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A Speed Tasting of New Zealand Wines

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I dropped into a New Zealand mini-tasting (50ish wines) yesterday. I didn’t try them all as I was in a bit of a hurry, but an interesting selection, including two Grüner Veltliners, a Viognier and an Albariño. However, on this occasion, it was the red wines that impressed me most. The 2014 vintage, talked about in glowing terms on my visit there last year, seems to be fulfilling all the promise.

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Neudorf Chardonnay 2014, Nelso
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One of the greatest producers in New Zealand, now handled by Berry Brothers in Ireland, although Jnwine have the 2011 vintage on their website for a tempting €26.99/£19.99. Wonderful classic Chardonnay, with rich rounded fruits, a restrained use of oak giving it elegant toastiness and lovely refreshing lime zest acidity.

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Framingham Classic Riesling 2014, Marlborough

Another great NZ producer. This off-dry wine had lovely honeysuckle and melon fruits with a crisp minerality. The Le Caveau website has the 2009 vintage at €22.65 which should be drinking beautifully.

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Escarpment Pinot Martinborough 2014
Larry McKenna, known as Dr. Pinot in those parts, crafts some beautifully rich, but balanced Pinot from his winery in Martinborough. This had lovely ripe dark cherry fruits and very good length. Searsons has the 2011 vintage for €28.95.

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Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 2014, Martinborough

Ata Rangi make what is probably New Zealand’s finest Pinot Noir. This was completely different in style to that of Escarpment above; a superb, elegant Pinot with youthful precise complex dark cherry fruits. A wine that will develop and improve for years to come, but a joy to drink now. Expect to pay around €65. This or the excellent 2013 vintage is available from The Corkscrew Chatham Street; O’Briens; On the Grapevine, Dalkey; Thewineshop.ie; Green Man Wines, Terenure.

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Elephant Hill Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2014
Delicious sweet ripe Syrah with a touch of black pepper. Lovely wine. Taserra Wine Merchants (01 4904047) are listed as distributors. I would suspect it retails for €25-30 a bottle.

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Vidal Reserve Gimblett Gravels Syrah 2013, Hawke’s Bay
I tasted and blogged about this wine earlier this year – it is excellent, a clean fresh Syrah with black peppers and savoury black cherry fruits. Well worth seeking out. Barry & Fitzwilliam are the agents – (0214320900)

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Trinity Hill The Gimblett Cabernets Merlot 2013, Hawke’s Bay

I also wrote/blogged about this wine earlier this year. It is an impeccably balanced delicious mix of the two Cabernets and Merlot with 1% Petit Verdot; lean and clean with perfectly ripe cassis and damson fruits. €29.99 from independents. Liberty are the agents.

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Glug and Grill – Barbecue Wines

Glug and Grill – Barbecue Wines

First published in the Irish Times, Saturday April 30th

I had my first barbecue of the year a month ago; a whole chicken stuffed with garlic and lemon. It was simple but delicious, the skin crisp and burnished. You can cook on the barbecue throughout the year (I know people who use it for the Christmas turkey) but once the sun comes out it becomes a much more attractive method of cooking. The Irish barbie is no longer a few sausages and burgers incinerated on a grill. Not only do we cook everything from fish to vegetables, many now have proper smokers or at least woodchips to add smoky flavours to a charcoal-powered covered cooker.

I divide my barbecue wines into three categories. There is no getting away from the idea of matching a big, powerful red with barbecued red meat. Smoked or heavily marinated and spicy meat probably demands the biggest wines of all. For inspiration, look to sunny countries and how they match their wine and food. Shiraz from Australia, malbec from Argentina and zinfandel from California are all classic partners.

With fish and chicken a rich white wine or a rosé is called for. I probably do not pay rosés enough attention in this column. I could blame the weather but I have to admit I am not a big fan generally. There are some very pricey pinks from Provence and elsewhere, but I am not convinced they are worth the money.

However, rosés can be great with grilled or barbecued shellfish, fish and chicken, especially if those with an Asian or Middle-Eastern marinade or rub. They also go very well with all sorts of salads, so they are a good catch-all summer wine. If you want to stick with white wine, a chardonnay (lightly oaked wines and smoke) or a rich viognier are probably the best options. You could serve a light, chilled red wine, such as a pinot noir, with grilled salmon or tuna.

My final barbecue wine does not go with any of the food; it is the aperitif! Charcoal always takes far longer to get ready than you think, and some foods, chicken in particular, must be thoroughly cooked (my best friend is a digital thermometer), so make sure you have something to drink while waiting for the food to be ready.

Avoid big, alcoholic wines, or you and your guests will be sprawling long before the food is ready. A light, well-chilled refreshing white wine is ideal; a Mosel riesling Kabinett, if you are having nibbles, or you could think about a lightly chilled beaujolais or Loire cabernet, or again a rosé, as they tend to be light in alcohol. This week’s wines are not expensive. I save my best wines for other occasions.

jwilson@irishtimes.com

DSCF6516Borsao Campo de Borja Selección 2014, Spain
14.5%
€13.95

A delicious fruit bomb of a wine; supple, juicy, ripe and very gluggable.

Stockists: Searsons, Monkstown

DSCF6499Exquisite Pinot Noir Rosé 2015, Marlborough, New Zealand
€8.99

Light summery strawberry fruits with a dry finish. With fish and white meats.

Stockist: Aldi

DSCF6519Espigueiro Vinho Verde 2015, Portugal
10.5%
€12.99

Perfect summer sipping wine; light, crisp, and sprizty.

Stockists: Wilde & Green, Milltown; John Doyle, Gorey; Mitchell & Son, chq, Sandycove & Avoca Kilmacanogue.

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Hunky Dory Sauvignon Blanc 2014, Marlborough, New Zealand

<strong>Hunky Dory Sauvignon Blanc 2014, Marlborough, New Zealand</strong>

Hunky doryHunky Dory Sauvignon Blanc 2014, Marlborough, New Zealand
13%
€14.95

Floral aromas, luscious fresh exotic fruits, and a dry finish.

I have written about this wine before, but if you are a fan of Marlborough Sauvignon, this is well worth buying. Made from organically grown grapes, this is a very keenly priced; originally at €18.99, I have seen it in several outlets at a bargain €15.

Available from 64wine, Glasthule; Ardkeen, Waterford; Carpenters, Castleknock; Blackrock Cellar; Gibneys, Malahide; La Touche, Greystones; No. 21, Cork; O’Driscoll’s, Cahirsiveen; The Wine Centre, Kilkenny.

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A Long Weekend in Wine

A Long Weekend in Wine

It was a long weekend if you include St. Patrick’s Day; that is my excuse for drinking so much wine. Some nice bottles.

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Wiston Estate Rosé South Downs
12%

Made by Irishman Dermot Sugrue, so we drank it on St. Patrick’s Day. Wonderful rosé with precise ripe raspberry fruits and developing notes of brioche. The label gives plenty of information; a dosage 8 g/l sugar; 57% Pinot Noir, 33% Chardonnay, 10% Pinot Meunier. Disgorged 12/2013

Triennes Viognier Sainte Fleur 2013 IGP Mediteranée
13%

This is what business class customers drink on Aer Lingus. Light peaches and custard with a touch of vanilla. Nice well-balanced wine that went nicely with my gnudi. Retails for €23 in Kellys, Clontarf; Corkscrew; Jus de Vine, Portmarnock; Sheils, Malahide.

I am Didimi from Dimi and this is my Krakhuna 2013
Imereti, Georgia
12%
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Surely the longest title for a wine. Krakhuna is the local grape (but then you knew that) and Dimi is the sub-region, part of Imereti. Georgia, the cradle of winemaking, is making quite a name for itself. Look out for Alice Feiring’s new book ‘For the Love of Wine’ on Georgian non-interventionist wine. This wine is made in glass demi-johns with no skin contact. Fresh with clean mineral fruits and a nice funkiness too; lovely wine. I Coravin the wine and celebrate the start of the weekend with a glass every Friday evening. Available through Le Caveau in Kilkenny, and Green Man Wines and probably a few others for €33.

Wolf Blass President’s Selection Chardonnay 2010, South Australia
13%

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This missed the photo shoot above as it was hiding in the fridge. Good medium-bodied Chardonnay, with subtle tropical fruits on the palate, with a good lightly creamy texture and the merest touch of oak. Currently being phased out, but sells for €19.99.

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Domaine Rolet Côtes du Jura Savagnin 2009
14%

4.5 years in old oak without topping up or racking. This has sherry-like qualities with intense oxidised nutty flavour and a bone dry mineral finish. Magnificent complex wine that I drank over three evenings. The back label suggested drinking it with creamy sauces, (chicken with morels being a classic match) as well as local cheeses. I tried mine with hake in parsley sauce, which was surprisingly good, and with Comté cheese, also very good. Sadly not available in Ireland yet, although I hear rumours it may appear in 64wine over the next few months; they have other wines from Domaine Rolet.

El Pájaro Rojo, Mencía 2014, Bierzo
14%
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Part of a big Mencía tasting, this was a richer style of Bierzo, from the lower clay soils. It went through malo in new oak. Textured rounded dark fruits with hints of spice, this may not have the freshness of some Mencía, but it more than makes up for this with a lovely rounded texture. Very well priced too. €16.95 from Searsons, Monkstown.

S.C. Pannell Tempranillo Touriga 2014, McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley
14%

Sleek smooth and concentrated dark fruits with a savoury touch and some perfectly integrated tannins. A gently purring, very cleverly made wine. Steve Pannell is one of the most highly regarded winemakers down under at the moment, having won the Jimmy Watson trophy in 2013, and was awarded Winemaker of the Year in 2015. €26.99 a bottle, imported by Liberty Wines.

Castello di Fonterutoli 2004, Mazzei Chianti Classico
14%

I bought six bottles of this about eight years ago, as it was being highly touted in the press at the time. I have drunk two bottles, both fine, but had I paid the full €50 retail price (I got it at a discount) I might have been a little disappointed. It is rich and rounded with very good dark fruits, a touch of wood, and some acidity too. Maturing nicely with some development. As I say, nice wine, but lacking a little Sangiovese character.

Hans Herzog Spirit of Marlborough Merlot Cabernet 2005, New Zealand
14%

I used this in a master class on New Zealand wines a few months back and coravined it. Mature, soft and leafy/herby in a good way, with ripe cassis fruit. Nothing like a Bordeaux but lovely interesting drinking. Sadly I don’t think this is available in Ireland. Hans Herzog is a Swiss winemaker/restaurateur who fell in love with Marlborough and moved there.

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Battle of the Pinots

We managed to make serious inroads into my Pinot collection last night. We had the Pike & Joyce first as it was the lightest, and a little too delicate for the roast shoulder of lamb that followed.
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Pike & Joyce 2013 Rapide Pinot Noir, Adelaide Hills, Australia
14%

Light easy and refreshing with good pure summer fruits – a very decent Pinot, probably best served cool when the temperature increases a little. A very tasty £12.75 or €18.95 from jnwine.

Ara Resolute Pinot Noir 2012, Marlkborough, New Zealand

Smokier with toasty oak flavours alongside layered rich spicy sweet plums. Powerful but silky fruit; I reckon this will improve still further. €29.99, imported by Grape Expectations.

Framingham F-series Pinot Noir 2008, Marlborough

14.5%

Rich and deep, maturing nicely with a lovely mineral core, great intensity and very good length. Black cherries with a savoury herbal note; delicious now but no rush to drink up. From Le Caveau at a very reasonable €27.90.

Felton Road Bannockburn Pinot Noir 2014 Central Otago
14%

Felton Road is one of the leading producers of Pinot Noir in New Zealand. Nigel Greening and winemaker Blair Walter are responsible for a series of well-crafted ageworthy biodynamically produced wines. The 2014 Bannockburn was closed at first but opened out nicely. Violets and black cherries on the nose and palate with supple soft easy youthful fruits, good acidity and a nice finish. Lovely wine. €33 from jnwine.

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New Zealand Pinot Noir

First published in The Irish Times 31st October, 2015

New Zealand is one of the very few countries that can claim to have conquered that difficult and quarrelsome grape, Pinot Noir. Two of the finest producers from that country visited Ireland in recent weeks.

The Ata Rangi vineyards were planted in 1980 by Clive Paton, his wife, Phyl, and sister Alison. At the age of 28, he sold his dairy herd and set about growing grapes. He had attended a meeting at which soil scientist Dr Derek Milne suggested that Martinborough, just down the road from his farm, had the potential for viticulture. He jokes that he knew the land was stony as he used to graze his knees every time he played rugby there (Paton scored a try against the touring 1977 Lions, and his grandfather was an All Black).

Martinborough is a small town, laid out in the shape of a Union Jack by its founder, Irishman John Martin, in the 19th century, on the North Island, an hour’s drive from the capital, Wellington. The deep gravel soils provide excellent drainage. Spring is cool, with an ever-present danger of frost, but the region benefits from strong winds (good for keeping disease away) dry autumn weather and very high diurnal fluctuation. The wider region, known as Wairarapa, now has more than 50 wineries.

Ata Rangi was the first to use the famous “gumboot” clone of Pinot Noir. The story goes that an anonymous New Zealand winemaker was travelling through Burgundy in the 1970s and took a cutting from the greatest Pinot Noir vineyard in the world, La Romanée Conti. He tried to smuggle it back into New Zealand in a gumboot. However it was confiscated by an alert customs official, Malcolm Abel, in Wellington airport. As Abel was interested in viticulture, he put it into quarantine and then planted it a few years later. He passed on some of its progeny to his friend Clive Paton; this clone now makes up most of the oldest vines in Ata Rangi, where it is said to produce wines with a fine silky tannins and dark brooding savoury fruits. Certainly this describes Ata Rangi Pinot to a tee. The wines, which can age brilliantly, are elegant and velvety.

Englishman Nigel Greening worked in the advertising business before falling in love with Pinot Noir. A self-confessed Pinot addict, he is one of the most articulate producers, thoughtful, knowledgeable about Pinot the world over, and Burgundy in particular. In 2000, he bought Felton Road in the far south of the South Island, and, with winemaker Blair Walter, has brought Felton Road to the very top of the Pinot tree. “It is probably one of the easiest places in the world to grow Pinot,” says Greening. They have aimed for a less muscular style in recent years. “We have moved to an earlier picking, just when the greenness goes; our wines are fresher and lighter.”

They now cultivate biodynamically, and are almost “closed gate”, producing enough food for 25 people and rarely going to the supermarket. “I have never been a fan of the Harry Potter end of biodynamics, burying cow horns and all that. Old-fashioned farming is my aim. I like the idea that our soil gets better every year and not worse,” he says.

Felton Road Pinots are completely different in style to Ata Rangi. They are vibrant and exuberant with good acidity and pure dark fruits whereas Ata Rangi is elegant and soft with subtle savoury flavours. Both rank amongst the best, not just in New Zealand, but in the world. Sadly these wines are not cheap, but then good Pinot Noir rarely is. I include one less expensive wine.

I would also recommend seeking out Dry River in Martinborough, Rippon in Central Otago, Bell Hill, Pyramid and Pegasus in Waipara, sadly unavailable here for the moment. You can find Two Paddocks, owned by actor Sam Neil, and Escarpment, made by “Mr Pinot”, Larry McKenna, both of which are excellent. Pinot Noir, by the way, goes very well with game, turkey and goose if you are looking for seasonal pairings.

Brancott-Estate-Marlborough-Pinot-Noir2Brancott Estate Pinot Noir 2012, Marlborough
13.5%
€15.50

Light red cherry fruits with green herbs and a pleasant meatiness.

Stockists: Widely available including Tesco and other multiples.

ImageFelton Road Bannockburn Pinot Noir 2014, Central Otago
14%
£32.95/€46.95

Violet aromas, fresh black cherries and damsons with lovely acidity. Supple, soft and ready to go.

Stockists: jnwine.com; The Vineyard Ormeau Rd; The Lighthouse, Whiteabbey; Grange, Co Down; Emersons Armagh.

DSCF6150Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 2013, Martinborough
13.5% €63.99

A stunning wine with structure and power, combined with perfectly ripe dark cherry fruits. A keeper.

Stockists: The Corkscrew, Dublin 2; O’Briens; On the Grapevine, Dalkey; Thewineshop.ie; Green Man Wines, Terenure.

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Tesco Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2014, New Zealand

Tesco Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2014, New Zealand

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€11

Classic Marlborough Sauvignon with lifted grassy aromas, clean green fruits with lime zest and good dry length.

A few months back, I wrote about the Lidl Cimarosa Sauvignon Blanc, which they buy from Yealands, a large single estate in Marlborough. This week I received a bottle of the Tesco own-label Marlborough Sauvignon – also supplied by Yealands. I tried the two wines against each other and they are different. The Tesco version has a bit more fruit and better length, but then it sells for €2 more. If you have both supermarkets in your home town, you can try the same taste test. If not, either will appeal to fans of Sauvignon Blanc.

Available from Tesco.

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