So I’ve made it to New Zealand to start my new life over here. Only three days after landing on Kiwi soil, I’m off on an eight-day tour of Waipara, Central Otago, Marlborough, Nelson and Hawkes Bay. Nothing like easing myself in gently.
The trip kicked off with a whistlestop tour of Waipara – a 45-minute drive north of Christchurch. I have to admit my knowledge of Waipara was pretty patchy but after a full day’s tasting and meeting the producers, I’ll give you an overview.
Waipara’s a small region and there were very few wineries until the mid-90s. Today, it’s mostly family wineries although there are a few big players involved including drinks giant Pernod Ricard, which sells wine under the Camshorn label. However, this is a region that won’t be able to service the volume demands of the supermarkets and its wines seem to be more relevant to the on-trade and independent market anyway.
What’s best in Waipara?
While most wineries produce a range of varietals including Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, the region’s Riesling and Pinot Gris are what it does best – in my opinion. Both the Riesling and Pinot Gris are made in an off-dry style and very successfully.
The Rieslings are pure and clean with alcohol levels reaching a refreshingly low 11.5% or 12%. These aren’t as austere as many Aussie Rieslings and by keeping some residual sugar, a touch of sweetness takes the edge of the firm acidity. Look out for Pegasus Bay (stocked by New Generation in the UK) and Waipara Springs (Hayward Bros/Helion Wines).
Hidden hillside gems?
I couldn’t help but notice that the vast majority of vines were planted on the flat gravel lands while there were plenty of hillsides sitting unplanted. There are some producers who are planting on the hillsides but it’s the exception rather than the rule. At the risk of making a massive generalisation, I’ve always believed that hillsides tend to make better wines and could do here. There were plenty of wines from the flatlands that were superb but I wonder if this region has a lot of untapped potential.
Climate
Just in case you’re interested, here’s a bit of geeky info on the climate here. Despite being only 45 minutes north of Christchurch, on most days temperatures in the region are two to three degrees C higher than in the city. I’ll have to take the producers’ word for it as it was Baltic when I visited inappropriately in my flip flops (aka jandals, I believe in New Zealand-speak). You’ll generally find higher temperatures in Waipara because it’s protected from the sea by the Cheviot Hills. It’s also really dry here in summer. If rain does fall a really strong drying north-westerly blows through the vineyards drying the vines out and botrytis is rare. I could go on but I fear you would lose the will to live if I continue harping on about the weather any further.
In short this is a really young region with some impressive wines coming from not-very-old vines. Watch out for it if you’re a Riesling or Pinot Gris freak. There’s still plenty more to come.
