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S.M. King explores the world of New Zealand wines.
 It’s almost a reflex to buy Australian wine. It’s local, it’s affordable, and we make a decent drop. But every now and then, an international interloper is worth considering, especially from our antipodean neighbours.
The New Zealand wine industry is booming. The grape harvest has increased an incredible four-fold in the past decade alone; and ten wine districts across both islands are producing a broad range of varieties that are gaining enviable international attention. The Hawkes Bay region of the North Island is the oldest established wine growing region, and second largest, in New Zealand. It’s formed the backbone of the country’s wine industry for over a hundred years due to its consistent suitability for growing many different grape varieties.
Aficionados will tell you the some of the best Pinot Noir comes from Central Otago, while the best Sauvignon Blanc comes from the Marlborough winemaking districts; not just the best in New Zealand, but some of the best in the world.
Success with these varieties has fuelled further experimentation and excellence in New Zealand. There’s a new focus on up-scale, high-quality barrel-fermented Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir that’s also capturing international attention.
Cloudy Bay Vineyards, Saint Clair Estate Winery, and Montana are all reputable New Zealand wine names to look out for, and widely available here in Australia.
On New Zealand’s South Island, the Marlborough region is regarded as the country’s top region for Sauvignon Blanc. It’s the combination of good ripening conditions and cool nights, which maintains natural acidity in the grapes, that makes it so ideal. Cloudy Bay use fruit from some of the oldest vines in the Marlborough region, the age of the vines adding complexity.
Straw green in colour with fresh aromatics, Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc is like an intoxicating mix of ginger and spices with a somewhat tropical finish. The flavours are clean and crisp. If you insist on drinking wine and not beer with Thai food, this is a fantastic choice.
Pinot Noir is a flighty, fickle bird. A good Pinot is exceptionally complex while fooling you with its simplicity. It is temperamental and feisty, and in a quality drop this will play out in a good way. Ask a Pinot fan what it goes with, and they’ll say ‘everything’. To a certain extent that’s true, if you buy well.
I recently brought home a bottle of Old Coach Road 2006 Pinot Noir from Nelson in New Zealand and enjoyed it over three vastly different meals. It had lovely legs, or viscosity, and a full fruity flavour. It complemented with equal agility a chili and ginger chicken stir fry, roast beef with all the trimmings, and a full-flavoured curry made with the leftover beef. A top buy at less than twenty bucks.
Large alcohol retailers have an extensive range of New Zealand wines to suit all budgets and tastes. Even supermarket bottle shops usually carry a few of the most popular drops from across the Tasman.
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