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Muirlea Rise (Martinborough)A segunda visita em Martinborough foi um bom exemplar da região.
Muirlea Rise é uma pequena vinícola fundada por Willie Brown, um antigo comerciante que tornou-se vinicultor, e que é administrada agora por seu filho Shawn. Shawn tem um senso de humor de sua origem escocesa, o que fez nossa visita muito divertida. Ele compartilhou conosco seu interesse pelo o vinho, que somente descobriu apenas depois que seus 30 anos - como acontecem para a maioria de nós todos.
Depois que seu pai faleceu, Shawn assumiu o negócio e está mantendo vivo o que era para o seu pai uma grande paixão: "acredito que cada única fileira das videiras tinha próprio nome" - Shawn disse referindo-se do entusiasmo de seu pai, ao mostrar os vinhedos e ao explicar sobre as técnicas empregadas, enquanto pássaros constantemente voavam em bandos como cenário de fundo. Em um lugar pequeno e simples, nós provamos os vinhos, todos tintos e não filtrados do estabelecimento. Entre eles um Pinot Noir 2000; Cabernet Blend 2001 e o Mareth 2001 (estilo do corte de Bordeaux). Todos vinhos apresentam um bom equilíbrio, boa finalização e, a última amostra eu guardaria pacientemente por alguns an os mais para revelar toda sua beleza. Alana Estate (Martinborough)Martinborough esta a uma curta distância de Wellington, cerca de uma hora de trem.
Peguei o trem no centro da capital do país e as 10:20h estiva em Featherson, pronta a juntar me ao grupo do passeio turístico a região do vinho. Como chegamos um pouco antes do horário que as vinícolas abrem suas portas ao público, nós fomos convidados a tomar um café em um lanchonete local - o que caiu muito bem como um “despertador”. O grupo era em sua maioria de australianos, com exceção da guia: uma senhora nativa que esta no negócio por 7 anos; e de mim – obviamente. A primeira propriedade que visitamos foi Alana.
O estabelecimento foi construído em 3 níveis, aproveitando-se do declive do terreno e a gravidade para dividir os processos de fabricação por níveis, utilizando-se do piso superior para o início do processo e o final para sua finalização.Os vinhos apresentaram-se no estilo que se esperaria na Nova Zelândia. Aparte do Sauvignon Blanc 2006 que apresenta o sabor de seus depósitos naturais (lees), diminuindo assim o sabor frutado. O Pinot Noir, Taupapa, 2004 teve um sabor de geléia de morango e tem potencial para envelhecer bem. O empreendimento todo dá uma atenção especial a “boa mesa” e o cardápio do restaurante é elaborado com características para complementar os vinhos.É também um bom local para um lanche, onde sempre se esta rodeado pelas videiras e as flores, estas também muito uteis para distrair insetos e mantê-los longe do que realmente importa: uvas. Te Kairanga Wines (Martinborough)TK, as it’s commonly known, occupies part of the extensive pastoral holings once owned by John Martin, after whom Martinborough was named. It was also the site of the first modern-day vine plantings in the Martinborough district, thought the original vines – planted in 1978 by publisher Alister Taylor – failed from neglect.
Now owned by a public company, Te Kairanga is Martinborough’s second-largest winery, with vineyards spread across eight sites.
Among the staff of the the winery are internationally experienced people who got their experience in a wide variety of places such as Australia, USA, UK, Spain and France. It even has a French winemaker, Mayi Caldwel married to Peter Caldwell, all very well connected.
The winery is in an attractive setting on the edge of Martinborough Terrace, above Huangarua River, with views of the surrounding hills.
It holds hospitality events throughout the year and have picnic loves welcomed in their premises.
The cellar door also has a wide variety of products, included some handcrafted wine and food accessories.
The samples tasted had also a big variety of wines, but the Pinot Noir kingdom in Martinborough was evident, with 4 samples of it. Among them there was John Martin Reserve 2005, claimed and confirmed their finest Pinot Noir named after the stockman who gifted the land for Martinborough township. This wine has been crafted from a selection of fine wines produced separately from small parcels separately from small parcels of fruit from individual sites on the TK's five Martinborough vineyards. Classic complexity would develop beautifully over the next year, with tannins in the right measure to support it.
The winery was the very last one on our tour and after visiting and trying so many samples (not drunk all of them, of course) I did not feel like buying a wine, so I bought instead a cheese's knife, very related to the subject and joined my marry group (who seemed to had not reject any of the wines) to finish the day with... a cheese plate in the town center. Tirohana Estate (Martinborough)After a wine match in the town center with fresh local food, we headed to the 3rd winery in included in the tour. Originally the home block of Voss Estate Vineyard, Tirohana Estate was bought two years ago by British-born Raymond Thompson, and is managed by his daughter and son-in-law, Saranne and Toby James. The cellar door is a restored barn where visitors in summer can enjoy their wine samples in a sunny courtyard. However, we arrived in a sunny beautiful day of... winter, so, we were invited to the mini-museum-tasting-room in the back of the shop, what wasn't too bad as the place was full with pictures of the vineyard in various stages of the year. The most interesting sequence was during a night frost at one cold spring that woke up the crew that had to set fire among the vines to blow away the possible frost with smoke and warm, detected previously by a satellite and send as a warning - good and old techniques together. As Pinot Noir is the star in region, it comes in a Rose version in this winery: Rose 2006, which has a very similar style to the old good red one, just a little lighter. The Pinot Noir itself (2005) has pepper and wood carachteristics and there was also a dessert wine (2006) made from Riesling and Sauvingon grapes affected by Botrytis. Works Cafe & Winery - Goldenvines Estate Wines (Gisborne)The next winery, Goldenvines, visit happened after a walk around the small city of Gisborne and its main tourist attractions, among them, the arrival site of Capitan Cook in New Zealand. Goldenvines is a new label launched by young entrepreneur Tony Taylor. John Thorpe, also wine maker for several other local labels, makes the wines in this 99-year-old brick building on Gisborne's waterfront that once housed the freezing works. The cellar door sells several other local wines besides Goldvines, including long established Gisborne labels Revington and Longbush. Tony also acquired the Works Cafe in the same building, which offers breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. The cellar door is situated in the restaurant and I was offered a small cheese platter to go with my wine tasting. It was a good way to improve my knowledge of cheese and wine matching and also, a reasonable priced deal: for NZ$ 10, which included 9 of their three range of wines. The only down side of the cheese pairing was that their samples were mainly white wines, but it was interesting to find out some good combination surprises, such as Gewürztraminer (Goldvines, Estate, Gisborne, 2005) with blue cheese and Muscat (Goldvines, Estate, East Coast, 2005) with Brie. However, I would give the limelight spot to the Chenin Blanc made from 20 year-old vines, with a floral bouquet in the nose and a delightful feeling in the mouth, which was a big surprise considering that Chenin is not the local star and its not the most expensive in the list neither, it is NZ$32 / bottle, well behind from their sample of Gisborne's famous Chardonnay (Revington, (NZ$42). Unfortunately I was not able to visit the winery as it was closed for work – wineries not only survive as a tourist attraction, fortunately. Lindauer Cellars (Gisborne)Visit Gisborne was a last minute decision. It was a little off my track, but I though it could be nice to take advantage of a not-so-good weather and included a region where outdoor activity is not a must to do (not forgetting that I AM a tourist as well). So, I bought a bus ticket to travel to the middle east of the north island and join the kiwis (majority of them) in a 5 hours journey.
I must admit that I was really looking forward to be one of the first ones to see the morning light. But unfortunately, as the weather forecast has warned, there was no sun at all during my stay. To compensate that I had a very nice walk in the drizzle through the city, where I found, in a relatively short distance, Lindauer Cellars (house of the most popular sparkling wine of NZ). Owned by Montana group, the winery can trace its original back to the very beginnings of commercial wine making in Poverty Bay. Wine was first made in the district in the 19th century by French Catholic priest, Father Lampila, but it was German immigrant Friedrich Wohnsiedler who established the region's first commercial vineyard - in the Waihirere Valley just north of Gisborne - in 1921. His company, Waihirere Wines became one of New Zealand's biggest producers and remained in family hands until it was sold to Montana in 1973. Montana produced its Chardonnays from the Gisborne region in the early-to-mid 1970s. Today the Gisborne winery hosts Montana's largest and most comprehensive cellar-door facility, included a winery museum, which seeks to replicate the atmosphere of France's famous Champagne caves. I did a self guided tour in the museum, because I arrived too early and it was actually closed but they allowed me in, what was good to avoid the usual crowd of people and also to take my time in what interested me the most, which was the process of making sparkling wine, from the very beginning process until the closure with a funny shape cork, which a saw for the first time before being bottled.
I never had much interest to try Lindauer wines, mainly because they are widely available at the supermarkets and for a price which can make very suspicious the quality for a traditional method sparkling wine: very cheap.
The wines produced under the label are easy drinking and without complexity. It has a massive production as target and has a faithful consumer, fair enough. What impress the most is how big Montana group is getting in the country, as an important and big (for New Zealand proportions) producer the very a wide variety of products. You will find Montana's wine almost everywhere, what don't make them very attractive - to me at least. See, there is a wine for everyone needs. Muirlea Rise (Martinborough)The second visit in Martinborough was a good representative of the region. Muirlea Rise is a tiny winery founded by the late Willie Brown, a former wine merchant turned winemaker, and now run by his son Shawn. Shawn has a scothish sense of humor and made the tour very entertaining, he shared with us his interest for wine which he just discovered after his 30's - as it is happen to most of us all. After his dad has died, Shawn took over the business and is keeping alive what was his father for father a great passion: "He had named every single row of vines - I am sure" - said Shawn, while showing the grapevine and explaining about the winegrow techniques, while birds flow constantly on the background during all the time. In a small cosy place we tasted the non filtered all-red wines from the winery. Among them a Pinot Noir 2000; Cabernet Blend 2001 and the Mareth 2001 (Bordeaux blend style). They all very well balanced wines with good finish and, the last sample I would be happy to keep it for an extra couples of years to find out its whole beauty.
Alana Estate (Martinborough)Martinborough is a short drive from Wellington city center or an hour train journey, in my case. I took a train from the country capital city and was in Featherson at 10:20 am ready to join the group for a wine trip through the wine region. As we are a little earlier than the wineries opening time we were invited to have a coffee in a local cafe - what I was very thankful as a good-morning-wake-up-call. The group were mostly Australians, apart from the guide-driver: a local kiwi lady, in the business for 7 years; and me of course, which am a Brazilian - nationality rare to find over this part of the world, specially doing this sort of tourism. The first place we visited was Alana Estate. Ian and Alana smart’s handsome three-level winery is built against a hillside on stony terraces above the Huangarua River. It’s designed according to gravity-flow principles – winemaking starts at the top level and moves down – avoiding damage to grapes or wine by excessive pumping and handling. The wines presented in the tasting match with what you would expect from their style in New Zealand. Apart from the Sauvignon Blanc 2006 that among the fruity Kiwi Style also had some toast flavor from the lees deposit on it. The Pinot Noir, Taupapa, 2004 had a strawberry jam flavor and had some potential to develop. The whole business is food friendly and the restaurant part of it, features plates to complement the wines. It is also a good spot for a snack among the vines and the flowers planted to distract insects and keep them away from what really matters: grapes. GisborneLocalizada no extremo leste do país e o mais próximo da imaginária linha que determina a divisão internacional dos dias, Gisborne possui as videiras que primeiro vem o sol nascer. A região recebe elevadas horas da luz do sol nas planícies litorais que são protegidas do oeste por uma escala de montanhas. Os solos incluem subsolos arenosos ou vulcânicos com argila de fertilidade moderada. Os vinhedos são situados predominantemente nas planícies. As uvas crescem na região desde desde os primeiros cultivos, na parte traseira de Manatuke, nos idos de 1850. Porem, coube a Montana (parte agora da grupo internacional Pernod Rocard) conduzir à maneira moderna, que tem cultivado Chardonnay nas planícies que cercam a cidade por mais de 30 anos. Chardonnay ocupa em torno da metade dos vinhedos de Gisborne, que é considerada a capital do Chardonnay na Nova Zelândia. A outra grande parte do volume é de variedades brancas, deixando as uvas vermelhas uma parte de somente 10%. Gisborne situa-se na junção de três rios, na borda da única quantidade considerável de terra lisa e, cercada por montanhas. As videiras em Gisborne têm o título de "primeiramente para ver a luz" no mundo. Fonte de Informação:http://www.nzwine.com/ GisborneLocated on the country's most easterly tip and closest to the international dateline, Gisborne boasts the world's most easterly vineyards and the first vines to see the sun each day. The region receives high sunshine hours on coastal plains that are sheltered from the west by a range of mountains. Soils include alluvial loams over sandy or volcanic subsoils of moderate fertility. Situated at the junction of three rivers, on the edge of the only considerable amount of flat land. Grapes have been grown in the area since the first plantings at Manatuke back in the 1850s. But it was left to Montana Wines (now part of the international Pernod Rocard) to lead the way with modern varietals. It has been growing Chardonnay vines on the flats that surround the city for well over 30 years. Chardonnay occupies around half of Gisborne's vineyards and has lead Gisbornes grapegrowers and winemakers to christen their region the Chardonnay capital of New Zealand. The balance is planted in mostly white varieties, leaving red grapes a share of only 10%. The vines in Gisborne have the title of “first to see the light” in the world. From the Web Site: http://www.nzwine.com Vidal WinesNext to try was Vidal Wines, where I felt I had all the time of the world to enjoy the wines and the warm hospitality of the hostess. Established by Spaniard Anthony Vidal in 1905, it still occupies its original Hastings site but has long since severed any connection with the founding family, having been bought by the Villa Maria Group in 1976 after several ownership changes. All the wines tried are made in the styles I have been finding most commonly in the country, showing the market focused approach of the company. However there was a precious one present among them: a Viogner, Hawkes Bay 2006, winner of three awards, full deserved in my opinion. The wine shows that it was rested in its lees but also a light pleasant floral aroma. That was the one I chosen to buy and liked it so much that I have not opened it yet. I plan to do it so when I have a Thai dinner, which I believe it goes really well with – for the sake if my sommelier skills improvement and my complete timed pleasure. C J Pask WineryAfter leaving Napier I went to Hastings, not far from there, with my travel mate who left the next morning to carry on her trip. I explored a little the town and made my plans for the next day, including visits in all wineries which I could reach by foot. Not many, unfortunately. The first one to visit was CJ Pask, located in the edge of Hasitngs. The winery has played a leading role in the development of the Gimblett Gravels winemaking district and in the emergence of Hawke's Bay as a world-class wine region. While tasting the wines in the Tasting Room which is just off the winery, the friendly lady who was helping me told about the trading of the company, which apparently, will have Brazil in the portfolio – I hope. The Chardonnay 2005 from Gimblett Road has as distinctive flavour of its lees and it’s made from a “Mendonza Clone”, which presents small and big berries and the same bunch and results in a concentrated flavour wine. I also tried a Sauvignon Blanc 2006 (old world style); “Bordeaux” blend of Cabernet, Merlot 2005 from Gimblett Road which was very good and still developing and the most interesting one was a Syrah Gimblett Road 2005 full of black pepper aromas and medium tannins. Left the winery with a half-bottle made on measure for travellers and solo drinkers alike. MartinboroughWellington é o nome oficial para a grande região que ocupa a seção do sul da ilha do norte. Wairarapa, no lado oriental mais baixo da região, é o único distrito do vinho de Wellington. Martinborough, além de ser uma cidade, é também a área conhecida como a mais antiga e de melhor vinho dentro da região de Wairarapa. Wairarapa - que em Maori significa ‘lugar de águas brilhantes’, é o lugar para vinhos boutique no país, propriedades pequenas sob comando familiar, de fabricantes apaixonados por vinho e generoso sol, focalizadas em produzir mais qualidade que quantidade, rendimentos relativamente pequenos permitem aos viticultores se dedicarem a elaboração de vinhos superiores. Localizada em um terraço de um antigo rio, com profundidade e livre drenagem, Martinborough tem baixa precipitação de chuva, verões quentes e um outono longo, seco. É a consistência do outono da região que acredita-se fornecer contrapeso para os dias quentes (que desenvolvem a maturidade) e das noites frescas (que equilibram a elegância). Os vinhos da região são considerados com boa concentração, textura e excelente profundidade, devido aos níveis baixos de produção e às qualidades originais do solo e do clima da área. Pinot Noir é a mais plantada e certamente a mais aclamada variedade da região. O sucesso do Pinot Noir de Martinborough tem conexão direta com o desenvolvimento rápido desta. Oficialmente, sexta maior região produtora da Nova Zelândia, Wellington é pequena em termos de produção porem com grande contribuição à reputação da qualidade vitivinícola do país.
Informação extraída de http://www.nzwine.com/regions/ e do Guia de Wairarapa 2006/7. MartinboroughWellington is the official name for the large region which occupies the southern section of the North Island. Wairarapa, on the lower eastern side of the region, is Wellington's only wine district. Martinborough, as well as being a town, is also the oldest and best known wine area within the Wairarapa region. Wairarapa – the place Maori named ‘the land of glistering waters’, is the place for boutique wines in the country, with small family run estates, passionate wine-makers and lots of sunshine, focused on producing quality rather quantity, relatively small yields enable winemakers to devote themselves to handcrafting superior wines. Located in an ancient alluvial river terrace made up of deep, free-draining gravel overlaid with gravely silt loam, Martinborough has low rainfall, hot summers and a long, dry autumn. It is the consistency of the region’s autumn that’s believed to provide the right balance of warm days (creating ripeness) and cool nights (creating elegance). Wines produced form the region are considered to have excellent concentration, texture and depth, due to the low cropping levels and the area’s unique soil and climate qualities. Pinot Noir is the region's most planted and certainly most acclaimed grape variety. The success of Martinborough Pinot Noir has to a large extent driven the rapid development of this very dynamic and quality-focused region. Climatically Wairarapa is more aligned to Marlborough than to any of the North Island regions. The success and style of its Sauvignon Blanc is evidence of this alliance. Officially New Zealand's sixth largest region, Wellington is small in production terms but makes a large contribution to the country's quality winemaking reputation. Info mostly extracted from http://www.nzwine.com/regions/ and the Escape Planner 2006/7 Wairarapa guide. Baía de HawkesA Baía de Hawkes é a segunda maior região na viticultura do país e tem uma respeitada história de 100 anos.
Apresenta topografia variada e com larga escala de tipos do solo, produz uma diversidade considerável de estilos do vinho nesta grande região. Há 22 categorias de tipos do solo nas planícies de Heretaunga sozinha. Os períodos de maturação de uma única variedade da uva podem variar em até três semanas entre o quente solo pedregoso de Gimblett Road aos altos vinhedos, mais frescos, da região central Baía de Hawkes. Chardonnay é a variedade mais extensamente plantada, mas as longas horas de luz do sol atraem uma porcentagem elevada de variedades da uva preta tais como Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc e Syrah, também como o Pinot Noir. Sauvignon Blanc é a outra principal variedade branca, complementada por Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Semillon e Viogner, encontrado também. É um ótimo lugar par visitar-se vinícolas; com 32 destas abertas ao público; situado na vizinhança das cidades de Napier, Taradale, Flaxmere, Hastings e Havelock North. Informação extraída principalmente de: Web site http://www.nzwine.com/regions/ e Guia de Vinícolas da Região. New Zealand's Sauvingon Blanc Mystery to Be SolvedResearching Styles of New Zealand Sauvingon Blanc
Sauvignon blanc programme The New Zealand Foundation for Research Science and Technology is funding a broad-based research programme to identify aroma compounds in New Zealand Sauvignon blanc wines with annual funding of $1.6M from July 2004.
The chemical constituents of some of the major aromas and flavours in Sauvignon blanc have recently been elucidated. Three of the most dominant aromas giving rise to passionfruit and broom characters are derived from flavour-active volatile thiols, while methoxypyrazine compounds remain important for capsicum and other "green" characters. The volatile thiols are formed during the fermentation of the wine by yeast, which convert flavourless, non-volatile precursors (cysteine conjugates) that are present in grape juice. The research utilises expertise in viticulture, molecular biology, genetics, chemical and biochemical analysis and sensory science in an integrated programme with close links to the wine industry and New Zealand Winegrowers. Feedback workshops were held in October-November 2006 in which results from the programme were presented to a large number of industry representatives. At the Tamaki wine hall Within the Wine Science Programme at the University of Auckland Laura Nicolau and Paul Kilmartin are using chemical analysis equipment to survey the chemical and sensory profile of New Zealand Sauvignon blanc wines, identify new aroma compounds, and examine the stability of these compounds during winemaking and bottle aging.
At the School of Biological SciencesAt the School of Biological Sciences, Richard Gardner and Mat Goddard are leading a research team to develop yeast strains with differing efficiencies of conversion of the various thiol compounds. DNA techniques are enabling the yeast strains active in New Zealand ferments to be identified.
At HortResearchSensory and consumer science approaches are being used to investigate the concept of Marlborough Sauvignon blanc and consider a wider range of New Zealand Sauvignon blanc wine styles as a function of geographical region, sub-region and vintage. Cynthia Lund and Roger Harker, at HortResearch in Auckland, are investigating sensory profiles of Sauvignon blanc winestyles using trained panels, and relate the various wine styles to consumer preferences.
At the Marlborough Wine Research Centre Trials aimed at understanding the development and concentration of the flavour chemicals in fruit and juice are being led by Mike Trought at the Marlborough Wine Research Centre. Mike, together with Rob Agnew and Marc Greven are quantifying the impact of the key environmental (e.g. light, temperature and water) and geographic variables (e.g. soil texture and chemical composition) on Sauvignon blanc aroma precursor content. Wendy Parr is studying the psychophysics and cognitive basis of human perception of wine flavour, in close proximity of Marlborough’s world-renowned vineyards and winemaking expertise.
At Lincoln UniversityBrian Jordan and Chris Winefield at Lincoln University are looking at the impact of the environment on gene expression and biosynthetic pathways of key aroma compounds in the grape, with a focus on the formation of thiol precursors. Further viticultural projects and aroma analyses involve Roland Harrison, Rob Sherlock and other Lincoln staff.
Mission EstateNós chegamos na vinícola em um espaço curto de tempo, porem perdemos o horário da visitação, mas acredito que uma excursão ao dia é o suficiente - Então, tudo tranquilo. A Mission é o produtor mais antigo de vinho da Nova Zelândia (fundado em 1851 pelo sacerdote francês Lampila, todavia em local diferente) situa-se nas inclinações ensolaradas do subúrbio de Napier, em Greenmeadows. Faz parte da propriedade um prédio gracioso de estilo colonial – que foi anteriormente um seminário católico. Estabelecida para fornecer vinho sacramental - e o vinho para as refeições dos Maristas, a vinícola teve foi administrada para mais de um século por sacerdotes e irmãos. A propriedade é linda, oferecendo várias opções para eventos, o que tem sido uma característica constante dos estabelecimentos que tenho visitado país, onde o negócio tem uma cara multifuncional.Os vinhos, feitos pelo enólogo Paul Mooney, tem sua matéria-prima dos vinhedos de diversas localidades da baía de Hawke e representam uma mostra dos estilos da região. Eu experimentei uma grande variedade de seus vinhos e a maioria deles são bons. Para seus melhores exemplares, há a indicação de origem - uma outra similaridade que Nova Zelândia tem com "o velho mundo", como o cascalho de Gimblet, para o Merlot 2005 e Jewelston para a mistura Cabernet - Merlot 2004. Miriam pareceu gastar dele, declarando que era "um ótimo ‘ice wine’". Eu ainda não sei o disse apenas para ser amável ou se por gostar de vinhos doces ou porque este era realmente bom, visto que, em minha opinião não tinha nada de extraordinário. Eis que a curiosidade de provar um “ice wine” foi saciada com o "forjado" – temporariamente. |
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