It was Cloudy Bay who famously brought New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc to the world stage in the 1980s, but it was Nick Nobilo, the son of Nikola and Zuva Nobilo, immigrants from the winegrowing town of Lumbarda on the Croatian island of Korcula, who was the first to successfully and commercially produce wine from the country’s flagship red variety.

The birthplace of New Zealand Pinot Noir as we know it is at Huapai in West Auckland. Nick’s father began planting vines in the early 1940s, and by the 1960s he was producing fortified wines and sherries. Nobilo’s dry red had gathered a bit of a following with the locals, and Nick had sensed an increasing interest in more serious wine styles.

The small, government funded Te Kauwhata Viticultural Station was attempting to bring in more international varieties to the scene, and had some success in the 1950s with Chardonnay. By the time Nick arrived on their doorstep they had a range of classic French varieties, including three Swiss clones of Pinot Noir. Along with Frank Berrysmith, a government viticulturist at the station, he experimented with the three clones on a plot at Huapai.

Nick had been impressed and encouraged by his rough trial wines. They showed enough promising fruit flavours for he and his father to plant a 5 hectare vineyard, which led to the first commercial Pinot Noir of the modern era, the Nobilo Pinot Noir 1973. This particular vintage didn’t quite stand up to the benchmark of its Burgundian cousins, lacking good colour was just one of the concerns. The real breakthrough came with the 1976 vintage.

Nick had hand-picked the grapes for the ’76 vintage and left them in tall draining tanks for 10 days to draw off some of the free-run juice. He then closed up the tank with what was left and fermented it all together, creating a carbonic maceration effect. Afterwards, he separated out what remained of the whole and split berries and pressed them for that extra intense, concentrated juice. Bingo! He had created a New Zealand Pinot Noir that would now compete on the world stage thanks to its tight structure, elegance and bouquet.

Great vintages followed, including the ’77, but the wine’s last vintage was 1983 due to a combination of factors, including a grape glut, the state of the economy and a massive hailstorm, which wiped out the vineyard’s fruit in 1984. The Nobilo’s accepted a government financial incentive and pulled out their Haupao vines in 1986 before moving their operation to Marlborough, where the company continues to produce wine to this day.

Pictured: Marlborough Sounds, sourced from http://nobilo.co.nz/index.html. If that’s got you salivating, we’ve 20% off New Zealand wines under €25 until the end of October.

With just two days to kick-off in the sporting event of the year, we’re offering up a World Cup Showdown Pack to pitch up two of the rugby world’s fiercest sporting rivalries and give you some world class supping in time for the closing stages.

We’ve one of our established favourites, from New Zealand’s own Brent Marris, lining up toe-to-toe with one of our new boys, an Australian winemaker plying his trade in New Zealand hand-crafted wines, Ant Moore. Take a Sauvignon Blanc, a Pinot Gris and a Pinot Noir from each of these top class winemakers and you’ve the Kiwis vs the Wallabies in a New Zealand showdown.

Worth just under €100 at normal retail, we’re offering up this World Cup Six Pack as September’s prize, to be delivered in time for the quarter-finals which commence on October 8th.

To win, you must be subscribed to the Curious Wines newsletter. We’ll be including a not-too-difficult question and instructions on how to enter in our September newsletter going out soon.

Just missed it? Sign-up here and you’ll automatically get it sent to you.

It’s not only Vitis vinifera grapes that can make a good wine. Okay, so fruit wine is a very different type of wine, but super drinkable nonetheless. I vividly remember driving through parts of New Zealand and not being able to escape their love affair with the kiwi fruit. But that’s not the only type.

Fruit exportation is big business in New Zealand, and they ain’t short when it comes to variety and volume. As it is for Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, the twin-islands are a paradise for fruit growing, and like any other well oiled industry with any sort of initiative, they have found ways to add value and create markets for a natural resource they have in abundance.

So will it be kiwi, blackcurrant, boysenberry or feijoa? Of fruit wine producers, Redwood seems to be one of the key players. From still wines and sparkling wines to liqueurs and ciders, they’ve managed to come up with a great portfolio to whet the appetite of wine drinkers and non-wine drinkers alike.

Here’s a taste:

Feijoa Wine 100% sun-ripened and hand-picked locally-grown feijoa. Fermented in modern stainless steel, these feijoas have been meticulously crafted into a wine of distinct bouquet—as only the “Pineapple Guava” fruit can taste! A singular change from the similarity of many grape wines, served chilled, this wine fully reveals its complex character and makes an ideal accompaniment to seafood and poultry dishes. Ready for consuming or for limited cellaring 12-24 months. (2008 New World Wine Award – Bronze Medal Winner,
2008 Bronze Medal Winner in the International Fruit Wine & Cider Makers of New Zealand Competition)

Sparkling Boysenberry Wine Sports the plump, succulent flavours of carefully harvested, sun-drenched Nelson boysenberries. Exotic boysenberries — originally a cross among blackberry, red raspberry and loganberry — are crafted into a rich, reddish-purple sparkling wine that hints of subtle oak essence and boasts a fresh, effervescent nature making it an ideal accompaniment for cheese, fruit, paté, and red meats. (2008 Bronze Medal Winner in the Fruit Wine & Cider Makers of New Zealand International Fruit Wine Competition)

Blackberry Nip Perfectly blended with succulent blackberry character, this sweet fruit wine is traditionally consumed as is or over ice. Add it to lemonade or soda water for a long summer drink. Readily adaptable to kitchen creations, too. Bon apetit!

I’m unaware of availability in Ireland. If anyone has come across it, or something similar, feel free to leave a comment below. Product content and picture sourced from http://www.redwoodcellars.co.nz/ – thanks to Curious Davide for the link.

This is not just one story, but a series of four short stories to tell, along with some awesome photography. After testing the water using the King’s Bastard, which we have had in stock since December past, we’re delighted to introduce the rest of Marisco Vineyards’ King’s Series range to Ireland.

Amongst the twisted vines of Brent Marris’ (winemaker) ancestry were the families of de Marisco, who in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries inhabited the island of Lundy off the south-west coast of England. These wines honour some of their many stories…

The King’s Bastard Chardonnay 2009

The de Mariscos descended from a William de Marisco (approximately AD 1100), who was said to be one of the 35 illegitimate children of Kind Henry the First – thereby marking him the King’s Bastard.

The de Mariscos continued a rocky relationship with the monarchy in subsequent generations, ultimately ending with the tragic execution of a later William for piracy and his alleged involvement in a treasonous plot.

The King’s Thorn Pinot Gris 2010

In 1155, regardless of the de Mariscos’ possession of Lundy, King Henry the Second, for political reasons, gifted the popular Order of the Knights Templar.

However, the de Mariscos refused to relinquish it and were fined for not doing so. They remained a constant thorn in the King’s side, retaining possession of the island for nearly 90 years.

It was finally forfeited to the crown in 1242 following the execution of one William de Marisco for piracy and his alleged involvment in a treasonous plot against King Henry the Third.

The King’s Favour Sauvignon Blanc 2010

In 1204, despite apparently using Lundy Island as a base for piracy against North Devon traders and along the English coast, one William de Marisco was strangely appointed to be in charge of a number of the Royal Galleys – whose very purpose was to defend against such piracy.

William was also granted the Manor of Braunton (in Devon) by King John. Both these factors were surprising evidence of the King’s Favour.

The King’s Wrath Pinot Noir 2009

In 1242 and already under a royal ‘cloud’ for piracy off the coast of England – one William de Marisco was implicated in an assassination attempt on King Henry the Third. Found guilty of high treason, William and 16 of his associates were sentanced to death.

It is said that the King was so displeased with William, he even requested a special punishment be devised – that of ‘quartering’. Following his execution, the four parts of William’s body were sent to the four corners of the Kingdom – as an example of what would happen to those incurring the full vehemence of the King’s Wrath.

Great stories and sexy labels are one thing, but we know it is what’s on the inside that really counts. The King’s Series represents that extra quality edge Marlborough can bring that some of us occasionally forget about when we’ve been drinking too much of the volume-driven wines from this pioneering region. The King’s are pretty full-on and expressive, they don’t hold back, but isn’t that what Marlborough does best?

Go forth and enjoy the history, the heritage, the stories, and most importantly, the wine. We sure will.

Full range of the King’s Series here.

The death toll is continuing to rise from last weeks devastating earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand. The official number is over 100 confirmed dead, with more than 200 people still missing.

Joyce Austin, our New Zealand wine woman on the ground, has been keeping us informed of the latest and the pictures on the news don’t even seem to do the situation justice any more. It’s a real tragedy words can’t sum up.

The quake measured 6.3 on the Richter scale, but being only 3 miles from the surface, the densely populated Christchurch was hard hit. Fortunately for the greater wine producing area of Canterbury, the epicentre was to the east of the city, so most wineries avoided damage of any real note.

“The whole place was swaying but we are fine, we have have been spared this time. We had much more damage last time as we were far closer to the epicentre.” Celia Bosman of Sandihurst winery, Decanter.com

One of our Waipara wineries, Muddy Water, is run by Jane East. She said the staff at the vineyard were all alive and well, but her mother and aunt can no longer live in their homes. Her property in Christchurch sustained heavy damage but she was only glad everyone was safe. Muddy Water and Waipara Springs are within a 50 minute drive of Christchurch, so Jane is not the only one to have been affected like this as many workers in the region live in Christchurch and commute.

Life for thousands of people will never be the same again. Being there myself a few years ago (that’s my picture above – check out the pictures in bbc.co.uk) it really is an amazing city, I can only hope that the typical Kiwi resolve, strength and perseverance will see them through.

New Zealand’s not all about Sauvignon Blanc, and it’s certainly not all about Marlborough. With the Marlborough region getting all the limelight in our Christmas sale, we thought it only fair that we give Waipara and Nelson a chance to show off. After all, this is where the true wine drinkers go.

From now until New Year, we will be running a promotion on these slightly lesser known regions, and for good measure we’ll give you the chance to win a mixed case of 20 Kiwi wines worth €300, in time for Christmas.

The deal:

It’s very simple.

Buy 6 wines (any mix) from the featured wineries below, and we give you one entry into our prize draw to win €300 worth of Kiwi wines.

Buy 12 (any mix), we give you two entries into our prize draw, and we give you a FREE bottle of “the new Cloudy Bay at half the price” – Waipara Springs Sauvignon Blanc. You can’t beat that with a big stick!

The featured boutique wineries:

Greenhough: Greenhough (green-hoff) is a family owned vineyard and winery established in 1991. Located at Hope, near Nelson at the top of the South Island, the vines are planted in free-draining, clay rich soils beneath the foothills of the Richmond Ranges.

Waipara Springs: Ex-winemaker at Cloudy Bay, Frank Manifold, is now plying his trade at Waipara Springs, located in the heart of the Waipara Valley. The vines here were planted in the early 1980’s, providing the entirely estate grown wines with a depth and intensity that only old vines can produce.

Muddy Water: Situated in the Waipara area of North Canterbury, Muddy Water is a direct translation from the Maori place name – wai  (water) para  (sediment, mud). It is the dream of owners Michael and Jane East, who purchased the property in 1993. This is the winery for those looking to explore beyond Sauvignon Blanc.

Full qualifying range here.

Bonus bottle offer valid up to & including 31st December 2010. Prize draw will be made on Monday 20th December so the winner gets their 20-bottle mix in time for Christmas. Both promotions only valid on purchases of wines from Greenhough, Waipara Springs and Muddy Water wineries.

Last week, Miranda Brown, viticulturist at Muddy Water, helped explain just how important the role of vineyard manager is in influencing the final product. In the second and final part of our interview, we delve further into the complexities of Miranda’s profession, and even what she gets up to in her spare time.

7. You have a close working relationship with winemaker Belinda Gould. How would you describe her style and how you manage your wine jigsaw? How do you get your yield, and resulting balance of flavours spot on each year when others fall into the trap of producing too much?

Belinda has a fairly strong personality (as anyone who knows her will know!) and strong opinions about what it takes to make quality wine. She knows the vineyard and winery inside out as she’s been here from day one, so she’s a hot pot of information and ideas. The vineyard planning in terms of our move to organic status, labour, canopy health and disease management is my responsibility. We work together on planning crop targets and over harvest time, but rest of the year we mostly stick to our own knitting!

The simple answer to getting our yield estimates accurate is just by walking the vineyard – a lot! 2008 saw many people surprised about how much fruit they had – thankfully we didn’t fall into that trap. It’s pretty simple to count and weigh a few bunches, it’s no mystery really. The trick is in working with owners who are not driven by volume. Quality is the only test.

8. Harvest for 2010 is now over at Muddy Water? Was it a good one, and what are you spending your time doing now to bring on the growth spurt for next vintage?

I always think its interesting how people rate wines, or a winery. Sometimes a ‘different’ slant in a particular vintage wine can understandably throw people when in reality that’s what the best winemaking is all about. Every year the wine should speak to you differently, reflecting what has happened in a particular season. I love that about wine, moving from vintage to vintage and seeing how they evolve. If you ever taste a vintage that doesn’t quite grab you, re-visit the next vintage of that same wine the following year. You may surprise yourself. Every vintage is so different – and when you live by the handcrafted approach you’ll see a familiar thread, and hopefully some new characters every year.

2009/2010 was a challenging season, we had a really early start to spring but then the summer was cold and we worried that the fruit would not ripen. Fortunately the autumn was amazing; warm, dry and really drawn out so although harvest was later than normal the fruit looked really clean when it was picked. Crop loads were just below average and the 2010 wines are already looking stunning. Winter/Spring is spent pruning, repairing trellis, preparing the vineyard floor by weeding and sowing cover crops. We spur prune, which means we have a permanent cordon (or trunk) that we trim back to each winter. The cordon gives the vines a big carbohydrate reservoir which provides us with lovely even and healthy canopies. It is possible to prune with machines but we prefer to do it by hand so that each vine gets pruned according to its size and health. Pruning is fairly easy to teach but it does take a while to learn to visualise what the vine will look like in summer based on the pruning choices that have been made.

9. Muddy Water now operates to full organic practice. How do you feel about that in your day to day management? Is it showing in how the vines respond and in the berries being harvested?

Gone are the toxic sprays thankfully, and there is certainly more life in the vineyard; ladybirds, bees, praying mantids, hoverflies, native birds. The vines are more resilient, the past season where growth was very slow due to the cold summer – our canopies were still full and green and had reached the top of the post when other neighbouring vineyards still had canopies that were yet to reach the second wire. Belinda has less issues in the winery with stuck/stinky ferments, presumably as the fruit has a good population of strong vineyard yeast. We use native yeasts in our wines – none of the added stuff.

10. Of all the varieties and different styles you make e.g. you have 4 distinct Riesling styles, do you have a favourite child in the pack? What’s your favourite tipple?

No favourite child! I do find it hard to separate the wine from what it took to grow it – so if it was a challenging season and the fruit didn’t look quite as good as I expect it to then I find it hard to love the wine as much as one that was from a great season. The consumer probably won’t notice the difference as Belinda will have done her magic in the winery but I still remember! I am quite varied in what I like to drink – but Riesling would probably have to be my favourite – simply because it is such an obedient child in the vineyard (unlike Pinot Noir!) and it’s so versatile in terms of the styles it produces. We’re particularly lucky to have the spread of styles at Muddy Water from bone dry right the way through to a fully botrytised dessert wine.

11. If you had a 1 yr sabbatical to manage a vineyard somewhere else in world where would it be and why?

Tough question – there are so many choices, any place you work at you learn new ideas. I would probably say California as I am quite fond of Zinfandel and you don’t see much of that in NZ!

12. What do you like least about the wine industry?
That vineyard mangers and workers don’t get as much recognition as they deserve. When I tell people what I do for a job, non-industry people (and sometimes even people in the wine industry) often ask me do I want to be a winemaker one day!! I think its slowly changing but there is still a way to go.

13. What do you do in your spare time? What are your other great loves?
I love to travel as much as my bank balance will let me, there are a lot of places on my “to do before I die” list, going to see more live music , snowboarding (combined with overseas travel if possible) and I have recently taken up roller derby! I also love to garden – but it’s a bit of a battle between my husband and I over vege garden vs cricket pitch in the back lawn.

Sincere thanks to Miranda Brown for her time putting into these truly insightful answers to our curious questions!

The best winemakers the world over will tell you that wine is made in the vineyard. Muddy Water in Waipara is no different. They unreservedly believe their limestone rich soils and, some would say, fanatical vine nurturing hold the key to their stonkingly delicious drops. Their secret armour is Miranda Brown, vineyard manager, who lovingly looks after every vine like it was her own prized child. In our winemaker series we hear from Miranda on what it takes to manage an extra special vineyard.

1. You’ve worked with some heavyweight vineyards. What attracted you to Waipara region and Muddy Water?

I was born and bred here so after working in other regions around New Zealand and vintages overseas it seemed natural to come back, and Waipara was increasingly on the radar map for its Pinot and Riesling varieties. Waipara is very special because of its size, made up mostly of small family owned producers who put quality above everything else. That’s a fundamentally different start point in a vineyard. Waipara region also has the perfect climate and soil for my two favourite varieties to grow and drink – Riesling and Pinot Noir. Muddy Water in particular is one of the top producers in Waipara, a tiny close knit team led by Jane and Mike East, so it’s been a dream opportunity to work here. You can drill down to the most important detail when you’re in that small production, artisan, family-run environment.

2. How do you see the vineyard soil, aspect and plantings? Do they give you an edge in specific varieties?

New Zealand is a long skinny country and in Waipara, and particularly our site, we are quite sheltered in aspect. The Teviotdale hills to the east protect us from the cool easterly, and shelter belts to the west protect us from the worst of the westerly winds so we are warmer and have a longer season than some other vineyards in the valley, and some other regions. This gives us that all important added ‘hang time’ – more time for the vines to ripen evenly – sometimes an added 10 days on other regions in certain vintages. This gentler ripening time keeps the wines nicely balanced – none of those out of the box characters that can jump out when a vine gets less even ripening time. The vineyard is slightly elevated above the valley floor and has gentle slopes which form a protective shell behind the vines and some deeply laden limestone-rich soils. This gives all our wines a distinctive mineral edge. You may also have noticed they’re not rocket fuel potions in the glass – limestone subdues the aromatics a little but builds a nice structure, more layers of flavour in the final wine. We think the latter just as important!

3. Talk us through your crop yield approach vs how it’s done by the bigger commercial guns – is there a clear difference in fruit concentration and finish?

A very topical question right now! I manage crop load in the vineyard from pruning when we decide how many buds to lay down, then through shoot thinning when we open up the canopy by removing both fruitful and non fruitful shoots, and then also in certain seasons we fruit thin (that can mean dropping up to 50% fruit if we feel it will deliver a more concentrated and better balanced wine). This may be either just removing green fruit or ‘shoulders’ or whole bunches. We like all our shoots and bunches to have their own space within the vine to improve air movement and sunlight penetration – their own little piece of real estate to savour! We generally crop our Pinot Noir and Chardonnay at about 5 tonnes to the hectare and Riesling at 8t/ha. This is very low compared with bigger producers. It’s a costly approach, less juice, but we believe much more interesting fruit that makes you sit up and take notice. For the Pinot Noir this generally means we have about 10 bunches (1kg) per vine on our close planted hill blocks – this is the equivalent of one bottle of wine off each vine.  This does change depending on the season – grape growing can be fickle and you never really know how much fruit you will get until it’s all harvested as so much is dependant on the weather conditions even right up until harvest. I’ve spent 4 years working in the large vineyards here and although they do watch crop load, they are chasing a different end goal. Their wines are targeted toward a different result – for them, more is more whereas for us, less is more. It’s a fundamentally different way of nurturing the vines to produce their best – and ultimately a wine that’s true to that vintage itself.

4. What’s your favourite stage of the vineyard year / what’s the trickiest part?

Sometimes I sit high on the golden hued Teviotdale hills nestling behind the vineyard and marvel at the beautiful patch of land that’s my territory. The vineyard is constantly changing through the whole season which is why I love it so much. Budburst is lovely – seeing the green leaf tips push out of the vines after being dormant for 4 months is wonderful. Equally great is seeing a full healthy green canopy on a late summer afternoon, or vines just before harvest in autumn. The trickiest part is anticipating what problems might emerge in a season. Although you learn from past years, every season has a different challenge that requires new thinking. I have yet to experience a perfect season where everything goes to plan – but that’s what makes it so interesting.

5. People talk about vine age and its importance in wine consistency? Have you seen changes over the years in how the vines cope with the weather thrown at them?

Young vines always produce great fruit – they’re naturally lower yielding but do struggle a bit in the tougher seasons. Whereas the older vines have “been there and done that” and certainly seem to have more resilience even in cooler or wetter seasons. The canopies are fuller and healthier and tend to be slower ripening so we can leave the fruit out longer to reach full physiological ripeness rather than just sugar ripeness.

6. At harvest time, what’s first and foremost on your mind? How do you ensure it’s the smoothest harvest?

Making sure all vineyard work has been done at the right time over summer is the key. It’s quite a meticulous process – all those little steps shape everything for us. We generally put our nets on (to protect the berries from eager birds chasing fruit) early February so the last month before harvest should be fine tuning the vines and keeping an eye on the weather. It’s generally too late by then to have much of an influence on the quality if the work hasn’t been done previously. Belinda and I talk constantly so that we’re on the same page on when we expect blocks to be harvested. It’s a tightly planned and having good staff in the picking crew is essential. We hand pick and rely on them to harvest the fruit to very exacting standards so although most of them are casual staff here for a short period we try to keep them well looked after. They get the best coffee and treats in the region – no stone left unturned to ensure the grapes get that gentle handling we require!

Next week, Miranda talks Riesling, organic practices and what she least likes about the wine industry! Click here to view the range from Muddy Water.

For many people the whole organic thing, whether it’s certified or not, is a bit of a fad. But there are still plenty who live by it. Muddy Water can now be added to that list from the beginning of this month, with their 2011 Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir set to be their first wines that will have official organic certification.

So what’s the big whoop? Muddy Water have been producing their wines using organic principles since 2007.

“We could have simply gone down the path of marketing our wine as being produced using ‘organic principles’. But we knew we were already adopting many sustainable practices and with some changes to the way we did things could achieve full certification,”

Jane East, co-owner.

Muddy Water have chosen AsureQuality, an organic certifier known for its strict adherence to international standards, although the question remains does all this effort lead to better wines? Owners and husband and wife team, Jane and Mike East, obviously believe it does otherwise they wouldn’t be doing it. Muddy Water’s vineyard manager believes she has become a better viticulturist because of it.

“Going through this process has definitely made me a better viticulturist, as I need to spend more time managing the vines, anticipating potential issues and proactively taking steps to deal to issues early.”

Miranda Brown, Viticulturist.

Instead of using herbicides, weeds are controlled by cultivating under the vine. Flowers such as buckwheat and phacelia are planted to divert insects away from the vines and sulphur, seaweed, compost teas and biological fungicides were introduced to control disease. In the winery, the only addition is wild yeast to assist fermentation and there is minimal filtering, although they have been doing this for years before anyway.

Needless to say, Jane East is well aware of the marketing opportunities available by going certified organic. Muddy Water is now proudly part of New Zealand’s squeaky clean ‘green’ image. And why not? Good for them.

Pruning your crop can be a bit of a pain in the butt. Hundreds of man hours are spent every year pruning the vines of New Zealand’s vineyards, but some Kiwi viticulturists might be tempted to bring in a very different form of personnel for future vintages, in the form of a vine pruning robot.

The Robocop of the wine world, or Robo-chop as I like to call it, uses a sophisticated 3D camera to judge distance from the vine as it moves between the rows at walking speed. It can even see in the dark, allowing it to work through the night. The technology is being developed in Christchurch and supposedly has the potential to save the industry NZ$20 million per annum.

Pruning is a pretty essential part of the viticultural process. It’s not just a theory, but a proven technique. The pruning of branches, roots and buds will help keep a plant healthy, increasing and/or improving the yield of fruit. In the case of the vine, the health and quality of the grapes are improved with proper pruning, and it is of course labour intensive, which is part of the reason better quality wines are more expensive.

The bulk of this work in New Zealand, particularly for the larger wine companies, is carried out by foreign labour, drafted in when required for a short period of time. With the best part of NZ$20 million per annum to be saved, it is these jobs that may be affected most in the future.

If the robot is successful, in the sense that it proves cost-effective and does as good a job as human labour, it might just catch on around the world, reducing jobs in the industry worldwide and making some already very wealthy MDs of lucrative wine brands even more wealthy. When you look at it in that light, it’s perhaps not all that good.

At least if you’re a robot builder, you’ll have a job for life. Unless, robots start building robots. But that’s just silly, right…?