New Zealand Flashcards
New Zealand map
Where is New Zealand located?
2500 miles south east of Aus
Made up of North Island and South Island
What is the climate of the South Island?
Cool
* Marlborough - cool/maritime with protection from Southern Alps
* Central Otago - cool continental
What is the climate of the North Island?
Warmer, humid
* Hawke’s Bay - moderate maritime
* Gisborne - cool maritime
* Wairarapa - cool maritime
Where are the Southern Alps?
- Primary geographical feature
- Runs the entire length of Southern Island along the west coast
- Provie a RAIN SHADOW to the vineyards planted on eastern coast.
What is Grimblett Gravels?
Red wines!
A large gravel bed in a warm area of Hawke’s Bay (North Island) with impoverished stony soil that is great for Merlot and Syrah.
What are the GI’s of the South Island?
Marlborough GI (Sauv blanc)
Central Otago GI (far south, high elevation, Pinot Noir & Riesling)
Nelson GI (only vineyard west if Southern Alps, very sunny)
Caterbury GI (Pinot Noir and Sauv B)
What are the GI’s of the North Island?
Hawke’s Bay GI (red wine)
Gisborne GI (sparkling wine)
Wairarapa GI (50% Pinot Noir, 50% white wines)
Martinborough GI
What are the subregions of Marlborough GI?
Wairau Valley (sunny, cool and dry climate)
Awatere Valley (south of Wairau Valley - cool, dry and windy)
What are the labelling laws of Marlborough GI?
Labelling requires 100% fruit from the regions
What is the required minimum to state vareity, vintage, or region of origin on the label?
85%
What are some winemaking techniques in NZ?
Very clean and modern
Use of screw caps
What are the white grapes?
Sauv B
Chardonnay
Pinot Gris
Gewurztraminer
Riesling
What are the red grapes?
Pinot Noir
Cab Sauv
Syrah
Merlot
Do NZ wines see oak?
Whites are typically unoaked, high flavor intensity with high acidity
Reds are lightly oaked
NZ producers to know
Cloudy Bay
Felton Road
Villa Maria
What is unique about NZ vintages?
They are 6 mos ahead of Northern Hemisphere
What is Vertical Shoot Positioning (VSP) trellis system?
Vine shoots are trained upward in a vertical, narrow curtain with the fruiting zone below.
Improves exposure to sunlight/ripening and provides airflow that minimies rot
What is the Scott Henry trellis system?
Designed to improve grape yields and quality in a high-capacity, cool climate site.
The basic strategy of Scott Henry training is vertical canopy division with shoots being trained upward and downward.
Food pairings Sauv B
Fish tacos with mango salsa or yellowtail jalepeno starter to stand up to intense flavors of Sauv B from NZ. Sauv B has ripeness for sweet-savory ingredients. Pair acid with acid.
NZ temprerance movement
Began in 19th century
Although it met with local success, it narrowly failed to impose national prohibition on a number of occasions in the early-20th century.
NZ screwcap initiative
Established in 2001 to change the way we seal wine
Over 90% of NZ wine sealed with screw cap
Looking to eradicate cork
