It’s time to stop associating New Zealand with Hobbits & Taika Waititi

It turns out New Zealand produces some really amazing WINE!

If you’re a lover of Sauvignon Blanc — PAY ATTENTION.

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE:

New Zealand produces some of the liveliest, exotic, and most interesting Sauvignon Blancs in the world.

You can expect them to be kissed with flavors of Passionfruit, Mangos, Jalapeño with a creamy yet zesty quality to them.

If you’re like me and eat pineapple salsa by the bucketful, perhaps you should check out New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs.

If you haven’t heard Christopher Walken say, “Passionfruit,” you haven’t lived.

And yet, this isolated island located 1,000 miles southeast of Australia actually produces a lot of different wines. The region is exciting, and you can find a lot of great values here.

Let’s start with a little history lesson, shall we?

THE HISTORY OF NEW ZEALAND WINE:

It took a long time for New Zealand to become the successful, cutting-edge wine region that it is today. And honestly? There were a lot of setbacks.

The North and South Islands of New Zealand were unknown to Western culture until the Dutch explorer, Abel Tasman, discovered them in 1642.

Tasman encountered the indigenous Maori tribe, friction ensued, and he left. More than a century later, in 1769, the English Captain James Cook revisited the Islands. This eventually led to the British colonization of New Zealand.

The first vines were planted on New Zealand in 1819 by a missionary - it seems like missionaries plant vines a lot when they settle places - named Samuel Marsden.

Wine was produced a few decades later by the first winemaker in New Zealand — a Scotsman named James Busby. Both Busby and Marsden saw the land’s potential for viticulture. But they had a rocky road ahead of them — no pun intended.

Winemaking was stilted in New Zealand due to many hardships. A lot of the English immigrants didn’t know anything about growing grapes or making wine.

In addition to that, there was a temperance movement in the 1800s that crippled the wine industry. Seriously, wine wasn’t even allowed to be sold in a shop until after World War II —look it up. And… to top off all these things. There was one huge problem.

Not this guy.

This guy. Phylloxera.

I know. Phylloxera nearly destroyed the Wine Industry in New Zealand. This parasitic wood louse killed a whole bunch of baby vineyards - which is super sad.

But the New Zealand vintners were a plucky bunch, they wouldn’t let some weird looking woodlouse that’s arguably as creepy looking as Golumn in The Lord of the Rings get them down. They adapted and started using a different sort of grapes. Terminator grapes.

Well… they weren’t actually called terminator grapes.

They were actually from a different rootstock all together. You see, Phylloxera wrecked havoc on wine grapes, which are under the umbrella species - Vitis vinifera.

The Vitis vinifera species are wine grapes. So our New Zealand vintners decided to be all crafty and start using French American Hybrid grapes that were not Vitis vinifera. And it worked out! Well… sort of.

Turns out these French/American hybrid grapes were super hardy, but they made absolutely crappy wine. It didn’t help that some New Zealand winemakers were cutting their wines with water until the 1960s.

Fortunately, New Zealand vintners turned stuff around and started to figure things out in the ‘90s. And it turned out that the ‘90s was a really good decade - not only for Ska bands like No Doubt, but for the New Zealand Winemaking scene as well!

In fact, the Wine Industry grew so much that the average amount of wineries almost tripled from 1988 to 1998. New Zealand finally got its viticultural shit together.

So there you have it. The tale of the many trials and tribulations of New Zealand winemaking has a happy ending.

NEW ZEALAND WINE REGIONS

New Zealand has a lot of different wine regions. The majority of them are found on the Eastern Coastline of the North and South Islands. Let’s break them down.

Marlborough - TRY SAUVIGNON BLANC.

This is the biggie. If you’ve heard of New Zealand wine, you’ve probably heard of Marlborough.

Marlborough is known for producing the prettiest, flirtiest, “Kate Hudson-iest” on the beach sort of Sauvignon Blancs.

Anyway, Marlborough is a cooler climate region that gets lots of sun. It’s definitely worth hitting up their Sauvignon Blancs, but also other cool climate varietals like Riesling, Gewürtz, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and even Grüner Vetliner.

Central Otego - TRY PINOT NOIR.

The climate in Central Otego is described as, “extreme.”

That means freezing nights, hot dry summers, snowy winters, and misty mornings. It is considered the chilliest and driest part of New Zealand.

There are quite a bit of mountains in Central Otego, and the vines here tend to grow at a higher elevation. In terms of the most important grapes from this region — think Pinot Noir.

Central Otego is known for producing Pinot Noirs with beautiful complexity. Remember, where there’s Pinot Noir, there’s usually Chardonnay. You can find some pretty sweet Chards in this area as well.

Hawke’s Bay - TRY RED BLENDS & CHARDONNAY.

Hawke’s Bay is New Zealand’s oldest and second largest wine region. There’s definitely a coastal influence here — it’s called Hawke’s BAY, duh — and that affects the way the grapes are grown.

There are gently sloping hillsides and the typical soil here is called Gimblett Gravel. This gravel provides really great drainage for the vines, which gives them just enough stress to produce great fruit.

Hawke’s Bay provides a moderating effect on temperature, and the grapes that are typically grown in this region are Red Blends, Chardonnay, and even some Syrah.

Wairapa - TRY PINOT NOIR.

Wairapa makes up only 1% of New Zealand’s wine production — but damn, does it produce some mighty fine wine.

If you’re into boutique wineries and delicious food, this is definitely a region to visit! The Wairapa is 20 minutes away from Wellington and is South East on the North Island.

The majority of the wineries in the Wairapa are family owned producers who spend a lot of time focusing on Sustainability and Organic farming. Of all the grapes they grow here, this is definitely a Pinot Lover’s paradise!

Wairapa would definitely give Titus something to sing about.

Aukland - TRY RED BLENDS & SYRAH.

Aukland is another one of New Zealand’s older wine regions — dating all the way back to the early 1900s. It was established by Croatian, Lebanese, and English vintners.

These regions are generally a bit more temperate than the extreme regions like Central Otego. There’s a lot of volcanic soil in Aukland, so the wines have a distinctive mineral-driven quality to them.

If you like powerful, intense reds — Aukland is the place for you! This place cultivates a bunch of Syrah, Red Blends, and some Chardonnay.

Gisborne - TRY CHARDONNAY.

The vines in Gisbourne are the first to see the Sunrise in New Zealand. And New Zealand is close to the International Date Line, so that means the vines in Gisbourne are like… the first vines to see the sunrise in the ENTIRE WORLD.

How cool is that? Anyway, Gisbourne is another fairly eclectic region. You can find big producers here, small boutique producers, and stuff in between. There’s a pretty dynamic food scene as well. The climate here is sunnier, and sees higher temperatures than the rest of New Zealand’s cooler climate regions.

The Chardonnay Vines in Gisbourne are probably the happiest, sunniest vines around.

North Canterbury - TRY PINOT NOIR, PINOT GRIS, & CHARDONNAY

North Canterbury is a region at the base of the Southern Alps, and when driving through this region it is very common to see snow on the mountains. The climate here is cool and dry and the wines have a striking intensity to them.

North Canterbury is one of the more unexplored regions of New Zealand, and a lot of the producers here are not as well known as some of the ones from Marlborough or Central Otego. If you’re one of those explorer types, who likes Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Gris (or The Gris) this is a region definitely worth checking out.

Nelson - TRY PINOT NOIR, RIESLING &… BEER?

Nelson is one of the smaller regions in New Zealand. Because of its climate, a lot of aromatic whites such as Riesling, Pinot Gris, & Gewürtz grow really well here.

This is definitely another more obscure region in New Zealand, and there is still a lot to be discovered. Nelson borders the Tasman Bay, which is a great moderator for their climate which tends to be dry and sunny.

Here there are warm summers and warm autumns as well, which means the grapes have an extended ripening time. If you’re a beer person, be sure to check out Nelson because the towns of Motueka and Stoke are very important beer production areas. The Motueka hop — commonly used for Craft IPAs — comes from over in these parts.

Waitaki Valley - TRY PINOT NOIR, THE GRIS, & RIESLING

The Waitaki Valley is the hip, new kid on the block of New Zealand Wine Regions. Vines were first planted here in 2001.

The Waitaki Valley links Central Otego to the Eastern Coast of the South Island. What’s cool about this area is there’s a lot of limestone here because it was at a fault line at the base of a 38 million year old sea bed.

There’s hot summers here, long dry autumns and cold winters in the Waitaki Valley. If you like your Pinot Noirs more on the elegant side, this is the place for you.

PHEW. That was a lot.

I’m sure you can tell New Zealand has a crazy amount of Wine Regions with something for everybody. It’s definitely worth exploring.

In terms of Grapes — I’d say the biggies here are the following.

Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling

I’ll be honest, I haven’t had a lot of New Zealand Wine, but writing this blog makes me want to take an even deeper dive into some of these regions, especially for my Picks of the Week.

What do you guys think? Sound like a good idea? Should I try a Pinot Noir from Wairapa? Let me know in the comments below!

Now… let’s get into the —

PICK OF THE WEEK —

Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc

$15.99 @ Target

For all my Kate Hudson types out there — Kim Crawford is a vibe. That’s all I’m gonna say. I believe it is one of the few wines with high production that still manages to maintain integrity in terms of critical acclaim and quality.

I’ve worked with many a prestigious Somm who would eagerly turn their nose up at wines with similar production levels, but for some reason Kim Crawford was always an exception.

When I was at my pinnacle of wine snobbery I was never ashamed to purchase this wine, and that really says a lot. Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc is super tite. Anthony Walkenhorst - the winemaker - is a straight up G.

Yes, it has a “screw cap,” or if you want to be really sexy with your verbiage, “stelvin closure,” but that doesn’t mean the wine is cheap.

That’s actually the opposite. Stelvin Closures are great because they protect a wine from TCA or “cork taint.” Have you ever seen a person at a restaurant hail a server over in a real dramatic fashion and say, “This wine is CORKED!” like they’ve just been completely scandalized? That’s what stelvin closures protect against.

There’s something about Kim Crawford that’s just delightful. It’s creamy, and the tropical fruit aspects of this New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc really sing.

This wine is super bright, and has some floral qualities on the nose as well that are really nice. This is definitely “beach day,” wine, that sips perfectly in a Red Solo Cup. It pairs best with lobster tacos, fresh ceviche, and salads. All in all, a dope wine.

My only qualm is I wish “Crawford,” was spelled with a K so I could tell people I was drinking Kim K.

THURSTQUEEN WORLD TOUR: NEW ZEALAND