Even before we left Los Angeles, New Zealand's dedication to wine was made apparent to us. In Air NZ's business lounge at LAX, bottles of NZ wine were prominently displayed, with wine glasses inviting travelers to try a sip (we did). On the plane, in addition to the regular dinner menu, we also received a wine guide to the Air NZ wine offerings for August 2011 to January 2012. According to the guide, Air NZ offered 29 different Kiwi wines (not all of which were available on our flight); Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, aromatics (Rieslings, Viogniers and Pinot Gris were the ones they had), Pinot Noir, Syrah, Merlot, red blends, and dessert wines. The guide also highlighted each of NZ's 12 different wine-growing regions and the wineries whose wines were featured. And, of course, the guide came with a convenient tear-out tasting notes card. Needless to say, it was quite a tasty flight to Auckland. (Side note: Isn't "needless to say" rather redundant?)
But aside from the occasional glass of wine with dinner, our only other significant wine experiences in New Zealand were a half-day wine tour of some Marlborough wineries, a tasting visit to Mission Estate Winery, and a wedding at Church Road Winery in Hawke's Bay. If you're interested in wine, a couple of the wineries and wines that I found notable are listed at the end of this post, but what the rest of this post focuses on is the contrast in doing a guided wine tour versus doing it yourself.
Marlborough was the first guided wine tour I'd ever done. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but in my head I pictured our guide educating us about the history of the region, the terroir, the wine-making process, how to taste wine, etc. When our guide picked us up from our hotel, things got off to a pretty good start. He was friendly, introduced himself, chatted to us and the other 8 people on our tour about the history of the region, and I took a little nap while we drove to the first winery. All in all, a pretty good start! The first stop, at Domaine Georges Michel, was great. We tried quite a few of their wines and even some Marc (a spirit like grappa, but fruitier and smoother). We bantered with the lady who conducted the wine-tasting, talked about the wines, even bought some as gifts.
But as we left, our guide looked at his watch and said we'd need to hurry at the other stops. Holly and I have different theories about what the time constraint was: She believes some of our fellow tourists were booked for an evening cruise run by the same tour company and had to be at the dock by a certain time, I think our guide just wanted to be at his favourite pub by a certain time, pint in hand, to watch a rugby game. In either case, this translated into our next three stops being a little rushed. We'd go in, try the wines, look around a bit, and then be out of there in 20 minutes. In fairness, this did give us time to make a fifth stop at the Makana Chocolate Boutique, which was definitely worthwhile (caramel almond brittle = yum), but the overall experience was disappointing because we had to rush.
In Hawke's Bay, our wine-tasting was self-conducted. We were there for Holly's cousin's wedding (see wedding post here) and had some time beforehand. So we drove out to Mission Estate Winery, walked around a little, read up on some of the history (began as a Marist mission! The estate is still owned by the Marists! Rod Stewart holds huge concerts there!), and of course, tasted the wines. The gentleman who attended to us was great - convivial, funny, knew a lot about the wines, generous pours, and offered us a taste of everything they had (and then some). It was, overall, a great wine-tasting experience. We did have to hurry a little at the end to make it to the wedding on time, but it was conveniently located right next door at Church Road Winery. Perfect. We were in our seats and ready to celebrate the union of two beautiful souls, right on time.
There's no question which experience I preferred. And these two contrasting experiences have taught me that the crux of visiting wineries for wine-tastings, at least for me, isn't about trying the wines. Yes, it's great to discover a particularly excellent bottle of cabernet or to try an obscure, small production that's only sold at the winery. But what I really enjoy about the visits is meeting the people, learning more about the winery, and getting a good feel for the place. In a day and age when many of us are alienated from the sources of our food and drink (and no, the store is not the true source of your food and drink), there is something precious about making a connection with the growers and producers of what you eat and drink.
Farmers markets and the "buy local" movement have helped some consumers rediscover this when it comes to our produce and meat. Visiting a winery does the same for wine. After all, in most urban or suburban centers it's fairly easy to find a wine store or restaurant that holds a regular wine-tasting event. It's certainly more convenient to drive to such an event than to journey to a winery. But when you actually look out at the vineyard and see the grapes that will become your bottle of wine, when you shake hands with the winemaker who decides what wine to make and how, and when you hear the stories of a particular production - that elevates our consumption beyond consumerism. I daresay it even makes it ... sacred?
Some Brief Wine-tasting Notes
Domaine Georges Michel - really nice dessert wines. If you like spirits, the Marc is also worth a try.
Nautilus Estate - good brut cuvee (sadly, not exported to the US). The gewurtztraminer and pinot gris were also delicious, with just the right touch of sweetness without being overly fruity.
Forrest Wines - "The White" was excellent, reminiscent of white burgundy. Great wine. I also enjoyed the cabernet sauvignon and grunerveltliner. They also had a sparkling red, made with syrah and malbec. To be clear, this wasn't a rose but a red. Unusual, distinctive, and pretty good.
Mission Estate Winery - The wines here were all pretty good. I especially liked the Viognier.
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