New Zealand Wine
Wine making and vine growing in New Zealand go back to the mid 19th Century. British Resident and keen oenologist James Busby, a British resident and oenologist was in 1836, attempting to produce wine at his land in Waitangi. However, it was in 1851 that New Zealand's oldest existing vineyard was established by French Roman Catholic missionaries at Mission Estate in Hawke's Bay. Due to economic, legislative and cultural factors, wine was for many years a marginal activity in terms of economic importance. Dalmatian immigrants arriving in New Zealand at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century brought with them viticultural knowledge and planted vineyards in West and North Auckland. Typically, their vineyards produced sherry and port for the palates of New Zealanders of the time, and table wine for their own community.
New Zealand Wine Regions - Map courtesy of www.nzwine.com
In 1973, when Britain entered the European Economic Community, it signalled the end of historic trade terms for New Zealand meat and dairy products and this led to a dramatic restructuring of the agricultural economy. Before this restructuring was fully implemented however, diversification away from traditional protein products to products with potentially higher economic returns was explored. Vines were seen as suitable for areas that had previously been marginal pasture.
In the 1970s, Montana in Marlborough started producing wines which were labelled by vintage and grape variety, as in Australia. The first production of a Sauvignon Blanc of great note appears to have occurred in 1977. Also produced in that year were superior quality wines of Muller Thurgau, Riesling and Pinotage. The excitement created from these successes coupled with the early results of Cabernet Sauvignon launched the industry with ever increasing investment. This lead to more hectares planted, rising land prices and greater local interest and pride. Such was the boom that over-planting occurred however and the "wrong" varietals (eg. Muller Thurgau and Pinotage) fell out of fashion in the early 1980s. In 1984 the Kiwi Government paid growers to pull up vines to address a "glut" that was damaging the industry. Ironically many growers used the Government grant not to restrict planting, but to swap to more fashionable varieties (Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc), using old root stock. This "glut" was only temporary in any case, as boom times returned swiftly. Today, New Zealand's winemakers employ a variety of production techniques. The traditional concept of a vineyard, where grapes are grown on the land surrounding a central simply owned or family-owned estate with its own discrete viticultural and winemaking equipment and storage, is one particular model. The European cooperative model (where district or AOC village wine-making takes place in a centralized production facility) is not common, however, contract growing of fruit for winemakers has been a feature of the New Zealand industry since the start of the winemaking boom in the 1970s. Indeed, a number of well known producers started out as contract growers. Another example of the adaptation of NZ methods toward the new industry was the universal use of stainless steel in winemaking adapted from the norms and standards of the New Zealand dairy industry. There was an existing small-scale industrial infrastructure ready for winemakers to economically employ. This use of stainless steel almost certainly had a distinctive effect on both New Zealand wine styles and the domestic palate. The early wines which made a stir internationally were lauded for the intensity and purity of the fruit in the wine. Indeed, the strength of flavour in the wine favoured very dry styles despite intense acidity. While stainless steel did not produce the intensity of fruit, it allowed for its exploitation. Even today, New Zealand white wines tend toward the drier end of the spectrum. Don't forget, all our wines are available to buy online or can be put into fantastic hampers in our create your own hamper section! Graham Simpson Wine & Spirits Buyer, Whitmore & White
New Zealand Wine Regions - Map courtesy of www.nzwine.comExplore New Zealand Wine Online With Whitmore & White
In the 1970s, Montana in Marlborough started producing wines which were labelled by vintage and grape variety, as in Australia. The first production of a Sauvignon Blanc of great note appears to have occurred in 1977. Also produced in that year were superior quality wines of Muller Thurgau, Riesling and Pinotage. The excitement created from these successes coupled with the early results of Cabernet Sauvignon launched the industry with ever increasing investment. This lead to more hectares planted, rising land prices and greater local interest and pride. Such was the boom that over-planting occurred however and the "wrong" varietals (eg. Muller Thurgau and Pinotage) fell out of fashion in the early 1980s. In 1984 the Kiwi Government paid growers to pull up vines to address a "glut" that was damaging the industry. Ironically many growers used the Government grant not to restrict planting, but to swap to more fashionable varieties (Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc), using old root stock. This "glut" was only temporary in any case, as boom times returned swiftly. Today, New Zealand's winemakers employ a variety of production techniques. The traditional concept of a vineyard, where grapes are grown on the land surrounding a central simply owned or family-owned estate with its own discrete viticultural and winemaking equipment and storage, is one particular model. The European cooperative model (where district or AOC village wine-making takes place in a centralized production facility) is not common, however, contract growing of fruit for winemakers has been a feature of the New Zealand industry since the start of the winemaking boom in the 1970s. Indeed, a number of well known producers started out as contract growers. Another example of the adaptation of NZ methods toward the new industry was the universal use of stainless steel in winemaking adapted from the norms and standards of the New Zealand dairy industry. There was an existing small-scale industrial infrastructure ready for winemakers to economically employ. This use of stainless steel almost certainly had a distinctive effect on both New Zealand wine styles and the domestic palate. The early wines which made a stir internationally were lauded for the intensity and purity of the fruit in the wine. Indeed, the strength of flavour in the wine favoured very dry styles despite intense acidity. While stainless steel did not produce the intensity of fruit, it allowed for its exploitation. Even today, New Zealand white wines tend toward the drier end of the spectrum. Don't forget, all our wines are available to buy online or can be put into fantastic hampers in our create your own hamper section! Graham Simpson Wine & Spirits Buyer, Whitmore & White