NEW ZEALAND WINES(1)

READING BETWEEN THE WINES:

No previous wine had shocked, thrilled, entranced the world before with such brash, unexpected flavours of gooseberries, passionfruit and lime, or crunchy green asparagus spears.
— Wine writer Oz Clarke on New Zealand’s Sauvignon Blanc in his book Wine Atlas

New Zealand, hardly a speck in the world wide wineglass a few years ago, is another miraculous newbie in the international wine scene. When it strutted into the limelight, its wines made drinking them worth our time.

Mostly known for its whites (not that mouths abroad don’t water for its reds), New Z puts out vibrant Sauvignon Blancs and brilliant Chardonnays. Not far behind are the recent international “it” wine the New Z Pinot Noir and the Cabernet Sauvignons and Merlots, or the splendid blendeds of the latter two.

2004’s harvest is estimated to be two times the size of that of 2003, which means there may be hope for an up and coming New Zealand surplus. If all goes well, there’s no stopping them!

MAJOR NEW ZEALAND WINE REGIONS

New Zealand’s wine country covers the country from top of the top island to bottom of the bottom island. The major regions in New Zealand are Northland, Auckland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Hawkes Bay, Wairarapa, Nelson, Marlborough, Canterbury, and Central Otago.

THE GRAPES

The top grapes of the New Zealand kind are as follows:

NEW ZEALAND REDS:

Pinot Noir

New Zealand’s moderate climate and vintner enthusiasm serves as bit of charm school for the picky Pinot. The grape fairs very well and has been deconstructed into up and coming world-renown wines. Styles range with terroir from Martinborough’s ripe and intense varieties to the Central Otago’s well-aging boastful black cherry ones.

Cabernet Sauvignon

Even though white grapes hold most the territory in New Zealand, the Cabernet Sauvignon is the most widely planted red grape in the warmer northernmost wine regions. This grape packs a plummy punch in structure and elegance and blends beautifully with Merlot.

Merlot

The New Zealand Merlot shines with smooth and rich blackberry flavor. It’s second to the Cab in red grape crop quantities and is often blended with the Cab to make for a full-bodied berry bang.

NEW ZEALAND WHITES:

Sauvignon Blanc

New Z’s acclaimed Sauvignon Blanc sets the worldwide standard for this varietal. The northern style oozes ripe melon, stone fruit soul while the southern style drips with crisp passion fruit, gooseberry, and herbal spirit. These wines are knocking wine drinker’s socks off internationally.

Chardonnay

In New Zealand, there’s a Chardonnay to tickle every palatal preference. The style spectrum ranges from the soft peachy Chardonnays from Gisborne to the zippy white peach and citrus-flecked ones from Marlborough. Many other styles fall somewhere in between and beyond.

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