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 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

wine was an immediate success winning a medal. Motivated by his achievements John acquired more land with grapes sourced from other growers to produce even more wine. In 2012 the winery began a process of converting from chemicals to organic and in 2015 was the first winery in Northland to be fully organic certified.

Visitors can taste wines at the cellar door located inside the bistro restaurant which is a great place to enjoy lunch or dinner. Wineries need welcoming restaurants serving simple well priced food and restaurateurs Chris and Judy Owen offer diners a choose-your-own culinary adventure and a dining experience of highly worked dishes that will not disappoint.

Marsden Estate Moving to Kerikeri in 1992 Rod and Cindy MacIvor purchased a kiwi fruit orchard before deciding to create their own winery. In making that decision they already knew the best thing about Kerikeri was the sense of pride and the community spirit amongst the people who live here. They knew if they combined this with their mission to make the best wines in Northland this new venture would surely not fail.

From planting their first grapes in 1993 it was only five years before they won their first medal, a silver at the Royal Easter Show. Fast forward fifteen years and today Rod is a living icon of the Northland wine trail producing a range of

$30

2019 Ake Ake organic chambourcin reserve Deep in ruby hues this easy drinking wine comes with an interesting umbrella of ripe fruit, earthiness, spice and great flavour that is nicely balanced with herbaceous aromas and light tannins. A great crowd pleaser.

wines that has expanded from chardonnay, pinot gris and syrah as their primary vintages to merlot, pinotage, muscat, chambourcin and tempranillo.

Visitors can taste their entire range at the cellar door seven days a week and if food is on your list there’s a restaurant serving lunch and dinner from a menu designed by Dale Gartland their in-house chef of Cape Kidnappers and Kauri Cliffs fame.

$27

2019 Ake Ake organic sauvignon blanc vermentino A rare but interesting well balanced duet blended with Sardinian grapes. Fresh and vibrant with a hint of added aroma and lively herbaceous flavours have been rounded off with a freshness on the palate that is long and crisp.

The Landing Winery Deep in history the rolling vineyards sit where it is thought the first grapes were grown in New Zealand. Two-hundred-years on and today alongside a coastal paradise and native forest on the Purerua

$30 $31

2020 Marsden Estate pinot gris This young, lush mouth filling, fruit driven wine is ripe and flavoursome with layers of fresh citrus zest and a fruity bouquet that delivers great balance and complexity to match a wide range of foods.

2019 Marsden Estate viognier Produced from an opulently textured grape originally from Rhone Valley in France this relatively new wine is gaining popularity. Medium to full bodied and predominantly dry with delicately balanced soft acids that delivers a rich structured finish giving this wine lots of legs.

$48

Peninsular the winery is one of the most exquisite developments to take place in the region. It was to be Peter Cooper a visionary Northlander born and bred in Kaitaia who carefully chose the site. Prior to purchasing the land Peter had a successful career as

2019 The Landing chardonnay Subtlety with power that’s refreshing and full bodied displaying deep vibrancy with finely balanced with herbaceous fruity flavours that are rich and crisp as to be expected from a wine at this price point. Will take some beating

$27.50

2019 The Landing Vino Rosso

This unique blended wine is common throughout Italy. Oozing with rich aromatics with clean concentrated flavours combined with balanced acidity and long fine tannins make this an excellent food friendly wine. Ready to drink now a corporate lawyer in Auckland before moving into property development in the USA. Although Peter still resides in Los Angles his passion for wine resulted in a plan to establish one of the best grape growing areas in Northland. In the short space of 20 years with the able assistance of Rod McIvor followed by Ben Byrne and Warren Gibson winemakers extraordinaire the winery has produced some outstanding award winning wines. 

FURTHER INFORMATION: Personalised daily wine tours are available from: • Total Tours: info@totaltours.co.nz • Bay of Islands Tours: info@bayofislandstoursco.nz

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