Many sub-regions in our wine areas

New Zealand's wine regions and sub-regions can give consumers a reasonably accurate indication of the varietal flavours likely to be found in our wines.

Marlborough has three grape growing regions - Wairau Valley, Southern Valleys and Awatere Valley. As an example, within the Awatere there are the coastal Awatere, central Awatere and Upper Awatere sub-regions.

Within the Awatere region a sauvignon blanc can be expected to display "greener" flavours and aromas including nettle, mineral, green herb and grassy notes. Once you begin looking at sub-regional soil and climate variations some of these key characteristics become more prevalent, others less so.

In recent years, Marlborough has seen the emergence of yet another sub-region within the Wairau Valley - the sub-alpine area above the Wairau Valley township. Here there are more dramatic temperature differences and grape growing can be particularly challenging, yet some very attractive wines are coming from this part of Marlborough.

All of which brings us to a recently received media release on the launch of the Bridge Pa Triangle wine district. A launch designed to celebrate and promote one of New Zealand's premium winegrowing sub-regions in Hawke's Bay.

The Bridge Pa Triangle extends over more than 2000 hectares on the western side of the Heretaunga plains and includes the largest concentration of vineyards in Hawke's Bay.

Home to a large number of internationally acclaimed wineries and vineyards, this new Hawke's Bay sub-region has been the brainchild of a small group of local winegrowers: Paul Ham (Alpha Domus Winery), Stephen Daysh (Bridge Pa Vineyard), Grant Edmonds (Sileni Estate), Steve Nathan (Salvare Estate) and Peter Cowley (Te Mata Estate). It now includes 10 wineries and seven individual grape growers.

One can draw parallels here with the establishment and far reaching fame of the Gimblett Gravels sub-region at the base of Roys Hill near Hastings. This sub-region is famous for its ability to ripen cabernet sauvignon and produces some very good Bordeaux-style wines.

There are about a dozen sub-regions in Hawke's Bay (Marlborough has about 20) and grape growers are keen to formally identify and name the main grape growing districts and define their boundaries.

Peter Cowley, who has researched the special nature of this area for some time, explains:

“The Bridge Pa Triangle Wine District is located on old terraces of the Ngaruroro River, which up until 10,000 years ago flowed out to sea between Maraekakaho and Roys Hill.

“The river deposited vast amounts of greywacke gravel known locally as red metal, which is covered in different areas by alluvium derived from loess, volcanic ash and greywacke.”

The resulting soil is ideal for vineyards as it is well drained but has water-holding capacity to establish a full grapevine canopy, with limited irrigation.

The average growing degree days (GDD) over the last 16 vintages in the centre of the Bridge Pa Triangle has been measured as 1483. This is the same as Medoc in Bordeaux, France, and Coonawarra, South Australia.

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The area is ideally suited to the production of quality wines and the local wine companies have the awards to prove it. Producers excel at full flavoured syrah, merlot, red blends, chardonnay and viognier. These wines are often characterised by excellent varietal expression, depth of flavour, generosity and ample fruit sweetness.

The creation of the Bridge Pa Triangle adds to Hawke's Bay's regional wine story, and if it's promoted with the same effort that went into establishing the Gimblett Gravels name, it will do well.

This new sub-region is home to well-known wineries including Abbey Cellars, Alpha Domus, Ngatarawa, Te Mata and Sileni.

While considering sub-regional wine characteristics before making a purchase can help ensure you get the wine traits you prefer, there will always be the compromise that comes with seasonal variation. This factor is compounded by individual site management, crop loadings and what happens in the winery.

All this aside, it seems appropriate to try a wine from the newly launched Bridge Pa Triangle.

Abbey Cellars Hawke's Bay Blushing Monk Rose ($18)

A deep rose pink wine with gentle raspberry and dry grass aromas.

Our Blushing Monk is slightly sweet with berry-fruit flavours on the palate, finishing with some firm green herb notes. Tingly acids support this luscious, full-bodied wine that's nicely balanced and offers easy drinking.

Tohu Single Vineyard Marlborough Pinot Noir 2010 ($28)

Clear garnet in the glass with a rich ripe berry-fruit and smoky oak aroma that's lively, perfumed and slightly minty.

The palate has a gutsy, phenolic style with floral aromatics and plenty of ripe black currant and mulberry flavour. Crisp acids and a subtle oak character on the mid-palate add elegance. There's plenty of body, good length of palate and enough complexity to avoid a "fruit bomb". Well made and worth seeking out.

Greywacke Marlborough Chardonnay 2009 (about $38)

Attractive pale gold with a ripe, tropical aroma enlivened by crisper citrus notes - yeasty and complex. The palate delivers marmalade-like flavour; bright, intense and lively fruitiness teamed with a pleasing and refreshing acid tingle out to the finish. Another poised and appealing wine from Kevin Judd.

Go to greywacke.com