NZ Annual Tasting

Yesterday's annual New Zealand tasting at Lord's was extremely well-attended. The crush at certain producers' tables, especially around the lunchtime peak, felt more like a bar on a Friday night. Not ideal tasting conditions maybe, but it shows there is real interest in New Zealand wines at the moment.

The central tables consisted of a 'walk through taste tour', showcasing Riesling and Pinot Noir (and sensibly steering clear of Sauvignon, which is in danger of overshadowing NZ's other varieties). My favourites from this selection were Muddy Water James Hardwick Waipara Riesling 2007 (at the dry end of the Riesling spectrum, with great lively fruit), The Crater Rim 'Blacks Lot 7' Pinot Noir Waipara 2007 (violets, smooth and silky and, at 14%, no hint of alcohol burn) and Felton Road's Pinot Noirs (see below).

I was (maybe naively?) surprised that 14% seemed to be the average alcohol content for the Pinots. Apparently this is due to the fact that many of the Pinot Noir clones were originally brought to NZ from Burgundy, which has less sunshine and is cooler than many NZ winegrowing areas. The NZ Pinot berries therefore tend to develop more sugar, meaning more alcohol in the finished product.

Central Otago's Felton Road is a really interesting producer, a practitioner of - in their own words - "medieval winemaking". They are 100% organic and will also be wholly biodynamic once various certification periods have been completed. The highlights were their Block 5 Pinot Noir (from a select portion of their Cornish Point vineyard) and a Vin Gris, made from free-run Pinot Noir juice (delicate with a slightly salty finish). Although their Pinots are all around the 14% mark, the alcohol is completely integrated with the fruit.

I noticed several producers now make 'unwooded' or 'unoaked' Chardonnays, with no malolactic fermentation. These tend to have pleasant crisp, citrussy flavours and - if such a comment is not a redundancy - taste very typically of Chardonnay.

Seresin's range was very good as expected (especially the Reserve Sauvignon 2008 and the 'Rachel' Pinot Noir 2006), as was Craggy Range.