The new wine thread
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@taniwharugby said in The new wine thread:
@catogrande not likely, we export all our best stuff for premium price!
I think you are right and beers are similar in that they are brewed toward local tastes; Grolsch brewed under licence in UK is different to Grolsch brewed under licence in NZ, and both are different to Grolsch brewed in Holland, so expect wines will be geared toward certain palates as well.
I know when I was in the UK I found the French wine market very 'upper class' and you generally looked down your nose at the new world stuff, similarly when Cloudy Bay was the SB to be seen to drink, despite there being plenty of far superior ones, it does come across as a very snobby world...
Of if the marketing is good we sell our worst at premium prices....
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@hooroo said in The new wine thread:
My cousin recently moved back from living in France for nearly 30 years.
He can't beleive how 'bad' our reds are. Likens them to drinking a fruit cocktail.
He has found a few now that are more Euro like rather than 'New World'.
As Cato says depends on what price you are prepared to pay in France in order to not get absolute crap. The worst French wines would be by some margin less drinkable than their kiwi equivalents.
in general Kiwi reds are more fruit driven but we also sell and drink them really young. Give them a bit of bottle age and they become more old world in character.
However like all generalisations their are also plenty of exceptions to the new world/fruity old world/earthy rule. We have some very "French" style Bordeaux blends as evidenced by them doing consistently well on the international stage and being mistaken for French wines in blind tastings.
Our Pinots are very fruit driven but even there the Martinborough ones are far more classical in style than those of Central Otago.
Finally vine age really benefits the French producers with most NZ plantings in the last 10-15 years
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I think there is also a huge difference in purpose. Many kiwi wines are made to be drunk alone, as a result they’re often (to me anyway) too sweet in comparison to old world wines. But, as has been mentioned, there are plenty of exceptions both ways.
As I’m coming home during new year, i just bought a case from Chard Farm (Gibbston Valley), with a plan to drink a few while I’m there, and will bring 8 or 9 back. For anyone who hasn’t been there, it’s a beautiful spot for wine tasting, and they go hardcore at making wine for food - much of it requires a bit of interaction as they are a bit ‘thin’ compared to others saround, but with a bit of time and the right dish, it’s amazing. The riesling is a great aperitif too.
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@dogmeat said in The new wine thread:
@hooroo said in The new wine thread:
My cousin recently moved back from living in France for nearly 30 years.
He can't beleive how 'bad' our reds are. Likens them to drinking a fruit cocktail.
He has found a few now that are more Euro like rather than 'New World'.
We have some very "French" style Bordeaux blends as evidenced by them doing consistently well on the international stage and being mistaken for French wines in blind tastings....
Finally vine age really benefits the French producers with most NZ plantings in the last 10-15 years
Yep, I tried some Gimblet Gravels Bordeaux blend a couple of years or so ago after reading about them in a blind tasting where they held up very well. I managed to source some in the UK and was quietly impressed. They had the finesse of a classed growth Claret, albeit one showing no real age. I've tried to get some more but they are not easily available and when they are the price is pretty steep.
And yep again. Vine age gives a great opportunity to add quality but not on its own. The vinification has to be good too. I have drunk a fair bit of "Vielles Vignes", that quite frankly are undrinkable.
And on the subject of undrinkable, at a recent wine tasting event I was given a glass of a Bordeaux blend from India. Filth.
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@catogrande It's a bit of a forgotten brand here but I still reckon that Church Rd reserve CS or CSM are a good example of a bourdeaux style red wine produced in NZ. I also have a bunch of aged Alluviale red wine from Gimblett Rd that I hope has not gone over the edge, now that Mrs CF and I don't drink a much as we used to (which wasn't that much)
Alluviale Hawke's Bay Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 - $39.95 p/btl!
$39.95 p/btl - Alluviale Hawke's Bay Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 from blackmarket.co.nz!
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@gt12 Wine and food pairings can make a huge difference. Some time ago I was invited to a wine and food pairing event run by Casilero del Diablo, the giant Chilean wine producer. All very nice and they went some way to trying to explain the complexity of pairing wine and food. The most stand to explanation was in regard to their Chardonnay. I'm not a fan of huge, fat, buttery chardonnay and sadly this was one of them. rink it on its own and it was like an alcoholic fruit juice. However try it after a mouthful of the paired food (Caesar Salad bites) and the difference was huge. The food softened the wine and opened spa far greater range of flavours. The wine expert was saying this is due to the egg within the Caesar dressing which affects a lot of the louder flavours in wine.
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@canefan Not heard of the Church Road brand. Do they export to the UK do you know?
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@catogrande I'd imagine they do. They won awards over 10 years ago then went quiet, I wonder if they don't fee the need to enter competitions anymore
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@canefan I've just tried them out on winesearcher and the Cab Say/Merlot Grand Reserve is only available in NZ
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@catogrande It's hard to know what you get there. Back in 1999 when I visited the UK for the first time they were selling White Cloud wine IIRC and it was a big deal. But no one drank that shit at home, a bit like aussies not drinking Fosters!!
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@canefan said in The new wine thread:
@catogrande It's hard to know what you get there. Back in 1999 when I visited the UK for the first time they were selling White Cloud wine IIRC and it was a big deal. But no one drank that shit at home, a bit like aussies not drinking Fosters!!
Probably because people thought they were drinking Cloudy Bay!
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Felton Rd wines are very nice
https://www.nzhouseofwine.co.uk/product-details/felton-road-bannockburn-pinot-noir
https://www.nzhouseofwine.co.uk/product-details/felton-road-dry-riesling
The pinots are delicious and the riesling is underrated, usually has aromas of apricots, yummy
https://www.nzhouseofwine.co.uk/product-details/te-mata-estate-coleraine-cabernet-merlot
Coleraine is regarded as one of NZ's best reds
http://www.raymondchanwinereviews.co.nz/blog/te-mata-coleraine-2015-1982
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@catogrande said in The new wine thread:
@canefan Not heard of the Church Road brand. Do they export to the UK do you know?
Very few NZ wineries sell under the same label in the U.K.
Often the brand name is registered by someone else, sometimes the name is unsuitable
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@crucial said in The new wine thread:
@catogrande said in The new wine thread:
@canefan Not heard of the Church Road brand. Do they export to the UK do you know?
Very few NZ wineries sell under the same label in the U.K.
Often the brand name is registered by someone else, sometimes the name is unsuitable
Are you an accountant? That post is informative but not actually any help.
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I’m a huge fan, but haven’t made it across to Cromwell for a few years. It’s maaaaaaaaad money here, so I never buy kiwi wine in Japan.
Planning to take the Mrs there next year, with lunch and a few bottles at Mt Difficulty too.
Last time I was home, I had an amazing Sauv Blanc from Peregrine - their Pinots are always pretty good, but I was super impressed with the white, and it was a reasonable price too - like $25 bucks or something and we’ll worth it.
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@catogrande said in The new wine thread:
@crucial said in The new wine thread:
@catogrande said in The new wine thread:
@canefan Not heard of the Church Road brand. Do they export to the UK do you know?
Very few NZ wineries sell under the same label in the U.K.
Often the brand name is registered by someone else, sometimes the name is unsuitable
Are you an accountant? That post is informative but not actually any help.
I'm an even better example than an accountant. I produce KPI reporting systems for IT delivery teams.
Baffle them with bullshit is the motto.
People want to pay for it, so who am I to question?
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@catogrande said in The new wine thread:
@canefan I've just tried them out on winesearcher and the Cab Say/Merlot Grand Reserve is only available in NZ
Church Roads top wines are produced under the "Tom" brand names after Tom MacDonald their iconic winemaker from 50's-70's. Quick check suggests you're not going to get them in UK either which highlights NZ wines major issue which is lack of scale.
Wines like Coleraine and LaRose are consistently judged as comparable to the top Bordeaux cru's by international reviewers - even Aussie critic's say Coleraine is better than Grange (which is bizarre as one is a Bordeaux blend the other mainly Shiraz) but they're difficult to get even here in NZ and are priced accordingly. Effectively you have to either know the right merchant or be on the vineyards mailing list and have bought previous vintages to have a chance of getting one. LaRose sells out en primeur but will reward you if you can get hold of a drop. The fact that someone like Robt Parker has scored them both in the mid 90's has made getting hold of any even harder.
Still I think that even at $200/bottle they are better quality than similarly priced French bordeaux
