A great Australian whine...

For years New Zealand supermarkets were flooded with cheap Australian Chardonnay. Now it seems the same thing is happening across the Tasman with New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, and the Australian winemaking industry doesnt like it one bit.

And who can blame them. Dumping of NZ Sauvignon into Australia following the massive and sub-standard 2008 vintage has seen prices go as low as $5 a bottle. Australian labels just cant compete. Bad news for them and possibly bad news for us too as consumers get used to the bargains making it harder to regain that loss ground.

Read the full article from the Adelaide Age newspaper here.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/entertainment/epicure/aussies-drawing-a-blanc/2009/10/19/1255891769394.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

Zum Wohl ! End of the harvest in the Pfalz...

The harvest team from Weingut Lingenfelder, my old winery, celebrate the end of the harvest a few days ago. They have just picked the last of the Spatburgunder (Pinot Noir) from the Hang vineyard which is the one just to the left in the photo above. The village of Grosskarlbach, where the winery is located, is behind and I can see my old apartment from here. Here in the Pfalz, as in a lot of places in Europe, the vineyards occupy the best parcels of land with the villages wedged in the colder, low lying spots between.

It just isnt fair...

News to hand that sales of Rose account for 11% of all wine bought in supermarkets and off-licenses across the UK. That's up 15% from the previous year. Rose is clearly on a roll. As is wine in general as Britons consume a record amount of wine this year, in excess of 100 million cases.

Nothing against Rose which is a truly great wine style, largely unappreciated here in NZ. But where is Riesling in all this ? Not where it deserves to be is the likely answer. In NZ it commands a about 3% share of supermarket sales and doesn't seem forecast to grow. In a country whose climate is tailor made for Riesling even the national body, NZ Winegrowers, isn't forecasting any significant growth in plantings in the next 5-10 years. 3% is about the proportion of the national vineyard. Seems too low but how can we get the public to start drinking more of it? Yet another article on the coming Riesling Renaissance wont do, we need a new approach. Any ideas? I don't have any yet.

Perhaps we need to make and market more Rose !

Rose Photo: Wine Terroirs

Tannins, read on if you dare...

One of the great things about winemaking is there is no set recipe. All the theory in the world can only get you so far. You have have a feeling for what you are doing and the outcomes that can result. Experience counts for a lot and you learn new things with each vintage you do.

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Tannin in grapes and wine is one of the cornerstones of great red wine. Its a hard topic to delve in-depth in but worth a try in order to put a little foundation behind what you are tasting next time.

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Heres a interesting article from Wines and Vines about tannins and their behaviour in wine. Warning- moderate winegeek content. Read it here.

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Also worth checking out is Jamie Goodes article on Tannins on his Wine Anorak website. Read it here. The writing is very accessible but the Geekrating is moderate to high.

But whats in it for us...

Its all a bit odd really. Is Christchurch really a wine capital? Well when I say 'Wine Capital' apparently I should be referring to Christchurch City's bid on behalf of the South Island and its four main wine growing regions - Central Otago, Canterbury, Waipara and Marlborough, two of which are at least a four hour drive away from Christchurch. So its looking less like a wine capital already.

As for the 'vote' - Christchurch was apparently in the running along with only one other city, Hastings which is probably more of a town than a city. So in the 'competition' for a wine capital there didnt really seem to be one.

To cap matters off the four regions will have to pay a 'joining fee' of $35000. We have yet to be told of the benefits of such a prestigious award. The Wine Capital website is a little vague but the various City councils have described the 'win' a 'coup' and 'recognition on the world stage'.

Time will tell. Its some global publicity if nothing else but the local wineries would no doubt like to see some direct benefit. Increased tourism perhaps? Maybe someone from Bordeaux or Bilbao could let us know.

Welcome to the Wine Capital of New Zealand...

What does Christchurch, New Zealand have in common with Bilbao, Cape Town, Bordeaux, Mainz, Florence, Porto, Mendoza and San Francisco ? Not only are they all attractive and vibrant, and of course not to mention the great wineries that surround them, they also have been voted wine capitals of their respective countries. Christchurch has just been voted on most recently. Theres even a website...

Tis the season...

Helicopters were out in force across Marlborough and Central Otago this morning as temperatures dipped into the danger zone. Most vineyards in the South Island will have at least some tender new growth that must be protected. And with frosts being not uncommon as late as early November there are bound to be a few sleepless nights ahead.

The Tree of Life...

The Sandihurst Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2008. As we move into the warmer months this wine really comes into its own. Showing some superb development after a year in bottle and demanding food as the perfect compliment. Its Marlborough alright but in a restrained mature style. With the 2009s now also in release this the better looking and brainier older brother. Its lunch on the terrace at your place on a hot summers day. With a crisp fresh green salad and some Portuguese styled grilled sardines straight from the barbecue.

Growing Gruner...

Our Gruner Veltliner, in its second year here in Canterbury. Cut back to two buds during the winter and shown here, in late September, with signs of bud burst. Seems to be somewhere in between our Pinot Gris and Riesling in terms of timing. Stay tuned as I try and record this vines growth over the course of the season. One of these buds should provide the shoot that we crop from in the following season. But first things first, the next month will provide some thrills as we do battle with Jack Frost.

The Second (label) Coming soon...

Driving to the bottom of the cliff...

Its 25kms from my home to the winery. Today an ambulance followed me the whole way. After a while it became quite unnerving. What were they waiting for. Did they know something I didnt....

Burgundy 09...

The view on the vintage from Burgundy, courtesy of Decanter magazine.

Riesling image of the day...

Looking, I think, at Schloss Ehrenfels and down across the Rhein to Bingen. The lower vineyard is Berg Schlossberg, the upper Berg Kaisersteinfels. The Riesling harvest is due to get under way in the next week. By all accounts its going to be an exceptional year in the Rheingau and, in fact, most of Europe.

Something for the weekend...

A little something as we head into the weekend. Suggested by Adrian Sank, our agent in Hong Kong. Pairs well with the Sandihurst Waipara Pinot Gris 2008.

NZ PM John Key on Letterman...

For some reason this was quite a big deal here in NZ. The humour is classically American...hmmm...

Return to Winter...

Quick radar image of the New Zealands South Island at midday today. The green and yellow area is obscuring Christchurch and hasn't moved much all day. Its also cold at around 9C. Worse still the next few days seen to be forecast the same.

September in Waipara...

Bud burst this year began around the tail end of the first week in September for most varietals. This seemed to be about the same time as last year. So far the start to the season has been dry with the occasional big day of north-west wind and not much rainfall. Quite normal and quite good. No real frost issues as yet but it isn't even October yet so anything could happen. Suffice to say that the wind machines and helicopters are fuelled and ready to go if needed.

Real growth in the last week or so.

Wine matching in Macau with Delightful Cellars...

Hennie with a few words at a recent wine dinner in Macau thanking the host Solex Lam of Delightful Cellars. In an interesting reversal of the usual wine-food matching dinner format, and in the interests of better understanding the Chinese palate, all four of Sandihurst wines were poured together and guests were encouraged to experiment and comment on what worked well or otherwise.

When is a vine not a vine...

Just like watching cloud formations, vines can often take on other guises. Here, an gnarly old Pinot Gris head looks a little like.....a small yappy dog with its tongue out???....a Chinese dragon???......

A new season begins...

Pinot Gris, above and below, in our West Melton vineyard

They're drinking our wine here...

Here at the Boulevard Club, a members club on the shores of Lake Ontario, just minutes from downtown Toronto.

Till death do us part...

Things are not altogether rosy in the world of NZ viticulture at the moment. Recently we had the well publicised contract cancellations by Pernod Ricard in the Gisborne region and now it seems growers in Marlborough are about to feel the pinch. Check out these two articles from the Marlborough Express here and here about the putting to 'sleep' of some vineyards, reduced grape prices, yield restrictions and, in some cases, vine pulling.

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It seems possible that the events of 2008, the record but overcropped harvest have been a turning point in NZ viticulture, highlighting the often one-sided relationships of grower-winery contracts. Growers held the power for a long time but recent record vineyard plantings have now seen a potential oversupply and wineries have had more fruit to choose from. The pendulum has swung the other way. Its a wake-up call for both sides to forge closer ties and a joint vision which can only benefit both parties in the long term.

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Wineries and growers with long term contracts, where there is shared risk as well as a shared vision of the required quality, together with a real interest in the financial outcome of the final product seem well placed to succeed. The times are a changing...

Sandihurst in Hong Kong and Macau...

Coming to a cinema near you...

Move over Bottle Shock, Sideways, A Good Year, A Walk in the Clouds and any other wine related film of recent times, New Zealand film The Vintners Luck is about to be released in a month or so.

According to the NZ Film Commission, The Vintners Luck, based on the novel by Elizabeth Knox, 'is an irresistible story of love, wine and angels set in early 19th century France. It tells the tale of an ambitious young peasant winemaker and his lifelong relationship with an angel as together they grapple with the sensual, the sacred and the profane in search of the perfect vintage.'

Getting Tough....

I moved up a level of toughness the other day when my cousin Luke posted me a pair of Xtratuf boots from Alaska. A real surprise and coincidentally they arrived on September 1st which was Random Act of Kindness Day in NZ. They may look like ordinary gumboots but in fact they are quite an uber-boot as a quick look at the Xtratuf website will attest. Super comfortable and apparently the footwear of choice in Alaska (there is even a 'sneaker' version). Im imagining it gets a little cold in Alaska which is probably why the sole is so thick and insulated. Ive road tested them already in both the winery and the vineyard and they've passed with flying colours and as a side-bonus they make me taller as well. Thanks a million Luke.