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New Zealand
> Agriculture > Wines
Principal Varieties
By Allan Campbell
Chardonnay
The
most widely planted grape variety in New Zealand
(although only producing the second highest tonnage),
New Zealand's chardonnays are full bodied, with fruit
flavours ranging from crisp, flinty apples and lemons
through to the lush stone fruit, peach and apricot
flavours of very ripe grapes. Styles produced range
from fresh, unwooded wines through to mouth-filling
multifaceted wines with malolactic fermentations.
Those from the warmer areas such as Gisborne produce
soft ripe wines that are fruit driven, uncomplicated
and easy to drink. Chardonnays from Hawkes Bay are
ripe with a rich fruit flavour, but the acidity is
more apparent. In the cooler areas such as Nelson and
Marlborough, a lemony quality appears in the fruit.
Chenin Blanc
At
their best, New Zealand’s chenin blancs are full
in the body, with a fresh, buoyant, pineappley
flavour and mouth watering acidity. At their worst
they are searingly tart and totally devoid of any
charm. Chenin blanc’s most common role here is
as a blending variety, adding body and 'spine' to its
blends with muller thurgau in casks.
Gewurztraminer
Gewurztraminers
can be intensely aromatic, with a bouquet closely
resembling that of a freshly cut quince. The same
spiciness is present in the flavour giving it an
exciting racy character. New Zealand gewurztraminers
tend to be lighter in style although there are some
examples made of the fuller bodied, drier styles.
Muller-Thurgau
New
Zealand’s third most heavily cropped grape
variety. It is rarely exported and is more often
packaged in casks rather than bottles. The best New
Zealand muller-thurgau’s have a flower-petal
like fragrance with a ripe fruitiness reminiscent of
crisp apples. There is a tendency for
muller-thurgau’s to lack acidity and often this
has to be compensated for through back-blending.
Pinot Gris
An
outstanding chardonnay substitute, pinot gris is
still rare in New Zealand vineyards. Savoury, with an
earthy stone-fruit flavour, pinot gris offers an
alternative to the higher profile dry whites. This is
a variety which is predicted to have an enormous
potential for New Zealand winemakers.
Riesling
The
best New Zealand rieslings are grown in the cooler
parts of the country from Wellington south. Dry and
medium styles predominate with only a small quantity
being made sweet. The flavours tend to have a citrus
character, good natural acidity with honied overtones
and a rich honeysuckle bouquet when mature. New
Zealand rieslings are much underrated!
Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon
Blanc is the grape variety that put New Zealand on
the international wine map. In Marlborough in
particular, it has produced a flavour quite unlike
sauvignon from anywhere else in the world: a uniquely
juicy, sappy flavour; a powerful combination of
pungent gooseberries, cats and asparagus. It is a
wine that you will either love or hate. It may not be
subtle but it is definitely delicious! It has
recently become the most heavily cropped variety in
New Zealand, surpassing chardonnay and muller
thurgau.
Semillon
Semillon
has only been used in New Zealand for a relatively
short time. These wines have a spicy, herbaceous
smell and taste with a good natural acidity. It is a
useful, flavour-packed blending variety and is often
blended with sauvignon blanc to produce a crisp edge
which enhances the wine’s longevity.
Cabernet Franc
Cabernet
Franc, a happier vine in cooler regions than cabernet
sauvignon, is one of New Zealand’s more
important red wine varieties. These wines tend to be
light and fruity, low in tannin with some acidity.
Often used in blends with cabernet sauvignon.
Cabernet
Sauvignon
Cabernet
sauvignon has not always been a success in New
Zealand. Too often the grapes are not fully ripe when
picked. However, with the improvement in vineyard
management there has been a steady improvement in
flavour. Most NZ cabernet sauvignons are made in more
forward softer styles for drinking at 3-5 years. Much
of this grape variety is also blended with merlot to
produce an easier drinking wine.
Merlot
The potential for merlot in New Zealand
is enormous. Over the lengthy ripening season in our
cool climate, merlot is able to slowly build and
concentrate its flavours. In the past merlot was
principally produced as a blending variety but it is
now seen as a premium variety in its own right.
Merlot produces red wines of alluring richness,
plumpness and suppleness and its early drinking
appeal is a boon to wine lovers. Where cabernet may
lack weight on the middle palate, when blended with
merlot the flavour is filled out nicely and length
and persistence are added to the taste.
Pinot Noir
Pinot
noir, although a challenging grape to grow, is
becoming the most important red wine grape variety in
Wellington, Waipara, Canterbury and Central Otago. It
yields wine which has a good colour and a soft,
fruity palate. It can also be velvety smooth but with
power strength and complexity. Pinot noir is also an
important ingredient in New Zealand’s best
sparkling white wines produced in Marlborough. Pinot
noir is the third most widely planted grape variety
in New Zealand, producing the fourth highest tonnage.
Pinotage
A
cross between pinot noir and cinsault (also known as
hermitage), pinotage, as a commercially grown
variety, is produced mainly in South Africa and New
Zealand with small plantings in other parts of Africa
and in California. Sometimes regarded as 'coarse', a
well made pinotage is a soft, medium-bodied, early
maturing, peppery wine, less tannic than cabernet
sauvignon, with a pleasant berry like flavour and a
smooth finish. Some winemakers see it as the most
underrated grape variety in New Zealand. Few New
Zealand winemakers make wines exclusively from this
grape, preferring to use it in blends.
New
Zealand's wine producing regions
The Wine Institute of New Zealand has published a new Code of
Practice for wineries aimed at sustaining the 'clean and green' image of New
Zealand wine and calls for the management of Waste By-Products to ensure wineries
demonstrate their environmental integrity to manage
winery solid and liquid wastes to maintain the
integrity of this clean, green land.
For further information on this topic, see
www.nzwine.com
Article courtesy of author
Allan Campbell
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