The New Zealand Wine Fair – Toronto, Ontario

There and back again, a look at a thriving wine region

There And Back Again

I had the opportunity to check out the recent Wines of New Zealand world trade show that came to Toronto last week and I have to say, I was quite impressed. I have heard first hand from reputable sommeliers and wine judges that the wines of New Zealand are really starting to take off but I hadn’t experienced that myself before last week. 

Before I get to the nitty-gritty about the show, let me first explain New Zealand wines a bit. 

New Zealand is made of up approximately 11 wine sub regions including:

Northland
Auckland
Waikato/Bay of Plenty
Gisborne
Hawke’s Bay
Wairarapa
Nelson
Marlborough
Waipara
Canterbury
Central Otago 

Each of these sub-regions, although not that far from eachother, produce wines that are quite unique. This is largely due to the fact that New Zealand is such a small country in the middle of the ocean with very differing topography. New Zealand is approximately the size of Washington State, and is located in the southern hemisphere off the east coast of Australia. Similar to Canada, the country is home to 4 seasons. One thing to remember about New Zealand, as you should remember with all southern hemisphere wine producing regions, is that their harvests occur during our spring so it may not be surprising to find some of their wines from 2011 in the LCBO before the end of the year.

As a nation of islands, New Zealand benefits from the temperature modulateing effect of the sea. The extremes of heat and cold experienced by landlocked, continental countries simply don’t apply. New Zealand also enjoys long, dry autumns, which allow slow ripening allowing the grapes to develop intense fruit and a good acid structure.

The New Zealand wine industry is a quality-driven niche player. Within a relatively short time, their wines have acquired a reputation that is the envy of much larger wine producing countries.

This was my first time at the New Zealand trade show and I now kick myself for missing this in the past. The wines at the event ranged from your typical New Zealand style Sauvignon Blanc to light but elegant Pinot Noirs. I even had the opportunity to try some of the region’s up and coming Cabernet Franc, which despite its youth was quite made quite respectably.

Two varietals that took me by surprise was Syrah and Riesling. Until now I did not associate these grape varietials (types), with New Zealand, however I was delightfully surprised to learn that in some special areas of the Country, these wines were being made quite well. 

By now you are probably wondering “well, how exactly can this show benefit me now that it’s over?” Well, I have good news. As with most trade shows wineries from these far away places travel the world, show casing their wines hoping to land deals with local liquor suppliers. Fortunately for us, representatives from the LCBO attended this event and had a chance to experience some of the same things I did. What this means is that wines that were at the New Zealand Wine Fair will soon be making their way to a LCBO near you! 

But how will you know what to buy? Lucky, I’m the type of guy who likes to share. Here are a list of wines to keep your eye open for in the LCBO. 

91/100

Kato Sauvignon Blanc

Marlborough 2010

$16.95

(184598) – general listing

91/100

Astrolabe Voyage Sauvignon Blanc

Marlborough 2010

$21.95

(10421)

90/100

Blind River Sauvignon Blanc

Marlborough 2010

$19.95

(141499)

92/100

Nobilo Icon Sauvignon Blanc

Marlborough 2010

$24.95

(912337)

90/100

Elephant Hill Reserve Syrah

Hawke’s Bay 2009

$38.95

90/100

Spy Valley Gewurztraminer

Marlborough 2010

$21.95

(432442)
 
Enjoy!

Cheers, 

Mat Vaughan, WJC (Wine Judges of Canada)
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