30 Jun, 2008
June Great Tastes
Submitted by Glenda Neil
June Great Tastes
Amisfield Rocky Knoll Pinot Noir 2006
Rocky Knoll is a small block within the Amisfield vineyard selected for it unique soil type and warm orientation. This is a rich powerful wine with savoury smoky bouquet, cherries and spice on palate with sweet ripe tannins, a beautifully balanced wine that will continue to develop for some years, about $110 in NZ. For stockiest go to http://www.amisfield.co.nz .
Pegasus Bay Sauvignon/Semillon 2007
Treat this seriously good wine with respect by matching it with you favourite seafood dish. Sweet herbs and hints of tropical fruit combine nicely with the crisp lemony finish, about $26 in NZ.
Villa Maria Single Vineyard Omahu Gravels Merlot 2006
Dark purple with cedary oak aroma, intense plum and red berry fruit with smooth supple tannins, a big rich concentrated wine that is built for the long haul, about $57 in NZ.
Saint Clair Family Estate Pioneer Block 11 Cell Block Chardonnay 2007
Vanillian oak aroma and sweet creamy oak also on palate, big rich juicy dollops of tropical fruit make this an immensely attractive wine. It’s not subtle just incredibly drinkable, about $29 in NZ.
Main Divide Tehau Selection Waipara Valley Pinot Noir 2006
Upfront aroma of red berry fruit, smooth and deceptively easy to drink despite its substantial alcohol, silky velvet texture on palate, smartly priced to please at about $33 in NZ.
Brown Brothers Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
Big rich full bodied wine with chocolate and dark fruit cake flavours, sweet ripe tannins, an impressive wine drinking well right now but has plenty of cellaring potential, about $18.
23 Jun, 2008
Boomer Vintage & Two Gongs
Submitted by Glenda Neil
Boomer Vintage
The final numbers are in and the 2008 vintage has exceeded all expectations with a total of 285,000 tonnes, up 39% on the 2007 vintage.
NZ Winegrowers CEO, Philip Gregan, said that “the harvest was larger than forecast pre-vintage as a result of the favourable growing season”.
Most of the increase was in Sauvignon Blanc but there was also a rise in Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. From the regions Marlborough produced 195,000 tonnes up 61% from last year. Gisborne and Hawkes Bay both produced smaller crops with Gisborne down 8% and Hawkes Bay 18%, due to a combination of frosts and cooler weather at flowering.
Other regions all had increases in crops with Cental Otago up 177%, Wairarapa up 111%, Waipara up 304%, Canterbury up 304% and Nelson up 35%. These changes are mostly due to poor weather during 2007 which substantially reduced crops, and shows a return to more normal levels.
A Couple of Gongs
Meanwhile overseas, two New Zealand wineries have been vowing the judges at the London International Wine Challenge.
Marlborough winery Saint Clair Family Estate has a long history of making superb sauvignon’s and scored a double with Saint Clair Wairau Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2007 winning the trophy for best International Sauvignon Blanc and the trophy for Best New Zealand White Wine. This wine has already won numerous awards in New Zealand. For more on Saint Clair go to http://www.saintclair.co.nz
From Central Otago Wild Earth Wines, a relative newcomer has won the following trophies with their Wild Earth Pinot Noir 2006. Top International Pinot Noir, Top New Zealand Red Wine, Top New Zealand Pinot Noir and Top Central Otago Pinot Noir. An impressive result as this was only their third vintage. For more on Wild Earth go to http://www.wildearthwines.co.nz
17 Jun, 2008
Cheap Wine Hits the Spot
Submitted by Glenda Neil
Cheap Wines Hit the Spot
A recent article in “On the Vine” magazine kindly sent to me by Gisborne Winegrowers has some interesting excerpts from a recent US based survey of wine drinkers.
In a sample of more than 6000 blind tastings they found that the relationship between price and enjoyment of wine are not necessarily co-related. In fact their results showed that although expert wine tasters most often preferred higher priced wines non-experts actually preferred less expensive ones. Don’t forget that none of these tasters were aware of either the identity or price of the wines.
The survey also investigated whether wine descriptions by experts actually give any useful information to wine consumers. The tasters were asked to try and match actual wines to the descriptions give by wine critics and only about half were able to do so.
This suggests that the average wine drinker does not benefit from expert wine ratings as they generally do not prefer the same wines as the experts. The survey also raises the questions as to whether the difference in preferences is due to an acquired taste from wine training, versus the untrained palate which simply enjoys wine as a pleasant drink.
So unless you are an expert taster you may have a natural preference for less expensive wines, which sounds pretty useful to me; and possibly you won’t agree with my tasting notes. As from now I will try and remember to include some of those less expensive wines in my monthly picks. For a full copy of the survey please refer to http://www.wine-economics.org select working papers and go to paper 16.
08 Jun, 2008
Best Buys June
Submitted by Glenda Neil
Best Buys June
Morton Estate White Label Hawkes Bay Chardonnay 2006 You’d be mad not to buy wine as classy as this and priced so well. Smooth and creamy with butterscotch and caramel flavours subtle hints of smoky oak rounded and rich, about $17 in NZ.
Jacobs Creek Reserve Shiraz 2006 Dark dense ruby with sweet blackberry and red fruit flavours firm ripe tannins smooth and rich on palate, delicious drinking now but cellar with confidence 3-5 years, about $20 in NZ.
Thornbury Central Otago Pinot Noir 2006 The Thornbury brand is now part of the Villa Maria stable and this wine is the second produced from their Bannockburn vineyards. Savoury oak bouquet, warm spicy cherry and berry fruit flavours, silky smooth texture, about $30 in NZ.
Lawson’s Dry Hills Marlborough Chardonnay 2004 Just released this wine is drinking beautifully right now. Ripe sweet melon aroma, smoky and rich with grapefruit and toasty oak on palate, a real pleasure to see a wine released with bottle age, about $28 in NZ. The Lawson’s Unoaked Chardonnay 2007 is also an excellent example of the Unoaked style.
Obsidian Weeping Sands Waiheke Island Syrah 2006 It’s not often you see a top class red for under $30 from Waiheke Island. Sleek and spicy with ripe plummy fruit and hints of white pepper, ripe rounded tannins well structured and showing good complexity as it ages, about $29 in NZ.
And now for something completely different Hardys Australia has launched The Shuttle. This is a snazzy bottle, glass combination in plastic. Unscrew the top invert and pour, perfect for picnic, barbeque or boat. There is two wines Shiraz and Chardonnay they come in 187ml size enough for one big glass or two small ones cost is $4.99 in NZ.
02 Jun, 2008
What to do in winter
Submitted by Glenda Neil
What to do in winter
Apparently the 1st June heralds the start of winter here in the southern hemisphere so here are a couple of suggestions to fill those long cold evenings.
One of my favourite things is to catch up on all the reading I didn’t get around to in the summer. So I couldn’t resist buying First Big Crush by Eric Arnold (Simon & Schuster $32.99).
Written by a keen American wine lover who describes himself as someone who liked drinking wine but really new very little about it. Arnold approached Marlborough based wine producer Allan Scott and arranged to spend a year in New Zealand working through the entire winemaking/grape growing process then writing about the experience.
He arrived here in March 2004 and immediately plunged into what he describes as getting wet, cold, dirty, sunburned, sore, scraped, bruised, broken and completely shit-faced and doing it all again the next day.
Yes you do learn about the winemaking process, but you also get a good dose of the personalities, problems and pitfalls that are all part of the Marlborough wine scene.
Arnold gives his opinions on wine writers, screw caps, and numerous other aspects of life in small town NZ.
I also happened to meet Arnold when he also spent a day as an associate judge at the Air NZ Wine Awards, which I happened to be present at in my then job as competition co-ordinator. Arnold does give a very good description of how the judging works and how hard it is to score 20 to 30 wines in a couple of hours without the years of experience most judges possess.
All in all this is racy full-bodied book with some rough edges but with a definite long lingering finish.
Get a Job in Wine Online
Eric’s book may have inspired you to consider a job in the wine industry and the perfect place to find one is at http://www.winejobsonline.com.
This specialist website is aimed at both job seekers and employers and is very highly regarded by many in the industry. It has jobs not only from New Zealand but also offshore.
For job seekers there is a basic fee of $25 to list, and employers can contact you direct, or for $75 you can have a confidential listing where Wine Jobs will pass on the details direct to you.
All applicants must have the right to be employed in New Zealand or meet the requirements for a job permit.
A basic listing for employers is $195 + GST or to add a link to your website $255 + GST.
The site also give a good overview of the New Zealand wine industry and has a number of excellent testimonials from both satisfied employers and job seekers.
14 May, 2008
May New Releases
Submitted by Glenda Neil
May New Releases
Koha Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2007 Vibrant sweet herbal aroma, gooseberry and citrus flavours, crisp and lively wine, about $13 at blackmarket.
Sacred Hill Prospector Central Otago Pinot Noir 2006 Dark rich and beautifully balanced wine with a combination of sweet berry fruit and spice, and a backbone of fine ripe tannins, classic Central Otago style that will reward cellaring, about $65 in NZ.
Hunters Marlborough Riesling 2007 Lime juice nose, light crisp almost dry wine, lime/citrus flavours tightly structured and made for the long haul, cellar with confidence 2-4 years, about $20 in NZ.
Huntaway Reserve Gisborne/Hawkes Bay Merlot/Cabernet 2006 Plums and smoky savoury oak bouquet, full bodied wine showing substantial tannins suggests that this wine has a lot more development to come, about $22 in NZ.
Vidal East Coast Viognier 2007 This wine is a blend of Gisborne, Hawkes Bay and Marlborough fruit and is new to the Vidal range. Sweet peachy fruit flavours but a seriously dry wine with substantial palate weight and alcohol. A wine for food and would be adaptable to many chicken or seafood dishes, about $19 in NZ.
Saint Clair Vicars Choice Pinot Noir 2007 Fresh crushed cherry aroma, light fresh and fruit driven wine that shows good pinot characters without being too demanding, well priced at about $20 in NZ.
04 May, 2008
Vintage 2008 a Mixed Bag
Submitted by Glenda Neil
Vintage 2008 a Mixed Bag
Well it’s mostly in the tank by now, and it looks at if it will be a bumper vintage volume wise.
Weather up until the end of March had been fairly settled and warm. But just as picking got underway in Hawkes Bay and Marlborough small but regular rain events started to apply the pressure to get grapes in faster than some wineries would have liked.
Hawkes Bay, Marlborough and Nelson all had some late frosts last year at flowering time, suggesting a number of wineries will be short of some varieties. But the frosts were not general and should not have a major impact on the size of the overall vintage with many new plantings producing grapes for the first time taking up the slack.
Auckland had an excellent vintage with Waiheke Island growers especially delighted with the warm dry weather and the quality of the grapes.
Gisborne experienced some heavy rain just as picking was about to start turning what looked like a brilliant vintage into a testing one.
Martinborough, after a number of small vintages, has this summer enjoyed their driest and sunniest on record. Winemakers there are confident that the 2008 vintage will produce both quantity and quality wines.
Marlborough and Nelson started picking in fine warm weather but a series of warm wet fronts sweeping down from the north during mid April had most wineries frantically getting grapes in before they hit. The timing could not have been worse putting pickers and wineries under extreme pressure over a short two week period instead of the usual four.
Central Otago only started picking towards the middle of April and should be all finished about now. They are expecting a record vintage of around 10,000 tonnes, about three times the volume of the small 2007 vintage. Pinot Noir is looking particularly good with excellent fruit flavours. Lets hope they are all picked by now as there have been some exceptionally cold days in the past week in that region.
It looks like the 2008 vintage can be summed up a variable. For wineries that picked before the rain the quality will be there, but not all managed this, so it would be prudent to say let the buyer beware. Of course the wine is yet to be bottled and until it’s actually on the shelves final judgement must be withheld.
I will keep you posted once the 2008 wines start arriving, sometime in August.
27 Apr, 2008
Best of the rest from April
Submitted by Glenda Neil
Best of the Rest from April
Blind River Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2007 Produced from fruit grown in the Awatere Valley this wine displays intense citrus fruit flavours, it’s a crisp dry style with long zingy finish. A small percentage was barrel fermented adding texture and weight to the palate, about $27 in NZ, for stockists go to http://www.blindriver.co.nz.
Brown Brothers Victorian Merlot 2005 Smoky savoury nose, lots of sweet plummy fruit, soft ripe tannins an easy enjoyable wine that’s perfect drinking right now, about $18 in NZ.
Montana Chardonnay Pinot Noir Brut Cuveé A relatively new addition to the Montana range. The wine has a yeasty vanilla biscuit aroma, it’s a light and refreshing style with lemony fruit flavours and clean dry finish, smartly priced at about $20 in NZ.
Dry River Pinot Gris 2007 An exceptional wine from one of the finest makers of the style in NZ Dr Neil McCallum. Freshly squeezed grapefruit aroma, the flavours are of peaches and cream, richly textured with substantial palate weight this is a wine to cellar for some time, McCallum suggests at least 4 years, about $48 in NZ.
Woollaston Nelson Pinot Noir 2006 Sweet berry fruit aroma with hints of savoury oak, lovely ripe crushed cherry flavours smooth and silky tannins with a long sweet finish, smart and drinking beautifully now, about $35 in NZ, for stockists go to http://www.woollaston.co.nz.
Matua Valley Reserve Marlborough Riesling 2007 Mineral lime-lemon bouquet, crisp limey fruit flavours, tightly structured wine with substantial acid backbone in a medium dry style, one for the cellar; give it at least 2-3 years, about $22 in NZ.
22 Apr, 2008
Places to go and Stuff to Do
Submitted by Glenda Neil
Places to Go and Stuff to Do
Savour New Zealand
Auckland may have lost the Ellerslie Flower Show to Christchurch, but they have gained one of the year’s best wine and food events in Savour New Zealand.
Running from the 1st to 4th May at the Langham Hotel this event celebrates the country’s best wine and food. One or three day passes are available. Presenters include, kiwi chefs Jonny Schwass, Jason Dell, Peta Mathias and Michael Meredith.
Claire Aldous food editor of Dish Magazine, Rex Morgan of Citron Restaurant will stage a degustation dinner in the Langhams’s Partingtons restaurant.
Wine experts include Anthony Dias Blue, executive director of the San Francisco International Wine Competition, who will host a joint session with Martin Tillard of Camshorn Vineyard in Waipara looking at the growth and popularity of Pinot Noir, Jane Skilton MW New Zealand’s only female Master of Wine will host a Champagne class and there’s much much more.
For all the info on Savour New Zealand go to http://www.savournewzealand.co.nz
Herzog Dinner
Before they close down for the winter months Herzog Restaurant in Blenheim are holding a wine dinner to celebrate those other grape varieties. You know the ones, not Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir or Chardonnay if you want to know more about these other grapes this is a occasion worth attending. This five course dinner features some new varietals that are doing well
in New Zealand but are not widely available. They come from a range of wineries and regions and will be matched with Herzog’s usual fine cuisine. The dinner is to be held on the 16th of May cost is $230pp for more go to http://www.herzog.co.nz
Hawkes Bay Hot Red Wine Expo
Every year the Hawkes Bay Winemakers group take their reds on the road for a public tasting. Dates and venues for this year are as follows.
Christchurch Tuesday 20th May Millenium Hotel Cathedral Square.
Wellington Wednesday 21st May Duxton Hotel Wakefield Street.
Auckland Thursday 22nd May Rendezvous Hotel Vincent Street.
Cost is $35 and they run from 4pm to 8pm. For more go to http://www.winehawkesbay.co.nz
Pinot at Cloudy Bay
This special tasting occasion is must do for all Pinot lovers. You don’t have to be an expert wine taster or particularly knowledgeable about wine to get a lot out of this beautifully organised tasting.
This years tasting will be held at Cloudy Bay Winery on Saturday 28th June from 11am to 3.30pm cost is $275.00 pp which includes the tasting and lunch.
You will sample 18 international benchmark pinots from the 2005 vintage, and then adjourn for a delicious lunch and a chance to sample some of those wines with food.
This tasting sells out fast, for bookings or more info call 03 520 9140 or email pinot@cloudybay.co.nz.
05 Apr, 2008
April New Releases
Submitted by Glenda Neil
April New Releases
Dry River Martinborough Pinot Noir 2006 If you’ve managed to score some of this highly sought after wine try and hold off opening it for at least 3-4 years. Unfortunately, I had to open a bottle so I could advise you not too. Rich ripe concentrated berry fruit and dark chocolate flavours, sweet and succulent with a silky smooth texture, complex with firm ripe tannins. As always you need to be on the Dry River mailing list to have any chance of buying their wines, for more on this wine go to http://www.dryriver.co.nz, about $82 from the winery.
Pegasus Bay Waipara Chardonnay 2006 Nutty toasty aroma, strong sweet grapefruit flavours beautifully balanced with smoky creamy oak, tasting great right now but will continue to develop for sometime yet, about $34.95 in NZ.
Sacred Hill Brokenstone Merlot 2005 Anyone who says Merlot makes a wimpy wine should get hold of a bottle of this beauty. Sweet plums and spice on palate big bold tannins and a long savoury finish, cellar for at least 3-4 years and wait for this to unfold and show its real potential, about $64 in NZ.
Jules Taylor Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2007 Crisp vibrant wine with ripe tropical fruit rich and rounded on the palate a wine of great poise and balance, gold medal and trophy winner at the Air NZ Wine Awards, about $20 in NZ.
Camshorn Waipara Domett Clays Pinot Noir 2006 Dark densely coloured wine, cherries and spice on palate, not a block buster but full of genuine pinot flavours at a very reasonable price, about $37 in NZ.
Vavasour Awatere Valley Chardonnay 2006 This classy wine is all elegance and subtlety, crisp citrus fruit flavours a touch of butterscotch and nutty toasty finish, complex with exceptional balance of ripe fruit and oak, about $25 in NZ.
29 Mar, 2008
Marlborough Sounds Escape
Submitted by Glenda Neil
Marlborough Sounds Escapes
One of the best things about living in the top of the South is that the beautiful Marlborough Sounds are right there on the doorstep. This year we have managed two great sounds experiences. The first was back in February when we finally got to visit a place that I have longed to go to for sometime.
Every February, around the same time as the Marlborough wine and food festival, Marlborough winery Seresin Estate runs a series of dinners and lunches at Michael Seresins holiday hideaway Waterfall Bay in the sounds. An international chef is invited to present an à la carte menu matched with Seresin wines.
When living in Auckland I promised myself that when I moved to Nelson I would go to one of these at the first opportunity. Guest chef this year was Brad Farmerie from Public Restaurant in New York. There were a number of dinners and lunches to choose from over the festival weekend and we selected to go to a lunch so we could enjoy the boat trip to Waterfall Bay from Picton in daylight. There is a maximum of 45 people for each meal, and they are held in an old restored boatshed near the waters edge.
I won’t go into details about the meal suffice to say it was exceptional and the setting superb. There are other Seresin dinners held at the boatshed throughout the year, for more info on them go to http://www.seresin.co.nz then select dining.
The second sounds experience not only involved food but also a fabulous scenic drive from Nelson to French Pass. This takes around 2 hours 30 mins but with so many awesome views and bays to stop at we spent most of the day getting there. Once you get past Elaine Bay the sealed road ends. The road twists and turns through forest then along ridge tops with spectacular views of both sides of the sounds.
We then dived down a long driveway to the waters edge to Ngaio Bay Ecostay B&B. This remote and peaceful spot is the perfect recipe for stressed out city dwellers, and really for anyone who would enjoy a beach to themselves, birdsong to wake to and delicious home cooked food. We had an excellent dinner with a wonderful selection of organic veges straight from the garden and the most perfect croissants for breakfast. Great hosts Jude and Roger Sonneland make you feel totally at home, for more about Ngaio Bay go to http://www.ngaiobay.co.nz
24 Mar, 2008
Great March Buys
Submitted by Glenda Neil
Great March Buys
Camshorn Waipara Glenmark Gravels Pinot Gris 2007 Intense spice and pear drop aroma, rich and beautifully textured wine that’s still developing, medium dry style and great food match with hot smoked salmon and pasta, about $26.95 in NZ.
Walnut Block Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2007 Crisp juicy wine with ripe red currant flavours and long sweet finish, about $23 in NZ, for more on info go to http://www.walnutblock.co.nz they also have two delightful apartments to let right in the Walnut Block vineyards.
Spy Valley Marlborough Gewurztraminer 2007 Aromatic rose petal and musk bouquet, strong sweet spicy flavours combine with ginger and Turkish delight, luscious and delicious example of this variety, about $20 in NZ.
Cloudy Bay Chardonnay 2006 Smoky cedary oak nose, ripe grapefruit, butterscotch and caramel dominate the palate of this powerful but still youthful wine. Impeccable balance of ripe fruit and classy French oak, great drinking now but will continue to develop for at least 3-4 years, about $44 in NZ.
Muddy Water Waipara Pinotage 2006 This power packed wine with just over 15% alcohol is an excellent example of what NZ can do with this variety. Dark dense purple with plum and chocolate aroma, the flavours are reminiscent of a slice of rich fruit cake, impressive stuff, it is suggested by the winery that the wine be decanted half an hour before drinking, about $32 in NZ.
Saint Clair Marlborough Chardonnay 2007 Great drink young wine, lots of sweet citrus fruit and a lick of spicy oak, make this a perfect drink anytime wine, about $20 in NZ.
05 Mar, 2008
Winegrowers of Ara Launch
Submitted by Glenda Neil
Winegrowers of Ara
Confidence in the continued growth of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc has just seen a new venture, vast and ambitious in size, unveiled in the region. Winegrowers of Ara a privately owned New Zealand company has revealed for the first time their spectacular new vineyard and operations centre (called the Dart due to its shape).
Situated at the confluence of the Wairau and Waihopai rivers on river terrace soils the property covers over 1600 hectares. So far 390 hectares have been progressively planted in Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. The intention is to continue planting for some time yet. Even now this is a large vineyard by any standards and the intention is to produce only quality grapes. With this in mind the vineyard has been close planted, meaning vines with be restricted by root space, and vine yields will be kept down.
Wines from the Ara vineyards will not only be produced under their own brand Composite and Resolute, but they will supplya number of other companies with grapes that will bear the Ara vineyards designation.
The operation is lead by General Manager Dr Damian Martin, who identified the potential of the Ara site and has been involved since 2001.
For more on the Ara wines go to http://www.compositewines.co.nz and http://www.resolutewines.co.nz.
28 Feb, 2008
More Good Drops
Submitted by Glenda Neil
More Good Drops
Muddy Water James Hardwick Waipara Riesling 2007 Intense aroma of apricot and honey, sweet citrus and spice on palate, exquisitely balance of ripe fruit and crisp acid, a totally delicious drop. Cellar 3-4 years or enjoy now, about $29 in NZ. For more info go to http://www.muddywater.co.nz
Jacobs Creek Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 Dark dense purple, blackberry and toasty oak bouquet, big rich full bodied wine, loads of ripe tannins still apparent, powerful and complex, should continue to develop for some time, about $19.95 in NZ.
Woollaston Tussock Nelson Pinot Gris 2007 Quince and apple aroma, almost dry, but nicely balanced with pear and spice flavours and a long crisp finish, oily and weighty on the palate, serious well made wine, about $24 in NZ. For more info go to http://www.woollaston.co.nz
Cloudy Bay Marlborough Pinot Noir 2006 Earthy spice and dark cherry bouquet, smooth and beautifully textured wine ripe sweet cherries and plums on palate, silky tannins and long sweet finish, outstanding and delicious drinking right now, about $51 in NZ.
Vavasour Awatere Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2007 You won’t find a better example of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc around than this. Vibrant crisp with gooseberry and sweet herbal flavours, multiple gold medal winner, an outstanding wine, about $20 in NZ.
Brown Brothers Victorian Shiraz 2005 Warm spicy wine with chocolate and ripe plummy fruit nicely integrated tannins, drinking well now but will cellar for 3-4 years, about $19 in NZ.
Stoneleigh Marlborough Chardonnay 2007 Creamy smooth with lovely ripe grapefruit flavours and nutty toasty oak, not a big wine but a simply delightful drink anytime style, about $21 in NZ.
23 Feb, 2008
Vintage 2008 Underway
Submitted by Glenda Neil
Vintage 2008 Underway
This year’s vintage has just got underway in Gisborne and so far prospects are looking good. New Zealand Winegrowers expects around 225,000 to 245,000 tonnes of grapes an increase on last year’s 205,000. The increase will come from a larger producing area, combined with more normal yields due to better weather at flowering time.
Let’s hope the dry weather that most regions are experiencing continues on into late April and May when the majority of the picking takes place. Heavy rain predicted for this weekend should not be a problem in the major grape growing regions that are sheltered from the west.
The export market is still growing strongly with exports for 2007 showing an increase of 24% in value to $761 million and 30% in volume to 84 million litres. Sauvignon Blanc continues to be the mainstay of our exports with some wineries looking forward to a larger vintage this year. Loads more Sauvignon vines have been planted over the last 3 years but demand seems to be remaining ahead of supply, at least in the export market.
There is still plenty of 2007 Sauvignon Blanc around the supermarkets at the moment at some very sharp prices. 2007 was generally a very good vintage for Sauvignon and its worth while hunting out a few bargains. And if you haven’t tried Pinot Gris yet, at last there seems to be enough volume for some good Pinot Gris to be specialled off. With more Pinot Gris planting now producing, prices are starting to look a lot more realistic for this variety.
All regions should be fully picked by the end of May so I will have a better idea of the complete vintage region by region and update then.
