Vine Path Blog 3/22: Kiwi’s and Kangaroos

The d’Arenberg Dudes in front of the coolest tasting room on earth!

Like the rest of the supposed ‘New World’ wine regions, New Zealand and Australia live in the shadow of the Europeans. Setting aside the obviously problematic colonial reference entailed, the question here is why? What actual reason do we have to understand wines outside of Europe exclusively by reference to the wines of Europe? We certainly don’t understand wines inside of Europe by reference to other European wine regions. One wouldn’t attempt to understand Italian wine by way of French wine, and neither would one attempt it in the other direction. We certainly wouldn’t get away with judging the wines of Europe by reference to genuinely older wine regions in Georgia, Lebanon, Egypt, and Israel, which happen to be where the original vines of Europe were sourced from. We simply take for granted what it means for wine to be ‘Italian’ as a matter of regional, cultural, varietal, and geological distinction. We understand wines in Europe for the unique individual qualities they have unto themselves. Why then would we entertain some comparative distinction like the New World-Old World distinction? The wines of Argentina, Chile, the United States, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and all the other emerging zones deserve the same treatment, for they too have a unique identity unto themselves. As far as I can tell, this distinction only serves to keep the wine world’s Eurocentric attitudes in place, an attitude that ultimately serves to keep the wines of Europe on the top of the economic heap. And with that polemic now out of the way, let’s dispense with this once and for all and get to know wines outside of Europe on their own terms.

This month we’ll be exploring wines from four different producers in New Zealand and Australia, two wine regions with deeper histories in wine that you might know. Wine in Australia dates back to 1788, when the sitting Governor brought the first vines to the continent. A few decades later vines would be widely planted across New Zealand by the same British colonialist. For the better part of the following 150 years the wines of both countries would be mostly made for bulk production, with much of the wine in Australia being made into a Port-like fortified wine. It was in the 1960 that the quality revolutions that were gripping regions in most of Europe and the United States came for the regions of New Zealand and Australia. Through the next couple of decades, quality minded producers with heady visions of making world-class wines would stake their livelihoods on the effort, thankfully to much success.

Today, wines produced in Australia and New Zealand command entire sections of global wine markets. Probably the best known of these is the success of the Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. The wines of Marlborough have become so successful that they are synonymous with Sauvignon Blanc, eclipsing the once dominant French examples like Sancerre and Menetou-Salon. We will not be exploring that this month and you might rightfully ask, ‘why not?’ As enjoyable as Marlborough Sauvignon might be, it unfortunately sucks all of the oxygen out of the room and makes it impossible for other wines from the country to break through. It’s probably not the case that the best wines of New Zealand are made from Sauvignon Blanc, which is why we’re going to be exploring some unique alternatives.

Fiona Turner of Tinpot Hut

Tinpot Hut Estate Pinot Gris, Marlborough NZ

We will however be starting in Marlborough because of its provenance, with a most underappreciated grape, Pinot Gris. Established in 2005 in the Awatere Valley in Marlborough, New Zealand by winemaker Fiona Turner, Tinpot Hut is a part of the explosive development of small, quality minded producers cropping up across the archipelago. What we love about Fiona is her intense commitment to the alternative grapes of the region. We’re particularly fond of this Pinot Gris. In Italy and in the rest of the world this grape has a more familiar name, Pinot Grigio, and an unfortunate reputation. We tend to relate wines made from Pinot Grigio with the watery, semi-sweet, discounted bottles overpopulating liquor stores across the country. This is an unfortunate turn of events for a grape so noble. In France, there are grand cru designated vineyards planted entirely to the varietal. It happens to come in an incredible range of expressions, styles, flavors, and textures. Uniquely, it happens to be light skinned red grape, making it one of the few varietals that can be made into white, rose, red, and amber (according to some) styles with great success. Pinot Gris is an enigma, which is why it’s an exciting ingredient for the winemaker. This bottling is made in a lively and fresh style that emphasizes the best textural and primary features of the grape. Being that this bottling is very young, you’re encouraged to decant this if you’d like the best effect.

The Isabel Estate at sunset

Isabel Estate Pinot Noir, Marlborough NZ

The Wairau Marlborough is our next stop, at the venerated Isabel Estate. We have a bad tendency to think of Marlborough as a homogenous whole without unique parts. We have the same bad habit when it comes to California, a wine region two and half times the size of Italy. Contrast that with our thinking about Burgundy or Piedmont. Marlborough comprises of three distinct sub regions, the Southern Valleys, Wairau Valley, and Awatere Valley, with each one having even deeper subdivisions. Isabel Estate was established in 1980 with the planting of their first Pinot Noir vineyards. Uniquely, that Pinot Noir was planted on it’s own rootstock, a risky practice considering the prevalence of Phylloxera on the island, but a practice worth it for the gastronomic effect. The Pinot is made with 20% whole clusters of grapes cold soaked for seven days before fermentation. The wine is then aged in a mix of old and new, and small and large, French oak before bottling and release.

The historic winery building at Yalumba in Barossa Valley.

Yalumba Samuel’s Collection Grenache, Barossa AU

Yalumba is one of the founding families of Australian wine. Established in 1849 with it’s inaugural plantings, the winery has remained independent and family operated for six generations. Their history as farmers in Southern Australia means that they lead with that as their identity, and lean into their responsibility as sustainable stewards of their land. Since their inception the winery has been awarded 34 times for their sustainability and environmental efforts. To us this is the hallmark of a great winery. The wines in the Samuel’s Collection line are an homage to the winery’s founder Samuel Smith and showcase old-vine offerings from the Barossa valley. Of this line, the Grenache is our favorite. While Shiraz is king in Australia, Grenache is undeservingly overlooked. There is an enormous amount of potential in Australian Grenache and we think that this bottling makes a great case for it. The punishingly hot and arid climate of Barossa is a perfect setting for this drought resistant, sun-loving varietal, which produces an expression of the grapes that’s at once powerful and rich, and brisk and balanced.

An actual Laughing Magpie just for fun.

d’Arenberg Laughing Magpie Shiraz/Viognier, McLaren Vale AU

Like Yalumba, d’Arenberg is also one of the original and longest standing winemaking families in Australia. The winery is now in its fourth generation and has grown into the largest biodynamic landholder on the continent. A commitment to sustainability and environmentalism is overwhelmingly popular in New Zealand and Australia, with most of the wineries having achieved various sustainability certifications. d’Arenberg is one of those wineries that takes that commitment to extremes, the best examples being the expansive solar array that powers the winery and the herd of 200 sheep that handle weed management in the vineyards. The Laughing Magpie is a cuvee of mostly Shiraz (otherwise known as Syrah) with a touch of Viognier to add some freshness and bold aromatics to the mix. The wine is aged with limited oak in order to retain its primary characteristics. Now that it has a touch of age to it, the wine’s developed some savory and meaty qualities that blend perfectly in.

The Barossa vineyards at Yalumba.