NEW ZEALAND Flashcards
Climate?
Maritime overall
Long sunshine hours, nights cooled by sea breezes, long ripening period
South island-Cool
North island- A bit warmer
Vineyards on the South island?
Located on the east side
Protected from rain bearing west winds by mountains in the center of the island
Many vineyard areas experience a lot of what?
-Rain
-Can be a problem during ripening
-Soils tend to be free draining so they don’t experience waterlog
Those on flat land can be overly fertile (excessive shoot and leaf growth)
Flagship grape with majority of wine production?
Sauv B
Pungent aromas, intense flavours of elderflower and passionfruit and high acid
Sauv B in the North island?
South Island?
Warmer North=More tropical flavours
Cooler South-Higher acid, flavours of green bell pepper, gooseberry
**Usually fermented in inert vessels at cool temps
Some make oak matured styles
Chardonnay characteristics?
Concentrated citrus and tropical fruits with subtle hints of toast from new French oak
2aromatic whites and 1 semi aromatic white NZ has been exploring?
Riesling
Gew
Semi-Pinot Gris
2nd most planted grape?
Pinot Noir
Mainly in South island
A few select spots in the North
Pinot Noir characteristics?
Vibrant fruit
Fine ripe tannins
Soft texture
High alcohol
2nd greatest volume grape for red?
What is added to it?
Merlot
Cab Sauv-Adds tannin and cassis making Bordeaux style blend
Mainly in the North where warmer temps help to ripen black grapes
Syrah does best where?
Warmer sites, similar to Rhone
Traditionally where was the heart of the wine industry?
Aukland
Climate in Aukland (North Island)
Most planted grapes?
Warm
Wettest part of NZ, fungal disease is an issue
Chardonnay, Merlot, Syrah
Gisborne climate (North Island)
Most planted grape variety?
Rainfall is high, but so are the temps and sunshine hours in the growing season
Chardonnay-Ripe tropical fruit flavors
Small amount of high quality Gew and full bodied Pinot Gris
Hawke’s Bay (North island) Climate?
Warmest of the main grape growing areas and has the longest sunshine hours
What is Gimblett Gravels?
In Hawke’s Bay
-A parcel of well drained heat absorbing gravel soil on the valley floor
High reputation for black grapes (Merlot and Cab Sauv in Bordeaux style blends)
Some Syrah
Wairarapa (North Island) climate?
Most important area here?
What is it known for?
-High summer temps, but wide diurnal range
-Martinborough
Martinborough-Global reputation for Pinot Noir and is now registered as a GI (Medium-full bodied, ripe hints of dark plum and spice)
Major centre for grape growing in NZ?
Marlborough
2 adjacent estuary valleys where vineyards like in Marlborough (South Island)?
Wairau-Largest
Sauv B
Has long sunny days
Not uniform
Has a number of side valleys on the southern side of Wairau that give producers a number of aspects and altitudes
Awatere-Drier, cooler, windier
Sauv B has higher acid here, pronounced herbaceous character and lack tropical fruit flavors that can be found in some of the wines from the Wairau Valley
Rules for wines with a GI?
A min of 85% of the grapes must come from the region to which the GI relates
What other grapes are also widely planted in Marlborough?
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and used for still and sparkling wine production
Still Pinot Noir-Medium body, fine tannins, flavors of cherry and cranberry
Riesling and Pinot Gris also perform well here
Nelson (South Island) Climate?
Grapes?
Cooler and wetter than Marlborough
Sauv Blanc, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris
Cantebury (South Island) has 2 main centres of viticulture, what are they?
What grapes are they known for?
- In the plain immediately to the west of the town of Christchurch (Exposed to the cooling influence of the Pacific, slight warming effect from North Westerly winds)
2.Larger one, Waipara Valley to the north (Impact of warm winds if more marked here, as it’s less exposed to the ocean due to a range of hills)
Sauv B and Pinot Noir 2 most planted
Waipara also has high quality Riesling
Climate in Central Otago (South Island)
-Continental
-Frost damage is a risk in Spring and Autumn
-Summers can be warm
-Diurnal range in the growing season is large
-Intensity of sunlight is very high (Wines tend to have high levels of alcohol)
