NZ wines I had on a recent trip
 

I already posted this in the MONSTER wine thread but thought some folks here might like it as well. this isn't THE trip report (still working on the photos) but a start on the wines anyway!

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South Island - Pegasus Bay. I ended up buying their 2002 Pinot Noir, 40 NZD, and apparently it's won many awards in that part of the world. (including Australia). In the top 5 PN in NZ and OZ. I know NZ is more well known for Sauvignon Blancs, but, the Pinots are up and coming and I wanted to try something different.

the history behind wine making in NZ is fascinating. Do you know even 30 years ago it was a relatively dry country? they've really made up for lost time. They have not only the southernmost vineyards in the world, they have the "easternmost" if you count the International Date line as the marking point.

http://www.pegasusbay.com/

North Island:

Bought 3 bottles of wine from Ngatarawa ("between the ridges"). One Chardonnay from their "Silks" line, one from the Glazebrook line (I think Syrah, I have to check), and one late harvest Reisling. oh yum.

http://www.ngatarawa.co.nz/

we visited Matariki winery but those are more easily found in the US so I decided to hold off. The wine was excellent, one wine was called Quintology - 5 grapes.

http://www.matarikiwines.co.nz/

We had lunch at Vidal winery. it was a bright beautiful day. I can recommend going to NZ in off season because the weather (at least in the North Island) is not cold (other than Wellington) and actually can be quite bright and sunny. Napier was absolutely brilliant.

http://www.hawkesbaynz.com/pages/vidalestatewinery

Trinity Hill - also v. good wines. Enjoyed the tasting, but didn't buy any. I believe this is available in the US too.

http://www.trinityhill.co.nz/flash.htm

we didn't make it to Sileni. That was our first choice for lunch, the kitchen was closed that day.

has anyone had any of the above?

how can I forget Waiheke Island! We didn't actually stop at wineries but we spent some time at Vino Vino, which has a lovely patio overlooking the water...

Those wines all sound wonderful! Thanks for posting; it's certainly quicker to read it here than on the Wine-Os thread. :-)

Lee Ann

flygirl -

Glad to hear you enjoyed NZ - we've long been a fan of their wines and can't seem to visit without stopping at a dozen or so wineries.

Our favorites this year were the Pinot Noir from Amisfield Winerey (just past Arrowtown) and the Richmond Plains Organic Chardonnay (near Nelson). First time we've tried an organic wine - loved it!

Although the South Island is known for it's Sauvignon Blanc as you've mentioned, they are making some very good Pinot in the Otago region these days.

I'm always amazed at how different the wines are from region to region - the wines from Marlborough taste entirely different than the wines from Otago, etc.

Melnq8 - I guess organic wines wouldn't have that minerally flavour I hear wine critics talk about, then?

Neil -

We tasted two chardonnays side by side - one organic, one not. The organic won hands down, although I can't really explain why. The wine snobs will laugh at this, but it tasted, well, "clean".

Sorry, I was just thinking that minerals are by definition inorganic :)

Seriously, it beats me. The taste difference might just be down to what makes the difference between any two wines - although maybe the "organic" wine didn't have any added preservatives, which might well make a difference.

In general I can't say that any "organic" fruit or veg and I've sampled looks or tastes any better than the alternative, and I haven't seen any scientific proof that one is necessarily healthier or more nutritious than the other.

The only point of distinction I can see is that some varieties grown by "organic" farmers might taste better than the ones favoured by big growers for their lasting properties - like the nasty pale, tough tomatoes sold in supermarkets. On the other hand, if you're prepared to pay the extra you can get much better, more "natural flavoured" tomatoes from the same supermarket.

Unfortunately, I think the label "organic" is no guarantee of anything - as far as I know anyone can slap it on anything without fear of running foul of trade practices laws. A bit like so-called "natural" health products - what does it mean, and who can tell the difference anyway?

Thanks for the wine comments... We're looking forward to your (other) trip report!

Pegasus Bay is a great stop, I remember really liking the Semillion-Sauvignon blend. I may have bought a bottle but it didn't make it home.

I was impressed with the Waipara Springs Reserve Pinot. They have a wine bar/cafe at the winery. http://www.waiparasprings.co.nz/winebarcafe/