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New Zealand see the feature in our newsletter ‘The riches of a clean, green land’ New Zealand has long been famed for its stunning, unspoiled landscape. Equal to the international acclaim for its beauty is that for its fine wine. Climate, geography and human skill have combined to produce highly distinctive, premium quality wines. New Zealand Aromatic Varieties Tasted in The Penthouse, New Zealand House, Haymarket, with its spectacular views over central London. With a move towards more expressive aromatics, especially to go with food it was a delight this week to try numerous examples of very fine wines from New Zealand. Growth of these aromatic varieties have risen nearly 400% in the last decade, far above the world average, and it is also quite clear that they are going for the quality market. Where Australia has without question shown the world how classy New World Dry Rieslings can be, New Zealand are certainly leading the way with Pinot Gris. 2007 Pinot Gris There were over 20 on show and these were the highlights: Spinyback Pinot Gris, Nelson 2007 – Charles Hawkins RRP £9.99 Peach, nectarine and quince, very elegant and will partner fresh lobster salad very well Waimea Estates Pinot Gris Nelson 2007 – Charles Hawkins RRP £10.99 From the same Estate as Spinyback, deeper concentration, pear drops, candied fruit and quince. Lovely clean fruit, but still has a deep intensity and great crisp finish. I would suggest Colchester oysters with this wine.
Cape Campbell Pinot Gris, Marlborough 2007 - Darlington Wines, Northants RRP £7.99 Nice ripe flavours of apricot and pear, full bodied/ medium sweet, possible a wine to keep for 12 months, good value. Try it with marinated octopus with paprika and steamed new potatoes.
Kim Crawford Wines Pinot Gris, Marlborough 2007 - Liberty RRP £9.49 Apples and pear drops, good dry finish, nice intensity would go really well with turbot in a creamy sauce. Sacred Hill Wine Thief Series Pinot Gris, Marlborough 2007 D&D Wines International – RRP £9.99 More baked flavours, hints of apple crumble, with a touch of cinnamon, delicate but intense if that makes sense. Lovely lingering flavours in the mouth, try it with sashimi of wild sea bass, rock salt, olive oil and lime. Thornbury Pinot Gris, Marlborough 2007 – Enotria Wine Cellars RRP £9.99 Orange Blossom on the nose, exciting vibrant flavours, drink young, very refreshing, clean and crisp, hints of spiced apple and honey suckle on the palate. Try this with cold roast free range chicken scattered with a few capers and mayonnaise. Huia Pinot Gris Marlborough 2007 – Bibendum RRP £10.90 Spicy, pears, mandarin/clementine, clean and lovely this is perfect for the roast turkey. Beautiful made wine, with exciting flavours one of the stars of the day. Quartz Reef Pinot Gris Central Otago 2007 £14.00 Very much in the style of Dry Riesling, I would buy this to keep for 18 months. Good stone fruit, lovely acidity and clean finish great with chilli prawns and crispy pork. Terravin Pinot Gris Marlborough 2007 – Star wine - Gunson Fine Wines, Hastings RRP £16.95 Incredible full rich flavours, hints of peaches and cream, mixed with intensity of crisp spices, tastes as if it has had some oak (?) a complex wine that will evolve for some time. Try it with John Dory with truffles or morels and mash. Murdoch James Estate Pinot Gris Martinborough 2007 -Les Caves de Pyrene £15.00 Nose is quite vegetative, but much cleaner taste, big mouthful to start with then it relaxes, possibly needs some time to settle, still I think that it is a very good wine and well suited to cured meats and salami. Mount Difficulty Pinot Gris Central Otago 2007 – Ellis of Richmond RRP £12.99 Peachy, nectarine, leafy, limey, lots of flavours in this one again will benefit by some further ageing, but the sweet and sour flavours give it a real tang and would be good with Sushi. Villa Maria Private Bin Pinot Gris East Coast 2007 – Hatch Mansfield RRP £8.99 Good aromatics, fruity but dry finish, lovely creamy undertones, really good flavours and great value, I would suggest Paella with this but don’t tell the Spanish. 2006 Pinot Gris Really pleased to see how these wines improve with age, and the first 3 were of exceptional value Babich Pinot Gris, Marlborough 2006 – Percy Fox & Co RRP £7.99 Great freshness, sweet and sour flavours, crisp acidity, very much in the style of an Aussie Dry Riesling, exceptional value. Deep fried soft shell crab with Asian spices. Vavasour Pinot Gris Marlborough 2006 - RRP £8.95 Pear, Jasmine Tea, clean crisp finish, elegant and refreshing again at this price this is exceptional. Grilled eel with tea caramel and sweet pickled cabbage. Gibbston Valley Pinot Gris Central Otago 2006 - N/A in UK £8.95 Apricot, dried Pear drops, long and rich, lingers for an age, will develop well, lovely wine. Carpaccio of wild salmon with Halen Mon smoked sea salt. Amisfield Pinot Gris Central Otago 2006 Fields, Morris & Verdin RRP £18.25 By far the most expensive wine, but this is stunning, big vegetative nose (on the good side) big flavours, stunning limey finish, well rounded wine that will be highlighted with exceptional food such as seared scallops, spiced cauliflower puree and shaved English truffles. Other Aromatic Varieties Gewürztraminer Now if you want vibrant Gewürztraminer New Zealand is the place, at the top you have Vinoptima from Nick Nobilo, with his 2003 from Gisborne recognised as World Class. New up and coming stars at the tasting included; Cable Bay Gewürztraminer Marlborough 2007 - Stratford Wine Agencies RRP £10.49 Very delicate flavours, soft exciting fruit, no perfume or sweetness, good dry crisp finish, aromatics of ruby grapefruit and white peaches. Serve with Sashimi of Yellow Fin Tuna, Ginger and Rosemary with crispy Buckwheat which was one of the canapés being served on the day with the tasting. Cape Campbell Gewürztraminer Marlborough 2007 - Darlington Wines - £9.99 More old world style with some nice sweetness, hint of perfume and lush fruit, delicate aromas of summer flowers and lychees. Probably best served with a baked apple stuffed with sultanas. Villa Maria Private Bin Gewürztraminer East Coast 2007 - Hatch Mansfield RRP £8.99 This offers great value, good aromatics, spice and lychees, hint of floral but in a good New World style, best to serve this with chilled poached wild salmon with new jersey potatoes.
Kim Crawford Small Parcel ‘Patutahi’ Gewurztraminer, Gisborne 2006 Liberty – RRP £9.95 STAR WINE Star Wine, long luscious flavours, hints of spice, long clean fruit, think white peaches, touch of ‘Turkish Delight’ on the palate, magical. What was impressive was the clean finish after all the flavours on the palate, and so refreshing. Serve nice and chilled with carpaccio of wild sea bass with wasabi and cucumber ice cream. Artisan Gewurztraminer, Gisborne 2006 Not in UK £14.50 Big lychee flavours, very spicy, hints of soft rose petal, more of an appetiser drink, my notes said ‘it tasted like a lovely refreshing cocktail’, matched with salted almonds on a hot summer’s day. Viognier New Zealand Viognier is new to me, whilst I have enjoyed some fine Australian Viognier’s like Viognier by Farr, The Virgilius (Yalumba) and Brokenwood they are not that common down this end of the world. I would note however that these in my mind improve with age. Vidal Wines Viognier Hawke’s Bay 2006 Star Wine Hatch Mansfield RRP £6.99 Creamy, apricot intense, reminds me of peach melba ice cream, honeyed overtones, lovely intensity, even with all these sweet fruit flavours there is a great crispness to this wine. Exceptional in my mind especially at this price. I would match this with fresh langoustines taken out of their shell and warmed up with some creamy sauce which has been infused with ginger and lemon grass. Te Mata Estate Woodthorpe Viognier Hawke’s Bay 2006 Seckford Agencies RRP £12.75 Star Wine This is certainly a wine to keep, creamy white juicy peaches (taken straight off the market in Antibes) hints of jasmine tea and cinnamon, very delicate, not as loud as the above. Match it with caramelised belly of free range pork and tempura squid, dusted with some chilli salt & pepper in a few years time. Gimblett Gravels Viognier Hawke’s Bay 2006 - RRP £13.00 Vanilla custard, very elegant, long and lingering, some oak ? very good wine which would benefit from some robust Thai shrimp soup. This wine again will get better with age. Rieslings Rieslings have been mentioned many times on this site, of the 30 I tasted The Pegasus Bay Riesling Waipara 2006 - New Generation Wines – RRP £11.50 was the stand out winner, with loads of spritz, exciting modern Mosel style, gorgeous flavours, and is improving all the time. We like to serve this with fillet of wild sea bass, Asian spiced cauliflower puree and slow cooked aubergine and sweet peppers with cardamom and aniseed. New Zealand Whites with Authentic Indian Grill House Cuisine The Venue: Lahore Kebab House, Umberston Street (Commercial Road) E11PY Lahore is a traditional Indian Grill House, spread over two large floors just outside the City of London. The menu is short and does not entertain the usual Anglo Indian names such as Korma, Tandoori, Massala or Vindaloo. The venue is open from noon till the early hours and is always packed, but does not have a liquor licence. Crisp hot roti bread were brought continuously, and the cold discarded, most dishes are simply grilled with spices, the best were Goat Chops, and a style of Shish kebab, whilst a Goat Curry was rich and spicy but not overbearing, perfectly balanced with dry cooked spinach with spiced potato and a large bowl of cooling yoghurt. An exceptional sweet caramel rice pudding (traditionally made from Buffalo milk) was served, chilled, after the meal, prior to undoubtedly the finest Kulfi ice creams that I have ever tasted served on long sticks ( Mango, Pistachio and Double Cream) The wines: Some of the finest New Zealand white wines: Craggy Range Te Muna Sauvignon Blanc 2005 Cloudy Bay Te Koko Sauvignon Blanc 2004 Neudorf (Dry) Riesling 2006 Seresin Pinot Gris 2006 Pegasus Bay Sauvignon/ Semillon 2006 Vinoptima Gewurztraminer, Nick Nobilo 2003 Cloudy Bay Chardonnay 2005 The Vinoptima Gewurztraminer 03, normally characterised by its dryness and excitingly vibrant, was transformed into a very sweet dessert style wine with the rich spices of the dishes. However when tried with the sweet caramelised rice pudding it was transformed into a very dry aromatic wine, it did however go well with the Pistachio Kulfi Ice cream, but was voted the worst match overall. The Seresin Pinot Gris 06, with its vivacious peachy flavours was overwhelmed by the exotic flavours and was transformed into a very sweet insipid wine. The Pegasus Bay Sauv/Sem 06, with its lovely herbaceous and buttery background also failed to deliver, although it was pleasant with the rice pudding. The Neudorf Riesling 06, which I would classify as a dry Riesling was good with the simpler grilled meats but struggled to live with anything spicy, and became quite sweet, although it was rather cooling on the palate. The two Sauvignon Blanc’s were complete contrasts, the delicate very fine Craggy Range 05 with its soft herbaceous, limey and peachy flavours was great as an aperitif but was killed by the spices of the food, however the bigger more complex Cloudy Bay Te Koko 04 was an absolute star carrying even the most spicy flavours, its character unfolded with the food, and brought out the best in both the food and wine. The last wine, a Cloudy Bay Chardonnay 05, was also a star, possibly better with the drier dishes, but was happy with spices, it had a lovely elegance that really went well with the food. In conclusion two wines were thought to be suitable for this style of authentic Indian cuisine, although the Riesling had a split decision, the clear winner was Te Koko, although the Chardonnay was the biggest surprise of the evening coming a close second. It is important to understand that these were specific wines and not all Chardonnay may necessarily work and that Te Koko is quite unique. 1st Cloudy Bay Te Koko 2004 9.5/10 2nd Cloudy Bay Chardonnay 2005 9/10 3rd Neudorf Riesling 2006 4/10 The Panel Arvind and Prakriti Malhotra - founders of Gapguru.com Dr. Vasu Kulhalli Consultant Gastroenterologist. Roger & Sue Jones from The Harrow at Little Bedwyn. CENTRAL OTAGO – 200km from the nearest Traffic Light! The Central Otago Bandwagon hit London last September it was a rare chance to meet many of the winemakers who have established this Southern most outpost into one of the most acclaimed Pinot Noir producing areas in the world. Although the first vines were planted in Central Otago in 1864 by Frenchman, Jean Desire Feraud (the beautiful little stone Monte Christo building has been preserved to this day) this pioneering work was soon ignored by the British settlers who planted fruit and introduced sheep to the hills. In 1895 the New Zealand government brought in Australian based, Italian trained viticulturist Romeo Bragato to seek suitable wine growing districts. He stated “there is no better place on earth for the production of the Burgundy grape than Central Otago” but his advice was ignored. It was not until the 1980’s that the first modern pioneers started planting vines again, guys like Rippon (founders Lois and the late Rolfe Mills) and Black Ridge (founders Verdun Burgess & Sue Edwards). This was followed by the ‘professionals’ in the 1990’s, such as Carrick, Felton Road, Mount Difficulty and Peregrine. The late 1990’s saw what they now call the 2nd Gold Rush with 1,000’s of hectares of Pinot being planted, not all necessary in the correct areas. Finally in recent years we have seen the introduction of large format fruit buyers from outside the area, such as Craggy Range making wines from Central Otago grapes but in their own purpose built wineries outside the area.
So what makes Central Otago ideal for Pinot Noir? Temperature is one of the key elements, and this area has a semi continental climate with warm summer days and cool evenings, and a long cool autumn, allowing the grapes to develop more flavour and complexity whilst hanging on the vines for the last few weeks. The Southern Alps to the West captures most of the rainfall. Sunshine exceeds 200hs annually and the area benefits from a higher solar radiation than Burgundy. The soil is another aspect, which is free draining and of good minerality with both clay and gravel together with a clean environment offering less pollution and disease. The Wines Kawarau Estate Reserve 2003 – Clark Foyster Wines Sub Region: Lowburn Wine Maker: Dean Shaw Intense flavours and nose, nice vegetation, dark cherries, evolves in the glass Kawarau Estate 2006 – Clark Foyster Wines Sub Region: Lowburn Wine Maker: Dean Shaw Quite raspberry and refreshing, rippling flavours. Kawarau Estate Reserve 2006 – Clark Foyster Wines Sub Region: Lowburn Wine Maker: Dean Shaw Dark cherry fruit, potentially a lovely wine, very elegant, beautifully made. Mount Difficulty 2003 – Ellis of Richmond Sub Region: Bannockburn Wine Maker: Matt Dicey Awesome wine with hints of coffee and great depth, the balance of the fruit is seamless Mount Difficulty 2004 - Ellis of Richmond Sub Region: Bannockburn Wine Maker: Matt Dicey Good depth and texture, soft caramel, luscious fruit. Mount Difficulty 2005 - Ellis of Richmond Sub Region: Bannockburn Wine Maker: Matt Dicey Different to the others in that it had a dried herb savoury background, which was overtaking the fruit slightly. Mount Difficulty 2006 - Ellis of Richmond Sub Region: Bannockburn Wine Maker: Matt Dicey Lovely intensity of blackberries, spice and liquorice, very good. Rippon 2005 - Lea and Sanderman Sub Region Lake Wanaka Wine Maker Nick Mills Big tannin, spices and hints of oriental flavours, lovely fruit structure, will age well Rippon 2004 - Lea and Sanderman Sub Region Lake Wanaka Wine Maker Nick Mills Touch of dry herbs, lovely acidity, long lingering fruit, excellent Rippon 2003 - Lea and Sanderman Sub Region Lake Wanaka Wine Maker Nick Mills This is the current vintage on sale in the UK., top wine, one of the best I tried at the tasting, amazing fruit, great intensity but clean finish, a complete wine. Nevis Bluff 2005 – The Drinks Group Ltd Sub Region: Gibbston Wine Maker : Dean Shaw Exciting raspberry fruit, great balance, and very elegant Quartz Reef Blend 2005 Select Vineyards (Lay & Wheeler) Sub Region: Cromwell Basin Wine Maker Rudi Bauer Slight vegetation on the palate, herbaceous, not my style, more Felton Road style, certainly will improve with age. Quartz Reef Blend 2006 Select Vineyards (Lay & Wheeler) Sub Region: Cromwell Basin Wine Maker Rudi Bauer Quite a lot of tannin, needs time to develop, good balance, delicate fruit Pisa Range 2005 Hellion Wines Sub Region: Cromwell Basin Wine Maker Rudi Bauer (Quartz Reef) Stunning wine very feminine, elegant and seamless, beautiful soft sweet fruit. Pisa Range 2006 Hellion Wines Sub Region: Cromwell Basin Wine Maker Rudi Bauer (Quartz Reef) A bit more fruit dominated than the 05, again a lovely wine Olssens Jackson Barry 2005 – New Zealand Wine Distribution Company Sub Region Bannockburn Wine Maker Matt Connell Very feminine style wine, luscious fruit, and great intensity, drinking well at present but will continue to develop. Probably the best of the wines that I tasted Wooing Tree 2005 - New Zealand Wine Distribution Co. Sub Region: Cromwell Wine Maker: Carol Bunn Good depth from whole bunch pressing?, well rounded easy drinking wine with lots of layers. Well structured and balanced wine, this is a fantastic wine. Wild Earth 2005 - Liberty Wines Sub Region: Bannockburn/Loburn Wine Maker: Dean Shaw Lovely balance to this wine, gentle fruit, easy drinking. Lowburn Ferry 2006 – Hellion Wines Ltd. Sub Region: Lowburn Wine Maker: Carol Bunn Excellent wine, previously championed by Jancis, a really complete wine with excellent flavours, depth and structure, pretty seamless. Mount Dottrel 2005 - Not currently in UK Sub Region: Lowburn Wine Maker Carol Burn Quite strong in vegetation and eucalyptus, not for me. Mount Dottrel 2006 - Not currently in UK Sub Region: Lowburn Wine Maker Carol Burn Much improved in my mind over the 05, great balance of fruit and acidity, easy drinking wine. Good flavours from the French oak. Good. Aurum 06 Not currently in UK Sub Region: Lowburn Wine Maker: Brook & Lucie Lawrence A bit light for my taste Aurum Reserve 06 Not currently in UK Sub Region: Lowburn Wine Maker: Brook & Lucie Lawrence Beautiful wine, 4 months on oak, gives it a nice chewy texture, tastes expensive and really delivers. Dessert Heart 05 GVSN Sub Region Central Otago Wine Maker : Steve Davis Deep concentration on the nose, lovely first taste but slides slightly away after the initial burst. Dessert Heart 06 GVSN Sub Region Central Otago Wine Maker : Steve Davis More earthy and mushroom than above, personally would have liked a bit more fruit, but certainly a style that many will like. Domain Road 06 Not currently in the UK Sub Region Bannockburn Wine Maker Carol Bunn First vintage, and what a start under the clever stewardship of Carol Bunn who is a major player in the area as a contract winemaker (Central Otago’s answer to Ben Glaetzer) lush flavours from lovely ripe forest berries, hint of caramel, long lingering finish. Mc Arthur Ridge 06 Not currently in the UK Sub Region: Alexandra Wine Maker: Craig Gass First vintage from 4 year old vines, ripe nose, rich lingering fruit, cherries and a touch of liquorice. Very good wine. This will become the largest Pinot Noir producer in the area with an estimated production of 100,000 cases per year.
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