine styles or
explore wines made from the newest and most experimental
varieties to reach our shores.
For a diversion from wine, Art Deco fans should tour
the city of Napier, which was rebuilt after being destroyed
by a major earthquake in 1931. Sun-lovers can bask at
the beach while fishermen can catch their limit in rivers
or at sea.
Hawke’s Bay has a wide range of soils and climates
that together create a diversity of wine styles. Coastal
vineyards are moderated by cooling sea breezes, with
temperatures climbing as vineyards move away from the
sea and then cooling again as they gain altitude further
inland.
The new inland district, Central Hawke’s Bay, now
produces truly cool-climate wine styles that contrast
markedly with the wines of Gimblett Road, possibly the
district’s warmest area.
Marlborough Earns Status as New Zealand's Wine Capital
 Marlborough,
New Zealand occupies 40 percent of the national vineyards,
neatly contained in a beautiful valley bordered on three
sides by mountain ranges and, on a fourth, by the sea.
Well, almost neatly. The now very fashionable and adjacent
Awatere Valley has broken the symmetry. If demand for
Marlborough vineyard land continues at its present heady
pace there may soon be other satellite valleys. Vineyard
land in Marlborough is a dwindling resource.
Marlborough earns its status as our national wine capital
for its international reputation as much as its mammoth
production. Sauvignon Blanc is the super-star that put
Marlborough and New Zealand on the lips of wine enthusiasts
from Paris to Peking. Despite pessimists who cry "the fad will soon be over",
and an increasing challenge from Marlborough look-alike Sauvignon Blanc, the
heady demand for our number one export wine continues to grow.
Try not to be so dazzled by Sauvignon that you miss sampling
Marlborough’s
zesty Rieslings, luscious botrytised dessert wines, elegant Méthode sparkling
wines, sleek Chardonnays and taut Pinot Noirs. You might also add Pinot Gris,
Gewürztraminer, Sémillon, Pinotage, Malbec and even Syrah to your "must
taste" list. Hunt hard and you may also find Sangiovese, Montepulciano and
Viognier.
And now for the really good news. According to my wine
database, Marlborough makes very affordable wines. The
average price of the Marlborough wines that I have tasted
is $20.54, slightly below our national average of $22.29.
Great wine, plenty of it and at bargain prices – what a combination!
(again, all prices listed are New Zealand dollars)
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