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Maison Vauron owners, Scott Gray & Jean-Christophe Poizat
The committee felt that the tasting went well and it was a lovely, pleasant evening. A record number for a February tasting attended. Will Brunel-Morvan, Maison Vauron, was an entertaining presenter. He enjoyed the evening and is keen to present again with a more substantive range of French wines including cheese matches. The committee will look at this option for a future meeting.
As an aside, on arrival to prepare for the meeting it was found that the Community Centre had changed the locks to the hall without advising us. This led to some confusion but was sorted out quickly enough not to have impacted on the evening. The Centre have apologised for the oversight.
The tasting included an Introductory Quaffer: Fazi Corsica rosé 2015, followed by an Embruns Sable de Camargue rosé 2015; Miradou Cotes de Provence rosé 2015; Château de Fesles Anjou rosé 2015 and Prieuré de Montezargues Tavel 2015.
We compared these French Rosés with a couple of New Zealand offerings. The Hunters (pinot based) and Hawkes Bay Estate (merlot). Great variety in colour and style.
N.B. Anne reported that there were 2 wine glasses left behind which she now has. Can members please check that they have all their glasses.
Things are progressing nicely and we have the majority of the planning for the year under control. We are looking forward to the schedule of tasting and events for the year and expect the usual high level of support from members. Please remember, we always welcome your feedback and ideas.
Fair Go
I am sure many of you will have watched the Fair Go episode on TV recently where New Zealand producers were using some Australian wines to bolster their cheaper lines. The warning is clear, read the label well if you want to be sure you are drinking NZ wines. The argument was that as 70% of NZ white wines are exported they cannot produce enough “economy” wines for the local market. Is the inference that NZ consumers don’t matter? In any event the label should clearly state that it is the “Wine of Australia”. Naturally, no one who is a member of the Cellar Club would be fooled by such rubbish and would immediately identify the taste as a standard Aussie whine.
Hundreds of wine growers, buyers, and aficionados from around the world have descended on Wellington for a three-day celebration of New Zealand pinot noir.
Wine exports in New Zealand are a billion-and-a-half dollar industry and since 2008, the amount of pinot noir New Zealand has exported has more than doubled from just under 6 million litres to just over 12 million.
To consolidate that increase, Wine New Zealand hosts an annual pinot noir celebration, consisting of meetings and taste-tests.
These allow local wineries to rub shoulders with international buyers and connoisseurs, make connections, and explain their offerings.
Roger Jones is a Michelin-starred chef and wine conisseur who runs the Harrow restaurant in Little Bedwyn – one of the UK’s top restaurants.
He said the explanation for the pinot renaissance was simple.
“Food has got much lighter, less cream, and New Zealand delivers amazing – and very light – food. That’s what people are after nowadays, so equally, wines change.
“10 years ago everyone in Britain was drinking big, heavy shirazes – boxing matches in your mouth – and we were eating food to go with it. Now, food has changed.”
Misha Wilkinson, who owns Misha’s Vineyard on the shores of Lake Dunstan, said the grapes’ thin skin made them very disease-prone, and notoriously hard to cultivate.
However, she said Central Otago’s unique climate lends itself to the task perfectly.
“It is the only region in New Zealand that [has a] continental climate. We’re between these mountain ranges, so this continental climate gives us some unique features: hot days and cool nights.
“[Those] diurnal differences… are something that pinot loves.”
Because of the difficulties in producing it, pinot noir will likely never surpass sauvignon blanc as New Zealand’s main viticultural product.
But the boutique crop is highly valued by wine connisseurs, and that brings big profits – if your name carries enough weight.
Mr Jones said among those in the know in the UK, Kiwi pinots enjoyed an unrivalled reputation.
Michelin-starred chef Roger Jones Photo: RNZ / Emile Donovan
“In the UK, if people want a pinot noir, they think of New Zealand – and first of all, Central Otago. It works. It’s a prestige wine.”
But what actually makes a wine good?
Emma Jenkins is a wine expert and journalist who has been writing – and imbibing – for nearly twenty years.
While the wine community is sometimes accused of pretentiousness, she said it was like reading a great work of literature: appreciation takes time, and knowledge.
“This is where events like this are really great, because you get to taste the wine along side the winemaker: what was that winemaker doing? What’s their sense of time and place that’s being communicated through that glass there? You can understand where they were coming from, and why that wine tastes that way.”
Ata Rangi, meaning “dawn sky” or “new beginning” is a small New Zealand winery with a big reputation for serious Pinot Noir. Located at the southern end of the North Island, it is owned and managed by a family trio – Clive Paton, his wife Phyll and his sister Alison.
Ata Rangi founder Clive Paton
Clive planted his first vines on a small, stony sheep paddock at the edge of the Martinborough village in 1980 as one of a handful of people who pioneered winegrowing in the area. Ata Rangi Pinot Noir is undoubtedly the flagship wine, and in 2010 was honoured with the inaugural Tipuranga Teitei o Aotearoa or “Grand Cru of New Zealand”.
With a skilled team in place, including dynamic winemaker Helen Masters, Clive now has more time to focus on his commitment to conservation and to the Ata Rangi alliance with Project Crimson. More event details early next month.
We have had some excellent feedback from members about this venue and the quality of the food.
However, while good, there were a few issues with one of the larger tables of 13 with not enough food and how the meat was distributed. It appears that the plating re the number of people per table was an issue for some tables.
This concept was a new dining concept for the club, and perhaps next time we need to explain in the lead-up newsletter how the meal will be served and how the dinner will work. There are always things to learn.
BBQ
The Club BBQ was another good day with close to 40 members and friends attending. The weather was OK but with a coolish breeze (Pat says I use the word breeze far too frequently when describing the Wellington climate).
As ever there was plenty of covered space at Derek’s and weather conditions seldom detract from the enjoyment of the event. The food was up to the normal high standard and particularly pleasing was the quality and variety of desserts provided. A great turn out.
As always we commenced our festivities for this new year with the BBQ at Derek Thompson’s house. On the agenda for the year we have Ata Rangi, and after the success of the last quiz evening, we have decided to try it again.
Upcoming events
Your committee is working on options for the latter part of the year, but these will include the AGM in May, the mid-year dinner in July and the second dinner in December. As a definite, we have Seifried’s from Nelson booked in for August and other projects. We have found that a downside of arranging tastings too far in advance is that situations can change. These have resulted in late withdrawals necessitating urgent substitutes. We are trying not to work too far in advance. As always, we are happy for input from members on future events and tastings.
The New Zealand wine industry is busy planning for the upcoming vintage after taking into account the impact of the recent Kaikoura earthquake. “We have completed our survey of the impact of the earthquake on our members, ” said Philip Gregan, CEO of New Zealand Winegrowers. “It is clear there was some wine loss as a result of the earthquake, but it amounts to only a little over 2% of Marlborough’s total production. While this is frustrating, this is not a major concern as vintage 2016 was a near record one. This means there is plenty of wine available to continue our market growth.”
As expected the major impact on wineries has been to storage tanks. “Many wineries, both small and large have escaped with no damage at all, but in others, damage to tanks has occurred. Our initial estimate is that 80% of tank capacity in Marlborough is undamaged, but around 20% has been impaired to some extent. These numbers may change as the process of damage assessment continues. ”The priority for wineries with damaged tanks is to repair or replace the tanks they need to have in working condition for vintage 2017.”
“The process of tank repair is already underway but it is going to be a big task which will continue for many months. We have been liaising with affected wineries, engineers, tank manufacturers, the government and the Marlborough District Council to ensure there are no unnecessary impediments to that process proceeding as quickly and safely as possible.”
“Marlborough produces well over 200 million litres of wine each year with over 80% of this destined for export markets. Despite the obvious damage to transport links, we are not aware of any particular issues affecting the movement of wine out of the region at the moment.
We are working with various transport operators, ports and the government to identify and address any issues should they occur.”
The tastings of 2016 continued with Cangrande’s offering of Italian Festive Wines. Michele presented with enthusiasm and was very knowledgeable and informative. We had a very good turnout with 35 members and one guest. The Italian themed supper was great with everyone mixing well. Thanks to the organisers.
The evenings offering included wines and beer along with some options for olive oil and balsamic vinegar which were available for the supper. The tasting included a Verdicchio aperitif style for the quaffer, three sparkling wines, an Altaluna Belgian Ale, a Primitivo and a dessert style from Pantelleria, the Donnafugata – Passito di Pantelleria Ben Ryé. Olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and a couple of coffee bean options were also available for purchase.
As ever, I find this a time to reflect on what the year has offered. We had a great day for the BBQ in January. Always a pleasant afternoon for those attending. February saw a tasting with Roberta Montero presenting for the Artisan Winegrowers of Central Otago. An interesting and somewhat different approach to winemaking from this group. March was a very successful tasting of Argentinian wines presented by Josefina Telleria from South2South. In April we had Edward Donaldson presenting for Pegasus Bay. The AGM in May passed quickly and members enjoyed some wines from the Club’s cellar before we moved on to June where Foxes Island and held centre stage. This was a very professional presentation.
Things really got rolling in July with the mid-year dinner at Logan Brown. Some issues around service but otherwise an excellent evening. August was time for Keith Tibble to present an Australian evening, mainly Elderton from the Barossa Valley but included offerings from McLaren Vale and Clare Valley. September was with Gavin Yortt and Squawking Magpie from Hawkes Bay. October was a highlight with Jane Hunter presenting from Marlborough. It was great to get an icon of the NZ wine industry for this event. November completed a somewhat international year with Cangrande doing Italian wines for our festive tasting. Dinner at Muse this month completes our year.
Your committee have been very pleased with the programme and hope everyone found something to enjoy. Have a great Christmas and then we will look to developing 2017 events to match those of the past year.
