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It is usual for a President’s Report to be EITHER comprehensive and an ordeal OR for it to be cryptically short and to the point. So it seems in this most unusual of years that short is best. As such this should allow the AGM to proceed swiftly so as to enjoy the wines from the club cellar and the supper on offer tonight.
It has been my absolute privilege to have been the club’s President this year. I want to begin by thanking most sincerely all of youas valued club members for your support in a trying year. For your subscriptions, of course, but particularly for your support at the scheduled tastings and sundry other monthly events such as the dinners and annual club BBQ. Our membership has held upwell again this year. This despite all the pressures our communities and families have endured. Last year I reflected at some length in my report on the impact for the club of the pandemic so I will quickly move on from that. Again this has been a challenging year for all of us but through the club activities we have generated good company and a focus for interest in a time of lockdowns. Most particularly theattendance numbers at tastings and dinners have been regularly and phenomenally good which signals there must be something right about the way tastings are delivered, enjoying the company of friend and the functioning of the club. So, to all of you my thanks.
May I briefly review the tastings and activities [11] that we have been able to achieve for these past 12 challenging months. Tastings included Mahi Wines (Marlborough), Western Australia by Keith Tibble (Eurovintage agency), Butterworth (Gladstone Wairarapa), Crater Rim (Waipara), Portugal (Confidant agency), the Gold Medal wines from the NZ International Wine Show (2021), a celebration of Pinot (club members) as well as dinners at La Marche Frances and Juniper as well at the club’s January BBQ
I wish to extend the club’s thanks to the wineries, presenters and agencies that have supported the club during a year that has been challenging for their businesses, where labour restrictions, lockdowns, cancellations and social distancing have impacted us all. At least three wineries were unable to present in 2021 but have indicated they are keen to return for 2022/2023 and we are organising with them
As well as thanks to the meeting presenters and the tasting organisers, it is the committee that also deserves our appreciationfor their work for the club. As a group they have met regularly and communicated frequently with each other in most constructive manner. This has been the prime reason for tastings continuing to happen when withdrawals have occurred or organisation of meetings has hit road blocks or come up against Covid limitations. Without naming committee members, because you know all of those involved – our secretarial servicing, our financial management, our newsletter communications with members, the meeting venue organisation efforts and suppers, cellar management, the facilitation of the tasting programme and deliveries have all kept pace and been successfully undertaken without there seeming to have been any hitches at all – even though there have been a few, and one cancellation. It has been a demanding time organisationally but the efforts of the 8 person committee have shone through and for that I wish to sincerely thank them one and all for their efforts on behalf of the club membership.
I am thrilled to report that the committee collectively has indicated a willingness to continue to serve the club for a further year and I am indeed grateful for that. The committee’s co-operation, sharing of the load and their special skills and interests continue to be the cornerstone of how we have managed to keep this great little club moving forward, fulfilling its wine appreciation objectives whilst providing a source of company, regular meetings and the occasional glasses of vino. Being Wellington’s premier and enduring wine society for over forty years is no mean feat. It is you as members, and the committee’s efforts, that have ensured that this continues to be the Cellar Club reality. We will move next to the election of the club’s officers. My best wishes to all club members as you navigate the societal challenges we are all facing.
The April evening with Sarah and Russell was well supported with 36 Club members turning up to sample the choice of wines and the presentation. This was a new format being tried by your committee and Sarah and Russell made it a fun and memorable evening, with their intimate knowledge of the wine industry.
Sarah and Russell personally selected their take on some of the Gold Medal winners differing from the norm in terms of variety and some new labels – all were seen for their quality as surprisingly affordable and most freely available. Particularly the Daniel Le Brun No.1 Assemble, the very unique Clearview Semillion, a ‘Barossa Shiraz from the Ink series’, a challenging Albarino, and an offshore Tempranillo and Viognier.
The LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) is an Ontario government enterprise and one of the world’s largest buyers and retailers of beverage alcohol. Through more than 660 retail stores, catalogues, e-commerce, special order services, close to 400 LCBO Convenience Outlets, which provide cost-effective, convenient and socially responsible access for rural consumers, and as a wholesaler to almost 450 Grocery stores, the LCBO offers more than 28,000 products annually, from more than 80 countries to consumers and licensed establishments.
Wines described in the series may not be available in New Zealand. Try to think about an alternative you may drink instead.
The LCBO has a responsibility to the buying public to help ensure the products they sell are safe to drink and authentic.
This series is an exciting part of exploring the world of wine that despite some tried-and-truisms, it’s always evolving and changing. Here are some fresh ideas to shake up your sipping this year.
It’s easy to be intimidated by traditional wine rituals and rules instead of following your own intuition and palate to discover what you really enjoy.
Fortunately, today almost anything goes, including many old myths, which are being busted by the modern wine industry. For instance, are you convinced that cork is better than cap? Unless you’re cellaring wine for years, screw-tops and pop-off caps now preserve the product of many coveted wines, including countless Ontario VQAs.
Still, pairing only red wine with red meat and white wine with white meat? Sommeliers aren’t; most will now happily recommend white Burgundy or creamy Chardonnay with steak, or a Pinot Noir with poultry (or rosé with everything).
If you’re drinking red wines at room temperature, the current consensus is that many of them are better served cool. Try putting your reds in the fridge for 30 minutes and, correspondingly, taking your whites out half an hour before serving to take off the big chill. There’s no right or wrong way to enjoy wine, but here are 10 new ideas to help you discover what’s new, exciting and worth trying.
1. Rethinking ABV
Popular “fruit-bomb” big red wines can be as high as 15% alcohol by volume (ABV). A new crop of complex, flavourful reds with slightly less alcohol is emerging, among them South American wines like Trivento Fair Trade Malbec, with tons of black fruit and a touch of spice, at just 12.5%. Jackson-Triggs Merlot has full-bodied fruit and rings in at 12%. Though many white wines (including the cool-climate whites Ontario is known for) are naturally a touch lighter in alcohol, look for off-dry German Rieslings, Sauvignon Blancs such as 11.5% Remy Pannier Sauvignon Blanc IGP Val de Loire, calorie-reduced whites like Skinnygrape Chardonnay with just 7.5% ABV, or Italian bubblies such as Moscatos (typically under 10%) or 6.5% Viticolitori Acquesi Brachetto D’Acqui Sparkling.
2. Bring on the funk
Savvy wine drinkers know that “noble rot” (describing the botrytis fungus that can destroy crops or produce coveted dessert wines) or “barnyard” (animal or vegetal wine aromas, courtesy of the Brettanomyces yeast that can be a virtue or a fault) can actually be desirable qualities. Likewise, unfiltered or slightly oxidized wines — once worthy of being returned — today might be just what the winemaker intended. Though so-called low-intervention or natural wines can be wildly unpredictable from year to year or batch to batch, these authentic and rustic-tasting wines are growing in popularity. Experiment with reliably consistent Bonterra Cabernet Sauvignon and Bonterra Chardonnay from their organic California winery. The Mendocino County vineyard eschews pesticides for natural solutions, from using birds and sheep to control weeds and insects to planting diverse cover crops like crimson clover and lavender to attract bees and nourish the soil. Can you taste any traces of that care in the bottle?
3. The return of sweet
Once upon a time, sweet wine was taboo; today, sweetness can be a treasured quality in wines that have acidity, tannins or other balancing qualities. The ticket to finding them on LCBO.com or shelf labels: look for “MS” (medium-sweet) or “M” (medium) wines and a style descriptor that includes “fruity.” Try trendy wine from the ancient region of Georgia: United Stars Alazanis Valley Off-Dry from the Kakheti region is a red made with acidic Saperavi grapes. Tropical-smelling, just-tart-enough Ironstone Obsession Symphony California makes a mouth-watering break from minerally and dry whites.
4. Sustainability
From fewer chemicals and less water-intensive growing to environment-friendly packaging (the LCBO’s lighter-glass “Canada bottle” is a global game-changer), wine is going smaller-footprint. Get on board with Organic Chardonnay from carbon-neutral delivery Cono Sur or Ciao Sangiovese Organic in a light, recyclable Tetra Pak. Ontario’s Tawse and Southbrook make naturally grown organic and biodynamic wines — and, like most Ontario VQA wineries, are committed to the Sustainable Winemaking Ontario program.
5. Rosé with everything
It’s not just for summer sipping anymore. Rosé’s wide range of drier styles has been discovered by wine lovers, and its versatility with every course is beloved by diners. Since colour or even the country of origin doesn’t always dictate the taste, read the label for clues about grape varietal. Grenache/Garnacha rosé will be off-dry, and great with big Mexican, Indian or Thai flavours. Pinot Noir grapes give an elegant acidic balance to dry rosés that complement many poultry and fish dishes. Sangiovese or Syrah rosés have spice that bounces well off fatty and creamy dishes, from meats to pasta. Many rosés are blends of a few grapes — experiment to find your favourites.
6. Reading the label
The pretty front label has everything you need to know — and now there’s often a wealth of new information on the back, too.
A Ageing and barrel maturation information.
B Serving and food-pairing suggestions.
C Indication of the region or terroir where the wine was made.
D Notes on the winery’s philosophy or practices.
E Importer or distributor, which might share your taste in other wines.
F Detailed information about the grape varietals.
G Contact information, from an e-mail or URL to a QR code
7. A cheat sheet
Sometimes you need to parse the shelves or a wine list with a quick but savvy eye. Voilà! A shortcut guide to trendy regions and wine styles, and fresh rules of thumb for tasting without fear.
Colour and country:
When in doubt choose whites (like Albariño) from Spain, rosés from France and reds from the U.S. (California for bolder varietals and blends, Oregon for Pinot Noir)—a highly simplified matrix that rarely disappoints.
Stellar whites:
Namecheck white wines from Portugal’s Douro region and look out for Aligoté, a staple grape in white Burgundy blends now in the varietal spotlight.
German and Austrian cool:
We all know German Riesling and Austrian Grüner Veltliner are a food pairer’s friends: watch for Austrian Riesling as the next big thing.
Egg is the new oak:
The use of big, egg-shaped concrete ageing-vats rivals barrels and stainless tanks — labels and websites often “eggs-claim” it.
Regional shortcut:
The Loire Valley in central France is a current wine world darling for whites like Chenin Blanc and light reds and rosés featuring Gamay.
Catchphrase:
Vin de soif is a French (and sommelier) catchphrase for a light, quaffable wine that’s great with or without food.
8. High-tech wine
Winemakers use drones and tablet-controlled wind machines and watering in the vineyard: time to plug into wine-tech at home. Apps like Vivino and Wine Ring expand your cellar memory, The Sonic Decanter and Ullo reportedly pour better-tasting wine and the Coravin revolutionizes single glass pours without oxidation.
9. Everyday bubbly
The time-and-labour intensive traditional method for bottle-ageing Champagne justifies its price. Winemakers’ new embrace of the Charmat tank-ageing method (long used for Prosecco) means Moderately priced bubbly can now help you toast a small work victory or Taco Tuesday. From Ontario, try Lily Sparkling Wine VQA from Colio Wine or Pelee Island Secco VQA.
10. Wine in cocktails
Aromatized (vermouth) and fortified (like sherry) wines have long been essential ingredients in sophisticated drinks. Wine is now a full-fledged star of the cocktail bar, in sangria or Champagne cocktails, spritzes or Whisky Sours with a Red-Wine Float.
Roy Kellahan grew up in Johnsonville in Wellington, in an era when it was affectionately known as Cow Town.
Roy Kellahan, a well-known equestrian enthusiast and entrepreneur, at his Johnsonville riding school.
In the 1940s and 50s, stock drovers moved sheep and cattle along the main road to the stockyards, many of the youth had horses as their mode of transport, and the main social entertainment was seeing a movie at the Empress Theatre on a Saturday afternoon.
Kellahan was born with a passion for horses, and all things Western and Spanish.
At age 10, he surprised his parents by buying his first horse – a lame old mare from the Johnsonville pound, called Betsy.
He would later admit he had not considered how he would look after Betsy.
“In my frantic haste to buy a horse, I didn’t give a paddock a second thought. That would come after I got the horse. During that night, the Kellahan household didn’t get much sleep. The mare was tied to the base of dad’s bean trellis on a long rope, where she could graze on the back lawn.
Roy Kellahan was well known in Johnsonville.
“She somehow managed to pull the trellis down and walk over the still-wet concrete foundations of a new tool shed dad was building and eat a large quantity of carrot tops from his veggie garden. An article appeared a day or so later in the local paper which read ‘Boy brings home unexpected guest for dinner.”
At 16, Kellahan started his first riding school from his parents’ house in Bannister Ave, and the direction of his future was established. From small beginnings, he developed what was to become a successful trekking and riding school based in Ohariu Valley.
The equestrian enthusiast and entrepreneur died in February, aged 81, after a long illness.
His commitment to the horse world meant over the years he brought into the area more than 2000 horses – mostly good strong station hacks from Gisborne, providing quality horse trekking including his famous Moonlight Treks.
Kellahan in the Festival of Wellington, at the Basin Reserve in 1961
Kellahan built and ran Wellington’s first indoor riding school in Ohariu Valley, alongside a fully stocked equestrian saddlery shop and licensed cafe, and manufacturing equestrian horse care products.
He generously let Riding for the Disabled use the indoor facility free of charge, for many years.
Ohariu Valley is now home to many people with horses, embracing the lifestyle he helped establish.
With the help of four friends, Kellahan built the recreational Spanish-themed Country Club.
A facility considered 20 years ahead of its time, it was frequented by Wellington families at the weekend and international corporates during the week.
Roy Kellahan, Rodney Scanlan and Beni Paroli, with a restored buggy in 1959
The club featured two restaurants, tennis courts, a swimming pool, boardroom, billiard room, squash court, sauna, wine cellar and, of course, horse trekking and operated, successfully, for over a decade.
The sale of alcohol was problematic and they began a lengthy battle with bureaucracy. After an eight-year campaign, eventually, the law changed, enabling private clubs to legally serve liquor.
Over the years Kellahan had many friends with whom he shared his love of European history, art, architecture, music, food, wine and culture.
He attributed his passion to his parents giving him a recording of Bolero to play on the gramophone when he was just 10 years old.
Childhood friend Rodney Scanlan said Kellahan was a character.
Marguerite Smith and Roy Kellahan ran a soap business in Porirua.
“By the time Roy was walking he was into mischief – never one to sit still. There were always adventures to be had and that never changed.
“His achievements are the result of hard work, the ability to take risks and being willing to face any challenge thrown at him. Rarely has anyone packed so much into their life.”
He was regarded as a gentleman with a highly developed sense of fun and a strong dislike for injustice, bureaucrats and gorse – a good Kiwi with a mix of culture and a bit of mad cowboy thrown in.
In 2020, he married his partner of 40 years, Marguerite Smith, in unusual circumstances.
As a young girl Smith had been told by her grandmother she would have a long life and a short marriage. Engaged in 2010, she was afraid to take the next step due to a fear that the prophecy would come true.
Roy and Marguerite Kellahan married after a 10-year engagement in 2016. Roy was in the Mary Potter Hospice and was only expected to live a few more days.
In 2016, Kellahan was diagnosed with a rare aggressive form of lymphoma. He was only given days to live and they were married in a ceremony, at the Mary Potter Hospice, in June 2020.
As well as the wedding, the couple had another cause to celebrate – after 10 years they published his autobiography, A Long Ride from Johnsonville.
Marriage proved a good tonic for Kellahan, who rallied and, against all odds, lived another 20 months.
He is survived by Marguerite, his four children and four grandchildren.
By Marguerite Kellahan, with additional reporting from Nicholas Boyack.
If pouring a glass of wine seems like hard work – then you need to buy one of these amazing wine chairs.
Matt Thompson from Detroit loves to put his woodworking skills to good use. In 2017, the Michigan man built a lawn chair that delivers beers via a chute.
Then in 2018, Thompson Woodworks did it again, this time with a lawn chair that pours glasses of wine with the pull of a lever.
Being able to chill a glass of wine quickly is the wine equivalent of building a better mousetrap. My partner doesn’t understand why this is important – thinking, ‘what kind of person is so desperate for a glass of wine they can’t wait 60 minutes!’ Answer – EVERYONE!
My usual go-to method has been whacking a bottle of wine in the freezer. Yes, this can be relatively quick, but it’s not as quick as our new method. Plus, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve frozen the forgotten wine because I was side-tracked by the gin and tonic I had while waiting!
Wait no more – because The Wine Wankers have invented the Tea Bag Method! [Yes, there is a serious wine group called this – go, Ed]
But before we explain, let’s look at man’s previous attempts to chill wine quickly
Frozen Grape Method toss frozen grapes into your glass of wine to cool it down (Con – the grapes can add an unwanted flavour once they defrost in your wine)
Ziploc Bag method placing half your bottle of wine into a zip-lock bag and submerged this into an ice bath for six minutes (Pro: brilliantly quick. Con: too much fussing around with ingredients and props)
Ice + Salt + Water in Bucket Method submerge it in a bucket of salted ice water (Con – no one has that much ice in their freezer, plus it still takes 10 minutes)
The Wet Towel and Freeze Method wrapping the bottle in a wet dish towel and popping it in the freezer – of course, you’ll have to detach the tea towel from the bottle!. (Con – the wet towel acts as an insulation device, so it takes longer than simply whacking it in the freezer)
Add Ice Cubes To Your Wine Method (Con – waters down your wine – and no one wants that)
Introducing The Wine Wankers Tea Bag Method
Step 1 – fill your wine glass half full of ice so you only use the right amount of cubes Step 2 – pour the ice cubes into a small plastic bag Step 3 – fill your wine glass to the very top with room temperature wine Step 4 – leave it for 3 minutes – giving it the occasional tea bag dunk to mix the wine Step 5 – remove the bag, clean it and re-use it for another time (I hate single-use plastic – and so should you!) Step 6 – your wine will now be chilled to perfection. Cheers!
Industry experts have warned that food and drink are tasting different to how they did before the pandemic CREDIT: Xurxo Lobato/Cover
Is your pinot noir smelling a little funk? Perhaps your chips are on the salty side, or your chocolate is strangely bitter?
Industry experts warn that food and drink are tasting different to how they did before the pandemic because so many sommeliers and expert tasters lost their sense of taste and smell after catching covid.
Wine producers and research chefs were impaired and food product teams were forced to come up with alternative ways of deciding on flavours and formulas with some bypassing research chefs and tasting panels altogether.
The unfortunate predicament has forced some sommeliers and chefs to keep their condition quiet, while others have signed up for courses to retrain their senses in secret.
Lockdowns have affected our palates, experts say CREDIT: E+
The winners were companies like Analytical Flavour Systems, a United States business that uses artificial intelligence to model people’s preferences when it comes to flavour, aroma and texture.
Derailed by anosmia – the partial or full loss of smell – many food producers bypassed their usual approach of asking research chefs to come up with gold-standard recipes and went straight to their A1 platform instead. ‘The pandemic was very good for our business,’ said Analytical Flavour Systems founder and chief executive Jason Cohen. ‘Companies couldn’t hold tasting panels because of social distancing rules, and when chefs couldn’t taste, we had more companies coming directly to us.’
The experience of lockdowns has also affected people’s palates, and will also start to seep into the recipes and formulas that are made. For example, while stuck at home, people drank fewer soft drinks, which has lowered their tolerance for artificial sweeteners. ‘Quarantine has been the largest consumer shock since rationing. We’re seeing huge shifts,’ Cohen said. ‘The world is not going to taste the same as it did before Covid.’
Are your chips a little too salty? CREDIT: Clara Molden/Clara Molden
Analytical Flavour Systems has in the past been asked to help reformulate recipes for cancer patients and the elderly. Cohen said this could start to happen if it became clear that people’s senses had been permanently affected by Covid.
Across the industry, experts have been retraining their senses, from wine producers and restaurant sommeliers to food and drink tastes. ‘It will have affected the production of wine. I will have been asking for a second opinion by getting another professional to help,’ said Federica Zanghirella, vice-president of the UK Sommelier Association.
Zanghirella, who temporarily lost her sense of smell in the middle of a class she was leading in March 2020, added; ‘Some students say they couldn’t tell their bosses or head sommeliers, because it was too risky for their careers, so they had to use their knowledge of ingredients and flavours.’
She added that restaurant sommeliers, who pair wines with dishes on-site, had been struggling in particular.
Industries beyond food and drink have also been affected. Isabelle Gelle, the founder of the Perfumery Art School, said half of her students were now retraining after losing their sense of smell. Her clients run businesses across Britain, including soap and scents candle shops.
Under new ownership, Villa Maria captures a global market
When Matthew Deller decided it was time to bring his family home from Napa Valley in California, there was only one place he wanted to work: Villa Maria.
He made his move in January 2020 after seven years as chief operating officer at Tor Wines – a winery globally renowned for its single-vineyard chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon.
And so, after a roller-coaster journey of sorts, he’s perfectly placed to oversee the first global launch of Villa Maria’s single-vineyard series of wines from tomorrow.
Deller, a master of wine, is Villa Maria’s chief global sales and marketing officer. In his almost two years with the brand, he’s experienced the rapid change brought by Covid-19 as well as seeing Villa Maria pass out of family ownership.
Villa Maria Estate Winery’s Blenheim acreage. Image: Brya Ingram/Stuff/Marlborough Express
Villa Maria’s parent company FFWL, owned by founder Sir George Fistonich, went into receivership late in 2020 and as part of that, Villa Maria was sold to Indevin, New Zealand’s largest wine-making company, in September.
“When we decided we wanted to move back to New Zealand and I was thinking ‘who would I want to work for?’ Deller says. “Villa Maria was the only option. There’s no other winery in New Zealand that makes the calibre of wines that Villa Maria does and that’s not going to change in under the new ownership.
“We’ve all been on a roller-coaster over the past 18 months. But the management at Villa Maria wasn’t exposed too much to that financial side as that was between the family and the banks.
“Indevin is very protective of the brand and what drove its success: it’s all about quality and global critical acclaim. And that’s not my opinion, that comes to us from our wine intelligence research.”
Other significant changes include the way Villa Maria is marketed.
“We’ve renovated every brand,” Deller said. “We’ve brought out Earth Garden range this year which is our first 100 per cent Biogrow-certified brand and fully vegan. And we’ve really ramped our global fine wine programme.”
As part of that global push, this year marks the first time that Villa Maria is doing a worldwide launch of its single vineyard series. That will involve events around the world throughout November. “We’re there in New York, London, Europe and there’ll be dinners, wine-maker tastings with a unified release of these single-vineyard wines.”
Indevin had been on the lookout for a quality New Zealand global brand for some time, says chief executive Duncan McFarlane.
Single vineyard releases are a winery’s way of showing what a particular block of land delivers. The 10 wines Villa Maria are releasing come in tiny volumes – just hundreds of cases for some styles. The grapes are mostly handpicked and many are fermented with wild yeasts.
The idea is to create a series of bespoke wines that Deller says are chosen for their elegance and as “the greatest expression of a particular vineyard”.
The release features vineyards in Auckland (Ihumātao), Gisborne (McDiarmid Hill) Hawke’s Bay (Braided Gravels, Keltern) and Marlborough (Attorney, Taylors Pass, Seaspray, Seddon, Southern Clays).
Deller said it was the right time to make a global push as New Zealand wine – particularly Marlborough sauvignon blanc – was at a “tipping point” in terms of appreciation by critics and collectors.
“Now that New Zealand wines are getting really high scores from international critics, all of a sudden they’re of tremendous interest to the fine wine community, British wine merchants and top New York restaurants. The market has been created by those global critic scores.”
And that maturation of the industry, in terms of quality, has dove-tailed with Covid-19 to create a perfect storm of desire for New Zealand-made wines.
“What happened last year was a huge shift in awareness of, and demand for, New Zealand wine and Brand New Zealand was on fire last year. The insights I have from the US is that a significant part of that is our sustainability story.
“What’s happened this year is another seismic shift – and perhaps one that’s more exciting and of more significance for New Zealanders. We had a small harvest in 2021 but it’s high quality. And with that, we’ve reached a tipping point where New Zealand wines are now recognised as really good. They’ve always been regarded as good but now they moved to really good.”
The Villa Maria Keltern chardonnay.
He noted that one of the world’s leading wine commentators, Jancis Robinson, wrote a glowing report on New Zealand wine, focusing on sauvignon blanc and pinot noir which helped push Marlborough sauvignon blanc from a supermarket staple to standing proudly alongside the best France could offer.
“Marlborough sauvignon blanc had already surpassed France in terms of mass awareness but the more conservative critics have always considered the fine wines of Sancerre as superior to Marlborough sauvignon blanc but that seems to have changed and Marlborough sauvignon blanc is now a fine wine benchmark as well as a reliable benchmark.”
The other thing that’s happened is that a number of factors – including increased costs of packaging and shipping – drove up the price of New Zealand wine and no one blinked. In fact, demand increased.
Deller says not only are people in love with the flavours of New Zealand wine but they are “buying an experience they can’t get from anywhere else” and part of that is a story of sustainability, ethical employers, and a focus on quality.
For Villa Maria, a critical part of that story is staying New Zealand owned. When the receivers came in at FFWL they needed to find over $200m to pay back bank loans. Selling Villa Maria was critical to raising that money and there was a fear an iconic Kiwi brand could end up offshore.
But it stayed in New Zealand thanks to Indevin, a giant wine-maker that most people have never heard of.
Indevin’s model is to grow grapes and make wine. It leaves the sales and marketing to third parties including brewing giant Lion – for whom Indevin produces the Lindauer range, among others – as well as Waitrose and Tesco supermarkets in the UK.
Chief executive Duncan McFarlane says Indevin had been on the lookout for a quality New Zealand global brand for some time.
“Rather than Indevin doing the brand building and holding the sales expertise in-house we’ll partner with someone who has that, and we’ll focus on the parts of the supply chain where we have the expertise and can create value,” he explains.
“But that meant there was a significant part of the New Zealand category that we weren’t participating in – that wasn’t a problem as such as we’d been successful with our model – but we believed that as the New Zealand wine industry matured, with the right brand, the right proposition, there was a lot of additional value to be created.
“Our long-term strategy has been if the right opportunity came along to acquire a genuine global New Zealand brand then that would be a very interesting, exciting and rewarding acquisition.
“Identifying that and actually having the opportunity are two different things.”
McFarlane couldn’t have hoped for a better opportunity than the unexpected sale of Villa Maria after 60 years of family ownership. “We felt that not only was it an amazing opportunity it was an unparalleled opportunity.”
McFarlane says Indevin and Villa Maria will continue to walk their own paths when it comes to sales and marketing, with Indevin remaining a business-to-business model and Villa Maria being a business-to-consumer operation.
But behind the scenes, on the production side, there is huge room for efficiency and growth.
“In many cases, the two businesses literally have vineyards next to each other or in the same street – so it makes sense that the production side of the business will come together over time to work as a team.”
Villa Maria single-vineyard Taylors Pass sauvignon blanc and pinot noir, part of a range of 10 it’s releasing globally.
Adding Villa Maria’s vineyards and expertise to Indevin’s means a diversity of supply that “de-risks” the business on one hand while “putting you in a strong position to maintain and provide consistent quality season-to-season”.
As the ultimate boss, McFarlane has no qualms about Villa Maria hosting a series of global launches during a global pandemic.
“Like any business, we’re conscious of Covid, and management of risk is at the forefront of how we do things, but at the same time there are growth opportunities overseas and where we can do it, and do it safely, it’s business as usual.”
As for his pick of the single-vineyard wines, the chardonnay lover says he’s “quite honestly staggered” by the Keltern Chardonnay from Hawke’s Bay.
Sidebar; The Villa Maria Single Vineyards
Auckland – Ihumātao
Located on Auckland’s Manukau Harbour, Ihumātao sits within a shallow, sheltered volcanic crater with a soil profile that is diverse with a calcified shell and ancient scoria on the edge of the basin, with heavier peat and clay soils toward the centre layered above a volcanic basalt rock base. The immediate proximity to the Manukau Harbour provides a cooling influence, favourable in the retention of fruit acidity during the ripening season.
Gisborne – McDiarmid Hill
Home to expansive fertile plains framed by forested hills on one side and 200km of coastline on the other, the province has an abundance of natural resources. Gisborne’s climate is characterised by warm summers and mild winters. McDiarmid Hill is positioned on an elevated north-facing hillside slope in Patutahi. Taking full advantage of sunlight, drying wind conditions, slightly cooler temperatures and natural water drainage, the additional elevation provides a wonderful advantage for producing this consistently outstanding wine.
Hawkes Bay Braided Gravels | Keltern
The Gimblett Gravels Wine Growing District is characterized by arid, stony gravels laid down over millennia then exposed by a huge flood in 1876 that altered the course of the Ngaruroro River. East of the Maraekakaho region, Keltern is a warm inland site, buffered by the Ngaruroro River. Established on an ancient riverbed that is very dry, but not as hot as the Gimblett Gravels.
Marlborough is surrounded by the inland Kaikoura Ranges to the south and the Richmond Ranges to the north. These rugged mountains are responsible for New Zealand’s driest and sunniest climate with an average of 2435 hours of sunshine, regulated by the cooling ocean influence, elongating the ripening period. Marlborough is composed of three sub-regions, each with its own distinctive characteristics and nuances, which are experienced in every taste.
Kiwis motivated to make delicious and interesting wines under their own labels are changing the way we think about négociant winemaking.
The business of winemaking can be, well, a little dry. Especially if what you are looking for is just something good to drink. But the truth is, who owns and does what can make a qualitative difference to what ends up in your glass. My first job in wine was in a shop that proudly only sold “estate bottled” wine, which meant that all of the wines were made by the same people who grew the grapes. The alternative is probably best described by the French term négociant winemaking, where wine is made with grapes grown by someone else.
In the old world (Europe), a lot is made of the difference between these two models, and despite winemaking being the endpoint of both, they are – for legal and taxation purposes – recognised as different types of businesses.
The cost of land and plant can act as a prohibitive barrier to entry for young adventurous winemakers.
In terms of quality, the general consensus is that wines made by the people who grow the grapes on their own land are better. It makes sense; the farmer who is also the winemaker is invested in the final product from start to end, they understand best how the quality of the fruit they grow determines the quality of the wine they make.
It is also a fair assumption that the grape grower and the négociant winemaker might have conflicting financial motivations that don’t add up to better wine. Beyond this simple idea of quality control, there is also a sense in which an “estate bottled” wine is a unique expression of the specific place and people that it came from, in a way that wine made from purchased grapes won’t be.
In Aotearoa, there is less focus on the difference between these two models of how wine gets made. That is probably to do with small artisan farmer-producers, including winemakers, cheesemakers, and other producers, not historically had the same status here as in Europe.
It is also the case that our winemaking history is simply shorter, and so it makes sense that we’ve looked for trusted brands and flavour profiles, rather than focused on place and tradition as markers of quality, as those places and their traditions are still being established.
What’s more, the accessibility of vineyards and winemaking facilities is not the same here as in the Old World. Where in parts of Europe, forgotten or neglected wine regions have provided an opportunity for young adventurous winemakers to establish themselves at a relatively low cost, here the cost of land and plant can act as a prohibitive barrier to entry.
Kiwis motivated to make delicious and interesting wines under their own labels have however found another way and in doing so, are changing the way we think about négociant winemaking.
Corofin
corofin.nz
Mike and Anna Paterson of Corofin in Marlborough, like the other producers featured here, have neither a winery nor vineyards. Perhaps counterintuitively, it is precisely this lack of a stake in a vineyard that is fundamental to them making wines that are uniquely connected to the sites they come from.
Corofin works mainly with Pinot Noir, with a little chardonnay, and each of their wines come from single sites, small corners of vineyards, all located in the foothills of the southern valleys of Marlborough. Their approach to winemaking is to dial back fruit character and varietal expression, believing that more reserved, savoury wines show better the differences made by the specific geography and geology of the vineyard sites that they want to promote.
This model for making site-specific wines is reflective of the best parts of the négociant model in Burgundy, where law and tradition codify the unique nature of specific parcels of land, and farmers and négociant-winemakers are left to focus on their part in allowing those places to best reflect themselves.
The Patersons go a step further by promoting not just the physical growing conditions of their chosen vineyards, but also the family winegrowers who farm those sites. Not only are they in this sense advocates for the most interesting places to grow grapes in their region, they also shine a light on growers who are committed to best quality farming practices.
The best Corofin recommendation I can give you is to take the opportunity to taste each of the site-specific Pinots of a given vintage. The differences between each of the wines tell the story of those unique sites. A fascinating and delicious exercise.
This particular one from the meticulously farmed Wrekin vineyard is bold, savoury and concentrated, reflective of the relatively low yields taken from the site.
A Thousand Gods
athousandgodswines
Lauren and Simon Sharpe’s story is increasingly familiar. New Zealanders who spent a significant part of their lives and careers learning their craft overseas, in their case France, returning with their young family to put those skills to use in their homeland.
Of course, a return home can be challenging for a number of reasons, not least of which is the cost of starting afresh and wanting to establish your own business.
A Thousand Gods, Blanc, 2020 (Athousandgods.com) $36
The opportunity to purchase fruit from Churton vineyard in Marlborough, one of the best growers and vineyard sites in the country, and to lease space in a shared winemaking facility, meant that the Sharpes were able to establish their label A Thousand Gods relatively quickly after their return, and without the prohibitive capital outlay of purchasing a vineyard, or the lead-time of planting one according to their no doubt exacting standards.
Which is all the better for us, as already their wines are some of the most thoughtful, interesting and delicious in the market.
Being able to get their label underway has also allowed them the time and resources for what is next, which is establishing their own small winemaking facility, opening up further opportunities to experiment and show off their well-honed craft.
Sauvignon blanc, but not as we know it. A precise balance of texture, perfumed aromatics, and just right acidity that adds up to a glass I just can’t put down.
Bryterlater
Some of the freshest and most interesting new New Zealand wines are being made under labels that are a side-hustle for their talented producers.
James + Olivia vintage ’21.
Ambitious young winemakers, such as Bryterlater’s James Graves Opie, are holding down demanding viticultural and winemaking jobs and making their own wine on the side. Connections made in the industry through their ‘day jobs’ provide access to both information about where to source the best fruit, as well as access to expensive equipment and unused space, not to mention a network of seasoned professionals willing to lend advice and the odd hand where needed.
Bryterlater, Swell, Sauvignon Blanc Pet Nat, 2021 – $39
Opie, situated in North Canterbury, sources premium organic fruit from local growers, and with it is crafting some impressive wines. His work with Sauvignon Blanc, especially in his sparkling wines, show new and delicious sides to a varietal many of us may have tired of.
I believe it’s partly the freedom of financial pressure associated with buying land equipment that gives Opie’s approach an air of experimentation, trial and error, and ambition. Like an increasing number of similarly minded winemakers, he’s not letting the absence of his own vineyard and winery stop him from producing his own wines.
The result is more exciting wines to drink, which is always a good thing.
Yeasty creamy texture and fine bubbles in this delicate sparkler are complemented by gentle pear flavours, all of which offset the shouty fruit-forward character normally associated with sauvignon blanc. Really impressive, and super refreshing.
The evening with Everything Pinot was a tippling success, with 37 people turning up for the Club’s own members to present to, plus a special guest for the evening’s last pinot – John Dawson with a whisky distilled in pinot barrels from Central Otago’s Lammermoor, ‘a farm to bottle distillery’: Lammermoor Distillery.
We tasted our way through the Club’s cellar after our opening pinot Waipara Hills Pinot Noir Rose’. Followed up with three 2017 Pinot Gris, from Peregrine Saddleback, Giesen Marlborough and Church Road McDonald series. The comparisons were quite distinct, and the discussion was good.
This was then followed by three 2016 Pinot Noirs, from Peregrine Saddleback Central Otago, Yealands Reserve Marlborough, and Russian Jack Martinborough.
words: Julia Larson illustration: Ariela Basson Published: December 29, 2021
There are some times when you crave a glass of wine, but not the whole bottle. But how can you tell if your opened bottle of wine is still good?
Wine is a very finicky thing, and if not treated right, your leftover vino might as well already be poured down the drain. To learn why some wines last a little longer than others and how to avoid a little waste, VinePair taked to Alisha Blackwell-Calvert CSW, an independent wine consultant in St. Louis.
When it comes to opening a bottle of wine, Calvert says, it is a race against time. “Oxygen is a wine’s best friend, but also [its] enemy,” she says.
“Once a bottle of wine is uncorked, it’s like there is a timer on it.”
Consumers tend to think that oxygen is a good thing for wine — wine is poured into extravagant decanters, swirled in the glass, and slurped loudly by somms all in the name of incorporating oxygen into it. This is initially to let the wine “breathe,” letting oxygen back into the wine to open up flavors and aromas that were stifled in the bottle. “That initial oxygen is great — it aids in building the aroma as it transcends into your nose,” says Blackwell-Calvert.
“But depending on the wine, after a couple of days, the aromas change.”
If at first sip you got notes of fresh fruit, it can develop aromas of a cooked fruit, or even vinegar.
There are some obvious signs that a wine has gone bad, like cork taint. But when a wine has been open for too long, it can end up tasting a little bland. Or, if it was high in alcohol in the beginning, it will taste a bit boozier. If you are planning on only using a small portion of a bottle, plan ahead by using wines that have more preservatives in them, such as sulfites or sugar. Sulfites are a naturally occurring preservative that occur on the skins of the grapes, and they give wines the ability to maintain and develop flavors as they age. Sugar, on the other hand, is key to the fermentation of wine. More residual sugar likely means there is less alcohol, which is more volatile when it comes to oxygen exposure.
“Preservatives help a wine keep and stay better for longer,” says Balckwell-Calvert. “For example, a Riesling will stay for longer because it has more sugar compared to other wines.” Oak is another natural preservative, helping keep wines like Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon fresher for longer.
When buying a bottle to sip throughout the course of a week, look for styles that have thicker-skinned grapes that have a bit more body and structure to them.
“Grapes that have a thinner skin, like a Grenache or a Pinot Noir, tend not to do well open because they have less preservatives and sulfites,”
says Blackwell-Calvert. “They have less tannin structure and acidity; they tend to die quicker once they’ve been opened.”
In some cases, leaving a bottle open may be more like a slowed-down way to enjoy a wine and note the differences as the flavor develops.
“There are some wines, like a Brunello di Montalcino, that will actually show better a couple of days after being open,”
says Blackwell-Calvert. “I guess that is also what a decanter is for.”
But if the wine you decided to sip on doesn’t follow any of the above criteria, there is no reason to just throw it away. “My recommendation is to put the cork as far as possible down the neck of the bottle,” says Blackwell-Calvert. “Put the bottle in the fridge; never leave it on the counter. When you are ready to drink it again, take the bottle out of the fridge for 30 to 40 minutes to warm up.”
If you are someone who repeatedly drinks a little from the bottle at a time, she also recommends buying a Coravin preserver. Or, if you’re not attached to the aesthetics of glass bottles, try a boxed wine. These often last for weeks in the fridge due to their lack of oxygen exposure.
Even if you missed every step — bought a light-bodied, high-alcohol wine and left it on the counter — but you still thought it tasted good, then go ahead and keep enjoying it.
“A wine is good if you taste it and think it tastes good,”
says Blackwell-Calvert. “If it has been open for four to five days and you still like it, then it is still a good wine.”
Continent Winner – The Best Vineyard in Australasia 2021 – #11 Craggy Range & #15 Rippon
During this morning’s ceremony in Germany, Havelock North’s Craggy Range winery was announced 11th overall, making it the highest-ranking Australasia.
This puts the winery in high-calibre company, alongside estates such as Chateau Margaux of Bordeaux, Opus One of Napa Valley and Champagne Billecart-Salmon; a result Craggy Range Director Mary-Jeanne Peabody described as ‘incredibly humbling’.
“It is my parent’s dream to sit alongside the great wineries of the world, and this shows us that we are heading in the right direction,” she said.
Close behind in the list was Rippon Valley; the Wānaka winery claiming 15th place overall.
The World’s Best Vineyards is by no means the only list of note, however, what makes it unique according to Craggy Range’s Marketing Manager David T. Peabody is the breadth of criteria one must excel at.
“It is not about a single wine in a particular year, this is about consistently being recognised as world-class,” he said.
