Review of the New Zealand Annual Trade Tasting, London 2012
Wine writer Anne Krebiehl blogs from the New Zealand Annual Trade Tasting held in London this week:
"Considering the viticultural stats of New Zealand - there were merely 238 wineries and 6610 hectares of vineyard in 1996, now there are 698 wineries and 33,600 hectares - and their constantly growing trend, David Cox, European Director of New Zealand Wines does not think that this will continue. "We've had our big vintage years in 2008 and 2009 and we are back in balance now, pretty much. I don't think we are going to see very many plantings, not for the next couple of years," Cox said at yesterday's Annual Trade Tasting at Lord's Cricket Ground in London.
The afternoon scrum around many tasting tables attested to the sheer and continuing popularity of Kiwi wines; not only do they sell better year by year, they do so at an enviable above £6 average retail price, a feat no other country has mastered in the UK. Cox is confident: "We have this premium stance, but we tend to back it up with the quality that's in the glass which does help. The mantra in New Zealand is we must keep the quality high if we want to keep those consumers happy to pay £8, £9, £10 or even over £10 in the independents."
Four self-pour "educational" tables were set up highlighting Riesling, Chardonnay, sparkling wines and Bordeaux blends. Across the room, the zesty Rieslings stood out, covering the whole range from dry and slender, via fruity and off-dry to nobly sweet, often with that lanolin-scented mineral streak and depending on region and style, either boasting fresh orchard fruits or full-blown tropical flavours.
Meanwhile the 2008 Mountford Estate Chardonnay (Waipara), newly represented by Hallowed Ground, surely stood out as the most spectacular Chardonnay of the room. "The message here," said Cox, "is look again at our known varietals like Chardonnay, like Riesling, we've made real progress here." However, he was quick to add that "Sauvignon Blanc is still a top priority for us. It's still our number one door-opener; we are actually focussing on the regionality of Sauvignon Blanc".
Regionality was also the focus of the afternoon Pinot Noir master class held by Dr John Forrest of Forrest Wines, who predicted that "the next big thing for New Zealand Pinot Noir is tannin structure and tertiary development," something that will follow naturally with more vine age - as most Kiwi Pinot plantings are still less than 10 years old..."
For the full article click here: http://www.harpers.co.uk/misc/content/article/11628-anne-krebiehl-blogs-from-new-zealand-annual-trade-tasting.html