Kindeli | amarchinthevines

It was always going to be the trip of a lifetime but, my word, it lived up to that billing. There are so many positives to Australia and New Zealand. I couldn’t help thinking that these young nations are energetic, vibrant and forward thinking in comparison to so much of Europe. Links with Pacific and Asian countries are to the fore and that will be their future though they retain a tremendous affection for their European links. The many people who were more than keen to talk with us were rightly proud of their countries, eager to find out about our trip and delighted to hear our enthusiasm. Positivity abounds.

The people themselves were such a highlight, as I have said before, they are helpful, polite and know how to enjoy themselves. The climate is obviously helpful in encouraging outdoor lifestyles, admittedly we were very lucky with the weather on our trip.

The wildlife was a constant joy, seeing kangaroos, koalas and kiwis in real life was just marvellous. Birds, fish and shark were stunning. Please look after them.

Above all though it was the joy of their natural landscapes which will live longest in the memory. These are jaw droppingly beautiful countries with such variety from coastlines, mountains, equatorial forest to the wonders of the Barrier Reef. Add on man made wonders such as Sydney Harbour’s Bridge and Opera House, I find myself smiling just thinking about them all.

Regarding wine. To be honest overall I was a trifle disappointed with so many wines and wine lists. The safe, conventional and commercial are everywhere. Perfectly drinkable wines but lacking excitement. However, dig a little and quality emerges. From Kalleske in the Barossa to Hans Herzog in Marlborough and Domaine Road in Otago I found conventional wines that were very good to drink. The highlights though were from the emergence of a natural wine scene in both countries. Kindeli, Cambridge Road and The Hermitage Ram in New Zealand were certainly highlights. Shobbrook, Sullivan, Tausend are names to look up in Australia.

In a way though I was spoiled early on. The Adelaide Hills was the source of so many of my favourite wines of the trip. There is a lively community of producers, supporting each other, who are making exciting, vibrant clean wines. Gentle Folk, Jauma, Manon, Basket Range, The Other Right are just some of the names to seek out. Add to that list the excellent bottles of my friend James Madden of Little Things wines. I am biased but his wines were amongst the best I tasted during this trip. The brilliant Chardonnay, refreshing PetNat, complex Field Blend were all in my top wines.

Australia and New Zealand have young winemakers looking to break with traditional methods. Behind the wave of producers in Europe perhaps but starting to create an impression and proving to my mind that there will be some wonderful wines to savour in coming years. It is no coincidence that most of these producers have worked in Europe, for example James at Jeff Coutelou’s. They will use that learning, adapt it to their local conditions to make their interpretation of Australian and New Zealand wines. I buy into their vision wholeheartedly.

Thanks to everyone we met for making the trip so special. Above all thanks to James, Sam, Flo and Pat for sharing their home with us and being so generous. And to Howard, a great chef, host and friend.

Wellington from Mt. Victoria

If I stick to wine this will be a short post. Through a mixture of bad planning and the need to do holiday activities which are not wine related there were no wine trips on North Island. The wines of Martinborough and Hawke’s Bay (with or without its apostrophe) were not untasted of course but we headed from Wellington to Rotorua and then the north coast missing out those two venerable wine regions. Another time maybe?

As I said I have tasted wines from both areas whilst here.

From Hawke’s Bay:

Craggy Range Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay which were both good, plenty of classic aromas and flavours with more concentration than most
Church Road Pinot Gris, pleasant though not world beating
Pask Syrah and Declaration Syrah both of which had good fruit and full flavours, the latter being more concentrated. A sign of how the area of Gimblett Gravels does add more depth
Te Mata Syrah was ok, typical of the grape though lacking the style and finesse of its elder brother Bullnose. Te Mata Coleraine was the first wine from New Zealand which convinced me that great wines could be made here when I tasted it a good 20 years ago.

serine-syrah-2014

The wine which stood out for me though, and I had 2015 and 2011 versions, was Stonecroft‘s Serine Syrah. This was my favourite red of the North Island by far and yet it is far from the most expensive. Good red fruits, complexity from some oak age and very persistent combined to make this a very good glassful and good value. Apparently it comes from the oldest Syrah vines in NZ and was once thought to be from Serine, a Syrah clone though this is not the case. Gimblett Gravels again and the 2011 had plenty of life even though this is not intended as a wine to age too long. I would like to find more of their wines.

From Martinborough

Schubert Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc which were fine, good examples of each
Palliser Riesling which was nice and tangy, good and dry
Escarpment Pinot Noir had good fruit and less sign of age than many other examples I have had in NZ

Parliament, the Beehive

However, North Island has been about the magnificent natural scenery and landscapes as well as the most friendly and attractive capital city in Wellington. The harbour, botanical gardens, cable car, Mt. Victoria and its views all make Wellington a perfect city to visit, its range of architecture and friendly greetings all add to its charm. Add in a magnificent national museum Te Papa with free entry including the outstanding Gallipoli exhibition, one of the best I have ever seen.

From there to the volcanic region of Rotorua, also showing many Maori villages and culture. Geysers, mud pools, hot water springs, steaming hillsides all have a mystery which captures the imagination and awes me.

The north coast of the Coromandel, Bay of Plenty and Bay of Islands are all superb, I have never seen a beach so enticing and beautiful as Cooks Beach whilst small towns and villages such as Whitianga as well as Russell (NZ’s first capital city) and Paihia on the Bay of Islands show colonial style architecture as well as charm, as long as the cruise ships have not landed! There were even some vineyards to look at too.

nether1
Finally I must mention Cult Wines in Wellington. I finally found some natural wines and this little shop has a good selection from New Zealand, Australia and Europe. We had a very good, juicy PetNat from Black Estate (Waipara) called Netherwood and a round no SO2 Pinot Noir from Escarpment (see above). It is interesting to see more domaines experimenting with making natural wines. These two were certainly successes. NZ’s fledgling natural wineries such as Hermit Ram and Cambridge Road were represented but travelling isn’t wine buying friendly.

Kindeli Otono, Escarpment Noir, Kindeli Verano

I did buy two wines from Kindeli which is the work of Alex Craighead. He has his own vineyards and sources more grapes, all from Nelson. Verano was a delicious, juicy, fresh field blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah. A deep rosé in colour it was very good. Otono is a blend of Gewurztraminer and Riesling, it is distinctly natural in style but the Gewurz violets come through and there’s a nice saline, dry lick to the finish.

I would love to have visited Hawke’s Bay but if you get the chance then New Zealand, both islands, are must visits. Wherever we have been has been spectacular in its own way.