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THE WINES OF NEW ZEALAND: A 2010 Review
Post #19 | 8-21-10
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MARLBOROUGH REGION
When the first Marlborough vines were planted in 1973 few people predicted that the region would become New Zealand's largest and best known winegrowing area in little more than 20 years. The distinctive pungency and zesty fruit flavours of the first wines captured the imagination of the country's winemakers and wine drinkers alike and sparked an unparalleled boom in vineyard development. Worldwide interest in Marlborough wines, particularly Sauvignon Blanc, has continued to fuel that regional wine boom.
Marlborough is the most widely planted wine region in the country — about 14,000 of the total 27,000 hectares of NZ grapes grew there in 2008. It also enjoys the distinction of producing more than 80 percent of New Zealand's sauvignon blanc. The sauvignon blanc that flows from Marlborough is world-renowned, considered by many to be the best-period.
The free-draining, alluvial loams over gravelly subsoils in the Wairau and Awatere River valleys provides ideal growing conditions. Abundant sunshine with cool nights and a long growing season helps to build and maintain the vibrant fruit flavours for which Marlborough is now famous. Sauvignon Blanc is the most planted grape variety with Chardonnay in second place, followed by Pinot Noir and Riesling. Sauvignon Blanc may be the star of the show, but Marlborough has also earned an enviable reputation for Méthode Traditionelle sparkling wines as well as a wide range of both white and red table wines.
SAUVIGNON BLANC
While on the subject of quite possibly the world’s best Sauvignon Blanc, let's take a closer look:
Vineyard and Winemaking Influences
Sauvignon Blanc in New Zealand may be defined into three broad winemaking styles; tank-fermented, oak matured and blended. By far the largest portion is cold-fermented in stainless-steel tanks to optimise the variety's freshness and pungent fruit flavours. Oak fermentation and subsequent maturation on the yeast lees is more suited to riper styles, such as those in the Northern regions or in selected sites in the Southern regions. These techniques add complexity, richness and longevity to the wine. Blending with Semillon is another technique used by some wineries to enhance complexity, structure and length of flavour. In the vineyard, leaf-plucking, shoot thinning and trimming are standard techniques to control the natural vigour of the Sauvignon Blanc vine and promote flavour ripeness and fruit intensity.
Sauvignon Blanc with Food
The golden rule with Sauvignon Blanc is "fresh is best". The vibrant flavours of Sauvignon Blanc enhance the freshness of seafood and white fish especially when served with citrus or garlic based sauces. Crunchy summer salads and capsicums both find a flattering echo of flavour in Sauvignon Blanc, while relatively high acid foods, such as tomatoes, and vinegar-based dressings also make a appealing match.
Fashions and Changing Tastes
In the world of wine, tastes sometime change and previous favorites fall out of favor. Lately it's been reported that this may be about to happen concerning sauvignon blanc with a renewed interest once more in chardonnay seemingly on the rise "down under". It is a chardonnay less "oaky" this time around that is reportedly gaining interest. Some in the industry feel that sauvignon blanc has peaked in popularity and is on it's way out of public favor. Whether in fact sauvignon blanc from this area has "seen it's day" remains to be seen, but you can count on this world class wine from this region will always have it's appreciative support base among wine lovers. It is something to watch though, to see what all develops.
2010 NEWS AND DEVELOPMENTSMarket Realities
So how about 2010 and what are some of the issues facing the New Zealand wine industry right now? With the 2010 vintage results now in, a picture is emerging. First of all, excellent wine quality is expected due to favourable March and April weather. Second, though you'll see smaller numbers compared to last year, this is by design. The 2010 New Zealand grape harvest totalled 266,000 tonnes, 19,000 tonnes smaller than the 2009 crop and in line with the pre-harvest forecast. A reduced harvest was planned for by many growers and wineries as supply imbalances over the past two years, combined with the global recession, have created some real challenges for producers.
Sustainability
And, third, there is something new in the way the wine is being produced in another way. The 2010 Air New Zealand Wine Awards, marks the first year requiring all 2010 vintage wines entering to be 100 per cent sustainably produced. The Air New Zealand Wine Awards is the country's most prestigious wine competition, and is regarded as the official competition of the New Zealand wine industry. Things were moving in this direction for a few years already with other sustainability initiatives, signaling a continuing focus on the environmental integrity of New Zealand wines, and the commitment to quality. Being a strong agricultural country, finding new ways to be "clean and green" is in line with the national identity and culture proudly already there.
New Zealand's small population, distant location and agricultural economy have earned the country a 'clean, green' image. Visitors often describe it as 'an unspoiled paradise'. New Zealand's winemakers and grape growers are determined to keep it this way. Innovative practices in the vineyard and winery which deliver quality in a sustainable and environmental manner, ensure that New Zealand meets a growing world demand for wines that have been produced in a 'clean and green' fashion.
NEW ZEALAND WINE – 100% SUSTAINABLE BY 2012 THE AIM: For all New Zealand Wineries and Vineyards to be operating in accordance with an independently audited sustainability programme by vintage 2012.
Currently to participate in New Zealand Winegrowers marketing and events programs wines have to be recognised as coming from wineries and vineyards operating in accordance with an independently audited sustainability programme, the criteria for which are:
• All grapes (vineyards) that go into the wine are accredited /certified.
• The wine processing plant/s (and bottling plant) where the wine is produced is accredited /certified.
• The brand owner of the wine is accredited /certified; either as owner of accredited plant/s, or through separate membership where no plant is owned (i.e. virtual wineries).
New Zealand's Wine Destiny
New Zealand is still discovering itself since it has embarked on a project to classify and quantify its dizzying range of terroirs and micro climates. The array of wine styles it can potentially succeed with seems to be ever growing, including Bordeaux-style blends, cool climate Shiraz, aromatic white varietals like Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris, not to mention its already world class Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir.
While it's Sauvignon Blanc is rated throughout the world as the definitive benchmark style for this varietal, New Zealand's vineyards also welcome the continued interest in it's other offerings. The growing recognition for New Zealand Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Méthode Traditionelle sparkling wines, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blends is helping to further cement New Zealand's position as a producer of world class wines.
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