Creative Writing | Guide to Wine | Genealogy

New Zealand Wine

Thirty years ago the idea that New Zealand would one day become a source of some of the world's best-quality white wines would have been treated with a loud guffaw among wine buffs. Lamb, yes, but world-class Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Riesling and Pinot Gris? Give us a break!

What has been extraordinary about New Zealand 's story is not just the speed with which its wines have emerged on the world stage but also the way that it has succeeded more than any other New World region in beating the French at their own game.

While Loire producers complacently churned out Sauvignon Blancs that relied more on their name than their flavour, the New Zealanders set about making their own Sauvignons that delivered punchy, vibrant freshness almost eye-watering in its intensity.

CLOUDY BAY

One of the earliest ambassadors of the style was a wine called Cloudy Bay which first appeared on the lists of swanky restaurants in the late 80s. Initially it was a curiosity - 'The New Zealanders make wine do they? Now there's a thing. Have another glass.' But soon it was not because of novelty that corporate lunchers were crying out for more but because of the wine's fabulous combination of zingy freshness and a delightful herbaceous character that made Loire whites such as Pouilly Fumé and Sancerre pale into insignificance. Though the success of New Zealand wine on the export market can hardly be attributed to one wine, Cloudy Bay's success did put the country on the map in the way that no advertising campaign could have hoped to. Perhaps one of the best aspects of its success was that Cloudy Bay - unlike Jacob's Creek, Australia's ambassador on the world stage - wasn't cheap. It was comparable in price to the swanky Loire whites - but far, far better. The rest is history.

Over the last decade or so, new grapes and styles have proliferated. But what has been the secret of New Zealand's success? A key factor has been climate. You only need to look at photographs of the lush, misty landscape of areas such as Marlborough, New Zealand's most successful winemaking region, to realise that such country offers the perfect conditions for crisp, cool-climate wines of the kind previously associated with areas such as the Loire, Burgundy, Germany and Alsace. In addition, the country's wines have benefited from the same advantages as those in Australia, Chile and South Africa - namely straightforward labels that consumers can understand. It is little wonder that producers in Europe 's classic wine regions have been woken up from their complacency.

TASTE TEST

Good-quality New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc
New Zealand Riesling
New Zealand Pinot Gris
Sancerre or Pouilly Fumé
Pinot Grigio
Dry-style German Riesling
Burgundian Pinot Noir

First carry out random comparisons before trying out the following combinations:

New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc + Pouilly Fumé or Sancerre
New Zealand Riesling + dry-style German Riesling
New Zealand Pinot Gris + Pinot Grigio
New Zealand Pinot Noir + Burgundian Pinot Noir

COMPARE AND CONTRAST

If you detected a difference in style between the wines in the Taste Test this is a good time to think about the variety of approaches to winemaking in different wine regions. There is a tendency among New World winemakers - particularly those in New Zealand - to extract every last drop of flavour from a grape whereas those in Europe tend to go for wines with a little more subtlety. This is a charitable view - those who champion the cause of New World winemakers might say that their in-your-face wines are simply the result of superior winemaking skills.


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