On Saturday, I attended the Decanter Magazine New World Fine Wine event in London, courtesy of publisher Sophia Dempsey. I attended both the Grand Tasting and the South American Wines Masterclass lead by Peter Richards.
I chose to use the Grand Tasting as an overview, tasting from a few tables from each of the represented regions: USA, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and South America. In the end, I tasted from 10 wineries but I enjoyed the depth rather than breadth of my approach.
A few highlights include the 2007 Ken Forrester (Stellenbosch, South Africa) FMC, Forrester Meinert Chenin Blanc (£18). The slightly off-dry start lead to a floral after taste with incredible length. It also helps with the wine maker is pouring for you in a checkered shirt and brightly-coloured bow tie, enthusiastically waxing poetic on his trade.
I also thoroughly enjoyed the 2008 Cloof Wine Estate (Darling, South Africa) Crucible Shiraz (£30). It was at this booth that I bumped elbows with Oz Clarke, after my tasting companion exclaimed, slightly too loudly, "Oh my God, it's Oz Clarke!" I started looking around for him 10 feet away, not assuming he was literally standing next to me. We felt proud of ourselves for independently choosing a booth that he wanted to taste at, and proceeded to spend the next 10 minutes eavesdropping on his conversation with the pourer. It turns out he has visited this particular winery, but hey, it's still a good recommendation!
Another honourable mention goes to the 2005 Vasse Felix (Margaret River, Western Australia) Heytesbury Cabernet Sauvignon (£30s). The strong berry flavours were still bright, with a tannin structure to keep it all in line without overpowering the fruit. This is drinkable now, but should continue to age well another 5 years.
Two more mentions go to the 2008 Saint Clair Pioneer Block 7, Berry Block Sauvignon Blanc (£15) which is exactly what an NZ Sauv Blanc should taste like and the NV Domain Ste Michelle (Washington & Oregon, USA) Blanc de Noirs (£11) whose clean, fresh strawberry fruit calls for summer sunshine and comfy patio furniture.
I did taste a few duds, and I was stumped by a white wine by Domaine Serene (Oregon, USA) which is actually made from 100% Pinot Noir. They call it Coeur Blanc and although tasty, seems rather too much of a gimmick perhaps.
Overall, it was an excellent event with interesting wines and a nice representation, although small, of what the New World is producing. But lest I complain, I remind myself that I am going to the London International Wine Fair this week. With over 25,000 wines to taste, I don't care how much I spit; I may be stumbling home.
Showing posts with label New Zealand. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Zealand. Show all posts
Monday, 11 May 2009
Wednesday, 1 April 2009
My Top 4 NZ wines
It would be impossible to sum up my New Zealand wine experience in one post, so I will write several posts over the next month to focus on different topics. I suppose the best way to tell which wines I was most impressed by is to know which wines I actually chose to purchase and bring back to the US with me.
I (mostly) restrained from buying bottles until the very end of my two month trip. Bottles I bought along the way were consumed along the way or given as gifts. In the end, I only brought back reds with me, the main logic being that reds are the wines you cellar and age, and that's what I wanted to do with my purchases. It's harder to get as excited about a white wine, even though I did discover some fantastic ones in the form of off-dry Rieslings and of course Sauvignon Blancs.
Here are the four wines I purchased, and a bit of background as to how I discovered and chose this particular wine:
2007 Mt. Difficulty Pipeclay Terrace Pinot Noir: The bouquet has strong floral notes (dark red roses and lilac according to the vineyard), with dry dirt, earthiness and hints of chocolate. All very impressive flavours for a young Pinot Noir. In fact, I don't think I need to hold on to this one for more than a few years. It will be in the category of ready to drink when I am ready to drink it.
I tasted this wine at Wine Taste in Queenstown, one of those wine dispenser tasting stores that can be a great substitute for visiting the vineyards themselves. I did taste in Central Otago, but only in the Gibbston Valley area, just outside Queenstown. After looking forward to Central Otago Pinots my entire trip, I was disappointed with the Pinots I had at Gibbston Valley Vineyard, Waitiri Creek, Chard Farm and Amisfield. They were good, but not great. Mt. Difficulty is farther east in the Bannockburn area, where prestigious wineries such as Felton Road and Akarua are based.
Price: $90 NZD in country ($53 USD or 36 GBP equivalent). International distributors here.
2007 Nautilus Four Barriques Pinot Noir: I first tasted this wine at the 2009 Marlborough Wine Festival in Blenheim at the Nautilus booth. It was the only wine that day that I purchased a second tasting of and in a full glass size. I thought my enthusiasm for the wine might just be the wine talking until I tasted it again first thing the next morning at the vineyard itself. It was just as good, with raspberry flavours and oak or cedar spice. A terrifically well-balanced wine, it was on my favourites list.
Both events were only halfway through my trip, so I wasn't able to purchase and carry the bottle with me at the time. When I was making my final wine decisions during my last week, this wine still came back to me, so I had my friend, Annette, ship it to me. Oddly enough, she is renting a room in Blenheim from the marketing director of Nautilus, so it was fairly easy for her to procure a bottle and ship it to my hostel in Christchurch only a few days before I left the country.
Price: $60 NZD in country ($35 USD or 24 GBP equivalent). This wine is not distributed outside New Zealand, however Nautilus also makes a very good Sauvignon Blanc and regular Pinot Noir. International distributors here.
2006 Ata Rangi Celebre: This is a 50% Merlot, 30% Syrah, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon with excellent white pepper and tobacco reminiscent of Northern Rhone Syrahs. Fruit flavours of dark plum and bright berries round out a fantastic wine to pair with steak or rich sauce pastas.
I drank this wine quite a bit during my stay, first at the vineyard in Martinborough where I purchased a bottle, then later on that night when I shared the bottle with fellow wine travellers, again at dinner with a friend in Queenstown and finally at Wine Tastes, just to confirm my choice. At $32 NZD retail, it is a good value and very enjoyable. See reviews from well-known wine critics here. I have also enjoyedthe 2007 Ata Rangi's Crimson Pinot Noir.
Price: $32NZD in country ($19 USD or 13 GBP equivalent). International distributors here.
2004 Alpha Domus "The Navigator": A Bordeaux-style blend from Hawke's Bay on the North Island, the Navigator is well-structured but drinkable now. It contains Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. As published in Hawke's Bay Today Sip of the Week: "It's almost a crime to have this wine shut away in a bottle - there should be enormous open vats of it out in the public spaces for us to all swim around in."
I tried this wine at the vineyard at the 2009 Hawke's Bay Wine Festival, noting that it was excellent (as was the similar "Aviator" although at a $45NZD price tag). I was pleasantly surprised to find it during my last week in the country, and I look forward to opening this in the near future (I don't think I can wait!)
Price: $25 NZD in country ($15 USD or 10 GBP equivalent). International distributors here.
I (mostly) restrained from buying bottles until the very end of my two month trip. Bottles I bought along the way were consumed along the way or given as gifts. In the end, I only brought back reds with me, the main logic being that reds are the wines you cellar and age, and that's what I wanted to do with my purchases. It's harder to get as excited about a white wine, even though I did discover some fantastic ones in the form of off-dry Rieslings and of course Sauvignon Blancs.
Here are the four wines I purchased, and a bit of background as to how I discovered and chose this particular wine:
2007 Mt. Difficulty Pipeclay Terrace Pinot Noir: The bouquet has strong floral notes (dark red roses and lilac according to the vineyard), with dry dirt, earthiness and hints of chocolate. All very impressive flavours for a young Pinot Noir. In fact, I don't think I need to hold on to this one for more than a few years. It will be in the category of ready to drink when I am ready to drink it.
I tasted this wine at Wine Taste in Queenstown, one of those wine dispenser tasting stores that can be a great substitute for visiting the vineyards themselves. I did taste in Central Otago, but only in the Gibbston Valley area, just outside Queenstown. After looking forward to Central Otago Pinots my entire trip, I was disappointed with the Pinots I had at Gibbston Valley Vineyard, Waitiri Creek, Chard Farm and Amisfield. They were good, but not great. Mt. Difficulty is farther east in the Bannockburn area, where prestigious wineries such as Felton Road and Akarua are based.
Price: $90 NZD in country ($53 USD or 36 GBP equivalent). International distributors here.
2007 Nautilus Four Barriques Pinot Noir: I first tasted this wine at the 2009 Marlborough Wine Festival in Blenheim at the Nautilus booth. It was the only wine that day that I purchased a second tasting of and in a full glass size. I thought my enthusiasm for the wine might just be the wine talking until I tasted it again first thing the next morning at the vineyard itself. It was just as good, with raspberry flavours and oak or cedar spice. A terrifically well-balanced wine, it was on my favourites list.
Both events were only halfway through my trip, so I wasn't able to purchase and carry the bottle with me at the time. When I was making my final wine decisions during my last week, this wine still came back to me, so I had my friend, Annette, ship it to me. Oddly enough, she is renting a room in Blenheim from the marketing director of Nautilus, so it was fairly easy for her to procure a bottle and ship it to my hostel in Christchurch only a few days before I left the country.
Price: $60 NZD in country ($35 USD or 24 GBP equivalent). This wine is not distributed outside New Zealand, however Nautilus also makes a very good Sauvignon Blanc and regular Pinot Noir. International distributors here.
2006 Ata Rangi Celebre: This is a 50% Merlot, 30% Syrah, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon with excellent white pepper and tobacco reminiscent of Northern Rhone Syrahs. Fruit flavours of dark plum and bright berries round out a fantastic wine to pair with steak or rich sauce pastas.
I drank this wine quite a bit during my stay, first at the vineyard in Martinborough where I purchased a bottle, then later on that night when I shared the bottle with fellow wine travellers, again at dinner with a friend in Queenstown and finally at Wine Tastes, just to confirm my choice. At $32 NZD retail, it is a good value and very enjoyable. See reviews from well-known wine critics here. I have also enjoyedthe 2007 Ata Rangi's Crimson Pinot Noir.
Price: $32NZD in country ($19 USD or 13 GBP equivalent). International distributors here.
2004 Alpha Domus "The Navigator": A Bordeaux-style blend from Hawke's Bay on the North Island, the Navigator is well-structured but drinkable now. It contains Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. As published in Hawke's Bay Today Sip of the Week: "It's almost a crime to have this wine shut away in a bottle - there should be enormous open vats of it out in the public spaces for us to all swim around in."
I tried this wine at the vineyard at the 2009 Hawke's Bay Wine Festival, noting that it was excellent (as was the similar "Aviator" although at a $45NZD price tag). I was pleasantly surprised to find it during my last week in the country, and I look forward to opening this in the near future (I don't think I can wait!)
Price: $25 NZD in country ($15 USD or 10 GBP equivalent). International distributors here.
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