Sunday, April 17, 2005

Wine!? In New Zealand!?

I'm sitting here in sunny Martinborough, surrounded by dozens of wineries, carefully tended vineyards and plenty of cranky juice-stained winemakers, and I realize that I haven't said much about wine. I've tasted a lot of juice and visited numerous producers since I arrived. 2004, most wineries current realease, wasn't a great vintage for most, and was especially rough in Central Otago. 2005 looks to be worse, but I get ahead of myself. I'll try and go through where I've been and what I liked. Most of these producers don't have a huge presence in the U.S. market and many of them I'd never even heard of before.

Hawke's Bay: This sunny region on the Bay of Plenty specializes in Bordeaux varietals. I explored the area with the capable and lovely Imogen. The most famous grapes are planted in the Gimblett Gravels sub-region, nestled below the foothills, further from the maritime influences. It is centered around Gimblett Road and is most strongly defined by the grey wacke
gravel in the soil.

I visited Matariki, Trinity Hill, Selini, Alpha Domus and Lucknow the first day. Matariki had some good wines and Alpha Domus was interesting as well. Trinity and Selini are big and impressive architecturally. Lucknow was the favorite. A small winery a bit further out along the track, Lucknow has plantings in an old riverbed, and above on the river terraces. He does an Orgon style Pinot gris, inspired by a couple vintages with Lynn Penner-Ash and his Syrah shows great potential. I think that the Gimbletts could really grow some good syrah, but it's hard being in the shadow of all that Aussie shiraz.

My second trip out, Imogen showed me Nga Tawara, the first winery of production giant Corban's, sited in an old stables. We also saw Gimblett's pioneer C.J.Pask, Hastings producer Vidal, and the coastal Te Awanga vineyards of Clearview and Kim Crawford.

Central Otago: Although I was living in Central for over a month, I only went tasting twice. I did sample many other wines over home-cooked meals with Margo and at a few functions. The so-called "Continental Climate" of this region means that it gets very cold. This must partly explain the extremely high-acid white wines that I tasted throughout. '04 was especially rough, and the '05 frosts are leading to an even lighter tonnage this year. In the Bannockburn sub-region we tasted along Felton Road (although the winery of that name was unfortunately closed). Mt. Difficulty is among my favorites, with a truly savoury Pinot noir. Some of its vineyards are planted atop an old gold field which look like mesas, and some is on the valley floor. We also visited Olssens, Akarua and Carrick - who had the only drinkable whites, including a riesling. Their '03 Pinot was good and the '02 was even better.


Highwire pinot at Peregrine

Another day I went out tasting with Dawn and Chris, just back from kayaking the Doubtful Sound. We made it to Amisfield, Peregrine and Chard Farm. Peregrine is obviously owned by a viticulturist. The vineyards are immaculate. They are set off by the architectural audacity of the new winery. The wines were good too. Chard Farm has hands down the most dramatic site in the whole Gibbston Valley.


I didn't make it to Quartz Reef, but I tasted a number of Rudi Bauer's wines, and they were among the best. A shout out as well to his sparkling brut Chauvet, a happy fall back when we couldn't agree on what to drink and great paired with a rainy day at the Cromwell racetrack.

In Search of the Elusive Kiwi

I've been in New Zealand for over two months now and have learned a thing or two about the elusive Kiwi. But, like any subject of deep complexity, the more you learn, the more you realize you don't know. Natives display a great ability to poke fun at themselves, and who wouldn't when most of the national heroes (rugby players to a man) have mullets (moo-lays), wear shorty shorts and pass the ball backwards when on a forward drive. Of course, as with any culture, there are geographical pockets and trends. Wellington is a great place to have an almost world class meal, followed by a foreign film or a screening of the latest Oscar-nominated Kiwi short. Here there are warehouse dwelling bohemians who eat organic and shop at opp shops alongside suited slicksters shopping on Lambton Quay and drinking Belgian beer in polished cement floor lounges.

But contrast that with, for example, Cromwell - the center of Central Otago's winemaking district. Cromwell, or Crom-Vegas as it is afffectionately known, is a friendly working class family community with a pub and a supermarket and once-a-year races at the track. Seems that muscle cars are the hot topic here. I was asked often about GTO's and Camaros and was met with dubious wide eyes when I admitted I drove a VDub. Holden, a GM product, is the machine of choice. Their older models have the look of mid-80's Mustangs, complete with plastic spoilers and splashy side paint. The current drooler as far as I can tell is the four-door extended cab Holden ute - basically a shiny new El Camino or Ranchero - complete with a big and bright roll bar just for good measure. They come in midnight blue, blood red or lime green.
The Australian Ones Come In Killer Orange

Food is another gateway into a culture, where similarities and differences come to light. Much of the New Zealand Pakeha (white man) traditional food derives from the famed British cuisine. Boiled veggies and boiled meat figure prominently, with fries and a minimum of fresh greens. Big breakfasts and sauce hollandaise are popular, though I've yet to sample the bubble and squeak. Custards and creamed rice are popular for afters, and dates show up in scones and fruit cakes. Some delicacies include paua (abalone) , crayfish ( a dark lobster) and white bait. Bluff oysters, from Bluff of course, are supposed to be tasty but I've yet to try one. One other such national delicacy is the mutton bird. Seems there's a protected bird, the sooty sheerwater, which only the Maori are allowed to hunt. They are caught as fledglings out of their nests and brined for later consumption. To cook them, you have to boil them thrice to leech out the salt, then throw them on the barby. Basically grilled seagull unless you're a fan. We've dubbed them The Flightless Anchovy of the Air. The Maori hunters of yore were also known to use a dead lit bird as a torch on dark nights. Now that's an oily treat. We'll have it for dinner, except that they call dinner "tea" here! Oh, these crazy Kiwis. [Incidentally, there is a famous NZ folk-rock group named The Mutton Birds, they're actually quite good]

One other critter to look out for in EnZed is the sandfly. You'll know when you meet one by the mark they leave. These little nippers, about the size of a gnat, feed on ankles and hands, leaving behind a welt that can last for weeks. They are mostly found on the West Coast but I've felt their loving touch in northern vineyards and the East Coast as well. Sir Ian McKellan, an unofficial expert on the bug, claims that he doesn't recall being bitten once while filming the Ring Trilogy, although he did incur a few nips when out of costume. Even wizards need bug repellant now and again I suppose.