24 minute read
focus on new zealand
Vines at Lake Wanaka, Otago
As a wise man once said, you can only have a shortage of something people want or need. And, as many Wine Merchant readers will have noticed perhaps more than ever over the past year, an awful lot of people want New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.
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As we reported back in September, a combination of factors has meant it has been something of a challenge to keep servicing British wine drinkers’ apparently insatiable thirst for the inimitable gooseberry bush bungee-jump flavours (to paraphrase the New Zealand journalist Bob Campbell MW’s memorable pen portrait of the style’s appeal).
The main contributing factor is the shortness of the 2021 harvest – down 19% on the previous year, largely because of what New Zealand Winegrowers called “inclement” late spring weather. But long-term labour shortages, which were exacerbated by New Zealand’s strict Covid travel restrictions preventing the arrival of temporary workers during harvest, also played their part.
With many producers already struggling to keep up with growing global demand in previous, bumper years, the 2021 shortfall has meant a period of careful stock management and tight allocation, with some importers stretching out their 2020 stocks a little longer. At the same time supermarkets and other small-margin operators have had difficulty sourcing the kind of bargain-basement prices that most brands and wineries in any case believe are damaging to New Zealand’s premium image.
New Zealand is not the only country dealing with a smaller crop in 2021. Production across Europe was massively down, with some producers in that other leading Sauvignon zone, the Loire Valley, confronting losses as high as 80% thanks to a mix of late frost, hail and mildew.
New Zealand is also far from alone in experiencing another of the issues that has impacted on stock availability in the UK: problems with the global shipping network. As reported in September, delays of several weeks and months have been experienced by UK importers on wines from the southern hemisphere thanks to a chickens-coming-home-to-roost moment in which Covid restrictions, long-term global shortages in shipping containers and HGV drivers, and post-Brexit paperwork have all combined to give headaches to UK importers.
2022 and beyond
As the country’s winemakers look ahead to what they hope (and, at the time of writing, believe) will be a bigger 2022 harvest, steps are already being taken to address the significant challenge of labour shortages.
The problem is rooted in the New
the kiwi conundrum
New Zealand’s wines are in higher demand than ever, at a time when supply is under unprecedented pressure. David Williams considers the state of play in a country where life for winemakers is nothing like as straightforward as they would like it to be
Zealand wine industry’s reliance on overseas workers, especially at harvest time. In Marlborough – which, with 28,360ha of New Zealand’s total 40,323ha vineyard, accounts for almost threequarters of total production – help from overseas, which traditionally included a high number of backpackers, including numerous trained winemaking graduates from Europe, the US, South Africa and elsewhere, usually accounts for around two-thirds of the harvest workforce.
With New Zealand’s exceptionally tough Covid travel restrictions essentially closing the border to all travellers, including overseas-based NZ nationals, since the pandemic began, the industry had to lobby the national government hard to allow a limited number of seasonal workers (two cohorts of 2,000 individuals) to be granted an exemption to enter the country in 2021.
At the time of writing, the New Zealand government’s plans to relax travel restrictions for foreign nationals are not due to come into force until the end of harvest this year: fully vaccinated travellers will be allowed to enter the country from April 30.
The industry has therefore had to work closely with the New Zealand government to expand the seasonal worker visa scheme this year, as well as developing a variety of incentives to help grow the local workforce, particularly during the seasonal peaks of pruning and picking.
Currently, around 21,000 New Zealand nationals are employed by the domestic wine business. With labour shortages also biting in other industries, and with New Zealand’s agricultural workforce notorious, in the words of New Zealand Winegrowers, for its “immobility”, the wine industry will be hoping that this will be the last vintage in which travel restrictions play a part.
The effects of popularity
Of course, any problems New Zealand might be facing are the kind that football managers blessed with more good players than they have spaces for in the team tend to describe as “the right kind of dilemma”: Winegrowers a decade ago – and all but unthinkable as recently as the early 2000s. By the end of December 2020, exports had reached NZ$2bn (£1.03bn).
And if some of the supply-chain pressures alluded to earlier in this piece led to a drop in sales during the year to June 2021 (the first fall in exports for 26 years, according to New Zealand Winegrowers), the underlying indicators remain strong for New Zealand.
Certainly, the UK, where double-digit off-trade growth has been a feature preshortage, and where the average retail per-bottle price is now more than £1.30 higher than the GB average and rising, New Zealand remains in rude health.
Consistent work by both the industry as a collective (through the medium of New Zealand Winegrowers) and by individual brands over a period of more than 25 years has established New Zealand as one of – if not the – greenest wine-producing countries in the world (see below for our pick of some of New Zealand’s best and most adventurous organic, biodynamic and natural producers).
Uniquely, New Zealand Winegrowers make adherence to a set of rules on environmental best practice (Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand) a precondition of inclusion in the organisation’s marketing and promotional plans. The NZ wine industry has a target of being carbon neutral by 2050 and, as it prepares to meet the target, New Zealand Winegrowers
The team at Nautilus Estate, Marlborough
they are all a product of the country’s astonishing success.
The past year saw New Zealand wine pass yet another milestone that was considered ambitious when it was set as an official target by New Zealand
carried out extensive research, asking all of its member vineyards and wineries to provide details about their greenhouse gas emissions.
With concerns about sustainability and carbon footprint arguably never higher in the UK in the wake of COP26, the focus on sustainability has proved to be a wise strategy commercially as well as ethically.
“Sustainability credentials now play an important role in the perception of premium products,” is how New Zealand Winegrowers puts it in the organisation’s informative annual report. “Goods that are produced with respect for the natural world, and for the people throughout the value chain, are seen as more desirable to modern, informed consumers.”
Pinot’s progress
While any press attention about potential shortages from New Zealand inevitably tends to focus on Sauvignon Blanc, many independent merchants have been more troubled by scarcity of the country’s other varieties, notably Pinot Noir, which, given that barrel ageing means it takes longer to make, will be felt a little later down the line.
The crop for Pinot Noir was roughly a third down in 2021 versus 2020, and with the area devoted to the variety having increased only very slowly in the past 10 years (from 5,388ha in 2012 to 5,779ha in 2021), the Pinot crush was less than a tenth the size of Sauvignon’s.
With quality inarguably never higher, thanks to a combination of greater vine age and accumulated experience, Pinot can be seen as both a microcosm of the wider New Zealand industry, as well as being reminiscent of another Pinot region.
Just like Burgundy, 2021 New Zealand Pinot Noir is a study in just how high demand for something can go when supply gets scarce.
New Zealand has always been a leader, certainly in the new world, when it comes to organic viticulture. According to industry body Organic Winegrowers New Zealand, more than 10% of New Zealand producers are certified organic, with many more currently in conversion or following organic precepts. The country has also had more than its share of biodynamic producers, with some of its biggest and most respected fine wine names – Millton, Seresin Estate, Felton Road, Rippon Vineyard, Quartz Reef, Pyramid Valley (now in the hands of Craggy Range founder Steve Smith and his business partner Brian Sheth) – either fully certified or closely following biodynamic principles. New Zealand’s pronounced green tinge has given rise to an annual event: New Zealand Organic Week, with a range of online and offline events for consumers and trade including, last September, the first inperson New Zealand tasting since Covid began, which featuring than 70 organic and biodynamic New Zealand wines.
For all New Zealand’s head start in sustainable viticulture, however, it’s taken a while for the country to develop its response to the related trend for minimal intervention winemaking: the natural scene in New Zealand has been much slower to reach critical mass than in Australia, California and South Africa.
That too is rapidly changing, however. And wherever you stand on the divisive natural question, it’s hard to dispute that New Zealand’s growing group of natural wines has added an important element of creativity and edge to a vinous culture that has sometimes been accused of a certain clinical conservatism.
Among the producers helping to challenge the stereotype is Churton (pictured below). Founded in the 1990s (first vintage in 1997) by British couple Sam and Mandy Weaver, Churton has been a pioneer of biodynamics, with Sam for a while being the chair of the Biodynamic Farming Association of New Zealand. The Weaver way has produced impeccable, often beautiful wines from Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Pinot from their Marlborough estate. But with sons Ben and Jack are now also working in the business, the family has added a natural range – Natural State. Made in an avowedly hands-off way using natural yeasts, with minimal additions and featuring a blend of Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc and Petit Manseng, a Sauvignon Blanc and a Pinot, the range combines funkiness with the sleekly pristine qualities that made the Churton name.
The Churtons are not the only family-run company taking a natural turn. Also in Marlborough, Hunters’s Offshoot label now features two pet nat sparklers, a red and a white. And for the classic natural hipster micro-productions, names to look out for include Sato, Kindeli and Vandal.
THE WINEMAKER FILES // Andrew Donaldson, Akitu
I had a business associate in London,
who hadan amazing cellar which he raided for my benefit. Over time I developed a meaningful attraction for the heartbreak grape. At about the same time (early/mid 1990s) Central Otago was experiencing something of a gold rush with a number of fantastic grape growers and winemakers being drawn to the region to see what they could make of this amazing Pinot Noir fruit that they could grow here. So my most special place in the world became the most exciting place in the new world to grow my favourite varietal.
We’ve not rushed anything in this
project. We waited more than 10 years before we were sufficiently confident in our vineyards’ ability to grow exceptional fruit before we were happy creating the Akitu brand.
Right when we needed a name, my wife
found one in an old Maori dictionary. We chose Akitu for its “summit” meaning, both mountains and aspirations, plus I loved the symmetry of the word. I didn’t know there was an ancient Sumerian harvest festival of the same name. I think they call it fate.
The Wanaka sub-region of Central Otago is the closest to the Southern Alps
and that proximity brings risks as well as benefits. Our climate is more temperate than most of the other sub-regions – we have longer hang time at the end of the ripening period. In March and April we can often have glorious calm days with maximum temperatures in the early 20s and overnights all the way down to low single figures: perfect Pinot weather. This means we can hang on to our fruit longer without sugar ripeness of berry physiology forcing us to pick before all those fascinating Pinot profiles fully evolve. Yes, we are close to the edge, but that’s exactly where Pinot plants perform best.
I don’t have the palate or subtlety to meaningfully contribute in the detail
of the winemaking process. But I am fascinated by these 36,623 vines who have just had their 20th birthdays. We need to make long-term strategic decisions (we’ve just started our transition to full organics, for example) and we need to make vintage- specific tactical decisions. It’s like playing backgammon with the weather gods. It’s a lot of fun.
Winemakers do amazing things in the
winery, particularly in troublesome years, but for me I think the best Pinot is made in the vineyard and 20 years of vine age is where it starts to get interesting. So I was in no rush and the excitement starts now.
We aim for structure and complexity in our Black Label and generosity and
approachability in White Label. We want to make elegant wines that are distinctive but are generally characterised by fine silky tannins and lovely fresh acidity.
Of all the main varietals I do think Pinot
is the most fascinating. The variability
Born and raised in Wanaka in Central Otago, Andrew graduated in mechanical engineering before embarking on a career in finance that took him far from home. On the way he fell in love with Pinot Noir, eventually returning to the scene of his childhood to create Akitu.
Akitu wines are imported into the UK by Mentzendorff 020 7840 3600 www.mentzendorff.co.uk
and multidimensional character makes for a pretty compelling experience in the glass if it’s properly made, and you concentrate. However, when we started Akitu we wrote that “we make wine for our friends and for their friends” and I hope we have stayed true to this. Lots of people love wine and fortunately lots of our friends (old and new) love our wine. But in the end, the conversation always and most appropriately moves on from the wine to the people, and in the end we make wine for people to enjoy. End of story.
Akitu A1 Pinot Noir 2019
RRP: £42
The first aroma gives a hint of the depth and complexity that lies beneath. Layers of graphite, brown spice, wild herbs and dark plummy fruit. Ripe dark cherries, dark rose petal and a hint of sous bois are all coiled very tightly. I feel like I need a side of espresso martini to ensure I stay focused long enough to see the detail unfold.
Akitu A2 Pinot Noir 2019
RRP: £30
Dark garnet with a crimson glow, it’s almost opaque at the centre of the glass. The aroma opens with spicy dark cherry and a hint of fresh cinnamon over thyme and a wonderful waft of dark liquorice. There is a lift of graphite on the nose with depth coming from dark rose petal and a hint of violets. Excellent depth and complexity.
Akitu Pinot Noir Blanc 2021
RRP: £30
Brassy, rose-gold with a faint green hue and a platinum fleck; mica-like shimmer. On the nose, dusty river rock minerality, rose petals, Turkish delight, wild herbs, and a hint of sourdough mother but more brioche than that. A risqué bouquet of rouge compact and red-hot lipstick entwined with ripe peaches and musk sticks.
A new look atNew Zealand
Blackenbrook Pinot Blanc 2020
Nelson RRP £17.50 Lamont Chardonnay 2019
Central Otago RRP £28
“Pinot Blanc is not a variety you would readily associate with New Zealand and that’s because only about 11ha are planted,” explained Lithgow. “Two of those happen to be at Blackenbrook.
“They’re a small family-run business making lovely wines at accessible prices, just over the mountain from Marlborough in Nelson.”
Ursula and Daniel Schwarzenbach are originally from Switzerland. Daniel’s love of aromatic varieties was nurtured at Zind-Humbrecht in Alsace. Lithgow added: “This is from young vines. It’s vinified in stainless steel, wholebunch pressed. The winery is entirely gravity fed so there are no pumps interfering with the quality of the must. It has extended lees contact for texture, no fining, and just a light filtration and 8g/l of residual sugar.
“I find sometimes Pinot Blanc doesn’t have a huge amount of character but this has lovely peach, pear and a little bit of chamomile and a yoghurty lees note adding further complexity – maybe a little bit of almond in there as well.”
Will Heaton-Livingstone of Selected Grapes echoed the views of a number of tasters saying that the “balanced residual sugar lends a nice weight”, while Maxwell Graham-Wood of Satchells enjoyed its “fresh and fruity style”. “Now there’s a lot of Gewürz planted in New Zealand,” said Lithgow. “It’s the fifth most widely planted white variety. I tried some pretty good examples from across the country as part of this purchasing project.
“This is hand-harvested, as everything is at Blackenbrook, whole-bunch pressed, tank fermented at low temperatures and given extended lees contact with no fining.
“Nine per cent sees a bit of old oak just to add richness and complexity; a textural element.
“There’s 6g/l of residual sugar so it’s towards the drier end of the Gewürz scale.
“On the nose it couldn’t be any other variety with that classic lychee and rosewater. “You can find New Zealand Gewürz with an overtly perfumed character, which is sometimes a bit too much, or you can get this style, which is a bit more smoky and musky.
“There are almost some elements of charcuterie in there too, which adds an interesting savoury dimension to that tropical fruit.”
Bruce Evans at The Grape & Grain, not normally a Gewürz fan, enjoyed the “hint of oak and spice” while Fitz Spencer of Honky Tonk Wine Library “loved it ... great on the nose and not overpowered with perfumed sweetness”. “Central Otago is famous for its Pinot Noir but looks much more like Scotland than Burgundy,” said Lithgow.
“It’s much drier than Burgundy and you have a higher diurnal swing, so the grapes retain their acidity.”
Lamont, owned by Craig and Angie Gasson, was a chance discovery for Amathus. Craig began as a viticulturalist at Lamont in 2002, returning in 2011 – after spells at Chapel Down in the UK and the Okanagan Valley in Canada – to buy out his former employer.
“We were just stunned by the quality of this wine,” added Lithgow. “It’s from 26-year-old vines near the shore of Lake Wanaka.
“This is very much towards the Burgundian end of new world Chardonnay: a lot of matchstick reduction, a smoky complexity, grilled nuts, lots of nectarine, a little bit of pineapple.
“A really rich, creamy, textural wine with the acidity to hold it all together.” Our group of tasters noted a mineral, almost saline edge to the finish.
“I’m definitely getting that minerality,” said Sarah Truman of Sarah’s Cellar. “It’s a really interesting Chardonnay.” Chloe Malone of Champion Wines described it as “stunning stuff”, with “delicate nuts and marzipan” flavours.
New Zealand
Amathus Drinks wine buyer Jeremy Lithgow MW leads a group of Wine Merchant readers through a selection of the company’s ecelectic Kiwi portfolio, beyond the familiar Marlborough Sauvignon.
For more information, visit amathusdrinks.com or call 020 8951 9840. Email jeremy@amathusdrinks.com
Lamont Pinot Noir 2018
Central Otago RRP £34 Paritua Stone Paddock Scarlet 2018
Hawke’s Bay RRP £20.50 Paritua Syrah 2018
Hawke’s Bay RRP £32
Lamont’s Pinot Noir comes from the Bendigo Terraces. “You’ve got a bit of altitude here, close to the 400m mark, so you get some finesse in the wines,” said Lithgow. “What I love about this is the purity of the fruit and the fact they haven’t actually done that much with it in terms of extraction.
“The grapes are destemmed and cold soaked before fermentation on skins for three and a half to four weeks. The wine spends 11 months in 25% new oak, medium toast, with the other three quarters of the wine going into old oak.
“This is very much towards the redfruit end of the spectrum, with raspberry and mulberry, and the wood’s hovering in the background offering a little bit of supporting spice. There’s some Burgundian sous bois lurking in there too.”
He added: “Central Otago has come a huge distance in a very short space of time to produce some world-class Pinot and I think this sits comfortably among some of the best.”
The wine proved popular with tasters, who remarked on its raspberry tartness.
Graham Sims of New Forest Wines praised it as “balanced and classy”.
Will Heaton-Livingstone of Selected Grapes described it as “beautiful ... lovely soft, well-integrated tannin and smooth red fruit”. “Hawke’s Bay is one of the warmest vine-growing areas of New Zealand and is carving out a reputation for high-quality Bordeaux and Rhône-style reds,” explained Lithgow.
Paritua’s vineyards are planted in the Bridge Pa Triangle near the Gimblett Gravels. While the terrain here is stony and free draining, there is some soil to work with in this ancient river bed.
“Paritua was planted in 2003,” said Lithgow. “The head winemaker, Jason Stent, was a professional cyclist for a few years and fell in love with wine while he was living in Bordeaux.
“It’s a no-expense-spared project with 50ha or 60ha of vines, and a smart architect-designed winery with all the latest kit, including optical selection. “The Scarlet is 37% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Franc, 22% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 9% Malbec, all estate fruit. There’s a fairly brief fermentation, with the varieties blended at a late stage before barrel ageing for 12 months. “It’s got some lovely lift from the Cabernet Franc, which gives a slightly herbal note.
“It’s not an overtly new world take on a Bordeaux blend. A lot of what comes out of Hawke’s Bay combines a lot of new world lushness and ripeness with some slightly more savoury old world dimensions and elegance.” Lots of Syrah wines owe a debt to the Rhône but in this case, argued Lithgow, the influence is more genuine and easy to spot.
That’s partly down to the use of the Chave clone, which is popular in Hermitage and Côte-Rotie, and can also thrive in Hawke’s Bay.
“It gives you a lot of spice, white pepper and clove, and bacon fat characteristics,” Lithgow explained.
“In this wine the grapes are partially destemmed, 20% are whole bunches in the tank. The wine spends 12 to 14 months in barriques and puncheons, including 50% new French oak.
“It’s very far removed from what may be considered an Australian style of Syrah. It’s medium to full bodied and really silky; the oak is present but not dominant.
“For me the spice element from the Chave clone really comes through, along with the blackberry and dark cherry notes.
“This will get better over the next two or three years, but there’s no real reason to wait.”
For Alex Edwards of York Wines, this is a “really beautifully balanced wine with a really great finish that lasts”.
For Bruce Evans, the wine was simply “class”, while Maxwell Graham-Wood anticipated more to come from it as it ages.
One day this month I had cheesecake for lunch.
That nice cook from next door who once asked me to match a wine with his new perfume (any damn day, add to LinkedIn profile) and who once went out with the Ancient Chief Hippy’s daughter and managed to weather the break-up in a remarkable show of not giving a fuck brought me in a slice of baked cheesecake. You’ll like this, he said, because he was a big fan of CHEESEORNO* which has, yes, died a bit recently because I am fed up being glued to my shiny whizzbang device and looking to the Social Media for affirmation of my existence and evidence of my considerable imperfections.
I wasn’t going to eat any cheesecake because fundamentally refined sugar is bad and more generally I was feeling super-resolved that the Indulgences Must End having just come back from a week of holiday/existential angst/ indulgence where I wrote an Amazing Lunch about not having lunches and not being in work having a negative effect on Lebkuchenhaus made from dehydrated greying mince and how much I like my pen that I’d lost, which I found again, which I definitely didn’t write last year but some things just get lost in the midst of/mists of time, both of which work, don’t they? I once had a long, irresolvable late night argument about “bog standard” vs “box standard” (both of which work, don’t they? And actually the latter makes more sense) when I was of the opinion that being right mattered and maybe more importantly that there is a right.)
You’ll like this, he says, it’s got a whole Brillat-Savarin baked in it.
Was it just kicking around the kitchen? I says.
Oh no, I ordered it in specially, he says, a remarkable gleam of not giving a fuck in his eye. I inhaled, knowing the price of a Brillat-Savarin.
Did you take the mould off it? I says, thinking woaaah, has he come another route to the great Savoury Sweet akin to my forgotten Cheese Trifle of yesteryear (ladyfingers in PX, layered Dolce Gorgonzola and Mascarpone, Sauternes jelly, figs and shavings of Parmesan to garnish)?
Naw, he says, I just whizzed it all up, hee hee. Off he skipped with that look in his eye.
Calm Matt and Enterprise Iain said it just tasted gash but I think he had something there, something not entirely pleasurable and possibly a confusion of “cream cheese” and “triple crème”, but who am I to judge? What is life without some mistakes, and if you don’t give a fuck are they really mistakes? Nobody’s perfect.
15. CHEESECAKE
Phoebe Weller breaks her self-imposed ban on sugary indulgences when a chef calls bearing lunchtime gifts. But was she right to take the plunge?
the affirmation of my existence and some miserable ranting about the government, the darkness, the littering, the coldness etc and then realised it was pretty much exactly the same Amazing Lunch I’d written at the same point last year. (It did however have some nice bits about a run-in with professional yellow-label seekers in St Enoch one Sunday night, a
* Arguably Glasgow’s top cheese-related quiz. Search Instagram. Ed.
Wine No More
A glass of red wine gets knocked over and – sharp intake of breath – it’s spilled all over the carpet/tablecloth/your customer. Do you a) apply salt, b) chuck a glass of white wine on top, followed by cold water and some furious dabbing with a cloth or c) panic?
Wine No More! is a red wine stain remover spray formulated without any bleach or harsh chemicals. Lakeland claims this product will successfully lift red wine stains from clothing, carpet and upholstery. Sounds like a home and work essential. Lakeland.co.uk, £6.39 for a 250ml spray
Better by halves
Smaller formats are here to stay. Virtual tastings often call for half sizes, and restaurants are increasing their half bottle ranges to add an extra dimension to their by-the-glass listings.
In response to this growing market, WBC has launched a new budget range of sustainable transit outers specifically for 36.5cl half bottles of wine or Champagne. They also accommodate 50cl beer bottles. Made in the UK from strong double-walled BC fluted cardboard, the transit outers come flat packed for easy storage, contain 80% recycled content and are 100% recyclable.
Available for six and 12 bottles, prices start at £1.16 excluding VAT.
There’s no minimum order and free next-day delivery on orders over £150. wbc.co.uk
There’s more than one to skin a cat. It’s the same with making a Sidecar cocktail, and each of them is a much more pleasurable experience I’m sure. The classic version of the drink involves Cognac, triple sec (such as Cointreau) and lemon juice, but you can switch the main spirit for brandy flavours such as apricot or cherry, or the juice for escalations of sweetness like pomegranate or pineapple. This twist axes the orange liqueur for something a little fresher that looks forward to spring.
5cl Cognac 3cl St Germain or another elderflower liqueur 3cl fresh lemon juice
Shake all the ingredients together over ice. Strain into a Martini glass.
