New Zealand wine

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New Zealand wine is largely produced in ten major wine-producing regions spanning latitudes 36° to 45° South and extending 1,600 km (1,000 miles). They are, from north to south:

Contents

History

Winemaking and vine growing go back to colonial times in New Zealand. Due to economic (the importance of the protein export industry), legislative (prohibition and temperance), and cultural factors (overwhelming predominance of beer and spirit drinking from British immigration), wine was a marginal activity. Dalmatian immigrants at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century brought with them viticultural knowledge and set up the nascent NZ wine industry in West and North Auckland. Typically their vineyards produced sherry and port fortified and sweetened for the palates of New Zealanders of the time, and table wine for their own community.

The three factors that held back the development of the industry simultaneously underwent subtle but historic changes in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In 1973 Britain entered the European Economic Community, which required the ending of historic trade terms for New Zealand meat and dairy products. This led ultimately to a dramatic restructuring of the agricultural economy. But even before this restructuring was fully implemented, diversification away from tradition protein to products with potentially higher economic returns was explored. Vines, which produce best in low moisture and low soil fertility environments, were seen as suitable for areas that had previously been marginal pasture.

The end of the 1960s saw the end of the New Zealand institution of the "six o'clock swill", where pubs were open for only an hour after the end of the working day and closed all Sunday. The same legislative reform saw the introduction of BYO (bring your own) licences for restaurants, which were typically restricted to wine. This had a profound unexpected effect on New Zealanders' cultural approach to wine, although the popularity of wine only 20 years later could not have been anticipated at the time.

Finally the late 1960s and early 1970s noted the rise of the OE (Overseas Experience), where young New Zealanders travelled and lived and worked overseas, predominantly in Europe. The OE as a cultural phenomenon goes back before this time, but by the 1960s a distinctly Kiwi (New Zealand) identity had developed and the international passenger jet had democratized the experience, allowing large numbers of New Zealanders to experience first-hand the decidedly different wine-drinking cultures of Europe.

First Steps

In the 1970s, Montana Wines in Marlborough started producing wines which were labelled by year of production (vintage) and grape variety (in the style of wine producers in Australia). The first production of a Sauvignon Blanc of great note appears to have occurred in 1977. Also produced in that year were superior quality wines of Müller Thurgau, Riesling, and Pinotage.

The excitement created from these successes and from the early results of Cabernet Sauvignon from Auckland and Hawkes Bay launched the industry with ever increasing investment, leading to more hecatres planted, rising land prices and greater local interest and pride. Such was the boom that over-planting occurred, particularly in the "wrong" varietals that fell out of fashion in the early 1980s.

In 1984 the then Labour Government paid growers to pull up vines to address a glut that was damaging the industry. Ironically many growers used the Government grant not to restrict planting, but to swap from less economic varieties (such as Müller Thurgau and other hybrids) to more fashionable varieties (Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc), using the old root stock. The glut was only temporary in any case, as boom times returned swiftly.

Sauvignon Blanc Leads The Way

New Zealand is home to what many wine critics consider the world's best Sauvignon Blanc. Oz Clarke, a well known British wine critic, wrote in the 1990s that New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc was "arguably the best in the world" (Rachman). Historically, Sauvignon Blanc has been used in many French regions in both AOC and vin de pays wine, some of which is often rather bland. The most famous had been France's Sancerre. It is also the grape used to make Pouilly-Fume.

In California, Robert Mondavi tried unsuccessfully in the 1960s to change the wine’s style and name, calling it Fumé Blanc. Fumé Blanc was meant to denote the smokiness of the wine produced due to its aging in oak. Oak maturation is common in California wine as the local market seems to greatly appreciate it. Fumé Blanc was used as a name for oaked Sauvignon Blanc in New Zealand during the 1980s, but the fashion for strong oaky overtones and also the name waned.

In the 1980s, wineries in New Zealand, especially in the Marlborough region, began producing outstanding, some critics said unforgettable, Sauvignon Blanc. "New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is like a child who inherits the best of both parents -- exotic aromas found in certain Sauvignon Blancs from the New World and the pungency and limy acidity of an Old World Sauvignon Blanc like Sancerre from the Loire Valley" (Oldman, p. 152). One critic said that drinking ones first New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc was like having sex for the first time (Taber, p. 244). "No other region in the world can match Marlborough, the northeastern corner of New Zealand's south island, which seems to be the best place in the world to grow Sauvignon Blanc grapes" (Taber, p. 244).

Climate and Soil

The wine regions in New Zealand stretch from latitudes 36°S in the north (Northland), to 45°S (Central Otago) in the south.

Wine regions are mostly located in free draining alluvial valleys (Hawke's Bay, Martinborough, Nelson, the Wairau and Awatere valleys of Marlborough, and Canterbury) with notable exceptions (Waiheke Island, Kawarau Gorge in Central Otago). The alluvial deposits are typically the local sandstone called greywacke, which makes up much of the mountainous spine of New Zealand. Sometimes the alluvial nature of the soil is important, as in Hawke's Bay where the deposits known as the Gimblett Gravels represent such quality characteristics that they are often mentioned on the wine label.

Another soil type is represented in Waipara, Canterbury. Here there are the Omihi Hills which are part of the Torlesse group of limestone deposits. Viticulturalists have planted Pinot Noir here due to French experience of the affinity between the grape type and the chalky soil on the Côte d'Or.

The climate in New Zealand is maritime, meaning that the sea moderates the weather producing cooler summers and milder winters than would be expected at similar latitudes in Europe and North America. Maritime climates tend also to demonstrate higher variability with cold snaps possible at any time of the year and warm periods even in the depth of winter. The climate is typically wetter, but wine regions have developed in rain shadows and in the east, on the opposite coast from the prevailing moisture-laden wind. The wine regions of New Zealand tend to experience cool nights even in the hottest of summers.

The effect of consistently cool nights is to produce grapes which are nearly always high in acidity.

Varieties, Styles and Directions

Both red and white wine are produced in New Zealand. Reds are typically made from either a blend of varietals (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and much less often Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec) or Pinot Noir. Recently from Hawkes Bay there have been wines made from Syrah, either solely or blends, and even Tempranillo and Sangiovese.

Early success in the 1980s in the North Island led to red wine planting and production concentrating on Cabernet Sauvignon. Very often it was found that vegetal characteristics predominated as Cabernet Sauvignon struggled to ripen in New Zealand conditions. Mediocre wines were often accused of being "stalky". As viticulture improved with experience and more Merlot and other blending wines were employed, this fault was increasingly eliminated.

In white wines Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc predominate in plantings and production. Typically Chardonnay planting predominate more the further north one goes, however it is planted and produced in Central Otago. There is no discernable difference in styles for Chardonnay between the New Zealand wine regions so far. Individual winemakers and the particular qualities of a vintage are more likely to determine factors such as malolactic fermentation or the use of oak for aging.

New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc has been described by some as "alive with flavors of cut grass and fresh fruits", and others as "cat's pee on a gooseberry bush" (but not necessarily as a criticism). One critic described drinking Cloudy Bay Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc to "hearing Glenn Gould playing Bach's Goldberg Variations."

Cloudy Bay Vineyards has clearly set the world standard for Sauvignon Blanc and commands premium prices on the world market. Veuve Clicquot, the French Champagne producer, now owns a controlling interest in Cloudy Bay.

Other white varietals commonly include (in no particular order) Riesling, Gewürtztraminer, and Pinot Gris, and less commonly Chenin Blanc, Pinot Blanc, Müller-Thurgau, and Viognier.

Riesling is produced predominately in Martinborough and south. The same may be said with less forcefulness about Gewürtztraminer. Pinot Gris is being planted increasingly, with Martinborough and Marlborough seeming to be leading the way (particularly Martinborough's Dry River Pinot Gris). Chenin Blanc was once more important, but the viticultural peculiarities of the variety, particularly its unpredictable cropping in New Zealand have lead to its disfavor. Milton Estate in Gisborne produces a good example of this variety.

The market success of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and lately Pinot Noir mean that these varietals will dominate future planting.

Finally, mention needs to be made of the Méthode Champenoise sparkling wine produced in New Zealand. Marlborough produces a number of high quality sparkling wines, and has attracted both investment from Champagne producers (Deutz) and also champanois winemakers (Daniel Le Brun).

New Zealand's wine industry is geared toward export and it has become highly successful in the international market. To meet the increasing demand for its wines, the country's vineyard plantings have more than tripled in the ten years ending in 2005. Sales continue to increase. For example, "From 2004 to 2005, exports to the United States skyrocketed 81 percent to 1.45 million cases, more than two-thirds of which was Sauvignon Blanc, still the country's undisputed flagship wine."

Statistics

New Zealand Wine Production

Year 2004 2005
Productive vine area (hectares) 17,809 19,960
Total Production (millions of litres) 119.2 102.2


New Zealand Wine Production by Grape Variety (hectares)

Year 2003 2004 2005
Sauvignon Blanc 4,516 5,897 7,043
Chardonnay 3,515 3,617 3,731
Pinot Noir 2,624 3,239 3,623
Merlot 1,249 1,487 1,592
Riesling 653 666 806
Cabernet Sauvignon 741 687 678

See also

Sources

  • Oldman, Mark. Oldman's Guide to Outsmarting Wine. NY: Penguin, 2004.
  • Rachman, Gideon. The globe in a glass. The Economist (London), December 16, 1999.
  • Sogg, Daniel. Standout Sauvignons. Wine Spectator, 2005 (November 10), 30(12), 108-111.
  • Taber, George M. Judgment of Paris: California vs France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting that Revolutionized Wine. NY: Scribner, 2005.
  • Regional wine details
  • New Zealand Wine
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