WineNZ Summer 18-19 (1)

WineNZ
Summer 2018/19 $9.90
Winemaker
Caroline
Frey
talks horses
and châteaux
Our pick of the 2018
Sauvignon blancs
Maserati Levante
in Manila traffic
Taking a Huchet
home to France
NZD $9.90
Cellar door
A vineyard with
two elephants
Travel time
The takeaways
from Thailand
Food folly
In praise of
raw oysters

THE NED 2018 PINOT ROSÉ
TROPHY – BEST ROSÉ WINE – HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL
WINE & SPIRIT COMPETITION 2018
GOLD MEDAL – HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL
WINE & SPIRIT COMPETITION 2018
BLUE GOLD – SYDNEY INTERNATIONAL WINE COMPETITION 2019
GOLD MEDAL – SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL WINE COMPETITION 2018
PINOT ROSÉ
2 WineNZ Magazine | Winter 2018

news & views
www.winenzmagazine.co.nz
3

Get your
wines ready...
We’ll be tasting pinot noir, pinot gris
and all types of dessert wines.

We will have a top line-up of wine tasters - and our usual high
standards. WineNZ tastings are known for being independent and
honest. They are not influenced by avarice and deliver highly regarded
tasting notes.
Our team will also taste new releases of all varieties on the same terms
as for the main tasting varieties.
Build your brand and burnish your image with WineNZ.
Invitations to the autumn tastings will be sent to wineries shortly.
PO Box 33 494, Barrington,
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Publisher's note
WineNZ
CONTRIBUTORS
Daniel Honan, Charmian Smith,
John Saker, Vic Williams,
Martin Gillion
PHOTOGRAPHY
Kevin Judd, Richard Brimer
DESIGN
Spinc Media
EDITORIAL
Paul Taggart
021 333 335
Email: paul@spincmedia.com
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To subscribe to WineNZ, visit our website
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PO Box 33494,
Barrington,
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Wine samples: 884 Governor’s Bay Road,
Rapaki, Lyttelton RD1, Christchurch 8971
COVER PHOTO:
Caroline Frey, winemaker for three major
French wine estates. See Page 16.
WineNZ
Summer 2018/19 $9.90
Winemaker
Caroline
Frey
talks horses
and châteaux
Our pick of the 2018
Sauvignon blancs
Maserati Levante
in Manila traffic
Taking a Huchet
home to France
NZD $9.90
Cellar door
A vineyard with
two elephants
Travel time
The takeaways
from Thailand
Food folly
In praise of
raw oysters
Family
first
Summer started slowly in
much of the country, but
by the time you pick up
this magazine, hopefully
the sun will have sprung in
to action allowing the good
people of Aotearoa to get to the beach,
the bach or the back garden and away
from the daily grind for a decent break.
For the wine business, 2018 wasn’t
a flash year, both for wine itself (three
ex-tropical cyclones swept through
or close to the country in February
and March) and for the industry (the
increasing domination of mega wine
companies at the expense of Kiwi-owned
family businesses).
One of the joys of the Kiwi summer
break is that a bach or crib provides the
perfect place to start thinking seriously
about the upcoming year and what
can be done to make the next twelve
months better.
It’s a fact that the highest number
of people chuck in the towel to seek a
new job over summer, following some
quiet reflection after the turkey has been
eaten and the kids’ broken Christmas
presents have been taken to the dump.
There’s not much that can be done
about next year’s tropical cyclones –
apart from hoping for the best, while
planning for the worst.
And apart from a socialist revolution
– which don’t have a great track record –
not a lot can be done about the on-going
corporatisation and globalisation of
our industry.
We can, however, take heart from the
fact that there are some great role models
among our family wineries – including
all the five-star winners in the various
tasting sections in this issue. These are
the folks who aren’t only thinking about
their end-of-year balance sheet, but also
about their legacy for their children and
grandchildren, who will be running their
businesses down the track.
I think it is important that as wine
lovers and consumers, we put our money
where our mouth is when it comes to
supporting the Kiwi-owned industry.
We are all entitled to the occasional
flirtation with an enticing foreigner,
but when it comes to stocking the cellar
or the fridge for the holidays, nothing
makes me feel better than reaching for
the sort of brands that put their heads
above the parapet, strut their stuff in
our tastings and receive an array of
great compliments from our spectacular
group of judges.
They don’t have to be family wineries,
but the values of these businesses, where
the owners often planted the vines, toiled
for decades before passing the baton
to the next generation, are often
the places iconic wine come from.
While many of our readers are
already committed enough to buy
quality wines, rather than multinational
rubbish from the bargain
bin, maybe we should all take it upon
ourselves this summer to spread the
message – after all, Christmas
is a time for family.
Paul Taggart
Editor & Publisher
6 WineNZ Magazine | Summer 2018-19

contents
WineNZ
IN THIS ISSUE
SUMMER 2018/19
50
NEWS | FEATURES
10 NEWS
A drop in wine consumption in
Western countries causes anxiety.
12 NEW RELEASES
A couple of gems from one of
our favourite wineries - Clearview
Estate in Te Awanga.
16 A TOUGH JOB, BUT . . .
John Saker nips off to France to
talk to Caroline Frey about wine,
horses and living a privileged life.
50 PICTURE PERFECT
Kevin Judd is both a photographer
and winemaker. Paul Taggart talks
to a man with two crafts.
69 CELLAR DOOR
There’s a winery in Thailand with
two resident elephants. Paul
Taggart drops in for lunch.
PROPERTY
63 WINE COUNTRY OPPORTUNITIES
Wineries, vineyards and lifestyle
homes now available for the
discerning buyer.
58 WINE PEOPLE’S PLACES
Living the dream. A Central Otago
lifestyle block that has it all.
Charmian Smith takes a look.
58
VIEWS
6 PUBLISHER’S NOTE
It is time to spread the message
about the benefits of drinking wine
made by Kiwi family wineries.
90 LAST WORD
Vic Williams on the peculiar
pleasure he gets from eating tripe
and raw oysters.
79
8 WineNZ Magazine | Summer 2018-19

FOOD
74 RESTAURANT REVIEW
Charmian Smith headed off
to London to enjoy a meal and
excellent wine matches at Noble
Rot.
79 WELL MATCHED
After the bleakest of winters and
a disappointing spring we deserve
sunny times ahead says
Vic Williams.
82
contents
TRAVEL
82 STATUES AND DENTISTS
Paul Taggart visits Thailand
in search of a decent glass of
colombard and finds it in Hua Hin.
MOTORING
88 MASERATI IN TRAFFIC
Dennis Valdes takes a Maserati
Levante to the beach through the
worst congestion in the world.
88
TASTINGS
25 SAUVIGNON BLANC
Who has the best 2018 sauvignon
blanc? You could say it is the king
of wines.
32 ALTERNATIVE SAUVIGNON
BLANCS
Oak, wild yeast – what’s that all
about? And what’s happening
outside of Marlborough?
38 ROSÉ
There is a big gap between the type
of rosé the public is drinking and
what wine judges think they should
be drinking.
44 SPARKLING WINE
Bubbles are complicated, yet we
have a handful of wineries that are
making remarkably good examples.
32
74
www.winenzmagazine.co.nz
9

The
family
way
The Astrolabe family team: Simon, Jane, Libby (rear) and Arabella (front).
Back in 1996, acclaimed winemaker Simon
Waghorn, eager for creative control, felt
it was time to go his own way and, with
the help of his wife, Jane, and two friends,
started Astrolabe.
Twenty-two years later, Astrolabe has evolved and
is now officially a family business. Together with his
wife, Jane, their youngest daughter, Arabella Waghorn,
middle daughter Libby Levett and Libby’s husband,
Peter, the Waghorn family has just completed the
purchase of the company outright. Simon remains
winemaker, Jane general manager and Arabella
brand manager. Next year, Libby and Peter will join
the family team.
“When you create a business from scratch, it
becomes intrinsically linked to your values, your
daily life and family. Our girls have grown up in the
wine industry. It is so exciting to have them stepping
up and committing to our business. I am enormously
proud to have a team of clever, hardworking, young
women alongside me,” says Jane.
Sophie McLernon will join the family management
team in the role of sales manager for the APAC region.
As Jane’s niece, she joins her cousins in leading the
next generation.
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10 WineNZ Magazine | Summer 2018-19

news & views
Wine Briefs
Second win for Annabel
Annabel Bulk from Felton Road is
the Young Horticulturist of the Year
2018. Annabel won the Bayer Young
Viticulturist of the Year competition at
the end of August, then went on to win
the overall competition in November. She
competed against five other finalists from
other horticultural sectors - Landscaping
NZ, Horticulture NZ, NZ Plant Producers,
NZ Flower Growers and NZ Amenity
Horticulture.
Record set for auction
The annual Hawke’s Bay Wine Auction,
held at the Napier Conference Centre
recently set another record, with $265,500
raised for the Bay’s Cranford Hospice.
Over 650 wine enthusiasts from across
the country came together to bid for
wine lots from many of Hawke’s Bay’s
wineries, art work and a travel package.
Warning labels mandatory
Pregnancy warning labels on alcohol
will become mandatory in New Zealand,
Minister for Food Safety Damien
O’Connor announced recently. The
decision was made at the Australia New
Zealand Ministerial Forum on Food
Regulation in Adelaide. “While the
alcohol industry has been voluntarily
including warnings on some products for
the past six years there is no consistency in
the type, colour, size and design, reducing
the effectiveness of the message,” Damien
O’Connor said.
Fresh team at Coal Pit
Arnika Willner has been appointed
as Winemaker at Coal Pit Wines in
Gibbston, with Olly Masters appointed as
Winemaking Consultant. Arnika, a Lincoln
and Ohio State University graduate, was
part of the Coal Pit winemaking team
for the 2018 vintage and has experience
from Oregon, Australia, Germany, South
Africa as well as New Zealand.
Canterbury united
Its been a long-time in the making,
but Wines of Canterbury and Waipara
Valley Wine Growers have finally merged
to form North Cantrbury Wine Region.
The new organisation, representing
the interests of all Canterbury’s wine
producers, had its first get-together in
Christchurch in October. Catherine Keith,
of Mount Brown Estates, is chair of the
new association.
Wine consumption
drop causing angst
There’s a new type of gloom both France and Italy had halved over the
developing in some areas past 30 years. The tradition of factory and
of the wine business, as a farm workers having a glass of wine with
consequence of data showing lunch and dinner every day was fading.
wine consumption in many first world Not only is wine consumption falling,
countries is in decline.
it has new alcoholic competitors, with
The latest to raise a red flag was veteran both craft beer and the renewed enthusiast
Kiwi wine writer Michael Cooper. for gin hitting wine sales.
“In the UK, a key export market for Add to that a high proportion
NZ wine, nearly 30 per cent of people of millennials eschewing the booze
aged 16 to 25 now avoid all alcoholic altogether and wine has taken a battering.
beverages, including wine,” Michael said. British pubs have taken a battering
But the trend isn’t new. Last century too, with a quarter having called time
– December 1999 to be precise – The since 2001, a closure rate of 21 a week.
Economist magazine reported that since That said, China has been a bright spot
1982 the world’s consumption of wine for some exporters and those with trusted
had fallen by a quarter.
brands – and premium wine – tend to
The explanation was simple. In the be fairing better in established markets.
big producing and consuming countries And with five million glasses of New
of Western Europe, regular wine Zealand wine consumed every day in
consumption has become less and less the world, its not yet time to pull out
of a daily habit. Wine consumption in the vines.
Red winemakers in
New Zealand gravitate
to either Burgundian
or Bordeaux varieties.
Working for Tom
McDonald propelled
me in the Bordeaux
direction. Tasting his
straight cabernet
sauvignons from the
nineteen fifties and
sixties won me over. In
the early days, Hawke's
Bay winemakers
only had the mass
selection clone to
work with. Today there
are numerous clones
available. Brookfields
started planting
the LC10 clone ten
years ago. It excels in
gravels, so it is ideal
for Ohiti Estate.
Brookfields has
released the 2017
Ohiti Estate Cabernet
Sauvignon and the
2016 Gold Label
Cabernet Merlot – both
wines feature the LC10
clone. It ripens earlier
and exhibits excellent
colour and generous
fruit.
Merry Xmas,
Peter Robertson
BROOKFIELD
VINEYARDS
Phone 06 834 4615
www.brookfieldsvineyard.co.nz
Trade Enquiries
HANCOCKS
Phone 0800 699 463
www.winenzmagazine.co.nz
11

new releases
Five-star
by the sea
Words by Paul Taggart
This section is
always a bit
of fun as the
genuine Kiwi
new releases
are usually
supplemented with a few odd
balls that have found their way
into the WineNZ office. On this
occasion the odd balls were
from Thailand and Queensland.
One of my favourite wineries
in the land is Clearview Estate
in Te Awanga. It pre-dates
the “Napa comes to Hawke’s
Bay” wineries and has a great
restaurant which is the perfect
place for a summer lunch with
a bottle of chardonnay or rosé.
It also has a great range of reds.
Clearview’s current
winemaker (Matt Kirby) and a
former Clearview winemaker
(Barry Riwai) were on our
tasting panel on this occasion
– but were unaware of whose
wine they were tasting.
The coastal climate at
Clearview produces interesting
wines, but it is more a result of
good luck than good planning,
as co-owner Tim Turvey picked
the site back in the eighties as he
was a keen surfer and wanted to
be by the sea, rather than because
of any deep and meaningful
terroir considerations. But luck
was on his side and the winery
has prospered over the decades
since, during which other winery
businesses have arrived and
disappeared.
Clearview’s reputation means
it can now sell its top chardonnay
at $150 a bottle, but there are
many wines at more affordable
prices.
For the new releases we had
two entries and the first – their
2018 gewürztraminer – smacked
the ball right out of the park,
recording a five star rating.
Even if Matt the winemaker’s
score was discounted, and even if
Barry the ex-winemaker’s score
was also discounted, this wine
was a five-star success.
Clearview
Estate Coastal
Gewürztraminer
2018
Simon Nash: Quite full
lemon/lime, bright.
Vanillin, honey or clover,
soft ambrosia. Broad,
plump fruit.
Matt Kirby: Nice
weight, well structured.
Gewürztraminer. Lychee,
Turkish delight and ginger.
Barry Riwai: Turkish
delight, broad richness to
palate, glaceé ginger, spice
and opulence.
$22
12
WineNZ Magazine | Summer 2018-19

new products | releases
Clearview Estate Coastal
Pinot Gris 2018
Simon Nash:Pale bright, greener/lime.
Nice citrus, broad, juicy, lifted, clear,
good, crisp, zesty and expressive.
Matt Kirby: Red apple, pear. Nice weight.
Good balance.
Barry Riwai: White peach, apricot, higher
alcohol, spritz, but not overly hot. Long,
lime-flavoured finish.
Second cab off the rank was Clearview
Estate’s coastal pinot gris. This also
tickled the judges’ fancy and was marked
as a four star by the team.
To find wines of this caliber we need
to get away from the bargain bin at the
supermarket and buy on a winery’s
reputation and based on reputable
reviews.
These two Clearview wines are 5 and
4 star – the pinot gris not being far off
the top tier, yet they are not much more
expensive than some of the rubbish
being sold in supermarkets by the multinationals.
It does make you wonder.
$22
One of the joys of being involved with WineNZ
magazine is travelling to unusual places to visit wineries
and meet interesting wine people. For this issue I
visited Monsoon Valley winery in Thailand and tried
a range of their offerings. Having tried wines from
similar climates in the past (Vietnam, India) I didn’t
have high hopes, but Monsoon tries hard, as a 92
point score for one of its wines from a well-know
American wine critic indicates.
I entered a couple of their wines in the rose class, but
they failed to make it into the stars. However, the
colombard entered here didn’t disgust the judges.
Colombard is generally a cask wine in Australia and
doesn’t have a reputation for setting the world alight
in wine tastings. However, the judges saw some
merit in it and on a good day, with a tail wind,
it could have been close to three-star status.
$60
Monsoon Valley Buddhist Era
2560 (2017)
Colombard (wine of Thailand)
Simon Nash: Bright, nice lemon/
lime. Nice, quite creamy. Good acids,
clean, fresh, jazzy fruit. Quite lean
on finish.
Matt Kirby: Big gruner style. Apple
skin. Nice weight. Ash notes.
Barry Riwai: Limey green, some
creamy notes. Loads of freshness.
Bright green peppercorn. Good carry.
$A42
Flaxmore pinot gris
Flaxmore Moutere
Pinot Gris 2018
Ballandean Estate Wines
Durif 2016 Messing About,
Granite Belt
Simon Nash: Dark, quite dense,
bright, quite concentrated, nice
blackberry, soft, juicy, round,
grippy, a tad drying. A bit hot, but
promising.
Matt Kirby: Super dark and
concentrated. Massive tannin,
almost closed. Raisin and rum. Full
on.
Barry Riwai: Inky dark. Blueberry/
Mulberry on nose almost
impenetrable. Mulberry, vanillin
oak, very muscular wine. Sweet
oak spice. Super concentrated, but
not particularly revealing. Needs
time to open.
It was across the ditch for our next
entrant, but not to the familiar wine
regions of the Barossa, Hunter Valley
or Margaret River. A Queensland red
had caught the taste buds of one of our
readers who brought a bottle back from
his travels. The wine was a durif – known
as petite syrah in some locations, particularly the US. This
example was from the Granite Belt, a part of Queensland that
claims to have a good climate for wine, but not many people
outside the state take it all that seriously. That said, the judges
were intrigued and, while they weren’t certain what it was, they
gave it enough points for it to be a three-star wine.
Isn’t that the beauty of wine – trying something new and not
having any idea what to expect. The interesting aspects of the
durif had our three experienced judges chattering away like
schoolgirls.
Another newly released 2018 pinot gris was entered by
Flaxmore, a winery owned by Moutere couple Stuart
and Patricia Anderson. The pair have supplied their
fruit to the nearby Neudorf winery for a number of
years. While they continue to do so, they now also
produce wine under their own label.
The pinot gris submitted for this tasting didn’t score
as highly as the Clearview entrant, but would have
been comfortably three star, knocking on the door
of four star status. A good effort.
Simon Nash: Pale, bright, greentinged.
Nice, quite bready, almost
yeasty. Off-dry. With edgy fruit, good
finish.
Matt Kirby: Crunchy acid. Floral white
flower. Aromatic, a little phenolic.
Barry Riwai: Tutti frutti, orange
blossom. A little flowery. Clean finish
with drinkability.
$24
www.winenzmagazine.co.nz
13

A star is
The accolades keep coming for Whistling Buoy’s pinot noir.
★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★
(and top wine of the show)
JUNE 2017
Wines of Canterbury awards
FEBRUARY 2018
Wine Orbit
MARCH 2018
WineNZ
This has an intense nose with good depth and elegantly concentrated aromas
of dark-red berry fruit with subtle notes of blackberries entwined with dark
herbs, unveiling violet florals, along with nuances of liquorice and nutty oak.
- Raymond Chan
Whistling Buoy
Banks Peninsula,
Canterbury, New Zealand
www.whistlingbuoy.co.nz

orn
See the Whistling Buoy website to purchase our wine directly, or to find your nearest retailer.

feature | the frey way
FREY
WAY
THE
Words by John Saker
Lady of La Chapelle: Jaboulet winemaker Caroline Frey at the summit of the northern Rhône's famed Hermitage hill
16 WineNZ Magazine | Summer 2018-19

the frey way | feature
They were putting on a
brave face at Chateau La
Lagune in Haut-Médoc.
Yet the tomb-like quiet in
the winery at harvest time
all but bellowed the grim
reality: the 2018 vintage was a catastrophe.
Two hail events were its undoing. The
second, by far the worst, arrived on 15
July, a half hour before the kickoff of the
football World Cup final. In that game, you
will remember, France squared off against
Croatia. “Of course we won, but the game
was spoiled for me by the destruction at
La Lagune,” one estate employee told
me. An unusual, swirling wind steered the
hailstorm to a position directly over La
Lagune vineyard, upon which it dumped
its payload. Ninety percent of the crop was
lost in just a few minutes.
This was the main reason I would not
be meeting Caroline Frey in Bordeaux.
The woman who oversees the winemaking
at three separate estates across three of
France’s great wine regions (Chateau
La Lagune in Bordeaux, Jaboulet in the
northern Rhône and Chateau Corton C.
in Burgundy) reasoned her time would
be better spent at her empire’s other two
dominions.
We would cross paths at Tain-Hermitage
in a couple of days. In the meantime, I
would acquaint myself with La Lagune
and in doing so pick up clues about Frey
and her world.
Chateau La Lagune’s Left Bank address
is smart. It’s the first estate of significance
you come to when you head north along the
Route du Médoc from the city of Bordeaux.
Chateau Margaux is just another five minute
drive up the line. La Lagune’s third growth
1855 classification has always belied the
quality of its wines.
La Lagune was bought by the Frey family
in 2000. Swiss-born pater familias Jean
Jacques Frey had established himself in
Reims, Champagne, where he made a
fortune in commercial real estate.
Two things were behind Frey’s move
into fine wine. One was a genuine love
of the product, the other a desire to create
something that would remain in the family
for generations. Daughter Caroline (the
eldest of three girls), having finished
her studies in oenology in Bordeaux,
was perfectly placed to give this vision
immediate traction.
She was just 26 when she took the reins
at La Lagune in 2004. She knew what she
wanted. Her approach is rooted in respect
for the natural order of things. Belief in
terroir means doing everything possible
not to distort it, which means growing
grapes organically, which in turn means
preserving corners of the world for whoever
comes next.
Her greening of the estate has not been
confined to vineyards (many of which are
now moving from organic to biodynamic).
The Frey family has sought (and been
granted) official protection for natural
wilderness areas they own that abut
vineyards (even the woodlands around
the winery itself). These are now places
where wild floral and fauna thrive (no
hunting allowed), and provide a foil to the
rigid monoculture of a vineyard.
As with many other organic/biodynamic
wine growers, Caroline Frey believes
embracing these methods will result in
truer, more authentic wines. If truth is
indeed beauty, the wine should also offer
a great tasting experience.
In between vineyard visits, a foray up into
the Médoc and an exploration of Bordeaux’s
Cité du Vin (a remarkable global wine
museum which I highly recommend), I
sat down to a Chateau La Lagune vertical
tasting. It ran from 2009 to 2016 minus the
2013, a tough vintage for which no classic
blend or ‘grand vin’ was made.
Two years before Caroline Frey became
winemaker, British critic Andrew Jefford
applied the descriptor ‘unchallenging claret’
to La Lagune. ‘Anything but’ I thought to
myself as I worked through the line-up. The
wines had depth and distinctiveness; a bold,
savoury thread running through them all.
La Lagune unusually includes a high (up to
10 per cent) petit verdot component, which
gives the blend a dark, moody intensity.
The standouts for me were the 2015 with
its herbal whisper and harmonious tannins,
and the 2010, aging beautifully, an amalgam
of strength and beauty. The value these
wines represent is worth mentioning too.
The Freys have deliberately not jumped on
board Bordeaux’s over-inflated price blimp.
Chateau La Lagune sells for roughly 65
euros (NZ$100) a bottle. The estate puts
out two other lower tier red blends: Moulin
de La Lagune (merlot dominant) and the
fruit-forward Mademoiselle L.
The word ‘chateau’ is a bordelais synonym
for wine estate, hence its omnipresence on
the region’s labels. Chateau La Lagune is
an exception in that a stately pile is part of
the package. This is both a family residence
and a property available for hire (see ‘Your
Chateau Awaits’). It was in the library of
the chateau that I spied photos of Caroline
in her younger days, some showing her in
equestrienne mode. She was mad on horses
as a young girl, I learned, riding and rising
through the equestrian ranks to eventually
compete for the French national junior team.
I flew from Bordeaux to the Rhône;
Caroline Frey does the same back and
www.winenzmagazine.co.nz
17

feature | the frey way
A catch in Corton: Chateau Corton
in Burgundy is the latest
Frey family acquisition
18 WineNZ Magazine | Summer 2018-19

forth many times every year, always by car.
Within an hour or two of landing in Lyon,
I was among vines, first in Côte Rotie, then
Condrieu. Crazily terraced, hazardously
steep, hard-won from the hillside with picks,
shovels and strong backs, these northern
Rhône vineyards provoke disbelief (and
very sore muscles).
Late that afternoon, I was back on the
valley floor at Tain-Hermitage, the town
at the heart of the northern Rhône. From
the front door of Le Vineum, Jaboulet’s
cellar door and restaurant in the Place
du Taurobole, you are overlooked by the
imposing Hermitage hillside, crowned with
its legendary chapel. Inside Le Vineum, I
at last met Caroline Frey.
She has the presence of a horsewoman,
I thought immediately. It’s a look I know,
having grown up with horsey siblings and
attending (reluctantly) more A&P shows
than I care to remember. It’s not just her
clothes (unflashy, dark tones, a jacket that
could have been worn at a three day event).
There is also a controlled calm, along with
an alertness, that perhaps owe something to
having learned how to communicate with
an intelligence other than human.
Frey no longer rides, she tells me. Her life
is now given over to twin loves – a seven
year old daughter and wine. The more she
talks about the latter, the more you get a
sense of how genuine her conscience is
in regard to the business of making wine.
I put it to her that overseeing three fine
estates in three great regions is not your
everyday gig. She is privileged. Does all
that come with a degree of pressure?
“The only pressure I feel is in my
relationship with these places. We have a
passion for ‘grand terroirs’ and with that
there is heritage – the heritage of the earth
and the stones beneath. These places are
unique in the world, not just for their soils
but also their energy. In our La Chapelle
vineyards you sense a special energy. For me
it is important that these places be preserved
and worked ‘correctly’. That is a duty.”
The next day I am taken to the top of the
Hermitage hill. It is a beautiful, peaceful
place. It has been doing what it does for
over 2000 years and everything about it
seems old and wise and sane. The small
12th century chapel itself is owned by the
Jaboulet estate and was recently restored
by the Frey family – another dutiful act.
We tasted through a Jaboulet selection,
mostly 2016s. I fell in love with several
wines well before I arrived at La Chapelle.
The Domaine de Saint-Pierre Cornas
2016, for example – an essay in structural
elegance. And La Maison Bleue Hermitage
2015: dense, generous and remarkably
lengthy.
Everything about the Jaboulet La Chapelle
2016 is precise and contained. Young and
tight, its pure dark fruit has a steely edge
and the tannins are ample yet finely woven.
It is all about beauty, not the beast.
When the Frey family acquired an estate
in Burgundy in 2014, another grande maison
became theirs. Hard to miss, this stately
chateau rises above the small town of
Corton and dazzles with its richly tiled roof,
the frey way | feature
similar to that of the Hospices de Beaune.
It’s early days for what has been
rechristened Chateau Corton C. The estate’s
conversion to organics has begun and a new
winery was recently built. Production is
currently small (30,000 bottles per vintage)
but ambition is not in short supply… the
Freys are on the lookout for more vineyards
in Burgundy.
Caroline Frey admitted to me her marriage
to pinot noir has not yet been consummated,
although “it will come”. However, some
delightful wines are already being made.
My five-day, three region swing ended with
a tasting of the Chateau Corton C. range.
Two pinots stood out – Aloxe Corton 1er
Cru Les Paulands 2015 and Auxey-Duresses
1er Cru Le Val 2015.
The day before, Frey had said the empire
could well keep expanding. Alsace. I
enquired? She smiled and nodded, but
intimated her next region of preference
was Piedmont in Italy.
What holds no interest is the New World.
(“Too far. I would be a consultant, which
is not what I want”.) She confessed to
having tasted only a small number of New
Zealand wines, all of them white, and was
embarrassed at not being able to recall
their names.
Then I told her that the name of one of
New Zealand’s finest syrahs, Trinity Hill
Homage, was a salute to the late Gérard
Jaboulet. Now that did interest her.
Memo to Trinity Hill: you might want
to send Caroline Frey a bottle.
18 th century elegance: Chateau La Lagune The barrel hall at Chateau La Lagune
www.winenzmagazine.co.nz
19

feature | the frey way
Caroline Frey was just 26 when she took over as
winemaker at Chateau La Lagune in the Médoc.
CAROLINE FREY ON…
On her relationship with her
father
We are close, but above all we make a
good team. I bring my knowledge of wine
and vines; he has commercial acumen and
looks after running the business. There
are times when we don’t agree, but on the
long-term vision and the big decisions we
are on the same page.
On what makes a wine ‘authentic’
It starts in the vines. The vines must
function properly, which means it must
be the vines that feed and ripen the grapes,
not only the sun and heat. That’s important.
Following that, surmaturité (overripeness)
is to be avoided – it is something for me
that has the same taste in every region. The
oak must be in perfect balance, because
oak can fatten and detract from a wine. It’s
the same with extraction. Finally, there is
no place for faults such as brettanomyces.
On great wine
I always say a great wine is one about
which there is nothing to say. There is
nothing to say because the wine is more
about sensation than words when we
start saying a wine smells of raspberries,
for me that’s not a great wine. We should
dive inside it, in doing so dive into its
universe, but for me there should be no
need for words.
On the parallels between riding
horses and making wine
It’s often said that a horse and rider
must form a couple, there must be an
understanding. Wine is similar. Every horse
is different. A rider must adapt to different
horses the way a vigneron must adapt to
each parcel of vines. People have also said
how difficult it must be to be a woman in
the world of wine. Riding helped me in that
regard because it’s the only sport that is
mixed men and women compete against
each other. It was a good apprenticeship.
On the books she likes to read
I always read a lot of books at once.
At the moment I’m reading Krishnamurti
(an Indian philosopher). There are links
to Steiner and biodynamics in there. I’m
always reading wine books one right now
is by Jacky Rigaux and is about the taste of
wine before phylloxera. Very interesting.
I only read non-fiction never novels.
20 WineNZ Magazine | Summer 2018-19

the frey way | feature
YOUR CHATEAU AWAITS
I went down to the kitchen just
after 4.30am on my last morning at
Chateau La Lagune (I had a plane
to catch). Stéphane the butler (he
prefers the title ‘house manager’)
was already there, immaculately
groomed and done out in suit and
tie. And he was baking… he was
baking madeleines for me to have
for breakfast.
I was only expecting a cup of
coffee, but above and beyond is
how they roll at Chateau La Lagune.
“Everything is possible,” Stéphane
declares. I’m pleased to report that,
for a very reasonable price, this
attitude, the entire chateau and
much more can be at your disposal
for a day or several.
The asking price is 700 euros
(roughly NZ$1,180) a night for
two people all through the year.
The rates charged by many
New Zealand luxury lodges are
roughly twice that, and La Lagune
is every centimetre a five star
establishment.
Here’s what you get for your
investment: a beautifully restored
18th century chateau complete
with living room, library, a fabulous
terrace overlooking vines, full
breakfast, personal unobtrusive
service, a private chef (meals
are extra) and a reservoir of local
knowledge. There are three double
bedrooms available in the chateau,
making it the perfect option for
a group of three couples to base
themselves for an exploration of
Bordeaux and the Médoc.
To find out more, send enquiries to:
s.morin@chateau-lalagune.com
PS Stéphane’s madeleines were
sensational.
Bourguignon
gives his
thoughts on
NZ wine
“Stop following the kangaroos!”
I was chatting to world-renowned soil
scientist Claude Bourguignon in a bar
during my visit to France. The well-travelled
Bourguignon (he’s visited New Zealand
several times), was volunteering his views
on New Zealand wine.
He had begun by saying we should tread
our own, distinct path as opposed to looking
across the ditch for guidance. New Zealand
was not suited to cabernet sauvignon, he
added firmly. I felt obliged to inform him
that the Aussie influence has been receding
The inner keep: interior views of Chateau La Lagune.
for some time, as have cabernet plantings.
He also opined that most Marlborough
sauvignon blanc tasted of grape variety,
not terroir.
In his view, the varieties New Zealand
should look at were those that originated in
Savoie (France’s alpine wine region) and
Switzerland. “Those places are young soils
and a climate like that of New Zealand.”
“Of all the southern hemisphere wine
countries, I think New Zealand has the
most potential.”
www.winenzmagazine.co.nz
21

The summer issue tasting team. From left: Simon Nash MW, chairman of the panel of judges, Briar Davies EIT, associate judge, Barry Riwai, judge,
Zhuoqun Liu (Ella), EIT degree student and associate judge, Tim Creagh, EIT, Professor Xue Yang a professor of the Qilu University of Technology
who is a visiting scholar at EIT and associate judge for the tasting, Matt Kirby, judge, Paul Taggart, WineNZ magazine publisher.
Tasting time
Our top line-up of judges taste sauvignon blanc, rose and
sparkling wines, writes Paul Taggart.
Chairman of the panel was Simon Nash
MW, a Cambridge graduate who spent
three years trading commodities in the
city of London before realising that wine
was his true passion.
He gained industry experience at
Grants of St James’s, Hatch Mansfield
and Private Liquor Brands. In 1994,
he passed his Master of Wine, and
decided to travel the world, spending
time in the Californian wine industry
before fetching up in New Zealand and
marrying a Kiwi winemaker.
He is now a wine business consultant,
based in Hawke’s Bay.
We welcomed a new member on to the
team for this tasting. Matt Kirby is an
Australian who moved across the ditch
in 2015 with his young family to take up
the winemaking role at Clearview Estate
in Hawke’s Bay.
Before embarking on a career in wine
Matt studied marine biology and he is
also a qualified chef.
He has worked in Australia, China,
France (Burgundy), Austria, the United
States and now New Zealand. He also
has extensive judging experience.
Barry Riwai is a product of the Eastern
Institute of Technology.
He worked at Ngatarawa Wines, Church
Road Winery and in the Loire and
Bordeaux. He was then winemaker at
Clearview, back in Hawke’s Bay, before
moving to Alpha Domus.
Barry’s judging credentials are
impressive, having judged at the
Air New Zealand Wine Awards, the
Royal Easter Wine Awards, Spiegelau
International, Bragato and Australia’s
leading event, the National Wine Show
of Australia, Canberra.
22 WineNZ Magazine | Summer 2018-19

Centred in a region celebrated for the
diversity and quality of its wine styles,
EIT offers New Zealand’s widest range of
viticulture and wine science programmes.
Highly qualified lecturers with
industry experience teach programmes
that range from certificates through
to diplomas, bachelor degrees and
graduate diplomas, and encompass grape
growing, winemaking, wine business and
wine marketing.
Our hosts
EIT – a leading wine educator
EIT’s strong connections with the
local wine industry provide opportunities
for students to gain practical hands-on
experience working in wineries and
vineyards in the area.
Their learning environment also includes
the institute’s purpose-built teaching and
research winery which processes grapes
donated by local growers and those
harvested from EIT’s own vineyard at the
heart of the viticulture and wine science
complex.
Programmes are designed to be flexible,
providing a variety of study options —
full- and part-time, February and July
starts and on-campus and by distance online
learning with compulsory residential schools
held in Hawke’s Bay. The wide range of
programmes enables graduates to progress
to higher-level qualifications.
The concurrent Bachelor of Viticulture
and Bachelor of Wine Science is a unique
opportunity to simultaneously study two
degrees and graduate in 4½ years.
How the wines are
judged and awarded
WineNZ’s tastings are run along
stringent lines similar to those used
by major wine competitions. All the
wines are judged blind, grouped in
flights by style or vintage. All the
samples are served to judges in
pre-poured glasses to ensure that
there are no visual cues to suggest
the identity of the wines so that all
wines are assessed impartially.
When a judge’s wines are entered,
their marks are removed from the
final average to avoid any conflict
of interest.
At the end of the judging, the
top wines of each category are
assessed blind for a second time.
The judges then decide which will
be awarded the highest accolade of
“Top Wine”. The “Top Value” award
goes to the highest scoring wine of
$25 or under.
Top Wine
Top Value
Best wine in
category
Highest scoring
wine of $25
or under
5 Stars Outstanding
4 Stars Very Good
3 Stars Good everyday
drinking
www.winenzmagazine.co.nz
23

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PM drops in
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Travel time
Off to Russia – is
that a good idea?
How is the dark grape faring in Oz?
How was it?
An honest look at
The 2018 vintage
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sauvignon blanc | tastings
Professor Xue Yang struts her stuff.
Top sauvvies
Words by Paul Taggart
The New Zealand sauvignon blanc industry has divided
into four strands in recent years.
The first produces heavily
cropped, bulk exported
wine mainly for overseas
supermarkets, the second
generally makes better
quality wine, which is
bottled in New Zealand, the third produces
aged premium wine. Finally we have
sauvignon blanc produced in places other
than Marlborough.
Although this tasting is open to allcomers,
thankfully the producers from
the first category rarely enter. They may
be too busy filling their bladders, making
up fantasy Kiwi winery names to put on
their labels or diluting their Marlborough
wine with juice from elsewhere in a bid
to hit UK supermarkets’ low price points.
They also generally bottle off-shore and
their products don’t make it back to
New Zealand.
The second group contains the bottles
most wine people care about – produced by
small and medium businesses which take
an interest in cropping levels, sub-regions,
their reputations and their customers. These
are the wineries the Marlborough industry
was built around before it was hijacked by
overseas-owned mega companies.
Number three – the producers of premium
wines – is a tiny segment, and we’ll come
back to them at the end of this tasting, as
they deserve a sub-section of their own.
This group may – or may not – provide a
future direction for some in the industry.
Finally – the non-Marlborough wines.
Having staged quite a few sauvignon blanc
tastings for this magazine, it is fairly clear
to me that some Nelson wines can compete
well against their neighbours – with a
couple of Nelsonians again up among the
Marlborough elite in this tasting.
However, while we have had entrants from
regions further away from Marlborough
than Nelson – namely Hawke’s Bay,
Waipara and Central Otago, they rarely
make it on to the podium. It is not that
they’re bad wines, just that they haven’t
been sprinkled with the Marborough pixie
dust. No pixie dust, no gold medals.
So the first section of this series of
tastings is the important one – probably
our most important tasting of the year.
The classification is sauvignon blancs
from 2018 – a year where producers had
a few weather issues, but not enough for
it to have a major impact on quality. We
ended up with three five-star wines. The
three businesses cocerned are all big and
successful wineries, but are also all still
family concerns.
Top of the heap was Marisco, which is
consistently among the leaders in these
events, but this time came out of the taste
off with the other two five-star wines as
a clear winner. I great effort from one of
our most consistent high-quality wineries.
www.winenzmagazine.co.nz
25

Recommended by
Sauvignon Blanc
MAGAZINE
MAGAZINE
MAGAZINE
$22.99
The King’s Favour
Marlborough
Sauvignon Blanc 2018
Simon Nash: Good colour, nice, lifted,
quite perfumed. Bean pod, lime and
lemon, perhaps grapefruit. Crisp
acids and linear style. Good balance.
Dry finish. I like it.
Matt Kirby: Strong, pure aromatic.
Underline peach and passionfruit.
Lovely balance on palate with a very
long finish. Mandarine.
Barry Riwai: Nettles, thyme, hints of
currant bud and crushed bramble. Very
fine, delicate and savoury palate. Has
tonnes of complexity and savouriness.
26 WineNZ Magazine | Summer 2018-19

sauvignon blanc | tastings
Recommended by
SAUVIGNON BLANC
MAGAZINE
$19.99
$19.99
Vidal Reserve Marlborough
Sauvignon Blanc 2018
Simon Nash: Slate, metal, stick
character through to lemon. Quite
racey on the palate. Wetstone. Dry.
Matt Kirby: Saturating aromatic of ripe
passionfruit, mango and lychee. Nice
moreish acidity. Balance is good.
Barry Riwai: Thiol, green Kiwifruit,
curranty, leafy note that is very
attractive. Great drive on the palate.
Brambles, tropical. Lithe feel.
Mt Riley Limited Release
Marlborough
Sauvignon Blanc 2018
Simon Nash: Nice, fragrant nose.
Complexing aromatic. Dry, quite
mineral. Complex. Will open out.
Good. Powerful. Linear.
Matt Kirby: Salty, or maybe earlier
pick. Pretty citrus blossom aromatic.
Nice acidity. Not too intense.
Barry Riwai: Currant leaf, hints of box
hedge. Clean palate with drive and good
focus of acidity. Lemon flavours on the
finish.
www.winenzmagazine.co.nz
27

Recommended by
SAUVIGNON BLANC
MAGAZINE
Esk Valley Marlborough
Sauvignon Blanc 2018
$15.99
Mt Riley Marlborough
Sauvignon Blanc 2018
Simon Nash: Lemon, lime, flint and
mineral. Clean lemon, crisp acids.
Linear.
Matt Kirby: Elderflower. Quite a
restrained wine.
Simon Nash: Quite nice, austere and
vanillin. Nicely handled fruit. Soft/
complex, rounder style. Quite ripe.
Will develop.
Matt Kirby: Nice, restrained aromatic.
Passionfruit and mango notes.
Grapefruit. Nice balance, assertive
acidity, but well balanced.
Barry Riwai: Pink grapefruit,
passionfruit and pineapple flavours from
nose right through to finish. Fleshy,
ripe style. Very attractive and easily
drinkable.
$19.99
Barry Riwai: Bright lime zest. Super
fresh, almost green peppercorn. Pure,
pristine palate. Crystalline acidity,
bright and fresh, just like it should be.
Lemon and green melon.
Leefield Station
Marlborough
Sauvignon Blanc 2018
Simon Nash: Nice grapefruit nose.
Quite juicy too. Nice, fleshy, but light
style. Lime and citrus characters.
$18.99
Matt Kirby: Pretty, tropical longan/
lychee. Palate is full and rich with good
balance.
Vidal Estate Marlborough
Sauvignon Blanc 2018
Barry Riwai: Cooler, nettles, lime zest,
fennel. Good structure, carries through
to a long, limey finish. Soft rather than
zingy acidity.
$15.99
Simon Nash: A bit reduced, gunflint,
mineral. Quite racey, lemony style.
Wetstone.
Matt Kirby: Very ripe, pungent
aromatic. Passionfruit and lychee.
Long palate with nice crunchy acidity.
Slippery.
Barry Riwai: Vibrant, thick, cape
gooseberry, passionfruit, florality too.
Has big palate as you’d expect from
nose. Dry, broad, monsta of a wine.
Babich Black Label
Marlborough
Sauvignon Blanc 2018
Simon Nash: Nice bouquet.
Grapefruit. Quite ripe. Good weight
mid-palate. Lots of character. Nice
mouth feel. Complex, long, very good.
Matt Kirby: Honeysuckle botrytis note.
Very ripe, tasty.
Barry Riwai: Sweaty, nectarine, baked
figs. Broad wine, good weight, softer
acidity, ripeness.
On
Premise
Only
28 WineNZ Magazine | Summer 2018-19

sauvignon blanc | tastings
Recommended by
SAUVIGNON BLANC
MAGAZINE
Seifried Nelson
Sauvignon Blanc 2018
The Ned Marlborough
Sauvignon Blanc 2018
$17
Simon Nash: Quite full colour. Nice,
quite intense nose, very good, lemon
citrus. Nice mouth feel. Quite ripe
mid-palate. Good lemon zest.
Simon Nash: Fresh milk, passion fruit
nose. Nice, ripe mid-plate, somewhat
juicy. Good acids, nice grip and
length. Perhaps tad soft on finish.
$17.99
Matt Kirby: Reduction dominates the
aromatic. Some white flower notes.
Palate has nice acidity, offering quite a
structured feel.
Barry Riwai: Tahitian lime, touch of
cellary. Fine palate, very pure, just
enough length.
Matt Kirby: Green aromatic. Light,
herbal.
Barry Riwai: Cape gooseberry, lovely
pineapple notes. Good carry, long
passionfruity finish.
Aotea by the Seifried
family Nelson
Sauvignon Blanc 2018
$29
Simon Nash: Quite a steely, racey
style. Lime and citrus. Fresh dilute
palate. Quite tight, good acids and
concentration too. Good length.
Matt Kirby: Heavy reduction somewhat
dominates the aromatic. Very nice
acidity/sugar balance. Long finish.
Reduction holds it back.
Barry Riwai: A touch of sweatiness
slightly obscures the nose and gives a
hard edge to the palate. Mango flavours.
Babich Marlborough
Sauvignon Blanc 2018
Simon Nash: Broader, almost milky,
nose. Round on the palate. Soft, nice
weight. Passionfruit.
Matt Kirby: Subtle aromatic, orange/
lemon palate. Citrus and mango notes.
Barry Riwai: Cellary salt, lemon
lime, tighter, drying finish. Hints of
minerality, slate and lime.
$19.95
www.winenzmagazine.co.nz
29

Recommended by
SAUVIGNON BLANC
MAGAZINE
Hello Sailor Sassy
Marlborough
Sauvignon Blanc 2018
$18.99 Simon Nash: A bit chalky, then
armpit sweaty. Dry, good acids. Quite
lean style.
Matt Kirby: Very restrained aromatic.
Orange zest, white flower. Nice balance,
good summer wine.
Barry Riwai: Citrus, zesty lemon
and lime, blossom, gardenia. Good
concentration, interesting structure.
Classic Marlborough.
Old Coach Road Nelson
Sauvignon Blanc 2018
Simon Nash: Full colour, quite
weighty, full spicy, cinnamon, sweaty.
Nice spicy, zesty balance on the
palate. Good citrus fruit, lively acids.
Good long finish.
Matt Kirby: Aromatic looks somewhat
botrytis-affected. Palate is rich and full.
Apricots and white pearl?
Barry Riwai: Stonefruits, crunchy
nectarine, white fleshed peach. Medium
carry. Clean and correct.
$13
Zephyr Marlborough
Sauvignon Blanc 2018
$22.99
Simon Nash: Dry, crisp lemon, citrus
zest. Good weight, quite dry style.
Chalky, lacks mid-palate fullness and
extra dimension.
Matt Kirby: Slight reduction but
works with style. Salty, tropical lychee
aromatic. Lovely balance.
Barry Riwai: Lime, green melon, some
grapefruit too. Warming palate, full,
broad, possibly losing some focus/line
of acidity.
Waimea Nelson
Sauvignon Blanc 2018
Simon Nash: Chalky, mineral, quite
dusty nose. Zest on the palate. Lime,
dry, upfront, almost a tad spritzy.
Quite short.
Matt Kirby: Slight green aromatic,
some lychee, passionfruit notes. Palate
has good power, maybe slightly high
residual sugar, but well played.
Barry Riwai: Snow pea. Cooler, greener
expression. Old school sauvignon blanc.
Loads of bean sprout and capsicum;
would work with the right food. Good
concentration and length.
$16.99
30 WineNZ Magazine | Summer 2018-19

sauvignon blanc | tastings
Recommended by
SAUVIGNON BLANC
MAGAZINE
Rongopai Marlborough
Sauvignon Blanc 2018
Awatere River by Louis
Vavasour Marlborough
Sauvignon Blanc 2018
$18.95
Simon Nash: Nice lemon rind, quite
good chalky mineral. Well-handled
style. Attractive, nice, lemony, ripe
character. Soft but in balance. Good
finish.
Matt Kirby: Some greener notes, pine
forest, white pearl. Sugar is high.
Barry Riwai: Tutti frutti, confectionary
notes, mango. Full palate. Drops away
a bit soon.
Simon Nash: Powdery nose. Lemon.
Quite soft on the palate.
Matt Kirby: Pungent aromatic, tropical
longan/lychee. Pleasant acidity and
good balance. Well made.
Barry Riwai: Cooler, cucumber, currants
and seared limes. Green edge a bit
too much. Needs more ripeness and
concentration.
$16.99
Associate judge Elise Picot sporting the latest in Hawke’s Bay
hair accessories.
Babich Family Estates
Marlborough Organic
Sauvignon Blanc 2018
$24.95
Simon Nash: Full straw colour, quite
heady, scented, vanilla pod. Soft on
entry, quite juicy, tight though. Good
acidity.
Matt Kirby: Nice, elegant notes but
some VA. Palate is tight and firm with
some nice phenolic drive.
Barry Riwai: Golden hue, peacy and
orange blossom. Tending to drop away
early.
www.winenzmagazine.co.nz
31

tastings | alternative sauvignon blancs
Alternative sauvignon blanc time. Simon Nash, Barry Riwai and Briar Davies.
The other
sauvignon
blancs
Words by Paul Taggart
A mildly vulgar, but oft-repeated observation about Marlborough sauvignon
blanc, is that it is generally picked, poured and peed before Christmas.
Which is great for
cash flow: no
months or years
wasted with it
sitting around in
barrels – in fact,
no expensive barrels required.
But the simplicity that makes sauvignon
blanc great, is also its achilles heel. Because
it is relatively easy and quick to make,
everyone’s doing it and the price has been
sliding in recent years.
Marlborough sauvignon blanc is still
classed as a premium-priced product in
some markets; however, premium means
it fetches better prices than Australian’s
nastiest bulk-exported shiraz, but it isn’t
anywhere near Bordeaux type of premium.
So some producers have come up with
the idea that wild yeast fermentation, ageing
in oak – or both – is potentially the way
forward if sauvignon blanc is going to
continue to develop and retain a premium
reputation and the public’s interest.
There are many great products that rest
on their laurels, and, as a consequence,
eventually fall by the wayside. The Nokia
mobile phone springs to mind.
With shiploads of sauvignon blanc
heading north every year, Marlborough’s
finest is a long way from where Nokia now
finds itself, but there are concerns that a
lack of innovation is beginning to take its
toll on our sauvignon blanc’s reputation,
especially in the UK. (we’re not talking
bulk exporting innovation here, we’re
talking wine innovation).
In a recent debate in London, Richard
Siddle, editor of Grapevine magazine, said
New Zealand wines were the “Coldplay
of the wine world” – meaning they were
consistent, popular, but a little bit boring.
The comment, made at New Zealand
House in Haymarket, grabbed headlines
and will, likely, do some damage. But the
same sentiment has been expressed in
different ways and by different people for
a number of years. As with Nokia, which
didn’t bother with new-fangled touch
screens, as they were too busy selling 130
million old-school handsets, sometimes
it’s hard to imagine the music will stop.
In Nokia’s case, Apple adopted touchscreen
technology and the result was the
Nokia juggernaut shuddered to a halt.
32 WineNZ Magazine | Summer 2018-19

What will be Marlborough sauvignon
blanc’s Apple? Who knows, but it may
already be out there somewhere.
Or it could be in Marborough. A number
of Kiwi wineries have been experimenting
and it is possible that one may hit the
jackpot. In a bid to encourage these folk,
in our own tiny way, we introduced a
second category for sauvignon blanc for
the summer tasting. This was because it is
difficult to compare aged or experimental
wines against the range of 2018 standard
sauvignon blancs that will head offshore
and earn the country a billion dollars.
Even giving the wines in this new
category a star rating is difficult, as some
divided the judges much more than the
standard sauvigon blanc ever could.
When premium sauvignon blanc is
discussed, Didier Dagueneau is usually
mentioned.
The Loire winemaker, who died in an
ultra-light plane crash in 2008, was a
perfectionist. His vineyards were extremely
low yield and hand-picked in multiple
passes.
Many of his wines were intended for
cellaring and he used oak, which is unusual
for sauvignon blanc.
His son Benjamin carries on his father’s
work and the Dagueneau winery’s Silex
wine (meaning “flint”) is still considered
by some to be the pinnacle of sauvignon
blanc production.
For those who want to see what all the
fuss is about, Dagueneau wines are available
from some of the big wine retailers in New
Zealand. I haven’t seen Silex for a while,
but the other top-tier single vineyard, oaked
wine – Pur Sang (meaning “thoroughbred”)
is out there in the shops.
So, Marlborough makes great picked,
poured and peed before Christmas
sauvignon blanc, we know Didier’s
techniques for making premium SB, so
we’re on to something, right?
Cloudy Bay has been playing around in
this area since 1996 with their Te Koko.
But after nearly 20 years – the wine was
first released to the public in 2000 – it still
only makes up about five per cent of their
sauvignon blanc production.
The wine is good – wild fermentation
and aged in oak –and two years ago in
this tasting it was judged to be five-star
by the judges.
That wine was made by senior winemaker
Tim Heath, who has since shot through to
take a job back in his native Australia. So
I’ve no idea what the wine’s future is, or if
a new broom will brush in a new direction.
But what I do know is that the wine was
dreamed up and first produced when the
company’s founding winemaker, Kevin
Judd, was still at the helm.
Zhuoqun Liu gets in to her work
And Kevin is still making spectacular
premium sauvignon blanc, using wild yeast
and old oak and he still enters competitions
from time to time – usually when he’s
confident enough to know he’ll probably
win, if the judges are any good.
He slipped his Greywacke Wild
Sauvignon into our tasting and it was
the standout in the “older and alternative
section”.
However, in some ways it was a fish
out of water. As judge Barry Riwai said,
it was hard to judge in the company it
was keeping.
He said it would have been more
interesting if there had been more oakdriven
examples to compare with.
It has to be said, there were a couple of
other barrel-fermented, non Marlborough
sauvignon blancs entered in the tasting,
but they didn’t make it into the star
categories, even though they’re produced
by two top wineries. I’m not sure what
that proves – possibly that barrels are not
the answer, or that it doesn’t matter what
you do with sauvignon blanc if its not
from Marlborough, it still won’t impress
the judges.
Barry added during the blind tasting that
Wild Sauvignon was very Bordeaux-like.
He noted meal and cedary oak. Some char
too. It was a wine with a creamy, milky,
yeasty palate, he concluded.
When I sampled a glass after the
tasting my first thought was chardonnay
– presumably because of the oak. I’ll be
interested to try it again over the holidays,
up against a glass of Kevin’s five-star
chardonnay, as well as against a good,
unoaked 2018 sauvignon blanc.
Of the two sauvignon blancs he produces,
Kevin prefers the Wild Sauvignon.
“There’s not much fruitiness, as it has the
influence of the wild yeasts, the malolactic
alternative sauvignon blancs | tastings
influence, the barrel influence – there’s a lot
more going on. It ages far more gracefully
than the classic style, he said.
Of the other wines in the older/oaked/
interesting section, Mission’s 2017 example
performed very well. It would have been
sitting high in the four star section if it had
been in with the 2018s.
However, this was a case of a traditional
Marlborough sauvignon blanc from last
year’s vintage showing its style, rather
than it being a different type of sauvignon
blanc, such as Wild Sauvignon or Te Koko.
A great wine, though. I guess it shows the
old lady of Hawke’s Bay can pick up her
skirts and dance to a new Marlborough tune.
While Mission may have a CEO from
South Africa, a wine that pushed the
Marlborough sauvignon blancs hard was
actually from South Africa. Look out
Marlborough, you may just have a serious
rival. (See story on next page).
Then we had sauvignon blanc in a can.
The Savvy Society wine, entered by Archer
McRae Beverages, was Marlborough fruit
from 2018, so could have been in the first
flight – but I guess the cans freaked out
the stewards. However, it was tasted by the
same tasting team and would have been
sitting midfield in the three-star category
if it had been in the earlier flight.
The guys liked the wine, and while
Barry Riwai picked it as not being from
Marlborough, no one noted that it tasted of
tin, or didn’t come from a bottle, so cans
could have a future if the market demands
it and the economics make sense.
That might seem a bit freaky for those
of us still mourning the corkscrew but, in
the words of Bob Dylan, times they are
a changin’.
Matt Kirby warming to the task in hand.
www.winenzmagazine.co.nz
33

tastings | alternative sauvignon blancs
A view to rival Marlborough? Spectacular hills as a backdrop and sauvignon blanc in the foreground.
A South African of my
acquaintance is a big fan of
the republic’s wines – with
him it’s all pinotage this and
chenin blanc that.
But he also says their
sauvignon blanc is
every bit as good as
Marlborough’s. Sensing
an opportunity to prove
him absolutely wrong, I
suggested he enter some of his country’s
finest into our summer tasting and see how
it shaped up.
To give him his due he picked up the
challenge and we set about sourcing some
wine. And it was his lucky day. Because
many Kiwis think that Marlborough
sauvignon blanc is the only wine in the
world worth buying, there was plenty of
South African juice sitting round at discount
prices. In fact, we picked up half a dozen
assorted South African bottles for less than
$10 a pop from an importer in Auckland.
A downside was the wine was a couple
of years old. While it probably wasn’t made
with cellaring in mind, a year or two in the
bottle hadn’t done the wine any harm at all.
So how did it go? Two of the wines
went straight down the chute, failing to
make it into the star categories – but four
scored rather well.
Three had respectable three-star results.
Sincerely (Neil Ellis, Stellenbosch) and
Serengeti (Swartland Wines), both 2015
All roads in the Western Cape seem to lead to a winery – and many are producing interesting sauvignon blancs.
vintages. Also Diemersdal (Durbanville
Valley), a 2016 vintage.
But another of the wines put its hand up
to be taken very seriously. It was a Graham
Beck 2015 from the Game Reserve series.
The winery is located in Robertson
and was founded by the man the winery
is named after. The late Graham Beck was
a South African business magnate, stud
farmer and philanthropist. He was one of
the richest men in South Africa.
The winery is best known for its sparkling
wines, but also has a wide range of still
offerings.
The fruit for the sauvignon blanc comes
from near the coast in the Western Cape. It
is worth noting too that the Game Reserve
isn’t the top tier of the winery’s sauvignon
blanc range.
It may have been like a zebra in a horse
race, but it performed amazingly well. And
keep in mind these four Africans were
picked up for just under $10 each.
Barry Riwai was keeping a lookout
for foreigners and noted this as a non-
Marlborough wine, but he also noted alfalfa
sprouts and seaweed.
Matt Kirby had smoky notes, umami
and secondary mealy notes, while Simon
Nash also had smoky, lemon, wet stone
and seashell.
This wine had something that made the
boys perk up and have a good chin-wag.
So maybe there is an African alternative
to the standard sauvignon blanc that has
served Marlborough so well for the past
40 years – the equivalent of the iPhone
that brought down Nokia?
I guess we’ll need to wait a few
decades to see whether Greywacke’s Wild
Sauvignon style or Graham Beck’s smoky,
Islay peat version develop into something
that becomes a trend, or even becomes the
next big sauvignon blanc thing.
34 WineNZ Magazine | Summer 2018-19

alternative sauvignon blancs | tastings
Recommended by
Alternative SB
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Greywacke
Marlborough
Wild Sauvignon 2016
Simon Nash: Full colour, nice,
complex, yeasty, moody.
Matt Kirby: Oaky, intense aromatic.
Barry Riwai: Very Bordeaux-like.
Meal, cedary oak. Some char too.
Creamy, milky, yeasty palate. Would
like to see more fruit. Hard to judge in
this company. I wish there were more
oak-driven examples to compare with.
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35

Recommended by
ALTERNATIVE SB
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$9.99
(on special)
$15.99
Mission Estate Marlborough
Sauvignon Blanc 2017
Simon Nash: Pale, almost spearmint.
Dilute on palate. Good ripeness and
weight. A balanced wine.
Matt Kirby: Tropical notes. Nice
development. Very good tension on
palate. Lovely.
Barry Riwai: Snowpea, green grass
and raciness. Bright, herbal tones. Old
school. Medium weight. Spearmint.
Graham Beck
The Game Reserve
Sauvignon Blanc 2015
Simon Nash: Quite mineral, almost
smoky nose. Sound on the palate.
Lemon, wet stone, seashell, mineral
finish. Quite powerful.
Matt Kirby: Ash and smoky notes. Nice
umami recipe. Barrel fermented? Some
secondary mealy notes. Nice.
Barry Riwai: Alfalfa sprouts, moves
through to an iodine seaweed note.
Islay. Canned asparagus. Non-
Marlborough.
36 WineNZ Magazine | Summer 2018-19

alternative sauvignon blancs | tastings
Recommended by
ALTERNATIVE SB
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Sincerely
Sauvignon Blanc 2018
Diemersdale South Africa
Sauvignon Blanc 2016
$9.99
(on special)
Simon Nash: Quite nice, lifted, lemonscented
aromas. Soft mid-palate, easy
drinking, not complex.
Simon Nash: Bright varnish nose.
Orange essence. Solid palate but quite
hard. One-dimensional.
$9.99
(on special)
Matt Kirby: Quite rich tar and ash notes.
Showing development. Long. Biscotti
notes.
Matt Kirby: Quite developed, aromatic.
Some leather notes. Palate is well
balanced. Long finish.
Barry Riwai: Positive reduction, sweet
scent, frangipani, oak? Mealiness
complexity. Good oily texture. Has
length and focus.
Barry Riwai: Pineapple, guava, red
delicious apples. Phenolic grip gives
structure. Gentle finish, weight and
focus.
$7.99
Savvy Society Marlborough
Sauvignon Blanc NV
Simon Nash: Green-edged, nettle.
Good on palate. Soft, juicy, nice
lemon, juicy fruit. Good finish.
Simonsig Sunbird
South Africa
Sauvignon Blanc 2015
Simon Nash: Lemon, mineral, dry,
quite hot on the finish through. Still
sound and drinking well.
$9.99
(on special)
Matt Kirby: Jasmine, vanilla, very
pretty aromatic. Soft palate, easy
drinking.
Barry Riwai: Nougat, pink grapefruit,
citrus blossom, mandarin. Mealy,
yeastiness, interesting textural quality.
Not Marlborough.
Matt Kirby: Diesel, tar. Some honey
oak. Palate has some residual sugar.
Barry Riwai: Tropical fruits, green
mango, rock melon. Medium carry and
concentration.
www.winenzmagazine.co.nz
37

THE TWO ROSÉS
Words by Paul Taggart
There is a gap of epic proportions between the type of rosé wine the public is
drinking and what winemakers and wine judges think they should be drinking.
The point was clearly evident in this tasting.
Is that an issue? Maybe, maybe
not. I think it is an issue if judges
are out of touch with general
consumers and don’t realize that
fact, as they’ll quickly become
irrelevant, in the same way that
corkscrews are now pretty much irrelevant.
But if they are aware of the gap and can
assess wine that is both technically correct
for the variety, and also appreciate why the
public enjoys and buys wine that may not
be worthy of five stars in their eyes, then
it isn’t a drama.
One obvious reason consumers may buy
wine that isn’t five star is price. Loyalty
to variety, brand and even the motherland
often goes out the window when there’s a
sub-$10 Aussie in the bargain bin.
But price isn’t so much of an issue with
rosé, as much of it is reasonably low cost.
However, the best wines in this tasting are
knocking on the door of $30, so there are
a few with some pretentions. Gone are the
days when rosé was where bad red grapes
went to die.
One of the great things about rosé is that
there isn’t the geographic snobbery that
is associated with some other varieties,
and good versions are made everywhere;
just look at our wines that were awarded
stars – we have a full hand, more or less:
Central Otago, Marlborough, Hawke’s
Bay, Nelson, Waipara and Matinborough.
And showing the judges’ consistency,
they picked two wines from the same
winery as the five-star winners.
What makes Wooing Tree so good? It
is another family owned business (there
is a theme developing with this tasting)
and good Central Otago fruit. These two
wines pressed all the buttons for our judges.
Barry Riwai said they would both be
excellent wines with food.
Simon and Matt both picked the Wooing
Tree Central Otago Rosé 2018 as their
top wine, while Barry went for Blondie.
He said – and this is an accurate quote –
“Drinking this wine with food, I would
be on another plane. I would die and be
in heaven”.
There may be a certain amount of
winemaker hyperbole in that statement,
but it clearly makes a point. This wine
needs to be on everyone’s table over the
festive season.
38 WineNZ Magazine | Summer 2018-19

osé | tastings
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ROSÉ
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Wooing Tree Central Otago
Rosé 2018
Wooing Tree Central Otago
Blondie 2018
Simon Nash: Nice, bright. Juicy
strawberry, fresh. Strawberries and
cream. Soft, good length.
Matt Kirby: Strawberry and cream stye.
Delicate apple note.
Barry Riwai: Berry, raspberry twist,
full bodied and textural. Well made,
not overworked or washed out. Has
structure, length, and a vibrant colour.
Simon Nash: Very pale, almost pink
water. Light, raspberry, leafy. Good
berry grip, juicy.
Matt Kirby: Delicate, aromatic.
Raspberries. Palate is dry and wellbalanced.
Nice.
Barry Riwai: Almond-water white, wild
strawberry. Fine, ethereal character.
Well made, very correct. Some
sweetness but with enough acidity and
phenolic structure to balance. Surprising
amount of flavour for something so
pale.
www.winenzmagazine.co.nz
39

Recommended by
ROSÉ
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$19.99
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Esk Valley Hawke’s Bay
Rosé 2018
Simon Nash: Nice, lifted, vibrant.
Lovely pink colour. Quite gentle, soft
strawberry notes. Hearty with real
grip. Good.
Matt Kirby: Very restrained, leafy,
strawberry aromatic. Palate is soft and
sweet with rhubarb and spice notes.
Barry Riwai: Pretty pink, watermelon
and gala apples. Good carry of flavour
and has phenolic structure that gives
length and focus with a hint of berry
sweetness.
Black Barn Vineyards
Hawke’s Bay
Rosé 2018
Simon Nash: Bright pink but light.
Cherry. Light, well balanced, leafy
berry fruit. Good finish. Very correct.
Matt Kirby: Nice cherry/rhubarb notes.
Lifted palate of raspberry.
Barry Riwai: Raspberry twist, long line
of flavour. Chock block full of berry
fruits and estery bubblegum flavours.
40 WineNZ Magazine | Summer 2018-19

osé | tastings
Recommended by
ROSÉ
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Greystone Waipara
Rosé 2018
Left Field Hawke’s Bay
Rosé 2018
$28
Simon Nash: Nice pink colour. A bit
sweaty. Juicy. Just off-dry, good, soft,
well-balanced.
Matt Kirby: Strawberries and cream.
Aromatic style. Nice acid, dry. Super.
Barry Riwai: Watermelon, red apples,
very vibrant berryfruits. Some sugar
filling in mid-palate, but works well.
Simon Nash: Nice colour. Drier style.
Sweaty.
Matt Kirby: Rosehip. Nice, ethereal.
Good tension.
Barry Riwai: Lean, dry, berryfruits
abound. Dry finish. Maybe drops away
a touch too soon. Complex.
$17.99
The Ned Marlborough
Pinot Rosé 2018
$17.99
Simon Nash: Orange pink, quite light.
Nice berry character. Round, good
style, sound fruit. Good finish.
Matt Kirby: Almond meal aromatic.
Rhubarb and vanilla. Palate has
sweetness and length. Nice.
Barry Riwai: Pale pink, berries and
hints of blood orange, fine, dry with
weight. Has structure and length.
Domain Road Vineyard
Bannockburn
Pinot Noir Rosé 2018
Simon Nash: Nice pink bright colour.
Attractive, winey. Soft, but leafy/
berry. Good balance with grip and
flavour. Berry, dryish.
Matt Kirby: Strawberry and cream.
Classic aromatic. Very clean and well
done. Some sweetness balanced by good
fruit intensity.
Barry Riwai: Sweet spice aroma,
vanilla. Soft acidity, rounded fruit, a
sweetness to the mid-palate.
$26
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41

Recommended by
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Whistling Buoy Canterbury
Rosé 2016
Mount Riley Marlborough
The Bonnie Pinot Rosé 2018
$22.50
Simon Nash: Onion skin. Light, quite
reserved, orange, citrus. Dry.
Matt Kirby: Persimmon, rhubarb. Light,
dry.
Barry Riwai: Peachy, bright raspberry
acidity, bone dry and enjoyable. Very
pale copper tone.
Simon Nash: Nice colour. Attractive
lipstick nose. Quite soft. Palate a bit
dilute on the finish. Sound though.
Good weight.
Matt Kirby: Nice watermelon/
strawberry note. Nice acid balance.
Raspberry cream.
Barry Riwai: Wild strawberry, raspberry
too. Dry, lean, creamy finish. Interesting
bramble, rosehip finish.
$17.99
Palliser Estate
Martinborough
Rosé 2018
Leefield Station
Marlborough
Pinot Rosé 2018
$25
Simon Nash: Light onion skin. Nice
nose, dry but savoury, with grip.
Good acids, good concentration, good
length and nice berry lightness.
Matt Kirby: Strong strawberry note.
Palate has nice tension with some
sweetness.
Barry Riwai: Very pale, pink smokers’
lollies and confection. Soft acidity and
sweet spice, needs more acidity to give
structure and focus.
Simon Nash: Nice colour, bright,
lively pink. Baked strawberry pie,
ripe, warm, off-dry. Quite good berry,
but light style. Sound.
Matt Kirby: Dusty raspberry. Quite
concentrated on the palate with lychee
and guava notes.
Barry Riwai: Medium pink, smoker’s
lollies, clove spice. Slightly distracting
grippiness to the palate.
$18.99
42 WineNZ Magazine | Summer 2018-19

osé | tastings
ROSÉ
Rabbit Ranch Central Otago
Rosé 2018
Flaxmore Vineyards Moutere
Rosé 2018
$23
Simon Nash: Quite orange, looks a bit
dull. A little dilute on the palate, lacks
fruit grip. Sound, drying finish.
Simon Nash: Very pale salmon. Shy
nose, quite serious, though a trail of
varnish.
$21
Matt Kirby: Apricot pie notes. Strong
stonefruit and white peach. Palate is
focused and fresh.
Barry Riwai: Copper tones, red apple
core, dried fruits and herbs, some partly
oxidative notes.
Matt Kirby: High-tone aromatic. Nice
acidity, persistent finish.
Barry Riwai: Palest pink, fine, dry and
reasonably neutral. Good quenching
drink on a hot day.
Babich Marlborough
Pinot Noir Rosé 2018
$19.95
Simon Nash: Light, bright, light
salmon pink. Off-dry, good length.
Matt Kirby: Savoury mint notes. Some
cold-cut meats. Phenolic grip on the
palate with nice acid.
Barry Riwai: Raspberry and pink
grapefruit, hints of red guava too.
Pleasing freshness to the finish. Good
length and concentration.
Hello Sailor Swanky
Marlborough
Pinot Noir Rosé 2017
Simon Nash: Mid orange pink,
bright. Nice, lifted pink. Some
succulent characters. Juicy, orange
pith. Dry. Solid.
Matt Kirby: Stewed ? and spices. Some
sweetness, needs acid.
Barry Riwai: Strawberry, raspberry,
still with focus and enough ?. Copper
tanned.
$18.99
www.winenzmagazine.co.nz
43

Associate judge Michael Ledingham sniffs out a winner.
SPARKLING WINE
is a complicated market
The French have done a
marvellous job protecting
the Champagne brand and
retaining its exclusivity. So
much so that Champagne
is still the go-to beverage
when it is time for a grown-up celebration.
What about Prosecco, which has been
selling like crazy in Europe and the UK
in recent years? It is made with glera
grapes, rather than the Champagne trio of
chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier,
and a less complicated production method
enables the Italians to keep the price down.
While it has had big sales success of
late, it is swimming in a different pond to
Words by Paul Taggart
Californian and New Zealand methode traditionelle score
very well in tastings and even educated palates would have a
hard time judging them inferior to their French equivalents.
And yet, the perceived prestige of Champagne continues.
Champagne.
And it is Champagne that the best of the
Kiwi sparkling wines need to compete with,
as ours are made by the more expensive
methode traditionelle (which used to be
called method champenoise before the
French put a stop to it).
But there are methode traditionelle wines
from other parts of France and also Spain
(Cava) which lower-budget wedding parties
can turn to before considering going Kiwi.
So how can we get some cut-through?
It’s a good question and one our judges
chewed over before sampling our small
but excellent array of sparkling wine in
the summer tasting.
They were of the view that we produce
decent examples of methode traditionelle.
The winning wine proved the point,
attracting comments such as yeasty, crusty
bread, yellow apple, which is exactly what
you expect for top-flight sparkling wine,
whatever its origin.
However, the combined view of the three
experts – each with a different country of
origin, although now full-time professionals
in the New Zealand wine business – was
that the industry as a whole could do better
with sparkling if more effort went in to it,
although there are pockets of excellence.
The home market is very small for wine
that is expensive to produce, and exporting
is difficult because in overseas markets it
is going up against Champagne.
Which means – again because it is
expensive to produce – making methode
traditionelle in New Zealand is just too
much effort for the return for all but a
handful of determined people.
And, said Matt Kirby, the prestige for
Kiwi sparkling just isn’t there, however
good it might be.
It is similar to the situation with Chinese
wine, he said. It doesn’t matter how good it
is, people in China want to drink imported
wine, as they see it as more prestigious.
Then, for every great New Zealand
methode traditionelle, there are several
cheap sparklers made by quicker, easier
methods. These wines further muddy the
water and make the efforts to create an
air of prestige around the sparkling label
all the harder.
But for all that, there is no getting away
from the fact that the handful of wines
that did make it in to the star ratings in
our tasting are wonderful quality and a
credit to their dedicated producers. And
consumers can pick up some serious
bargains by drinking local, and avoiding
the premium prices Champagne continues
to attract thanks to its ruthlessly efficient
self-promotion.
But if anyone can break out and make
methode traditionelle a thing in New
Zealand, it is the aptly named No 1 Family
Estate, run by the Le Brun family, which
took out the number one spot in our tasting.
Daniel Le Brun has been making methode
traditionelle in Marlborough for nearly 40
years, after arriving from France, where
his family had been involved with wine
since 1684.
No 1 Family Estate was the sixth family
business to collect a top wine/five stars
award in this series of tastings, which must
say something for the need for long-term
planning and dedication to quality that often
comes from having a winery team consisting
of husbands and wives, sons and daughters
and the occasional grandparent too.
44 WineNZ Magazine | Summer 2018-19

sparkling wines | tastings
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Sparkling wines
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$96
No.1 Reserve
Marlborough
NV
Simon Nash: Full lemon colour. Quite
full, bright though. Lemon zest,
autolysis. Good lemon peel, dry, nice
expression of fruit. Quite serious.
Matt Kirby: Nice, austere aromatic.
Nutty. Good, fresh and precise.
Barry Riwai: Cream, green melon, good
structure and mousse. Fine, dry finish.
Savoury end, perfect apéro. Nutty
dryness.
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45

Recommended by
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MAGAZINE
$39
Aotea by the Seifried
family Nelson
Méthode Traditionnelle NV
Simon Nash: Full colour, some spritz.
Quite heavy, bready, fine autolysis.
Quite broad. Very dry. Phenolic grip.
MAGAZINE
$20
Matt Kirby: Nice methode, strong
mousse. Nice balancing. Good
yeastiness and balance.
Barry Riwai: Yeasty, marmite nose,
bone dry palate, crusty bread, yellow
apple. Very fine bead, perfectly dry
balance. Love the yeastiness.
Mission Estate Fête Hawke’s Bay
Hand Harvested Cuvée NV
Palliser Estate “The Griffin”
Martinborough
Methode Traditionnelle 2015
Simon Nash: Nice, bright lemon, nice spritz. Zesty lemon
citrus nose, juicy/fleshy. Solid grip, a bit phenolic, a slight
drying finish.
Matt Kirby: Nice autolysis, aromatic, ripe. Pear.
Barry Riwai: Waxy, yellow apples. Some creamy notes, but
with more fresh fruit/apple, rather than autolysis.
$52
Simon Nash: Nice lemon/lime glints.
Good mousse, quite fine bead.
Elegant. Lemon zest.
Matt Kirby: Clear, crisp commercial
style. Well balanced, well made.
Barry Riwai: Pale colour with green
hues. Apple-y nose, some peachiness
(white peach), appealing mealyness.
Good, dry finish and persistent bead.
Tree-ripened Granny Smith.
46 WineNZ Magazine | Summer 2018-19

HAWKE’S BAY’S LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE
THE 27TH ANNUAL HAWKE’S BAY
Thank you
Thanks to the generous support of everyone involved, this years auction
was a roaring success. We raised the record total of $265,500.
With the backing of our wonderful group of wineries and sponsors, all the
money raised at auction goes directly to Cranford Hospice. Thank you all!
hbwineauction
@hawkesbaywineauction hawkesbaywineauction.co.nz
LIVING
Hawke’s Bay
mardigras
EVENT HIRE
mardigras
EVENT HIRE

OUR WATER

OTAKIRI 932 932

feature | kevin judd
A winemaker’s
other life
Paul Taggart talks to Kevin Judd about
photography, Greywacke’s growing
success and his time at Cloudy Bay
Kevin Judd and dog Dixie.
With the benefit of
hindsight, some
careers and even
the growth of
whole industries
can seem almost
pre-determined. But the reality is often much
different. Even the whole Marlborough
sauvignon blanc success was largely a
surprise to most in the industry in the
first decade or so. Some wineries were
still happily planting Müller-Thurgau in
Marlborough in the eighties, thinking its
high cropping would produce good wine
profits.
And with careers, for every person who
knows from the age of five they want to be
a doctor or a firefighter, there are a dozen
who fall into a career, or have it decided for
them by circumstances out of their control.
With Kevin Judd, he’s always had two
strings to his bow, and has been pragmatic
enough to allow the changing winds of both
industries — wine and photography — to
dictate his path in life.
Kevin was born in England, but when he
was nine his family emigrated to Australia,
and he went to school in Adelaide.
At high school he was good at science,
but didn’t want to make paint or work in
a factory. He visited a few wineries in
the Barossa, and winemaking sounded
like an interesting job, so he enrolled at
Roseworthy.
“I wasn’t sure I had made the right
decision after the first year; I felt out of
my depth. I wasn’t much of a wine drinker
when I started,” he said.
Fortunately he stuck with it, and after a
two-year stint at Chateau Reynella, before it
was bought by the Hardys group, he came to
New Zealand and worked at Selaks Wines.
Then David Hohnen came along, Cloudy
Bay was established, and the rest is history.
But in parallel with his winemaking
life, Kevin has always been a passionate
photographer. His father was an amateur
snapper and had his own darkroom, which
could have been where the passion came
from.
While at Cloudy Bay, Kevin did a fair
amount of photography.
A visit to Marlborough by UK-based
professional photographer Mick Rock in
1990 encouraged Kevin to take his hobby
more seriously.
A lot of his photographic work after that
involved supplying quality stock images to
Mick’s Cephas Picture Library in London,
which has thousands of Kevin’s photographs
on file.
He also produced two books featuring
his photographs, and provided illustrations
for a number of other publications.
This is where it gets interesting — and
where serendipity and the evolving power
and influence of the internet took control
of Kevin’s future.
When he walked out the door of Cloudy
Bay for the last time, plans were already
in place for Greywacke, but Kevin was
“
I wasn’t sure I
had made the
right decision
after the first
year; I felt out
of my depth.
I wasn’t much
of a wine drinker
when I started.”
50 WineNZ Magazine | Summer 2018-19

kevin judd | feature
The Quiraing, Trotternish Ridge, Isle of Skye.
also keen to make more of a push into
photography. It was a toss-up which path
he would follow.
However, the world was changing fast,
and while good photographers could still
make a living from shooting weddings
and a handful from commission work,
the backside was falling out of the stock
picture business.
As soon as big digital files could be
sent by email, the business model was
under threat. Mick Rock’s business used
to employ six fulltime staff, but it is now
back to being an owner-operator outfit.
Kevin still sells prints, but the stock
picture sales are now a small fraction of
what they once were.
A beneficiary of his photography talent,
however, has been the Cancer Society, which
has used his photographs on calendars
and for other fundraising purposes, and
has benefitted by more than $30,000 in
the process.
Books have also been marginal financial
enterprises in recent years, so Kevin’s
pragmatic decision to have Greywacke
provide his income, while keeping
photography largely as a hobby, was a
sound one.
For those who enjoy visiting new places,
a massive benefit of running a successful
wine business is the travel. Kevin and
wife Kimberley spend months each year
visiting importers and distributors, renewing
contracts and dipping toes in to new markets.
And every time they pack their bags,
Kevin’s cameras go too. The day after I
interviewed Kevin for this article, he left
for Hong Kong, China and Japan and was
already working on ideas for a fresh batch
of images.
And while the internet was responsible
for the demise of the stock photography
business, it has made a huge new audience
aware of Kevin’s photographs, thanks to
social media.
The benefits of the Twitter/Facebook/
Instagram exposure are difficult to quantify,
but online photographs have certainly lifted
the profile of Greywacke on social media,
and increased interest in the brand, and
have resulted in wine sales.
Kevin’s stunning photograph of the
Richmond Range, which was used as the
base for the bottle label image, as well as
his winemaking talent, helped Cloudy Bay
rise from the early pack of Marlborough
startups to be the most recognized New
Zealand wine brand in the world.
Now his photography and his winemaking
and wine-selling talents are boosting
Greywacke as a commercially successful
wine business, known for producing
interesting wines, such as Wild Sauvignon,
but also wines that are technically excellent
and delightful to sip on a summer’s evening.
Castle Stalker, near Glen Coe, Scotland.
Boathouse at Kilchoan, Scotland.
Lightning, Mojave Desert, US.
Atlantic Puffin, Borgarfjordur, Iceland.
www.winenzmagazine.co.nz
51

feature | kevin judd
Frost at dawn, Brancott Valley, Marlborough.
Sunset, Barbados.
La Corbiere Lighthouse, Jersey.
Cows, Dunvegan, Isle of Skye.
Cook Island boy, Aitutaki.
52 WineNZ Magazine | Summer 2018-19

kevin judd | feature
Rainy day at West Lake in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
Travelling to promote
Greywacke has given
Kevin the opportunity
to take stunning
pictures in all corners of
the world.
Wawel Castle, Krakow, Poland.
Young accordion players, Warsaw, Poland.
Silver-studded blue butterfly, Cornwall.
www.winenzmagazine.co.nz
53

feature | kevin judd
What really happened at
Cloudy Bay
Kevin Judd and his faithful dog Dixie.
It has been a decade since Kevin Judd
established Greywacke, but despite
his new label’s 10 successful vintages
and growth into more than 40 overseas
markets, the conversation inevitably leads
back to Cloudy Bay, the world’s best-known
New Zealand wine brand.
The Cloudy Bay story has been re-told
so many times not many won’t have heard
it, but for anyone who has been out of town
since 1984, an abridged version is on the
opposite page.
Also re-told in various publications has
been the story of how Kevin left the business
he had been a part of for 25 years and had
helped grow in to a phenomenon.
The general theme of past articles has
been that on his 50th birthday, Kevin had
an epiphany, left Cloudy Bay to reinvent
himself as the owner of his own successful
winery.
In one version of the story, the epiphany
happened on an aeroplane when he bumped
into a former Cloudy Bay employee who
extolled the virtue of self-employment.
While these stories are all rooted in fact,
the actual departure was less Biblical in
nature, more the sort of experience many
of us have after having worked for too long
in a corporate environment.
Kevin gave his all to Cloudy Bay for a
quarter of a century, under David Hohnen
and later Veuve Clicquot (part of luxury
goods group LVMH), which bought
Cloudy Bay from David and brother
Mark Hohnen in several chunks from
1990 through to 2003, when David
sold his last block of shares.
While a key element in the business’
success and growth, Kevin had no
equity in the company and was still,
basically, a wages slave. But it was
a job he loved and he saw himself
being there for the long haul. However,
the issues of working in a corporate
environment, changing reporting lines
and restructuring, which could have
taken Kevin out of winemaking, did
weigh on his mind until he finally
decided it was time to make a move.
Leaving winemaking behind for a
corporate role within the LVMH empire
may not have been the right step for a
man who enjoys the peace of the vineyard
and the barrel room.
When asked a few years back whether
he’d prefer to spend time with a group
of winemakers or with a group of
photographers, Kevin replied that he’d
actually rather be in the company of his
dog Dixie.
He has been described as a man of few
words. When hearing that description, one
wine writer said that he thought “few” was
being generous.
So it wasn’t an epiphany that resulted
in Kevin packing his sandwich box and
flask — more an accumulation of factors
largely outside his control which eventually
made his decision inevitable.
When Kevin walked out the gate in
2009, he was armed with a mountain of
experience, and while Cloudy Bay’s success
was partly the result of “right time, right
place”, something that couldn’t be repeated,
there were other aspects of the success
Kevin had learnt and subconsciously filed
away for just such a rainy day.
The Greywacke name had been registered
by Kevin in 1993, so the idea of having his
own label had been with him for a while;
it just took a round of corporate changes
to give him the push he needed.
Greywacke, which he runs with wife
Kimberley, is an interesting model. It only
has a tiny quantity of its own grapes, buying
most from established growers. It uses
the Dog Point winery premises to make
its wine, and you won’t find the brand on
supermarket shelves.
These business decisions were the result
of lessons learnt over years in the industry.
Having millions of dollars tied up in land
and buildings wasn’t the way to get a
new startup quickly into the black, was
Kevin’s logic.
What you do need, however, is excellent
winemaking. Some say a chimpanzee could
make Marlborough sauvignon blanc, and in
some years, and with some fruit, possibly
they could.
But Kevin’s meticulous, perfectionist
traits mean he has made some spectacular
wines from sub-standard fruit, even in
his early days with Selaks Wines, near
Auckland. It was one of the factors that
had caught the attention of David Hohnen
of Western Australia’s Cape Mentelle
Vineyards, who founded Cloudy Bay.
That said, another of the factors that put
Cloudy Bay at the head of the pack during
Kevin’s years, was an unwillingness to drop
standards. If fruit wasn’t up to scratch for
the Cloudy Bay brand it wasn’t used, and
would end up in the bottles of other wineries
with different quality expectations.
Kevin retains that perfectionist approach
at Greywacke, where he makes wine only
with the best fruit available — some of
it coming from his former Cloudy Bay
colleague Ivan Sutherland’s family vineyard.
These wines are very good. A fact that
underlines the point is that Greywacke has
entered just three WineNZ tastings.
I don’t want to toot our own horn too
loudly here, but the WineNZ tastings are
not like the supermarket tastings or the wine
industry tastings, and they certainly are not
like the one-man-sitting-at-home-handingout-gold-stickers-willy-nilly
tastings. The
WineNZ tastings are professional, with
high-quality, paid judges, with the aim
of providing consumers with an honest
assessment as to which wines are worth
buying. The judges are not influenced by
the reputations of entrants, as they don’t
know who they are.
In that environment — against a big
54 WineNZ Magazine | Summer 2018-19

kevin judd | feature
lineup of top-quality entrants — Kevin’s
first entry, a chardonnay in 2016, was
judged five stars and top wine; then, in
autumn of this year, his Marlborough pinot
noir entrant was also five stars and top wine.
The third wine entered was for the
sauvignon blanc tasting in this issue — the
results of which can be seen on page 33.
So, three entries and a trifecta of brilliance.
But for any wine industry person reading
this magazine, they will know that it doesn’t
matter how good a wine is; the key to
success in this business is selling it.
It is here that Kevin’s time at Cloudy
Bay has clearly been a big help. His CV
has opened doors in the export market,
particularly in the UK, where his first
vintage was bought by a distributor sight
unseen, based solely on Kevin’s reputation.
He now sells to a long list of countries
in Europe, North America and Asia, and
spends three months a year travelling to
schmooze with his distributors. Dealing
with a few dozen importers can be less
time-consuming than dealing with hundreds
of shops and supermarkers, but the strategy
can have its downside, an example being
that in some Nordic countries and Canada,
which have state-run monopoly importers
of alcoholic drinks, if a government penpusher
has a change of heart over which
sauvignon blanc he wants on his country’s
shelves the following year, it can be a big
kick in the guts for a Kiwi winery that had
been planning on a repeat order to send
tens of thousands of cases.
Ninety-six per cent of Greywacke wine
goes offshore, which is why the name
doesn’t have a huge profile at home.
However, despite Kevin’s protestations
when he started Greywacke that he
wanted to keep the business small, with
no marketing manager and no HR manager,
Greywacke is now classed as a mediumsized
winery, in the same category as
Cloudy Bay — albeit at different ends of
the medium spectrum.
It was a nervous time in the early
Greywacke days. While Kevin’s reputation
assisted the venture, it was the time of the
world financial crisis, and finding importers
for a new brand in many markets wasn’t a
walk in the park.
But it all came together over the course
of a few nerve-racking years. Greywacke
consistently delivers quality wines, and
success was achieved without the need for
corporate marketing BS. The payroll still
only has half a dozen names on it, not all
of them working full-time, and no HR or
marketing manager.
Greywacke has a unique, agile business
model, which is perfect for this time, just
as Cloudy Bay’s model was exactly what
was needed for the 1980s.
A brief history
Cloudy Bay was established in
the eighties — a time when
the government was paying
grape growers $5000 an acre
to pull out vines.
West Australian winemaker David
Hohnen was inspired by an early bottle
of sauvignon blanc a Kiwi winemaker
had given to him, and he arrived in New
Zealand in 1984, borrowed $1 million at
23.5 per cent interest, hired Kevin Judd
— then a 25-year-old winemaker with
Selaks — and Cloudy Bay was born.
David came up with the idea for the
branding, and with his photographer’s hat
on, Kevin shot a picture of the Richmond
Range, which was converted into the
iconic bottle label with the help of a
graphic artist.
Cloudy Bay wasn’t the first company
to plant sauvignon blanc vines in
Marlborough – Montana Wine Company’s
Brancott vineyard was planted in
1975, but Cloudy Bay was among the
first five and, for reasons that aren’t
completely clear, was the one that went
on to be a stellar success, to the point
that the words “Cloudy Bay” and “New
Zealand sauvignon blanc” were virtually
interchangeable in the UK during the
heady years of the 1990s.
Champagne producer Veuve Clicquot
bought a majority share in Cloudy Bay
in1990, then mopped up Mark Hohnen’s
final 10 per cent, then finally David
Hohnen’s remaining 20 per cent in the
early 2000s. In 1987
Veuve Cliquot had
itself been bought
by LVMH Moët
Hennessy Louis
Vuitton SE, the
world’s largest luxury
goods group).
David is a clever
man, says Kevin, and
was prepared to take
a risk at a time when
the outcome was far
from certain. The
two are still in touch
occasionally, with
Kevin having recently
sent a congratulatory
email to David after he
became a member of
the Order of Australia
for his services to
the Australian wine
industry and as a promoter of the Margaret
River region.
After the sale, David re-focused on his
Australian businesses and Kevin stayed
on at Cloudy Bay, seeing the company
through its 25th vintage, before leaving
in 2009 to establish Greywacke.
LVHM has continued to invest in
Cloudy Bay, adding several new wines
to the range. In 2010 Te Wahi Pinot Noir
was introduced, marking its expansion
outside of Marlborough, as the fruit was
sourced from Central Otago. In 2013
and 2014, Cloudy Bay bought its own
vineyards in Central Otago.
While the sale of local wineries overseas
often sees them change dramatically
(Kim Crawford, Montana, to name but
two), Cloudy Bay is at the better end of
the spectrum of wineries with overseas
owners. The winery is a member of the
Appellation Marlborough Wine group,
which is striving to maintain the quality
reputation of Marlborough sauvignon
blanc, and it maintains high retail prices
at home and abroad, unlike some of the
other big international businesses involved
in the Marlborough wine trade which
have been forcing wine prices ever lower
with bulk (bladder) exports into foreign
markets and importing cheap Australian
sauvignon blanc for the New Zealand
market, undercutting local producers.
Cloudy Bay has an impressive cellar
door in Marlborough, and recently opened
The Cloudy Bay Shed in Central Otago.
55
www.winenzmagazine.co.nz 55

Queenstown
Vineyard Escape
Boutique Vineyard Hotel, Cellar Door & Bistro
Kinross is the exclusive cellar door for five award winning local wine producers:
Coal Pit, Domaine Thomson, Hawkshead, Valli and Wild Irishman.
Just 25 mins from Queenstown and 15 mins to beautiful Arrowtown, we’re in the centre of
an incredible adventure playground. Explore the spectacular cycle trails before
joining us for lunch and a tasting or stay the night in one of our gorgeous cottages.
Book your Kinross escape by calling 0800 131 101
or visit www.kinrosscottages.co.nz

Gibbston’s Kinross launches
own label & Highland Clan
Summer 2019 is set to be a stellar season in
Gibbston with the launch of Kinross’ own wine
label, along with their new subscription based
wine club ‘The Highland Clan’.
A world class wine region offering stunning
landscapes and unique adventure, Gibbston has
long been a star performer in the local wine
industry. Kinross Cottages has operated as the
exclusive cellar door for internationally acclaimed
boutique wine producers Coal Pit, Domaine
Thomson, Hawkshead, Valli and Wild Irishman
for the past four years.
Kinross’ first releases are a 2018 ‘Holy Schist’
Sauvignon Blanc, 2016 ‘Kilted Pioneer’ Pinot Noir
and 2018 ‘Liquid Gold’ Pinot Gris.
The Kilted Pioneer Pinot has been named in
tribute to the special legacy of Gibbston’s
‘grandfather’ – and original landowner – Scotsman
Thomas Kinross. Thomas arrived from Scotland
in the 1860s and together with wife Helen and
their 11 children ran a thriving Trading Post, farm
and gold agency on the land.
Kinross owner Christine Erkkila is excited by the
latest developments “We’ve built Kinross’
reputation by representing five outstanding local
wine makers, each offering something unique and
special. Now to have our own label is a dream
come true. With the launch of our Highland Clan
Wine Club, wine lovers can take advantage of our
partnerships with a select stable of independent
winemakers crafting premium wines in one of the
world’s top wine growing regions.”
The Highland Clan is a quarterly subscription
based wine delivery service where Kinross does
all the hard work for you. Members receive
shipments of three, six or twelve bottles each
season, thoughtfully curated by Kinross from
their wine partners Coal Pit, Domaine Thomson,
Hawkshead, Kinross, Valli or Wild Irishman for
you to enjoy and share with friends and family.
Numerous benefits - including discounts up to
15% on all your wine purchases, a free bottle of
wine with your first order, complimentary tastings
and exclusive online access to the Kinross Cellar
of rare / hard to find wines - all add up to an
alluring offer for wine lovers everywhere.
Last minute gift dilemmas everywhere solved!
For more information visit www.kinrosscottages.co.nz and click ‘Buy Wine’ from the top right corner.

feature | wine people’s places
Two Central
stunners
It’s many people’s dream: a lifestyle block with vineyard,
olive grove, orchard and vegetable gardens in a gorgeous
part of New Zealand. Charmian Smith visits the
Lawrence family at Aurum Wines in Central Otago.
Above: Lucie and Brook’s villa is approached through a potager and sunny
verandah. The northwest-facing wall is home to an espaliered fig tree.
Top right: A sunny courtyard forms the entrance to Joan and Tony’s house.
58 WineNZ Magazine | Summer 2018-19

wine people’s places | feature
On the outskirts of
Cromwell, behind an
olive grove and the
historic cottage that
is Aurum’s tasting
room, are two very
different houses: a historic villa moved
from Queenstown and a modern, ecofriendly
house.
The former belongs to Lucie and Brook
Lawrence and the latter to Joan and Tony
Lawrence, Brook’s parents. They are
idyllically situated, surrounded by gardens,
olive grove, orchard and truffiere, behind
which the terrace slopes down to Lake
Dunstan. Their vineyard is across the lane
down one side of the property.
Lucie, Aurum’s winemaker, grew up
in a winemaking family in France and
always thought she’d live in an old house as
people do there. However, when she came
to New Zealand in 2004, she accepted that
she would quite likely live in a new one
as that’s what many people do in Central
Otago, she said.
In fact more than a decade ago, she and
Brook were about to build a new house on
the site when they saw an ad for a villa in
Joan (left) and Lucie Lawrence.
Queenstown free for removal.
“It was meant to be. We were thrilled; we
loved it, and it was going to be destroyed.
It’s a lovely feeling that we’ve saved a part
of New Zealand history. It works for our
family just perfectly — it’s a perfect size,
and cosy. We just love it,” she said.
Built in 1914 on the hill above the
steamer wharf, it used to be the Grandview
boarding house run by the Misses Powell.
www.winenzmagazine.co.nz
59

feature | wine people’s places
❶
❷
❸
The Lawrences have framed early photos
of it and other memorabilia, which now
hang in their passageway.
It was still in its original state, complete
with a black Shacklock coal range, which
they’ve had refurbished by the original
factory in Dunedin before it closed, Lucie
said.
The house has been thoroughly
insulated and two of the original five
bedrooms opened up to make a study and
television room. The front door has been
decommissioned and the hall space behind
it turned into a wardrobe for Lucie and
Brook’s bedroom.
You enter the house from what was
originally the back, a sunny verandah
opening into a light-filled kitchen/living
room. There’s a large kauri table at the
kitchen end and comfortable chairs and a
wood burner that heats the whole house
at the other.
“I know it’s small, but it’s well formed
and it suits the way we live. We all live
around the kitchen table; I wouldn’t live
any other way anyway. Round the kitchen
table — that’s how I grew up so it makes
sense to me,” Lucie said.
The house is filled with colour, each room
different. Bright pastels for their daughters
Mathilde’s and Madeleine’s bedrooms,
deep blue for the master bedroom, a shade
of melon for the television room, and a
pale, refreshing green for the kitchen and
living room.
There’s a cosiness and a well-lived in
feeling about Lucie’s soft furnishings and
collections of books and objects in attractive
arrangements — a Welsh dresser with a
display of crockery, lamps and vases and
other treasures, including a kimono on the
wall in the television room, and paintings
and photos everywhere.
Across the lawn and down some steps
flanked by garden beds are the clean lines
of Joan and Tony’s creamy white Oamaru
stone house built in 2015. Tony carved
the year, MMXV, in a block above the
arched window.
At first the two houses appear totally
different, but inside there’s a similar feeling:
antique furniture, the arrangements of
objects — charming vignettes that catch
the eye — a bowl of orange gourds on a
low bookcase alongside a vase of yellow
lilies with a painting above, a bust on a
table covered by a kilim, exotic pottery,
and books and paintings everywhere.
Joan explains, “I think our houses are
quite similar. We have the same tastes,
Lucie and I — bright colours. We like the
same things.”
❻
❼
❹
❺
❽
❶ An early photo of the villa’s former life as a Queenstown boardinghouse. ❷ The kitchen table, the centre of family living. ❸ Deep blue walls in Lucie and
Brook’s bedroom. ❹ Attractive vignettes that catch the eye are everywhere. ❺ MMXV, the year the house was built, carved by Tony. ❻ The television room is
filled with colour and soft furnishings. ❼ Crockery displayed on the Welsh dresser in the kitchen-living area. ❽ Some of Joan’s crockery collection and walnuts
from their tree, under the central kitchen bench. ❾ Good taste is everywhere. ❿ The sitting area with the recycled full length arched window.
60 WineNZ Magazine | Summer 2018-19

wine people’s places | feature
Lucie adds: “A lot of my things are her
things though — things she’s collected
over the years. We don’t like clutter, but
we don’t like minimalism. You don’t need
millions of objects; each object has a feel
to it and adds a lot of texture to a room.”
The central room in Joan and Tony’s
house is the large living room with kitchen
at one end, a long table in the centre
and comfortable sofas at the other, with
bookshelves either side the full length,
arched window in the end wall.
The tables and kitchen fittings are made
from joinery recycled from Wigram airbase
near Christchurch, and the house’s striking
black-framed steel windows came from a
retirement home in Alexandra and have
been restored and double glazed.
Beyond the living room is a short passage
with bathroom and toilet off, leading to the
master bedroom, another book-filled room.
On the other side of the entrance lobby
is what Joan calls the “woofer’s wing”,
consisting of two bedrooms, bathroom
and a small kitchen-living area that opens
onto the entrance courtyard. During the
six-month season, woofers — willing
workers on organic farms — stay there
separate from the main house, although
they eat together, Joan says.
The house is heated by a ground source
heat exchanger, taking warmth from deep
in the ground outside, concentrating it,
heating water and circulating it through
the polished concrete floors. In summer
it cools the house. It’s cheap to run, each
room can be set to different temperatures
and plenty of insulation means it’s “an
unbelievably warm house — just gorgeous
all the time”, she says.
The house has two courtyards: a sunny
one with a pergola through which you
enter the house, but on the other side of the
living room alongside the small passage is
an east-facing one. It’s the cool courtyard,
essential in Central Otago summers, she
explains.
In fact, Joan and Tony lived in Lucie
and Brook’s house for 18 months while
they designed and built their new house.
“It was so they could work out the sun
and wind and what views they wanted,
and they loved the view to the south.
They weren’t going to put a window to the
south because of the cold, but [the view’s]
just lovely,” Lucie said.
The Lawrences bought the land in 2001
and sold some of it for subdivision for the
burgeoning town. It’s too expensive for
vineyard land now, Joan says.
Nevertheless their 4ha vineyard is across
the lane and they are now developing
another 4ha on a hillside across the main
road. In front of the houses are the tasting
room and the winery surrounded by the
A lot of my things are her things though — things
she’s collected over the years. We don’t like
clutter, but we don’t like minimalism. You don’t need
millions of objects; each object has a feel to it and adds a
lot of texture to a room.”
❾
❿
www.winenzmagazine.co.nz
61

feature | wine people’s places
The parterre behind the house is filling out.
olive grove. Behind them are an orchard
and a truffiere, then the terrace slopes down
to the Lake Dunstan reserve, making for
easy access for Mathilde and Madeleine
to swim and boat.
Joan, an archaeologist, has found a lot of
relics on the site, from spoons and knives
to ploughs and other farm tools.
“The first owner of this property was a
Chinese gold miner so we have found lots
of bits of Chinese pickle pots and things,
evidence of Ah Que. And I’m quite excited
about the fact he was here because he started
a market garden in 1880 so it’s had a long
process of people growing things here.”
After Ah Que’s death in 1904, the
Stephens family farmed in the area, so
the Lawrences are only the third owners
after they broke up the big sheep farms,
she said.
The Lawrences grow most of their own
vegetables in the potager behind Lucie and
Brook’s house, and they keep chickens.
Against the sunny house wall is an 11-year
old espaliered fig that ripens several weeks
before the freestanding tree, Lucie says.
One of the garden features at the Lawrences’ home.
But the grounds are not all about selfsufficiency.
Joan says she always wanted a
parterre and decided that if she didn’t plant
one now she would never have one, so the
neat pattern of box hedges interspersed with
white gravel is filling out on the southwest
side of the house.
Behind the tasting room is an enormous
old walnut tree and Joan has planted old
fashioned roses and perennials as well as
spring bulbs round the restored cottage.
“It’s a good life,” she says.
The first owner of
this property was a
Chinese gold miner
so we have found lots of bits
of Chinese pickle pots and
things, evidence of Ah Que.”
62 WineNZ Magazine | Summer 2018-19

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huchet goes home | column
Hunting for
a Huchet
Words and pictures by John Saker
Jérémie Huchet with his
bottle of Mission Estate
Huchet Syrah.
It began as one of those slow Friday afternoon Google goof-offs. I was entering the names of
people who had been in my orbit decades ago – the boy that lived across the road from us in
London in 1960, the third form English teacher with the cool paisley shirts, the girl I ached to
see on the bus every morning when I was 12.
How about doing some research that might be useful, I scolded myself.
So I typed in the name ‘Huchet’.
www.winenzmagazine.co.nz
67

column | huchet goes home
wine people’s places | feature
Cyprien Huchet was a Marist Brother and the
first winemaker in New Zealand who actually
knew what he was doing. He arrived in Hawke’s
Bay in 1871 and set about transforming what is
now Mission Estate, our oldest winery. Under his
watch, Mission became the first wine operation in
the country to sell wine to the public and the first
to plant pinot noir and pinot gris.
Like all those first ‘Frères Maristes’, Huchet
was French. He was born into a winegrowing
family near Nantes in the Loire, which accounted
for the know-how and skill he brought to his work
in Hawke’s Bay.
My search quickly revealed that Huchet is a fairly
common name in the north of France, and some
nearby places. The last man to be hanged on the
Channel Islands (in 1959) was a Huchet. Who knew?
So I refined the search to ‘Huchet wine’. That
threw up references to the top syrah produced by
winemaker Paul Mooney and his team at Mission
Estate, a wine they have named in honour of their
pioneering vigneron français.
But there, halfway down the page, I saw what I’d
been hoping to find. It was the website of a Loire
Valley wine estate, very close to Nantes, that carried
the name Huchet.
In Europe, wine estates have the habit of being
passed from one generation to the next, down through
the centuries. Could this be the same estate that was
home to our first serious winemaker before he became
a man of faith and emigrated to the south seas?
I immediately sent the estate an email, introducing
myself, supplying the Brother Cyprien story and
asking if there might be a familial link.
The following day Jérémie Huchet, the current
owner and winemaker responded. He attached a
document that supplied his direct Huchet line going
back to the 17th century. No sign of a Cyprien, but
that wasn’t surprising. For one thing the Marists
changed their names when they entered the order.
For another Cyprien probably would have been a
younger brother and this direct line representation
(in effect, a family tree that was all trunk and no
laterals) didn’t include the names of the siblings of
each generation.
Jérémie Huchet said he was very pleased to have
been contacted and promised to dig further. And if
I was ever in the Loire
Which I was, just a few weeks ago.
One morning, from my base in Chinon, I struck
out in the rental for Chateau-Thébaud, the small town
just beyond the southern outskirts of Nantes that is
home to Jérémie Huchet, Vigneron en Muscadet.
Beside me in the car was a bottle of Mission Estate
Huchet Syrah, an Antipodean offering kindly supplied
by Paul Mooney.
What followed was one of those days that glow
with an aura of happy warmth.
Jérémie, his wife Stéphanie and the whole winery
team were there to greet me. We tasted through the
very fine range of Muscadet the winery produces.
Made from the white grape Melon, these are typically
dry, spare, minerally wines that sing alongside
seafood.
Jérémie’s father Yves
examines the mysterious
gift from the New World.
It is
very
a common
name here.
But we will
keep trying
to find out
more.
(Melon, incidentally, doubles as the French word
for bowler hat, which explains a bowler’s presence
in the winery’s visual imagery).
For a long time, the wines from this corner of the
Loire were not particularly fashionable in global
markets. That has been changing. Recent taste
shifts away from heavy, woody styles in favour of
lighter, fresher wines have been good for Muscadet.
Jérémie’s new winery building, which includes a
visitor tasting room, projects a certain confidence.
Jérémie Huchet, and his father Yves, were thrilled
to receive the bottle of Mission Estate Huchet. It was
passed around family and friends with reverence,
like some wondrous, precious artefact. Jérémie
returned the favour, handing me a bottle of their best
Muscadet which I have relayed back to Paul Mooney.
Over lunch in the Huchet household, we shared
everything we knew about Brother Cyprien. We know
that he was the son of Jean and Marie Huchet, born
in 1835 and christened Laurent. His birthplace was
the town of Vertou, a mere eight kilometres from
Chateau-Thébaud.
“It is very a common name here. But we will keep
trying to find out more,” said Jérémie.
So the genealogical link has yet to be established
definitively. It doesn’t really matter. A connection
has been made that may well continue meaningfully
with or without it.
68 WineNZ Magazine | Summer 2018-19

cellar door | feature
Monsoon Valley winery has a pleasant terrace overlooking the vineyard.
Warm wine
Elephants, bananas and grapes live happily
together at Monsoon Valley, writes Paul
Taggart.
There is a winery in New Zealand
with an elephant — Hawke’s
Bay’s Elephant Hill. It is an
impressive beast, which was
shipped all the way from
Myanmar. However, the
elephant in question is made of wood.
To find a winery with real-life elephants,
you have to travel a bit further afield.
At Monsoon Valley winery, near Hua Hin
in Thailand, there are two elephants, which
earn their keep by doing some work among
the vines, but mainly by giving tourists rides
around the vineyard.
While riding elephants, patting tigers and
holding snakes seem to be going out of fashion
with many Western tourists, as it is seen as
animal abuse, the Monsoon Valley elephants
seemed reasonably chilled to me. One was
working — taking a mother and her son on a
trip round the vines with a mahout up front,
while his friend had a day off, which meant he
got to eat lots of bananas fed to him by excited
children and equally excited adults.
Intriguingly, the vineyard is on the site of a
former elephant corral where wild elephants
were domesticated back in the day.
About 110 hectares are now under vines at
the site. The earliest varieties planted included
colombard, chenin blanc, sangiovese, rondo,
and syrah. Other varieties have been planted
since, including sauvignon blanc, although
there was none available for tasting, or buying,
the day I visited.
Lunches were adequate.
www.winenzmagazine.co.nz
69

feature | cellar door
70 WineNZ Magazine | Summer 2018-19

cellar door | feature
While keeping
elephants for
tourists’
entertainment
is going out
of fashion, it
is hard not to
enjoy feeding the
Monsoon Valley
elephants a
few bananas.
www.winenzmagazine.co.nz
71

feature | cellar door
Every winery should have one.
Some may say that it is a huge
and brave gamble to establish
wineries in Thailand (Monsoon
Valley is one of at least three
run by the same company), but
when you discover the person
behind the venture is Chalerm
Yoovidhya, the degree of risk
seems less significant. Chalerm
is a member of the Red Bull
energy drink family and, earlier
this year, was reported by Forbes
magazine to be worth $US21
billion.
That aside, Monsoon Valley is
a pleasant drive from Hua Hin,
so when you’re over the beach,
the pool, and the golf, it makes
for a great day trip. Most of the
time Thailand is hot as stink,
but the winery does have an
air-conditioned indoor section
where you can let the sweat
evaporate before you dine.
The food — salmon and a
beef dish — was adequate, and
the wines I sampled, sangiovese
rose, sparkling, and white shiraz,
were agreeable in the 34 degree
heat and stifling humidity.
The staff were hospitable and
full of knowledge about how
wonderful the Monsoon Valley
wine is.
But the winery was interesting
more for its quirky novelty value
rather than as a potential serious
player on the wine stage. It made
a big thing about “new latitude
wines” produced by companies
in Thailand, Vietnam, India
and Brazil, which “understand
tropical viticulture and
winemaking, putting their wines
on a par with favourites from
the old world”.
It sounded like a load of old
cobblers to me, but I’m glad
they’re trying, and the trip to
Monsoon Valley was a great
day out. If you’re in Hua Hin,
it is certainly worth making the
trip to the vineyard — even if
it is only to see the elephants.
The winery has plenty of rustic charm.
72 WineNZ Magazine | Summer 2018-19

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food | bars & restaurants
Restaurant
REVIEW
WineNZ’s galloping gastronomes
provide the lowdown on the
newest and most exciting
establishments especially
suited to the wine lover.
Noble Rot
Wine Bar and Restaurant
51 Lamb’s Conduit St
London WC1N 3NB
www.noblerot.co.uk
An exciting place for adventurous wine lovers.
Taking wine matching seriously
A cosy ambience, buzzy but not noisy.
An adventurous wine
lover visiting London
shouldn’t miss Noble
Rot, the wine bar and
restaurant established
by the founders of the
edgy, indie wine magazine of the same
name. Mark Andrew and Dan Keeling,
came together over a love of wine and
their wine list shows it.
It’s a long, intriguing list of exciting
wines, many of which an antipodean may
not be familiar with. There are carefully
selected examples of appellations and
varieties - from aligote to zibbibo, and
Abruzzo to Yarra - mainly from across
Europe but with a handful from the US,
South Africa, South America and Australia,
all begging to be tried. For those with
deep pockets there are aged trophy wines
74 WineNZ Magazine | Summer 2018-19

ars & restaurants | food
Humorous posters and candles
add to the ambience.
A glass of English bubbly, Hambledon Classic Cuvee
such as Krug Collection 1973 (£2250), or
Trimbach Clos St Hune 1985 (£498), as
well as highly coveted Bordeaux, Rhone
and Burgundy vintages. You could also
try a retsina from Corinthia, a robola from
Kefalonia, a pinot noir from Moravia, an
ajaccio from Corsica or something from the
Canary Islands. For the less adventurous,
there are more familiar appellations such
as Loire, Mosel or Rhone, but nothing
from New Zealand.
The owners are very Eurocentric,
explains Josh, our knowledgable waiter
who used to work in Melbourne and so
is familiar with wines from this part of
the world.
We took his advice on wines to match
individual dishes, Thanks to a Coravin
system there’s a by-the-glass list of more
than 30, augmented by a blackboard list
of specials which includes aged wines by
the glass such as a 1990 Figeac for £63
or a more modest Suduirat 1985 for £19.
There are two sizes of pour, 75ml or 125ml.
We took advantage of this to compare
two small glasses of different wines with
some courses.
Lambs Conduit is a quiet street in
Bloomsbury, a couple of blocks from
the British Museum and Russel Square.
Outside the modest shopfront are a handful
of tables where patrons were enjoying a
late Saturday afternoon glass of wine and
bar food.
We were early - it’s difficult to gauge
travel times in London - and the restaurant
was not yet open, so we sat in the bar with
a glass of English bubbly, a refreshingly
nutty Hambledon Classic Cuvee from
Hampshire, and took in our surroundings.
They were unpretentious; dark wood,
paler walls above the dado hung with
framed posters - quirky covers of their
magazine and humorous cartoons, and a
well leaned-upon bar. These premises had
been a wine bar in a previous life.
Further inside, the long, narrow restaurant
extends back from the street, dark, but with
glassware glinting. Although it appears
dim, the lights are appropriately placed
for the tables so you can read the menu
and see what you are eating. The decor is
modest, simple but cosy, the effort going
into the wine, food and service rather than
the decoration. Once the restaurant fills
up, the atmosphere is buzzy but not loud.
An example of the slightly self-deprecating
humour in some of the posters.
Chefs Paul Weaver and Stephen Harris
(formerly of the Michelin-starred The
Sportsman in Whitstable) present a small
but contemporary English menu, fresh,
seasonal and changing daily, but with some
more or less permanent signature dishes,
such as slip sole with smoked butter, or a
dish featuring smoked eel.
Provenance is indicated - the smoked eel
is from Lincolnshire, beef from Hereford,
tomatoes from San Marzano in Italy, and
haricot beans from Brittany with their own
Coco de Paimpol AOC. Interesting oldfashioned
but newly trendy vegetables and
flavourings appear - samphire, a crisp, salty
succulent harvested during a short summer
season from tidal estuaries, the savoury herb
lovage, and croutons cooked in dripping.
Even the bread selection included a slightly
sweet, salty soda bread with buttermilk
and molasses, along with sourdough and
focaccia, Soda bread, raised with baking
soda rather than yeast, was once common
in the British Isles.
A starter of lamb sweetbreads came with
fat, crunchy green beans, crisp croutons and
melting lardo, cured pork back fat. Josh
recommended a Savoie wine,
www.winenzmagazine.co.nz
75

food | bars & restaurants
Lamb sweetbreads with fat, crunchy green beans,
crisp croutons and melting lardo.
A blackboard list of additional wines by the glass makes your mouth water.
A&M Quenard, Chignin, 2016, red,
peppery with firm tannins, that went well
with the richness of the dish.
Smoked eel in this instance came with
summery gazpacho, beautifully tomatoey,
with croutons for a bit of crunch and torn
pieces of lovage leaf to add a savoury
touch - a well balanced dish, crisp and fresh,
especially with a Greek rosé from Naousa.
No matter what comes with it, samphire
is one of those things you can’t pass when
you see it on the menu. In this case it
came with seared thornback ray with tiny
brown shrimp and capers. Josh suggested
a white Burgundy, either a chardonnay
from Pouilly-Vinzelles or an aligoté, the
other white from Burgundy, so I selected
a small glass of each to compare. The
chardonnay was more complex, but there
was too much going on in it to complement
the crisp, buttery ray with salty capers
and samphire. The blander aligoté was a
friendlier accompaniment.
Crispy-skinned, grilled lamb saddle from
Swaledale in Yorkshire came with a roll of
lamb belly, Coco de Paimpol beans from
Brittany, chunky green sauce and a salty
jus. It was matched with a fruity Spanish
red, Daterra Viticoltores Casas de Enriba
from Valdeorras in Galicia.
Although we had little room left for
dessert, we couldn’t resist, especially as
each had a recommended wine match.
At last, here is a rare restaurant that cares
about the difficult art of matching wine
with dessert! I have to admit we selected
the wine first and then the dessert that
went with it.
I chose a Madeira, 10-year old Malmsey
from M Blandy, delicious both by itself
and with a warm, chocolatey and slightly
bitter mousse with crunchy salt on top and
a scoop of that delectable British speciality,
clotted cream.
An unusual natural wine, La Stoppa,
Vigna del Volta passito from Emilia
Romagna, golden in colour, cloudy with
oodles of ripe tropical fruit and a long
finish, was accompanied by blueberry
tart with slivered almonds and clotted
cream at the side. Interestingly, like the
rest of the food, the desserts were plainly
presented without all the squiggles and
fancy garnishes so beloved of many New
Zealand chefs.
All in all, it was a satisfying night, one
of those special places that takes wine and
food and their matching seriously, and has
extremely knowledgeable staff to help you
navigate an extensive and exciting wine list.
The food was fascinating with its English
and European specialities, even if some
dishes were a tad too salty for my palate.
And it wasn’t much more expensive than
one might spend in a good New Zealand
restaurant.
Food
Wine List
Ambience
Service
Overall
Reviewed by Charmian Smith
Note: In Wellington there is a wine
bar also called Noble Rot, which is not
connected with the original in London.
Lincolnshire smoked eel in a fresh, summery
gazpacho with lovage.
Samphire with ray,
tiny brown shrimps and capers.
Grilled Swaledale lamb saddle, lamb roll, with
haricot beans and green sauce.
76 WineNZ Magazine | Summer 2018-19

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food | well matched
Sunny
times ahead
Vic Williams is a seasoned wine and food writer
who has spent the last 25 years communicating
about their combinations in print and on radio.
Sunny times ahead?
Well, let’s hope so.
After the bleakest of
winters and a spring
that often disappointed,
we deserve them.
Mind you, being forced to stay
indoors can be encouragement enough
to justify spending more time in the
kitchen, and that’s when old recipes are
resurrected and new ones developed.
Some of the dishes on these pages
are old and some are new, but as always
they have all been devised with a
particular wine style in mind. Most
people choose a wine to go with a
specific dish, but it is fun to reverse
the process by selecting the wine first.
So we have seafood in a dish tailormade
to accompany a robust rosé, and
a chicken dish borrowed from Spain
with the aim of bringing out the best
in the Spanish variety, albarino.
Browning butter and combining
it with capers, chopped parsley
and lemon juice is a classic French
technique that is perfect for a smoothtextured,
faintly citric chardonnay,
and searing ox heart so that it is still
richly pink-centred brings an old-time
ingredient right up-to-date and creates
a perfect partnership with a savoury
Hawke's Bay syrah in the process
And port with blue cheese? Now
that really IS a classic.
As always, we suggest that you use
these combinations as starting points
for your own ‘perfect partnerships’.
Enjoy!
Nautilus Marlborough
Albarino 2018
with poached chicken in a saffron/
almond sauce
The faintly nut-like aromas and front-palate flavours of this
smartly balanced white were perfectly pitched to partner the
almond-based sauce coating the chicken. Clive Jones has scored
a few awards with previous vintages, and his success looks
certain to continue. This latest example of his winemaking
skills has plenty of savoury-edged stonefruit aromas edged by
a suggestion of lemon rind, and a rich but nicely tuned flavour
profile that proved a perfect match for the Spanish-inspired dish.
78 WineNZ Magazine | Summer 2018-19

well matched | food
Leefield Station Marlborough Chardonnay 2017
with tarakihi fillets drizzled with brown butter,
lemon juice and capers
It was the citric character of this nicely focused Chardonnay that
sat particularly well with the lemony sauce on the pan-fried fish.
Browning the butter accentuated the match, while the capers
added exclamation points of saltiness to pick up on the wine’s
restrained acid backbone. The sauce is a French-based classic,
and the wine is made in the classic style for this popular variety.
Tohu Nelson Pinot Rosé 2018
with squid and mussels in a tomato broth
Made with around 5gm/L of residual sugar, this approachable
Rosé is drier than many, and that made it a most amenable
companion for the tomato-based broth of the dish. We often
think of white wine as the only partner for seafood, but when the
star ingredients share their bowl with the robust flavours of red
onion, garlic, parsley and chillies a boldly flavoured Rosé works
well. The wine’s subtle acidity played happily with the tomato
flavours while its upfront fruit tied in nicely with the savoury
characters of the mussels and squid. A tip: A little sugar is often
added to tomato-based sauces, but be cautious in this case. The
wine is effectively bone-dry, and could be rendered austere by
even a hint of sweetness.
www.winenzmagazine.co.nz
79

food | well matched
Vidal Legacy Gimblett Gravels Hawkes Bay
Syrah 2016
with seared beef heart and polenta
Hugh Crichton’s top-of-the-line Syrah is full of cracked pepper and
liquorice aromas leading to a big-fruited flavour profile, and that
made it an ideal candidate to accompany the bold, earthy, flavours
of ox heart. We served it on the rare side alongside polenta spiked
with Parmigiano-Reggiano, and were delighted with the way in
which the wine’s opulent texture and rich berry notes emphasised
the rustically savoury character of this underrated cut of meat.
Croft Reserve Tawny Port
with Kikorangi Blue Cheese, quince paste and breads
The House of Croft was established in 1588 and remains in
the hands of the founding company today. This member of the
portfolio was aged for around seven years in oak casks. Nicolas
Heath, marketing director for both Croft and Krohn, introduced
it at a lunch at Auckland’s Northern Club and placed it alongside
Croft Distinction, Croft Vintage 2011 and Krohn Quinta do Retiro
Novo 2009. The cheese sat nicely with all four, but it was the
chocolate, dried fruit and toasted nut notes of the Tawny that most
directly emphasised the savoury sweetness of this classic blue.
80 WineNZ Magazine | Summer 2018-19

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feature | thailand
Statues
and
dentists
Constantly searching for
interesting new wine
regions for our readers,
Paul Taggart packed his
bag and headed to . . .
Hua Hin
There are plenty of statues for culture vultures.
Life’s a beach for some in Thailand.
82 WineNZ Magazine | Summer 2018-19

thailand | travel
Thailand has something
for almost everyone –
although there are several
clichés of the type of
tourists who visit the
country, and examples of
those clichés are present in abundance.
Backpackers
First there are the backpackers. Mainly
in their 20s, out for a good time at low
cost, and they generally do have a good
time unless they dabble in drugs, try their
hand at graffiti on sacred monuments or
generally lack the wisdom required to adjust
to a country with a set of values that have
not been debased by several generations
of Western decadence.
The Full Moon parties are probably the
highlight for many of these backpackers,
with all-night dancing and drinking,
followed by a hangover, or a trip to a
local hospital. Note: medical insurance is
vital, even for strapping young rugby boys
who consider themselves indestructible.
Many visitors to Thailand now prefer to see elephants in a natural habitat,
rather than chained up and ridden.
To you sir, only one million baht.
Culture Vultures
The next group are the culture vultures
– either middle-aged folk in search of
Buddhist temples and elephant sanctuaries,
or families giving the kids a second dose of
overseas cultural experience, following an
earlier trip to the Gold Coast theme parks.
The Grand Palace complex in Bangkok
is a must for this group. Built in 1782 and
the home of the Thai King and the royal
court it has some impressive architecture
and is the spiritual heart of the country.
A personal guide, or joining a tour, are
the best ways to see the many interesting
buildings and to learn about the history. Our
guide met us near our hotel and together
we navigated the railway and the river
boat. Without Khun Sai the day would
have been so much more of a hassle, and
much less educational.
The traffic in Bangkok is bad – seriously
bad. One evening we had dinner with a
couple of Kiwis who live in the city, and
not thinking too deeply about rush hour
we jumped in a cab for the relatively short
hop to the restaurant, then after dinner did
the same to get home. Coming back was
a ten-minute drive, getting there took an
hour and a half.
The train system is good, and a Rabbit
card topped up with a couple of hundred
baht will see you happily whizzing about
the city all the time you are there. Tuk
Tuks are useful too, but can also get stuck
in traffic for long spells and, unlike taxis,
aren’t air-conditioned, so you can do a lot
of sweating while going nowhere.
One of my daughters, who lives in the
city, commutes to work on the back of a
motorbike taxi. While it is quick and cheap,
I did ask her some searching questions
about her health insurance policy after
seeing her whizz off into a seething mass
of traffic on the back of a Honda Click.
Resort people
Throughout Thailand there are
spectacular resorts and developments aimed
at Westerners. If you ask ten people where
are the best areas or most restful island
paradises you’ll get ten different answers.
Age, interests and affluence will be factors
in which resort is right for you, and doing
some leisurely on-line research can be part
of the fun of planning a holiday.
There are good internal flights to a variety
of destinations and I suggest a few nights
in Bangkok to soak up the flavour of the
city and to try some good restaurants before
moving on to the second part of the holiday.
www.winenzmagazine.co.nz
83

feature | thailand
A quiet spot by the pool in Hua Hin.
To avoid another flight we opted for a
drive to Hua Hin so we could go when we
were ready and stop along the way for some
sight-seeing if we so wished.
There are various companies that will
supply cars for the three or four hour drive,
and most Bangkok taxi drivers will offer
to take you. The price for a trip is about
1000 Baht, give or take a few hundred,
depending on your haggling skills.
The ride can be a bit dodgy, with some
drivers apparently keen to show their
racing-driver prowess. Vehicles are also
a mixed bag of age and quality and it
is good to remember that in Thailand
you don’t have Jacinda to look after your
every requirement – you have to look after
yourself. If a car turns up with seatbelts
that don’t work then don’t get in it. If the
driver is careering through traffic like he’s
on the dodgems then tell him to pull his
head in – it could just extend your life.
Hua Hin was the holiday place of Thai
royalty back in the day, being just 40km
from Bangkok. It was also the first major
tourist centre for foreigners.
While there is a beach, there is plenty
more going on, with golf, water parks, tailor
shops, where suits and clothes of all types
can be made up overnight, restaurants and
even a decent little wine bar.
Hotels range from the cheap and cheerful
to the palatial – one of the latter is the
Centara, which serves a rather spectacular
afternoon tea for those who want to visit
and take a look around without paying the
hefty room rate.
When we jumped into a tuk tuk outside
High tea at the Centara Hotel in Hua Hin.
one of the shopping malls and told the
young driver we were headed to Centara, a
twinkle appeared in his eye and his opening
bid for the fare jumped from the usual 30
or 40 baht to one million baht.
Needless to say, he didn’t get it.
The hotel has a large swimming pool area
for families, good bars and restaurants, and
for those requiring some stress-free R & R,
it would be a wonderful place to spend a
week without setting foot outside the door.
Dining out in Bangkok isn’t all pad thai. This
beautiful presented dessert was served up at Jim
Thompson Restaurant and Wine Bar, Pathumwan
in Bangkok.
Shoppers
The days of staggering bargains in foreign
parts are largely gone, with the prices in
New Zealand now not that different to what
is available in Asian centres.
New Zealand has discount warehouses
full of cut-price sports gear and Alibaba
brings packages of things we largely don’t
need from every corner of China direct to
our homes on a daily basis.
However, for some, shopping is more
84 WineNZ Magazine | Summer 2018-19

about the chase than the kill, and there are
plenty of places in Bangkok and Hua Hin
to keep a keen shopper busy for fifty years.
The must-buy items are colourful
shirts, made-while-you-wait dresses, vivid
material (much of which comes from China
and India) to have your own clothes made
up at home and a range of ornaments
featuring elephants. All the above made
it into our suitcases.
The Thai people are extremely pleasant
and shopping there is a much more
enjoyable experience than in some other
Asian countries. Even haggling over the
price is much more of a game rather than
the aggressive battle of wits it sometimes
can be, say in a Hong Kong market.
Shopping when on holiday is mostly for
things we might want, not what we need,
so it is basically a leisure activity. With
the major malls in both Bangkok and Hua
Hin all well stocked with local food stores,
coffee shops and the American trio you find
everywhere – McDonalds, Burger King and
Starbucks – there is always somewhere you
can put the bags down and take the weight
off for ten minutes before starting again.
Medical tourists
This is a tricky one, but as a person
who has spent a fair chunk of my kids’
inheritance on crowns, I can see the appeal
of getting teeth done, or even a hip replaced,
at a fraction of the cost of what it would
be in New Zealand.
From time-to-time horror stories emerge
of breast surgery that has gone wrong, or
superbugs that have almost killed patients
in foreign parts. Our medical professionals
jump on these stories with apparent relish
to push their case for retaining such work
in New Zealand private hospitals and
dental clinics.
A few years ago I had a minor operation
on a finger in a Wellington private hospital
(a ganglion for those of a medical bent).
After it was all over I looked at just the
surgeon’s fee (not all the other associated
costs) and the length of time the operation
took and multiplied it out to cover an
eight-hour day. Even allowing for generous
holidays and a half-day off on Fridays for
golf, the surgeon would have been earning
millions of dollars a year.
Ganglions can be removed in some
doctors’ surgeries and, to be quite honest,
they could probably be removed by a
handyman in a garden shed, or not removed
at all, so it is my own fault for allowing
such extortion to take place. I would have
been perfectly happy to have had the work
done in Thailand, as long as I had some
reliable references for the surgeon.
While in Bangkok we met a recentlymarried
couple from Hawke’s Bay. The
For those of a culinary bent, there are many great
Thai cooking courses in Bangkok.
husband had just had a mouth full of crowns
fitted at a dental practice recommended
to him by a Kiwi who lives in Bangkok.
It wasn’t the cheapest place in town, but
had a great reputation. He was more than
happy with the work, and due to the lower
dental charges, compared with at home,
the pair had paid for their wonderful Asian
honeymoon and still had money in the bank.
I guess the same rules apply as with
taxis. You have to take responsibility for
your own destiny (and dentistry). In New
Zealand we assume that all doctors are
vastly capable, honourable and ethical – and
if they’re not there is a system that should
weed them out. In Thailand you have to
do some weeding yourself.
But in New Zealand our utopian socialist
society seems to have forgotten we have
teeth. Those who cannot afford to pay, have
to put up with rotting gnashers, or have them
pulled out en masse. I’m not sure why that
is, when we can afford to send rich folks’
teenagers off to university at taxpayers’
expense and send well-remunerated MPs
on holiday to Japan to watch the All Blacks
play.
So if people decide to get their dental
work done in Thailand to save money, and
occasionally one of them has to be fixed
up in the public health system back home
at taxpayers’ expense, then I don’t have a
problem with that. Money has been spent
on the wrong things for years – often as a
result of election bribes (think university
subsidies) and our teeth are victims of that.
Maybe assisting low-income folk with
discount air tickets to Thailand for dental
work and ganglion surgery could be a
good election bribe suggestion for one of
the political parties?
thailand | travel
shady side of the street
While Thai people are generally genuine,
friendly and warm to visitors, there is a
seedy aspect to the country’s tourism.
Largely driven by poverty, the sex trade is
big, and has been for decades. While most
participants in the industry are volunteers
there is a very dark side too, with sex
trafficking a nasty part of the business.
There is an element of our society that
will go to Thailand specifically for the sex
trade, but for others it is simply an everpresent
fact of life you will come across
as you move around the cities, especially
after dark.
A sub-set of the sex trade is the bride trade
with (mainly) older divorced or widowed
men in pursuit of a new life partner, usually
forty years their junior.
Many of the relationships don’t last,
for obvious reasons, as they are based on
finance, not romance.
It is a situation where even a 65-yearold
Pom on a pension can look like a good
catch to a 20-year-old with parents to look
after and siblings to put through school. A
silver lining of sorts is that many of these
guys make Thailand their home, so at least
their brides aren’t dragged away from their
families for a life in Lancashire, Alabama
or Southland. While there’s nothing wrong
with Invercargill, rolling your “r”s would
take some adjusting to after growing up
in Hua Hin.
Wine
It took a few side-roads before I made it
to the main subject, but wine is all around in
Thailand. The only problem is that because
of duties/taxes/government rules – it costs
a lot of cash, so for those planning to be
there for any length of time, a switch to
local beer or whiskey will be a lot kinder
on your wallet.
A bottle of Marlborough sauvignon blanc
can cost $50 in a supermarket, more than
a bottle of spirits.
But there is local wine – although being
local doesn’t necessarily make it much
cheaper.
There are about six wineries in the
country – which is ridiculous as it is hot
as stink and incredibly humid. It must be
a full-time job battling the powdery - but
you have to admire their have-a-go spirit.
The longest established and probably
best-known winery is Monsoon Valley, a
short bus trip from Hua Hin. Check out our
cellar door section on page 69.
WineNZ’s travel is self-funded. We
don’t accept junkets from airlines or
tourism bodies to say nice things about
nasty places.
www.winenzmagazine.co.nz
85

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WineNZ has paying subscribers in the United States, Australia, United Kingdom, Japan, France, Germany, Sweden, India, Canada and The
Philippines. New Zealand wine worth more than $1.7 billion was exported to these markets last year, and many of our overseas subscribers
are employed in the wine retailing trade. The magazine is also distributed through airline lounges, to reach influential business travellers.
WineNZ magazine is also distributed to guests of select five star hotels. To put your wine brand on the world stage contact Jax Hancock
advertising@SpincMedia.com

maserati | motoring
Congestion is horrible when you try to leave Makati on a Friday afternoon. The Levante’s cocoon of luxury makes the time in traffic slightly less stressful.
How daft would it be to test a 250 km/h Maserati Levante in Manila,
a city with the worst traffic congestion in the world? Very daft, but
Dennis Valdes did it anyway – by heading to the beach for a day.
Maserati
vs
Evinrude
The Levante chills after battling its way through Manila traffic
www.winenzmagazine.co.nz
87

motoring | maserati
A pair of toys – both work well with iPhones.
The traffic is forgotten when you’re on the water.
Dennis Valdes and 12-year-old daughter Athena.
There is a saying that as
boys get bigger, their toys
also grow larger - and
more expensive. I proved
the theory correct when
I tested two toys for big
boys recently - a Maserati Levante with a
3.5 litre engine and a Hammerhead rigid
inflatable boat (RIB) with a 250 hp Evinrude
outboard, both loaners from friends.
The Maserati is the smaller of the two, but
under that hood lurks a powerful V6 with
a throaty Italian gurgle that is sure to put a
smile on anyone's dial. I drove the car from
Makati City, the Central Business District of
Metro Manila in The Philippines, to Nasugbu
in Batangas province for a weekend at the
beach. Leaving Makati on a Friday night
takes all the pleasure out of driving. For a
good hour, I couldn't get past 30 km/h on the
main highway leading out of town.
Once on the main expressway to Cavite,
however, the Levante was amazing. The
acceleration allowed me to squirt past a
Filipino jeepney like it was standing still.
Oh wait, it actually was, as it was taking on
passengers.
Driving in Cavite, you never know what
is going to pop up in front of you. Aside
88 WineNZ Magazine | Summer 2018-19

from a stray dog or errant cow, there are the
more challenging elderly grandmothers with
children in tow, tricycles that won't pull over as
they roll along at 25 km/h in the fast lane and,
my personal favourite, the motorcyclists that
zip along at 80 k/mh, no helmets, cellphones
in hand, hurtling towards you in your lane. But
the cocoon of the Maserati’s cabin provides
a soothing space to prevent all that stress
from penetrating.
After passing through a few small towns
and the bustle of Cavite, the road turns into
a two-lane zigzag through a national park.
This is the best part of the drive. The Levante
has a Sport mode that, when engaged, turns
the throaty gurgle into a deep roar, and the
acceleration goes to G-Force levels. I was
very impressed with the car’s handling around
the bends and never felt there was any risk
of the tyres letting go.
One small but significant thing I loved
about the Maserati was how well it synced
to my iPhone. A text would come in, I'd get
the car to read it to me, I'd dictate a response,
and it would be sent, all without me taking my
eyes off the road or my hands off the wheel.
The entire sync system was super smooth
and intelligent.
Once on the beaches of Nasugbu, I was
able to turn my attention to the other toy, the
Hammerhead RIB. The Hammerhead is made
by Advanced Composite Systems in Subic
Bay, Philippines, using an Australian mould
to create the deep V hull. The 8-metre version
I borrowed for the trip to the beach sported a
250 hp Evinrude G1 engine, which is a ton of
horsepower for one of ACS's smaller boats.
In the water, the Evinrude can push the
Hammerhead beyond 40 knots or 74 km/h.
While that’s nowhere near as fast as the
Levante when you get an open road, speed
on water is very different from on land. The
Hammerhead is an open boat, and at 40 knots
the speed seems huge and far more than enough
for the kids to get up on the foil wakeboard.
Music is a necessity for a top day on the
water. The Hammerhead has a Fusion stereo
system, which connected effortlessly to my
iPhone via Bluetooth. The speakers and
subwoofer on board were excellent. When
running at speed, engine noise and wind noise
drown out the music, no matter how good
the system, but once parked and anchored,
it was cool to have my quality “Dad” playlist
available.
Boats are infinitely more customisable than
cars. Hammerheads can have teak floors,
multiple seat configurations, and racks for all
other kinds of accessories. Indeed, the boat
toy is inevitably a conduit for lots of other
toys for the water. Skis and wakeboards are
some of the usual additions. If they’re too
strenuous then the boat can be used to transport
SUPs to a calm beach or scuba tanks to an
offshore reef.
maserati | motoring
Dennis Valdes with his wife Tessa ready to head to
the beach in the Maserati Levante.
So which toy would I rather have?
A lot more people can ride in an 8-metre
RIB than a four-seater Levante. But on the
other side of the coin, nothing compares to
the Maserati's signature, sexy gurgle. It’s a
tough call, so probably best to have both!
Dennis Valdes is a Makati-based company
president, motoring enthusiast, national
rep underwater hockey player, keen foil
wakeboarder and Marlborough sauvignon
blanc enthusiast.
Heading home to Makati’s city lights after a break at the beach.
www.winenzmagazine.co.nz
89

last word
oysters
In praise of
Vic Williams
S
ome foods polarise people.
Tripe is one. Raw oysters
are another.
Have you ever heard
anyone say that they ‘quite
like’ or ‘don’t mind’ either
one? Tripe lovers will travel hundreds of
kilometres to enjoy their chosen treat, and
oyster aficionados would crawl bare-kneed
over a kilometre of broken shells for theirs.
Those who fall into the opposite camp,
however, would quite likely endure similar
hardships to avoid either delicacy. Such are
the vagaries of the human appetite.
I enjoy tripe, sensitively prepared and
served either in the classical manner with
sliced onions and an indecent amount
of creamy sauce, or in the Italian style
with loads of garlic and tomatoes. Or
indeed in any of the other myriad ways
in which this now unfashionable meat
cut can be prepared. Those who share my
enthusiasm might like to know that there
are usually two examples on the menu of
Tony Astle’s legendary Antoine’s restaurant
in Auckland’s Parnell.
But it is oysters that get me really excited,
and I am delighted that it is at last becoming
easier in this country to enjoy them freshly
shucked.
People from European countries are often
shocked to be offered pre-opened oysters
in New Zealand restaurants, because they
have been brought up to believe that eating
a dead oyster could kill them.
Oddly, we are taught the same about
other shellfish, such as mussels. Most
recipe books tell us to discard any with open
shells because “that means they are dead”.
How did oysters escape this admonition?
Sadly, oysters can be a trigger for a
malady that legend has it is connected with
lavish dining – gout. It troubles me only
occasionally, but the pain is great enough
to drive me to caution when it comes to
the enjoyment of my favourite bivalve.
Thus it was that, finding myself in a
weekend market in coastal France a couple
of years ago, I was reduced to near-tears to
see a dramatically-moustached character
expertly opening a pile of oysters that he
assured me had been removed from the
ocean less than two hours before. The region
where my partner and I were staying was
famous for its oysters, and even though I
was just beginning to recover from a weeklong
attack of my painful nemesis, I could
not in all culinary conscience ignore him.
“Deux huitres, s’il vous plait,” I
said. “Deux?” he asked incredulously,
amazed that I wanted only one each for
my partner and myself. “J’ai le mal du
pied,” I explained, hoping that he would
understand my improvised French for
‘sickness of the foot’ and therefore my
predicament. “Ah,” he said knowingly,
as he opened two oysters and passed them
over, refusing payment.
I closed my eyes and tipped the oyster
and its attendant liquor into my mouth.
Bliss. It was fleshy, unbelievably juicy and
screamed of ocean spray. In the hollow of
that shell nestled all that is wonderful about
natural, unadorned food.
That single oyster, enjoyed on a sunny
day in a French carpark, was one of the
most marvellous things I have ever eaten.
Gout, be buggered. Oysters rule.
90 WineNZ Magazine | Summer 2018-19

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