New Zealand: Taking Flight
Three decades ago there was barely a whisper of New Zealand Pinot Noir on the international market. The country’s first commercial Pinot Noir wines, released throughout the mid- to late 1980s, had barely been plucked from their vines, and New Zealand’s international winemaking reputation was negligible.
There were just 5,882 hectares of vineyards throughout the entire country. Two decades later, by 2007, there were 25,355 ha, 543 wineries, Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc was officially ‘a thing’ and Pinot Noir had been established as the country’s flagship red grape. Today, that figure has risen to 36,192 ha, with 675 wineries producing 313.9 million litres of wine in 2016.
In the UK, New Zealand now holds the highest average bottle price, at £7.14, compared with the market average of £5.49, with this figure rising to £9.17 for New Zealand red wines, driven largely by Pinot Noir (Nielsen MAT 5.11.16). In a remarkably short space of time New Zealand has gone from relative obscurity to becoming one of the world’s most exciting, evolving and energetic wine regions in the world with an enviable reputation for Pinot Noir, the evolution of which was the focus of this year’s Pinot Noir NZ 2017 conference in Wellington.
SENSE OF PLACE
Held every four years, the event saw 600 Pinot fanatics, producers, buyers and wine journalists gather to debate the development of this notoriously fussy, yet expressive grape in New Zealand. The event was, as Jancis Robinson MW aptly described it, a “Kiwi love-in”, demonstrating not only New Zealand’s unbridled passion for Pinot, but also the voracious ambition of its winemakers to collectively embrace, explore and evolve its Pinot offer. Philip Gregan, CEO of New Zealand Winegrowers, noted the growing confidence among winemakers compared with the uncertainty that had surrounded the industry during the first Pinot Noir NZ event in 2001.
“We are not saying that we know everything, but we are confident about the journey that we are on and what we are trying to achieve,” says Gregan. “I think the themes of the conference ultimately reflected that. What we have to do is produce really great wines that reflect their New Zealand-ness and I think that’s where we have come a long way.”
But for all the enthusiasm, support and collective ambition displayed at this year’s conference, just how is New Zealand actually moving its expression of Pinot Noir forward? The need to express a sense of place was a central theme of this year’s conference, conveyed through the Maori concept of ‘turangawaewae’. Translated literally it means ‘a place to stand’ – a location where you feel especially empowered and connected, your place in the world, your home.
“Turangawaewae is about loving our land and caring for it in a way that ensures it continues to produce extraordinary wine, about not making comparisons with the rest of the world and being comfortable in our own skin,” explained Rachel Taulelei, CEO of Kono Beverages, which comprises Tohu and Aronui. “If we stay on this path, only good and true results will follow. But we have to keep taking risks with our wines – that’s the nature of people who live on the edge of the world.”
Comparisons could be drawn to the concept of terroir – the character imparted upon a wine by its environment – or as a Maori might say, ‘te wa’. “Te wa is about the convergence of time and space,” adds Tauleilei. “It speaks of seasons, and terms, of defined areas and regions. When the human element is added to it, the relationship between people, land, water, season and light results in a nexus of interconnecting elements.”
Translated into the world of wine, both concepts speak about the belief that wine is defined as much by the soils, climate and people connected to the land through the generations, as it is pH, brics and residual sugar levels. Expanding this idea, Marcel Giesen, winemaker at Giesen in Marlborough, said: “In the New World, great wine comes from great people and the relationship with their land. In the Old World, great wine comes from land that is already proven, the current generation as the custodian. This is why people matter in making great wine.”
Turangawaewae and te wa might be unique to New Zealand, but the pursuit of expressing a sense of place through wine is universally understood, and one that is driving New Zealand’s exploration and expression of Pinot Noir. Marlborough remains New Zealand’s biggest producer of Pinot Noir with 2,590 ha under vine, which is, however, dwarfed by its 19,047 ha of Sauvignon Blanc. Protected by the Richmond Ranges, but with cooling breezes from the east coast, the region’s higher-yielding crops typically produce brighter expressions of Pinot with higher acidity and fruit intensity. Wairarapa, on the north island, which includes the boutique Pinot province of Martinborough, is another important Pinot-producing region; it recently rebranded as Wellington Wine Country. Positioned 40km from the coast and with 492 ha of vines, its clay-rich soils and cool winds that drive up from Antarctica result in lower yields, lightly packed bunches and a style of Pinot that’s more spicy and savoury in character than those from Marlborough.
The Waipara Valley in North Canterbury, north of Christchurch, is another region producing small volumes of boutique Pinot Noir from its 404 ha of vines. However, Central Otago, on the south island, remains New Zealand’s most high-profile Pinot producer, with 1,500 ha under vine across eight sub-regions; Wanaka, Gibbston, Bannockburn, Alexandra, Bendigo, Cromwell, Lowburn and Pisa. “Jealousy and envy” were the words used by Hätsch Kalberer, winemaker at Fromm winery in Marlborough, to sum up Central Otago, its unique semi-continental climate typically producing wines with vivid fruit character, concentration and structure. “What a privilege it must be to live and work in one of New Zealand’s most beautiful regions and be making flagship wines from New Zealand,” he said.
But while this region is responsible for some of New Zealand’s best Pinots, it is also one of the most challenging. So harsh is its climate that a government study conducted in the 1960s concluded that it would not ever be possible to grow grapes on the south island, let alone in Central Otago, which is prone to frost and unpredictable snowfall. Actor and winemaker Sam Neill of Two Paddocks summed it up best: “Living on the edge of viability is one of the most extremely satisfying things of all, but also f*****g terrifying.”
“You are on the cliff edge, but it’s wonderful, as long as you don’t fall off the cliff,” says Neill. “It’s vertiginous and it’s dangerous, but at those dizzying heights you can produce the most beautiful wines if nature is kind.”
‘FRUIT BOMB PINOTS’
In the early 1990s, winemakers in Central Otago were enthralled by the amount of fruit that they could extract from their vineyards, leading the region to gain a reputation for producing ‘fruit bomb’ Pinots. Now, winemakers are taking a more restrained approach, using less extraction and less oak to better express and define their sub-regional difference. “When we arrived we were so excited with the amount of fruit that we could get,” recalls Matt Dicey, winemaker at Mt Difficulty in Bannockburn. “We were talking about young vines delivering fruit. Even then I was looking for structure, so we were working the wines. As I and the vineyard have gotten older it’s been a case of ‘less is more’.
“At the same time, there’s been a refinement of elegance, the fruit has gone down and there’s a branch of different styles in Central. That fruit-forward style is still valued and one that people want, and for some it is what Central Otago is about, but we are looking more for texture and structure. That’s just a pathway that I have evolved down. Bigger is not necessarily more beautiful. For us, it’s about trying to understand the essence of where we are coming from and what drives our understanding of place.”
Recalling a previous visit to New Zealand in 2013, Madeleine Stenwreth MW, who joined the drinks business on a tour of the country’s wine regions in January, said she had been “blown away” by how much had changed since, with some of the regional stylistic borders that she had deciphered then “completely erased”, and for the better.
“What was evident for Central Otago, and to some extent other regions too, was that there were a surprisingly large number of wines that had become so much more confident, showing more of an unforced, naked, understated beauty, comfortably honest and true to themselves. The more distinct regional and sub-regional differences had moved into stronger personalities of house styles with strong respect for the vineyard and its potential to show greatness – by daring to have a gentler approach.”
Shaped by glaciers and lakes, Central Otago’s soils are comprised of everything from broken schist, clays, silt loams, gravels, sand and loess (a sediment formed by the accumulation of wind-blown silt), with much of it supported by stony sub soils and bedrock of greywacke.
CHANGES IN SOILS
“There are such great differences between sub-regions because of the changes in the soils, particularly in the Cromwell basin,” said Blair Walter, winemaker at Bannockburn’s Felton Road.
Partner Content
“Just in the short length of Felton Road there are 10 soil types. Most other places you would have distinct differences in soils, but in Central Otago you could find the same soil types in Bannockburn or Alexandra (separated by some distance), but the soil in a neighbouring vineyard 10m away could be of a completely different type, so it makes it more challenging for us.”
Could New Zealand’s exploration of soil types lead to a hierarchy of soils, such as in the Old World? “We’re too socialist for that,” retorts Valli Vineyards’ Grant Taylor without missing a beat, adding: “It’s about sub-regional difference.” As Jules Taylor, winemaker at Jules Taylor Wines in Marlborough reiterated to delegates at the Pinot Noir conference: “It is about celebrating our differences rather than comparing them.”
Vine age is playing an increasing role in revealing these differences, as New Zealand’s modern clones and rootstocks mature. With much of the country’s vines barely more than a decade old, winemakers are mostly producing wines from first-generation vineyards, without any historic reference or a previous generation to inform their approach.
Acknowledging his own vines, Neill said: “After 20 years, vines really settle down. They are rather like humans. First as babies, then as troublesome and moody teenagers, and then after 20 we can all relax with each other.”
However, vines that have emerged from adolescence are still scarce in New Zealand, with New Zealand nevertheless home to some of the oldest. Currently, the average age of Pinot Noir vines in Central Otago is around 12 to 13 years old, with just 10 ha of its total 1,500 ha dating back to 1992, making them 25 years old, says Walter of Felton Road, which owns a portion of these vines.
GLOBAL CONTEXT
“Having vines that are 20 years old or more in Central Otago is exciting, but it’s a very small number of vines that we have to work with,” he says. “If you put that into a global or fine wine context, we are still infants trying to find our own way.”
On the benefits of older vines Walter cites a “massive difference” with regards to viticulture and their ability to withstand the region’s variable climate. “We see a strength and resilience in the vines,” he says. “It’s not unusual to experience up to a fourth snowfall in June, and we could also have two weeks of 33 degrees Celcius to 38ºC.
“The older vines seem to be much more tolerant at weathering these extremes. Having some vine age is a real benefit. The older vines don’t produce as large berries and aren’t overcropped, compared with younger vines, and we get stable harvest sizes.
“In younger vines it’s not uncommon to drop 30% of grapes on the ground, you don’t get that with older vines.”
As the region’s library of aged wines from modern clones increases, so too does winemakers’ confidence in their wines’ ability to age. “Before, we were too scared to even say that they would age five years,” said Rudi Bauer, winemaker at Quartz Reef in Central Otago. “Now you can see that they can age easily for eight years; we have been surprised by how well the fruit has aged.”
The style of Pinot Noir being produced now largely didn’t exist in the 1980s and 1990s, notes winemaker Hayden Johnston, owner of Kuru Kuru and Tarras Wines, with today’s modern clones only planted around the turn of the century. The most common Pinot Noir clones are 113, 115, 667 and 777 from Dijon, as well as “Abel” and UCD5 Pommard.
“Now vines have grafted rootstocks and we have a greater variety of clones to choose from, so we don’t have a comparison,” explains Johnston. “We can’t go back 30 years and say this is what it will taste like. To go back to this times is not a fair comparison. It’s an indication, but not a very good one. We have to wait and see, but early indications are very promising. The acidity we get naturally from our cool climate, which you need to age a wine, along with tannins and fruit, we have that. I’m confident that I will be enjoying these wines in 20 years.”
While that may be true, New Zealand’s trump card is perhaps the fact that its wines, unlike a lot of Burgundy, can be enjoyed young, with the majority of New Zealand wines consumed within two weeks of purchase. Small volumes make it difficult for winemakers to hold onto significant stocks, but the potential for New Zealand to become a country that produces wines with the intention of cellaring is there.
AGEING POTENTIAL
As Stenwreth adds: “I am convinced that the ageing potential we will see in these newly released vintages will be very different compared with vintages just going back five to 10 years.”
In this respect, it would be easy to draw comparisons with Burgundy, which in many ways offers a map for New Zealand winemakers. As Bauer pointed out, in terms of its history Central Otago is “where Burgundy was 2,000 years ago”, but its winemakers are far from attempting to ape Burgundy. As increasing vine age collides with proven bottle age, greater clonal choice and site selection, there’s a sense that Central Otago, and indeed New Zealand, has grown out of its troublesome teenage years, emerged from its experimental twenties and is now entering its thirties with renewed vigour, confidence and consistency.
“People used to say we were copying Burgundy, but that was never the intention,” says Bauer. “It was a very important decision that we took as a region to be committed to Central Otago in its own right. We are what we are and will do the best with what we have rather than being a copycat. That was a key moment, but we never talked about it.”
And therein lies the spirit of New Zealand’s winemakers, effortlessly united and energetic in their commitment to honouring ‘turangawaewae’ through their expression of Pinot and place, which, pointedly, could not be any further from the Côte d’Or.
