Wine & Rugby: An Aussie Worth a Try
There's no doubt that on Sunday both the Wallabies and the All Blacks will have their eyes on glory and each team is focused on lifting the Webb Ellis Cup. Rivalry aside, the two nations have common ground… The unmistakable love of New Zealand wine.
Australians drink more wine per capita than the kiwis and the Brits! The landscape for New Zealand wine in Australia has changed dramatically over the last 3 years, with New Zealand wine imports growing more than 100% by volume and 80% by value. Over the same period the total New Zealand wine market share has lifted from under 9% to over 12% of the total retail bottled wine market. More New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, led by the wines from the Marlborough region, is imported into Australia than any other wine style.
The New Zealand wine industry is creative, innovative, and brimming with interesting personalities from around the world. Many of the colourful characters in the industry have links to Australia. Here are a few facts that tie the two nations together through wine…
Tupari Wines, Marlborough:
An Aussie worth a try…
Glenn Thomas, the winemaker and inspiration behind Tupari Wines, is the pioneer who helped established the Awatere Valley as one of the world’s great wine regions. However, ask him about rugby and his taste takes a turn. Whilst we managed to woo him from Australia to make the first Sauvignon Blanc in our magnificent Awatere Valley, we also introduced him to a rugby-mad nation. We will never know whether it was our on-going taunts, the intimidating strength of our beloved All Blacks or the Aussie tendency to go for the underdog; but after moving to NZ Glenn developed his second passion in life - for the rugby team across the ditch!
It was always wine before rugby however. Glenn grew up surrounded by the beauty of the famous Barossa in Australia’s South. It was here that Glenn developed his passion for wine. He graduated from oenology at Roseworthy College and worked in McLaren Vale and the Barossa before flying to New Zealand on a tasting tour. It was 20 years ago that Glenn arrived in the Awatere Valley and was so excited by the flavours of the grapes that he decided to move New Zealand. In 1989, Glenn produced the Awatere Valley’s first Sauvignon Blanc and within three years had won gold medals at numerous shows including the London International Wine Challenge. When Glenn won ‘New Zealand Winemaker of the Year’ in 1992 we thought his transition to the kiwi way of life was complete.
We were wrong! Here, surrounded by one-eyed All Blacks supporters, we influenced Glenn to fall in love with our national sport. But come Rugby World Cup, Glenn will be barracking for the Aussies.
Thankfully his taste in wine is a little better with his Tupari range of Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and Dry Riesling winning awards across the globe. Tupari (pron: Too-par-ee) takes its name from the dramatic cliffs forming the Upper Awatere Valley in Marlborough, New Zealand where the Turnbull family and Glenn have collaborated to create wine of distinction. The Tupari portfolio comprises Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and Dry Riesling (RRP $29.00). Definitely a drop worth a try!
www.tupari.co.nz