Exploring New Zealand’s Paradise for Wine Lovers

“The Marlborough Sounds is a system of ancient river valleys that have filled up with seawater from the Pacific Ocean,” writes Victoria Moore in an article for The Telegraph. “As you fly along in a speed-boat, hair streaming, boat bouncing, wind jud-judding in the face, it’s hard to imagine wanting to be anywhere else, especially if you are a wine lover as the region’s “vineyards produce some of the best sauvignon blanc and pinot noir in New Zealand.”

“It was only in 1975 that the first commercial sauvignon blanc was planted in Marlborough. The match was so successful that the style – redolent of elderflower, gooseberries and passion fruit – immediately became a modern classic. This isn’t the only wine that Marlborough makes well: its aromatic pinot noir and luminous chardonnay are also extremely good,” writes Moore.

She shares five of her favourite wineries below:

• Cloudy Bay

“With breezy white parasols and views across a lawn to the mountains, it feels more like a hotel than a winery,” writes Moore. “Cloudy Bay famously made the luminous sauvignon blanc which in the Nineties became such an object of desire that bottles were sold on allocation and prized as rare trophies.”

• Framingham Wines

Framingham Wines is a little different, according to Moore. “In an ocean of sauvignon blanc, the winery specialises in riesling” and there’s music everywhere.  It’s a “spectacular riesling, some of it dry; some in the ethereal, floaty style that has sweetness without actually tasting sweet; some made from old vines, such as the F-Series Old Vines riesling.”

• Hans Herzog Estate

“Hans and Therese Herzog ran a winery and Michelin-starred restaurant in their native Switzerland before buying a parcel of land in Marlborough in the early Nineties. Their New Zealand fine dining restaurant, set among the vines, is now a destination in its own right, and a magnet for wine professionals from around the world,” writes Moore.

• Brancott Estate

“The first commercial plantings of sauvignon blanc in Marlborough were put in the ground by Brancott Estate (formerly Montana) in the early Seventies.” “Look through the plate-glass windows and all you can see is row upon row of bright green vines, stretching to the horizon,” writes Moore.

• Nautilus Estate

Pinot Noir, “the ‘heartbreak grape’ is known for being expressive of the site and microclimate in which it’s grown and Marlborough pinot often has a highly fragrant, lifted smell and a smooth flow,” writes Moore, who describes Nautilus’ pinot noir as superb – floral but also savoury and serious.”

Article Source: The Telegraph, Victoria Moore, March 6, 2018

Image Source: Twitter – Cloudy Bay Vineyards