Anne Krebiehl, wine writer's blog from the New Zealand harvest

Kia Ora from New Zealand and welcome to the first instalment of my Kiwi wine adventure: I have come here from London to harvest grapes at the illustrious Felton Road estate -- one of the world's most southerly vineyards -- in Central Otago on New Zealand's South Island. To make the most of this long journey I decided to come early and taste my way through the various wine regions to give my shamefully Eurocentric palate a real understanding of Kiwi wines and their huge success on the world stage.

As regards the land and its lure of wilderness, the moment I left Auckland I began to understand: to say that New Zealand is breathtakingly beautiful would be an understatement. Words can hardly do justice to the rugged coastlines, the jungle-like forests, the miles of undulating pasture, the steep rocks and mountains and the wooded hills with their clear streams and lakes - or very simply the profusions of deep blue agapanthus that bloom everywhere.

Hawke's Bay on the Pacific Coast was my first stop and barely arrived I was whisked off in true tourist style on the OdysseyNZ, a ‘progressive' dinner at successive wineries. Taking in Vidal, the ultra-modern Elephant Hill and Mission Estate, this was a perfect introduction to the area with the knowledgeable commentary of our host Gareth Kelly.


Driving towards Te Mata Peak, Gareth explained how the now famous Gimblett Gravels used to be unwanted land: so poor and well-drained is this alluvial gravel that even sheep farming was hardly profitable, requiring huge swathes of land just to feed a few animals. Now, however, this inhospitable soil gives the most expressive flavours to a handful of well-crafted wines.


I get to taste a few of them the following day as I cycle through the vineyards to Craggy Range's impressive Giants Winery - not a giant winery but a reference to Te Mata - the Maori name for the ‘sleeping giant' that forms the mountain range. Craggy's Block 14 Syrah and the Merlot-Cabernet blend Sophia are the most memorable Gimblett Gravel wines that I taste.

After cycling past olive, fig and almond trees and flowering oleander that all attest to the balmy climate I get to sample the whole range of Te Mata Estate's wines and am equally impressed by their lush but sprightly Zara Viognier 2008 and the seductive Coleraine 2007 (blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot).


From there I head to the coast. Clearview is New Zealand's vineyard closest to the sea. The breezes keep the grapes mostly free of disease so spraying is rare. Winemaker and owner Tim Turvey talks me through his wide range of wines and lets me taste some grapes in the vineyard: the Gewürztraminer berries taste hauntingly of rosewater and the Sauvignon Blanc has its heady aromas already. I also get to taste a barrel sample of the super-incisive Endeavour Chardonnay 2007 - all gun-metal and smoke. I am told that it is already all sold.

A real eye-opener comes when Tim lets me taste his fortified wine - a Syrah/Malbec blend called Red Sea with the local Bayview Blue, a blue-veined cow's milk cheese. On its own, Red Sea is luscious and fruity like many fortified reds but unusually spicy, just like baked plums with cinnamon. With the cheese, however, it becomes for a few precious seconds the very taste of Hawke's Bay.

My next instalment is going to come from Martinborough!

Anne Krebiehl

Comments (0)

Show/Hide comments

Show/Hide comment form