FOOD & WINE
The Wine Rack Words. Dennis Knill, wine writer
THERE’s a lot more to Northland than first seems. Geographically speaking the Far North is one of the most stunning parts of New Zealand recognised as a tourist friendly destination not for its wine. As one of our newest wine growing regions Northland has come a long way since wines were first nurtured in the eighties. Back then there were three wineries now there’s over sixty with many producing outstanding award winning wines. The diversity of climate allows for a wide range of grapes grown ranging from chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and syrah to pinot gris, viognier, rose and chambourcin. The New Zealand wine trail has a wealth of wine riches with over five-hundred wineries stretching from Kaitaia in the north to Central Otago in the south. Leading the
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issue 29 • summer 2020-21
way are the large player’s in the value for money stakes and between them boutique and smaller scale operators producing lower volumes. While Hawkes Bay, Marlborough and Central Otago are the main wine producers with established grape combinations one of the most notable developments has been the dramatic expansion of vineyard holdings throughout Northland who are beginning to steal the march on their southern competitors. It would be amiss to think of Northland as the industry innovators but in their own way they are pushing the boundaries with exceptional value for money wines. Recent plantings by Owen Glenn at Wiroa Station, Kainui Road and The Landing are helping to
cement Northlands future. With much to see, taste and experience, Northlands cellar doors are filled with enthusiastic winemakers who love to share their passion for hand crafted wines. Here are three you should include on your itinerary.
Ake Ake Vineyard and Restaurant On emigrating from Jersey in the Channel Islands in 2004 John Clarke and Aynsley Quenault purchased a small block of land readily planted with grapes. Although John comes from a long family history of wine merchants his knowledge of growing grapes and making wine was limited so he borrowed library books to learn the skills of wine making. John’s first attempt of producing
