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PERFECT PAIRINGS

PERFECT PAIRINGS

AUCKLAND

After restaurant licensing began in the early 1960s, Auckland-grown wines were among the first to appear on wine lists. Household family names like Babich, Fistonich, Ivicevich, Corban and Brajkovich changed the way we discovered and enjoyed wine. Brands like Cresta Dore and Bakano Red were replaced by Muller Thurgau, Palomino and eventually Chardonnay, Riesling and Merlot.

Auckland’s wine sector is small, with only 326 hectares under vine: one percent of the national planted total. It wasn’t always small, but constant pressure from population growth, urbanisation and other New Zealand wine regions has shrunk Auckland’s produce.

From Clevedon in the south, to Matakana in the north and Waiheke Island, some fabulous wines are produced from 108 producers. Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are the varieties used for mainly blended red wines. Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc lead white wine plantings.

Auckland regional soils are over 200 million years old, and dominated by sandstone, mudstone and clays. It rains a lot in Auckland, so the threat of botrytis and unexpected vine disease carries a constant risk. Recent vintages have favoured the Auckland region, with 2013 and 2014 especially showing some incredible wines across many producers. Chardonnay takes the crown for whites; Cabernet Merlot blends for the red. Varieties to watch out for include Syrah, Cabernet Franc and Pinot Gris.

HAWKE’S BAY

New Zealand’s second largest wine region, Hawke’s Bay, is the North Island’s go-to for high-quality red blends, Syrah and a growing number of emerging red varieties like Tempranillo. Superb Chardonnays and Sauvignon Blancs have been produced here for many years. With 79 registered wineries in the region (12% of the national total) spread across 4694 hectares, Hawkes Bay is small compared with Marlborough, but punches well above its weight for quality over quantity.

Hawke’s Bay red blends (sometimes referred to as Bordeaux Blends) feature

Merlot, Cabernets Franc and Sauvignon, and often Malbec and Petit Verdot. The best blends have a focused core of fruit, are ripe and bold on the palate, and display very expressive and abundant tannins, with plenty of acidity and oak use common. Some of the best examples have come from plantings around Te Awanga, Crownthorpe, Bridge Pa and the Gimblett Gravels sub-regions. With around 27 soils types in the Bay there are many different expressions of red blends to discover.

One of the shining stars - and hopefully part of the future of the Hawke’s Bay wine story - is Syrah. In better vintages, Syrah are as good as any you’ll find in France and the New World.

GISBORNE

Situated on the North Island’s east cape, and the first to be touched by the sun each day, Gisborne is an important and historical wine region. Renowned for Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer & Pinot Gris, Merlot and sparkling wine, Gisborne is also home to the largest vine propagation company, Riversun Nurseries.

With 1,274 hectares of vines, Gisborne accounts for just 3 percent of the national total. Most is Chardonnay (664 hectares), aromatics (416 hectares), and Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc accounts for just over 70 hectares each.

Some Chardonnay material is used for sparkling wine production, while the rest produces full-bodied, slightly tropical expressions. A few producers are experimenting with leaner, more expressive textured examples. Aromatic varieties such as Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Chenin Blanc and Albarino are well suited to the region, with weighty, spicy, fruity and lush textures. With the rainshow effect from the Wharerata Hills and Raukumara Ranges and moderating effects of the Pacific Ocean, all wines show a natural acidity.

The region’s general soil types include alluvial loams over sandy volcanic subsoils and clay. There are three key sub-regions:

• Ormond to the north, with limestone influenced topsoil;

• Patutahi – a little further inland with more clay and silt soils;

• Manutuke - more coastal, with sandy, silty and clay soils.

WAIRARAPA

Located close to the east coast of the lower North Island, the Wairarapa region is historically known for Chardonnay, Riesling, Syrah and Pinot Noir, with many popular producers.

Wairarapa’s wine story began in the late 19th century when the first vines were planted. With animal farming popular in the area, very few producers saw the potential for great wine in the 1880s, making it a very secondary industry. In 2016, New Zealand’s oldest wine - a 1903 Landsowne Claret from Beetham Homestead, inland Wairarapa - was described as ‘superb’ at an international tasting I attended in 2016. There are still a few bottles in the cellar – but not many.

The Wairarapa’s wine story changed significantly in the early 1970s, when a few wine pioneers took a chance on the Martinborough and Dry River brands. Today there are 1000 hectares planted across 69 wineries, creating three percent of the national total spread.

Long summers, warm days and a decent daily diurnal shift makes the region perfect viticulture territory. Wairarapa wines are generous, fleshy and complex, with reds showing a focused core of fruit and fine tannins, and whites showing concentration, complexity and finesse. The Rimutaka and Tararua ranges give some shelter, diverting enough rain to keep the region generally dry. Organic and biodynamic farming is also becoming popular in the area.

Soils are made up of gravelly sub-soils, silty loams and some clays, across several terraced land formations. Martinborough is the better-known of the sub-regions, with Gladstone and Masterton, East Taratahi, Te Muna and the Opaki Plains growing over the past 40 years.

Pinot Noir, Syrah, Riesling and Chardonnay form the backbone of the region’s cultivated varieties. Méthode Traditionnelle, Pinot Gris, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and blended red wines are emerging as varieties to watch.

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