Tom Firth
Tom Firth is a writer, wine consultant, judge and a member of the Wine Access National Tasting Panel. He loves to chat about all things wine and blogs for wineaccess.ca, tweets as @cowtownwine and is a general nuisance.
Tasting Forrest Wines in Calgary
A dinner at Blink with Marlborough winemaker Beth Forrest
In July I caught up with Beth Forrest, the second generation winemaker at Forrest, a premium producer and one of the oldest wineries in Marlborough, New Zealand, at Blink in Calgary. Beth is a charming and direct woman who didn’t seem to have too much B.S. about her. She had come into town a few days beforehand to enjoy the Calgary Stampede, and was mixing a little work into her visit to Calgary.
The 2011 Hot List: New Zealand
A small wine producer diversifies
New Zealand is a small producer that punches well above its weight in terms of its international profile. It’s best known for sauvignon blanc (particularly from the Marlborough region), which burst onto international markets in the 1990s. Sauvignon blanc still sells strongly and accounts for three-quarters of the country’s wine exports. Although Marlborough “savvy” continues to be the main thrust of production and exports, other regions and grape varieties are making steady progress.
New Zealand pinot noir has gained a lot of attention, especially pinot from Central Otago, the world’s most-southerly wine region, and from Martinborough, in the North Island. Merlot is an up-and-coming variety in the Hawke’s Bay region on the east coast of the North Island (especially in the Gimblett Gravels sub-region), while Gisborne, a little further north, is developing a reputation for chardonnay and pinot grigio. Bordeaux-style reds are produced around Auckland, especially on Waiheke Island.
As this suggests, New Zealand’s wineries are sorting out regions and grape varieties. Although most regions are climatically varied enough to support a range of varieties, there’s now a stress on regionality. This is the main direction of change, shown by the delineation of various sub-regions within Marlborough.
The New Zealand wine industry is stressing sustainable practices more than most. It has to counter the "buy local" argument that shipping wine around the world has an adverse environmental impact. Drawing on New Zealand’s image as a clean, green country, the industry stresses that sustainable and low-impact practices in the vineyard and winery can outweigh the effects of long-distance transportation.
Prominent Wine Regions in New Zealand
Marlborough, Hawke’s Bay, Central Otago.
Varietals/Styles on the Rise in New Zealand
Pinot noir, merlot, pinot grigio.
Classic Wine Producers in New Zealand
Cloudy Bay: A Marlborough winery that produced New Zealand’s first international sauvignon star and continues to make notable wines, especially the oak-aged sauvignon, Te Koko.
Brancott Estate (formerly Montana): New Zealand’s largest wine company has vineyards in several regions and produces wines at all tiers, from entry level to single-vineyard.
Matua Valley: Based north of Auckland, it was the first to plant sauvignon blanc in New Zealand and now makes high-quality wines from grapes grown in several regions.
Up-and-Coming Wine Producers in New Zealand
Seresin: This Marlborough winery is making waves with its stylish and complex sauvignons.
Craggy Range: Located in Hawke’s Bay, this winery is gaining a reputation for its Bordeaux blends and syrahs.
Mt. Difficulty: An impressive Central Otago winery that’s producing fine single-vineyard pinot noir.
Check out more than 400 reviews of wines from New Zealand.
Terroir and Zinfandel at the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival
Tom Firth learns a little bit about New Zealand terroir and zinfandel.
After another late evening, my Friday at the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival started with “Get the Dirt on New Zealand Terroir.” Yes, this is the sort of thing I like to do with my time.
This tasting was designed to focus on the regional characteristics of New Zealand wines by discussing and tasting examples from several viticultural regions, such as Marlborough and Hawke’s Bay, and explaining the differences that the terroir can have on the wines. These sorts of tasting seminars work best with smaller groups and fewer wines.
Tom Firth
Tom Firth is a writer, wine consultant, judge and a member of the Wine Access National Tasting Panel. He loves to chat about all things wine and blogs for wineaccess.ca, tweets as @cowtownwine and is a general nuisance.
