AROMATIC VARIETIES SHINE BRIGHT IN NEW ZEALAND DURING SUMMER AND ALL YEAR LONG
CHRISTIE DUFAULT Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir from great regions in New Zealand get their fair share of accolades, but this time of year, it’s the aromatic varieties that get me really excited. Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer may get less of New Zealand’s press; yet for me they are the unheralded super stars. These aromatic and flavorful varieties - each unique - mirror the bounty of summer and accent it from the glass. Summer means the enjoyment of fresh, bright, chilled wines and wines that accompany the vegetable and fruit abundance of the season. People lean towards plant-based cooking, and whether they are grilling or tossing together a salad, in the summertime many consumers reach for fresh herbs and bright seasonings. New Zealand producers treat us to wonderful examples of these grapes in a variety of styles: from fruity, moderate alcohol Rieslings, to complex, floral Gewürztraminers, to fullflavored, robust Pinot Gris. The versatility of these wines at the table is boundless. Whether you are a restaurant professional or home chef, these wines are worth seeking out. The majority of New Zealand’s aromatic varieties grow in the cool regions of the South Island. These are varieties that genuinely reflect where they were grown. Warmer areas render slightly richer wines, with fruit-forward aromas and rounder bodies. Cooler sites yield leaner, more mineral wines, with focus and elevated levels of acidity. Riesling is an excellent example of the latter. Although Riesling makes a mere 1% of the wine production of New Zealand, it shows brilliant varietal purity here. All summer long, a glass of New Zealand Riesling accompanies me from the patio to the table. A favorite is the always-charming Spy Valley Riesling from Marlborough. Chilled, the wine is fresh and peachy on the nose and tastes dry and stony. A bit harder to find is the Riesling from Rippon in Central Otago, where vineyards are planted on schist soils. Combined with the cool Lake Wanaka climate, these vines render Riesling of incredible depth with tension on the palate that never falters. Pair this Riesling with nearly any shellfish dish, and you’ve got magic. Both wineries aforementioned also make Gewürztraminer, signaling a passionate devotion to the variety because so little is grown in New Zealand. Still, I have tasted many and have been consistently impressed with the varietal “correctness” and transparency. At its best, Gewürztraminer is beguilingly aromatic, full of rose perfume, pink peppercorn and melon. Again, the cool sites on the South Island produce wines like this, and although most are dry, some may contain a balanced amount of residual sugar. Pair them with Asian and Middle Eastern dishes for maximum delight. For example, the hint of sweetness in a bottle of Lawson’s Dry Hills Gewürztraminer from Marlborough makes a magnificent companion to an Indian spread including masalas, spicy dahls and savory naans. To my “western” palate, this brings together the best of two worlds. Pinot Gris, a big favorite of many chefs I know, reliably offers complex aromas, a full, flavorful palate and a delicious savoriness on the finish. A recent exciting discovery was Ostler Winery in the newer region of Waitaki Valley. Their lakeside vineyard sprouts from ancient soils and renders a distinctly aromatic wine: lemon, bitter almond and lily come to mind. The wine also has a mere hint of residual sugar, and when I paired it recently with a traditional Vietnamese summer menu, my guests were thrilled. New Zealand has shown us for decades that it’s committed to high quality wines, but it’s time to expand our repertoire to include the aromatic varieties. Start this summer. The wines are so delicious with food that you will likely continue to pair them with menus throughout every season. Christie Dufault is a San Francisco-based wine and culinary educator and an Associate Professor at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in Napa Valley. Previously, she worked as a wine director for some of the nation’s finest restaurants including Gary Danko in San Francisco, where she was featured on the Food Network and earned the Grand Award from Wine Spectator. In 2003, Christie was named “Best Young Sommelier” by Wine & Spirits Magazine. As the lead sommelier at Quince Restaurant in San Francisco, she was awarded “Best Wine Director 2007” by San Francisco Magazine. In 2009, Christie helped open RN74 in San Francisco, a Michael Mina restaurant. A lifelong love of wine, food and travel led her to work as a tour guide in France for several summer seasons. Christie also co-authored a cookbook, Two in the Kitchen, with her spouse Jordan Mackay in 2012. Today, she remains a guest lecturer at the San Francisco Wine Center and a regular contributor to Somm Journal.
Images - The New Zealand Aromatics Symposium, Nelson 2017