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Two for the road
1)Shane-
I am limiting myself to a one page review of our recent trip to New Zealand. This will be difficult.
We were in for an adventure. After a rather extensive (and dreamy) flight from San Francisco, our group of wine explorers landed in Auckland, New Zealand with a seriously scrambled sense of time and place. Jason and I weren't sure whether to have an espresso or beer, so we exchanged currency, and opted for espresso, or known there as the 'short black'.
We recently had the opportunity to travel with 20 other wine professionals through both the north and south islands of New Zealand. I could effortlessly compose several pages on why New Zealand is one of, if not the most progressive, friendliest countries in the world, and I strongly encourage anyone with the travel bug to make a priority. An image search of "Waiheke Island" will illustrate what I mean. Pine trees and palm trees dance together in a strange and friendly landscape. It's early autumn, harvest time.
I could also rave about some of the new experiences for me: glowworm caves, feijoas, green-lipped mussels, Napier, McKinsey's dog, Georgie Pies, Abel Tasman, lamb sausage, netball, doppelbock and union rugby, but the focus of this article is WINE. So, although tempted, I'll continue with more professionalism.
Years ago, it would take so long for containers of corks to reach the wineries of New Zealand that often times, quality was compromised, and the wines suffered. Enter screw caps. To lock in flavor and freshness, screw caps are applied to at least 95% of all wines in New Zealand. More than just Sauvignon Blanc, the wine regions of both islands create wines of locality, and quality is high, making New Zealand wines a real global playa. Besides, they export most of their wine to other areas of the world, another case for screw caps, to ensure their pristine products arrive safe and sound. Satek Winery will eventually have screw caps, you heard it here first. It's the best closure, plain and simple.
I am usually not a Chardonnay drinker, but this was my white varietal of choice. As the many Kiwi winemakers note: they export the Sauvignon Blanc, but they drink the Chard. I could expand in detail on why these varietals do so well, but try them yourself, our whole group was awestruck. Syrah and Pinot Noir were light on their toes, totally easy drinkin', and Oregonish. We toured several cities.
The utterly heartbreaking city of Christchurch is slowly rebounding from a 2011 earthquake in which 185 people died. Churches and homes continue to decay as city officials and frustrated residents sort struggles with safety engineers and insurance adjusters. I can't wait to see the city persevere through rubble and rebuild. We continued downward.
The south island painted a picture of alpine terrain. Spearmint kissed coniferous pines climbed super steep hilltops, commercial timber forests abound. Wellington, the world's southernmost capital city, oozed English charm, while, further south, the evening sky in Queenstown exploded with stars and cedar scented nightlife. The bungee jump was invented here. As was the jet boat (aqua marine propulsion). Did I mention adventure?
The last evening included a gondola ride up to the Queenstown Skyline restaurant with an omniscient view over the whole city. I have just over 1000 pictures and I'll include my last. Our group of friends said our goodbyes and we started the voyage home.
If, for any reason, there is a chance to go to New Zealand: GO FOR IT!
Enjoy the people, the nature, and the wine, and give the Kiwis my warmest regards.
Photo by Shane Christ
2)Jason-
1) NZ pioneer Clive Paton, describing to our group, his history in founding Ata Rangi 2)Evidence of earthquake effects at Clifton Beach 3)An auto grape picker in full swing at Craggy Range 4)A pod of dusky dolphins, while whale watching. Photos by JS
Shane has done a great job in detailing the trip, and seeing as we were together for 90% or so of it, I'll draft onto his work (except for the Chard, he can have mine). In the spirit of teamwork, I'll try to provide a different tangent.
New Zealand has forced a presence into the wine drinking consciousness by saddling up Sauvignon Blanc, and riding it hard. They've become a popular viable option to Chardonnay and Pinot Gris, but as Shane noted, they feel they might have bumped up against the limits of focused specialization. Many of the winemakers talked about their options for a second act with a different grape if the world ever tired of a lemongrassy calling card for their workhorse, achieved through consistently being slightly under ripe. Their devotion to mastering this varietal, techniques we may be able to adapt to the Indiana signature grape Traminette, have allowed them to make delicious yet distinctive regional and personal styles of their national silver bullet.
The population of New Zealand is about 2/3 of the population of Indiana, but as mentioned in the introduction, beware oversimplification. New Zealand has one giant neighbor (Australia) but no bordering states or land masses, is a creation of giant tectonic plates crashing together, forcing it upward out of the ocean. It has no natural mammals, with creatures, aside from the migrating birds and the subterranean glow worms, being imported intentionally or accidentally by man. It is a wild, stunning beautiful countryside, well deserving of its exotic reputation and inhabited by a kind and generous people, whose society is evolving from colonial English origin to a blended Pan-Asian. While we can strive for their proficiency and prominence, we will never be able to match their mystic, and yet they have laid out a path by which we, with Traminette perhaps, could possibly follow, with the right combination of skill, effort, and luck, and claim a place in the sun, even if it's on the other hemisphere.
 5) 2 of the 12 visible grape presses of Yealands Estate 6) Dr Glenn Creasy of Lincoln University talking with Shane and Dr. Butzke 7)The netted vineyards of Carrick Vineyards 8)Shane bringing the local flavor abroad. Photos by JS
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