Back home, if Jake and I are in the mood for some white wine, it's almost always a Sauvignon Blanc and we usually pick up one from New Zealand. I didn't realize how young the wine industry is in NZ until we learned about it during our time here. Before the 1970s, there was little to no demand for wine within the country and therefore the farmers focused on crops other than grapes. As demand continues to increase, the orchards are being replaced by grapevines. It turns out that the combination of the climate and soil in NZ make several areas great for grape growing. Sauvignon Blanc (SB) was the first type of wine made in NZ that really took off and it’s not just us, many wine critics consider the best SB in the world to be made here. The other varietal that is prevalent in NZ is Pinot Noir. The low annual sunshine in New Zealand discouraged the planting of most red grapes but apparently Pinot Noir doesn’t mind the clouds.
One of the oldest vineyards in NZ is Villa Maria. They are proud to be NZ owned and operated, but the founder's roots are Croatian. He grew up learning about wine and having it be part of his culture and I think it's interesting and wonderful that he helped bring the wine industry to NZ. He started the vineyard in 1961 and is still extremely involved with the vineyard, and the NZ wine industry today. Villa Maria was the first stop on a wine tasting tour we did in the northeast corner of the South Island in a region called Marlborough. In my opinion, it was also the best vineyard we visited in Marlborough because not only was the wine tasty, but the woman working in the tasting room was quite a character who had us laughing nonstop between our sips of several vintages of Pinot Noir, Malbec and Sauvignon Blanc. Over the course of the day our small tour group of three went to about six vineyards, a chocolate manufacturer and we were able to fit in a nice lunch amongst the vines before the rain set in. Have I mentioned that it rains a lot in New Zealand? We've had more rainy days than sunny days, there is zero doubt about that.
Villa Maria Vineyard in the Marlborough region of New Zealand
On the North Island, in Martinborough, a region known for its Pinot Noir, instead of being driven around by a tour operator, we rented bikes and visited several vineyards at our own pace. The vineyards are within very close proximity to each another which made it easy riding in between tastings. I think Jake may have been looking for more of a riding adventure, but I didn't mind it. As was the case in Marlborough, there were bright clusters of grapes on the vines as it was just about harvest season. I love tasting the red grapes right off of the vine when it’s close to picking time, they are so sweet and delicious! The first time I had visited a vineyard was an April trip to Napa and Sonoma. There were barely leaves on the vine then, never mind grapes. It makes the wine tour experience much more enjoyable when there are bring green leaves and plump grapes to ogle.
Vineyard hopping in Martinborough, New Zealand
There are a few other wine regions in NZ but if you are trying to choose between one of these two, I'd say get yourself some bikes and explore Martinborough.
~ Jesslyn