New Zealand has held a Pinot workshop in the spa town of Hanmer for more than 20 years. Following Pinot 2010 in Wellington, Marlborough producers decided to set up their own workshop to get serious about this fickle grape.
While Hanmer has sumptuous hot pools, Marlborough producers hold their get-together at a school campground! Whoever thought it would be a good idea to hold wine tastings at a centre with an adventure playground was asking for trouble. I am reliably informed injuries have been sustained in the name of Marlborough Pinot Noir.
Ben Glover, winemaker at Wither Hills, says: “This is modelled on the Hanmer experience but we really need to encourage our own region to take Pinot seriously.”
Indeed, Marlborough Pinot Noir has an image as simple and juicy. Serious Pinot drinkers have looked to Martinborough or Central Otago for complex, structured Pinot Noir. But Marlborough producers aren’t content with the status quo.
Anna Flowerday, co-owner of Te Whare Ra, says: “Marlborough gets accused of being too fruity and not complex but that’s a vine age thing. Now we have really good clones and really good sites and that’s why I think Marlborough Pinot has improved.”
Certainly older vines and sites, particulary in the southern Wairau Valley such as Benmorvan and Clayvin vineyard, are showing promising results but this year’s campground convention concentrated on stems in Marlborough Pinot Noir.
Flowerday explains: “We have a whole day when people bring trial wines. This year everyone brought stem trials from the 2011 vintage. We did some really great flights with no stems, 20% stems vs 50%. We found some interesting stuff.”
“Some people swore blue murder that they would never used stems and now they are considering it,” she adds. “Stems is more of a finesse thing giving wines an extra layer. You get secondary characteristics. The stems give the palate width and a floral perfumed character.”
Across the road at Wither Hills, Glover has also been experimenting with grape stems. He was cautious at first, worried that stems would bring green flavours and astringency. Today, the winery’s standard Pinot generally has 5-12% stems in the ferment. He has also done barrel trials with up to 100% stems. “It was pretty cool. It really swung the pendulum, giving the wines white pepper, lifted notes…It kept the bright fruit at bay.”
While I personally love stems in my New Zealand Pinot Noir, providing structure and line to the soft fruit, it doesn’t always work. Let’s face it, no-one wants astringency in a Kiwi Pinot. Flowerday adds: “We need to do it very cautiously on younger vines because they don’t have the concentration of fruit.”
In addition to vine age, the weather also appears to play a part. “Lignification is seasonal; a Frenchman would say it’s terroir. Personally, I think longer hang time is conducive to lignification,” says Glover. He also notes that some blocks tend to lignify early while others don’t. Clay soils, in his opinion, inhibit lignification too.
With the 2012 harvest now in full swing, those “serious” Pinot producers will again be doing stem trials to take back to the 2013 edition of Marlborough’s campground convention. Let’s hope someone packs the first aid kit.
Eden Valley Riesling producers have launched a proprietary bottle, embossed in the same vein as Chateauneuf du Pape. And the first vintage using this bottle - 2011 – is hitting shelves now.
The green flute has a symbol on the front representing the rolling hills of the Eden Valley and the region’s name is also embossed. It gives the region’s wines much better on-shelf presence and gives confused consumers a better idea what to expect if they’ve tried an Eden Valley Riesling before.
While it’s early days for the bottle, the region’s two biggest producers, Yalumba and Peter Lehmann, have not come on board for the first release. The price per bottle - some quote 90 cents, others more, others less - is perhaps a little high, particularly in the current economic climate when producers are looking to cut costs. However, a special mould had to be created to produce the bottles hence the high cost. What’s more, the Eden Valley is not a mass producer so the economy of scale is certainly not there to bring costs down.
Yalumba’s Louisa Rose, explains their decision. “The issue for us is that it’s quite expensive and our brands are much bigger than most. It’s a commercial decision at the moment but I think it’s a great idea.”
And Ian Hongell, winemaker at Peter Lehmann, adds “We are not using the Eden Valley bottle because we have our own proprietary bottle.”
Yet, if the biggest producers came on board, they would have the economy of scale, and the project would have more clout.
One of the area’s most renowned producers, Henschke, has bottled its 2011 Julius Riesling in the proprietary bottle but Stephen Henschke admits, “Not enough are using it but I think more people will be influenced to start.”
I certainly hope more producers do come on board. It is a small region that is technically part of the Barossa zone and there is very little awareness of the area.
Thus far the Clare Valley has achieved a higher profile status for its Rieslings but with greater unity and widespread adoption of this bottle, there is an opportunity for the area to become known as the premium Australian Riesling region. It should take a leaf out of Central Otago’s book, which has become known as the leading new world Pinot Noir producer through its collaborative marketing efforts.
There is a real opportunity for the region: Eden Valley Rieslings offers fresh wines that are clean and modern, and would suit the current consumers’ appetite for vibrant, unoaked styles. With moderate alcohol levels (12-12.5%), lemon, lime and lavender aromatics, they would appeal to a wide audience.
Yet it is relatively unknown: as part of the Barossa, it often gets overshadowed by its bigger brother. The proprietary bottle is a good start to increase its recognition, but it shouldn’t stop there.
*Packaging manufacturer Amcor produces the proprietary bottles. I have contacted them, asking for details on production costs, price per bottle and units sold thus far but they have not responded to my calls.
Playing classical music when you are number 31 in the queue to speak to an immigration officer does nothing for your stress levels.
It’s been five months since I applied for residency and they’ve just started processing it. I can’t imagine how hard it is for those whose first language isn’t English - yet that hasn’t deterred many from setting up homes and businesses here.
The wine industry has welcomed plenty of newcomers to New Zealand. The first vineyard in Marlborough was planted by a Scotsman and, most recently, Hawkes Bay’s Paritua Vineyard was purchased by a Milford-based Chinese investor, backed by shareholders in Shanghai, Beijing and Chicago.
China is getting a taste for fine red wine: five Bordeaux chateaux have been bought by Chinese firms in the past year.
Europeans and Americans have already made their mark on the country’s wine scene. Dalmatians were pioneers, particularly around Auckland, founding wineries such as Villa Maria, Nobilo and Kumeu River.
Today, Marlborough’s Fromm is Swiss-owned and nearby Clos Henri is very much a French venture. Austrians established Central Otago’s Quartz Reef and Nelson’s Seifried, the Schuberts said Auf Wiedersehen to Germany for a new life in Martinborough, and Americans are behind the artisanal Pyramid Valley and Craggy Range (mistakenly referred to as Shaggy Peak by a friend).
Attracted by New Zealand’s freedom from rigid wine-making laws, this melange of cultures makes the country’s wine scene richer and more exciting. Thank goodness they weren’t put off by the immigration department’s music.
2009 Petit Clos sauvignon blanc, by Clos Henri Marlborough ($19, Maison Vauron)
A gentle Marlborough savvy that doesn’t jump out of the glass and whack you around the chops. Elderflower, passionfruit and wet stone combine with a ripe, but not searing, acidity making you want another glass. And that’s not something you often get from $19 Marlborough wines. Allez les Francais!
2010 Schubert rosé, Martinborough ($25, Martinborough Wine Centre)
Made by German-born Kai Schubert, his latest rosé release is dry, poised and restrained. If you like a dollop of sugar in your rosé this ain’t for you, but it remains one of my favourite rosé in New Zealand.
2007 Fromm Vineyard pinot noir, Marlborough ($64, Glengarry, Fine Wine Delivery Co, Scenic Cellars)
This Swiss-owned producer really surprised me with its top pinot noir. Unadulterated and delicate, it reminded me of the top wines of Rippon Estate and Mt Maude. It’s kind of funky and has an offbeat smoky bacon and stilton nose, but that’s what rings my bell. Ding dong!
This article was originally published in the NZ Herald on Sunday 17 April 2011. To see the article on the NZ Herald site, click here
Matt Thomson, globe trotting winemaker, joins me to discuss New Zealand wine, his love of kayaking and who he would go gay for. Plus a funny out-take at the end…
I heard the name Matt Thomson everywhere but he’s a difficult man to pin down, taking 170 flights a year.
Being a consultant winemaker in Marlborough, I was keen to pick his brain on its Pinot Noir, as I’ve been largely unimpressed with the region’s offerings thus far.
He is quick to defend Pinot Noir in Marlborough. “I find it really frustrating. If you look historically at what the region has won in terms of trophies for our Pinot Noirs, we have done better than other regions.”
But what about structure? Isn’t the region lacking a bit in its Pinots? “I think New Zealand Pinot Noir lacks structure,” he admits.
Perhaps it’s a soil thing, or maybe it’s vine age or climate…
Stem trials
Here’s where I get technical…Some winemakers are getting more structure by adding stems to the ferment. I like this. It adds a bit of chew and a linear finish, plus gives the wine more longevity. “As a component, get the level right and the wine sings,” says Thomson.
Not that everyone can do this successfully, however. Add too many stems, or if they aren’t ripe, you’ll get a green, sappy character in the wine. If you’ve ever chewed on a grape stem, you’ll know what I mean. It’s pretty unpleasant.
The problem is stems in Pinot Noir struggle to get ripe – what’s called lignification. By the time your stems lignify in Pinot, your fruit is overripe and knackered. Throughout New Zealand, there appears to be a struggle to get stems ripe. Some say it is a climate thing, others think it is clonal thing, while there’s the argument it could be a vine age thing. Which, leaves me very confused. But then again, there’s very rarely a definitive answer in the wine industry.
If anyone would like to offer their views, I’d be interested…
The wine industry has started to rally to the aid of Christchurch following its second devastating earthquake on 22 February.
Central Otago’s Felton Road offered their entire UK stock - that’s 85 mixed cases – below retail cost with every penny going to the earthquake’s Red Cross appeal. Within two days, they have sold out and nearly $48,000 has been raised.
Nigel Greening, owner of Felton Road, says “We are exploring whether we can source some other wine to make a second offer today, but at the moment we have no more. Our thanks go to all and apologies to those who will miss out on the wine”.
Similarly Naked Wines in the UK (which, coincidentally I blogged about last week) has joined up with New Zealand Winegrowers, and the UK importers of Villa Maria and Wither Hills, to sell a ‘lucky dip’ case of New Zealand wine for £49.99. Naked says ‘We won’t make a bean out of this. EVERY penny you spend, minus the tax, will be donated.’
And for those of you in Surrey, Rupert Pritchett of Taurus Wines is planning a wine tasting in aid of Christchurch’s earthquake victims. Presumably he’ll be showing New Zealand wines, many of which I have helped select for the list, so it should be a pleasurable way to do your bit.
Let’s not forget the winemakers of Waipara and Canterbury too. Their major local market has crumbled and they will need your custom more than ever. Lynnette Hudson, winemaker at Pegasus Bay, says, “I can only speak for us because other wineries maybe different. However the reality for the region was that Christchurch was the major city of the South Island. It is an easy market to service because of proximity and loyalty by Canterbrians to local wineries. In our case we service this market directly hence reduced costs,”
If you are doing anything in New Zealand or the UK to help out Christchurch’s earthquake victims, please leave a comment to let others know.
