Attending the New Zealand Winegrowers Spring New Release
Tasting at Chaffers Galleria in Herd
Street today reminded me of the harsh realities of
setting up a vineyard, growing grapes, making wine and then selling it. The requirements include good deal of
capital, a lot of expertise, more than a sense of style, much patience and a
healthy dose of luck to get it right.
And then you need it all, continuously, to keep your venture going
successfully. At the tasting, there were
a large number of relatively new labels.
Of these, it was a minority that ticked all the boxes for me to be
interested immediately, but it’s our job to take a bit of a punt. That’s why you’ll see a constant flow of new
labels appearing on the shelves and on the website at Regional Wines. Some do not stay for long, others go on
making a showing, whether steady or stuttered, and the rare few become
successful, becoming one of the well-established after a number of vintages.
Some of the relatively new labels that appealed to me (and we
don’t have all of them in stock – yet!) were Black Estate for their up-front
and user-friendly Riesling 2009, Chardonnay 2008 and Pinot Noir 2007. Grasshopper Rock’s Central Otago Pinot Noir
2008, the ageworthy Mondillo Riesling 2008 and Pinot Noir 2008 from Bendigo, Central Otago,
spectacularly intense Sea Level Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2009, and lovely
aromatics from Terrace Edge in Waipara with their Riesling 2008 and Pinot Gris
2008. Also showing well among the
newcomers were the Central Otago labels of
Surveyor Thomson and Wooing Tree for their Pinot Noirs from the 2007 and 2008
vintages respectively.
However, it was among the longer-established labels that I
found more satisfaction. Consistency of
quality and individuality provide the basis for their success. From Marlborough,
I enjoyed Highfield Estate for all of their wines, but in particular the
Sauvignon Blanc 2009 and Chardonnay 2008.
Also the bold Johanneshof Gewurztraminer 2009 and decadent Noble Late
Harvest Riesling 2007, plus benchmark Lawson’s Dry Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2009
and lush Pinot Gris 2009. From Hawke’s
Bay, C.J. Pask had a smart Syrah 2007. Church Road is
always a star, and the Reserve Chardonnay 2007 and Reserve Cabernet/Merlot 2007
did not disappoint. And our biggest
producer, Montana,
has no room for latitude, as they are our flag bearer overseas. The Deutz Marlborough Cuvee Blanc de Blancs
2006 and Montana
‘O’ Ormond Chardonnay 2006 from Gisborne are indeed world-class. Montana
was a new label – around 30 years ago…
- Raymond Chan