New Zealand Flashcards
What are the 4 current winemaking trends in Australia & New Zealand?
Sparkling
Lower Alcohol
More elegant, lighter bodied styles
Organics & Biodynamics
What are NZ’s major & minor white grapes?
Major: Sauv blanc, Chardonnay
Minor: Gewurz, Riesling, Pinot Gris
What are NZ’s major & minor red grapes?
Major: Pinot, Cab, Merlot
Minor: Syrah, Malbec
On what parallel does Aukland lie? With whom does it share this distinction? What about Central Otago?
37th South, with Mendoza
45th South
What are NZ’s major bodies of water?
South Pacific Ocean
Tasman Sea to the west & north
Cook Straight between the islands
Bay of Plenty & Hawkes Bay on north island
What are the climates of NZ’s north & south island?
North Island ranges from subtropical & humid in North to Maritime in South
South Island ranges from maritime in North to Continental in south.
What are the climates of Marlborough, Canterbury, & Central Otago?
Marlborough & Canterbury are maritime, but warmer & dryer due to rainshadow effect.
Central otago is continental thanks to the rain shadow effect of the Southern Alps
Briefly sketch out NZ’s wine history
1819: Christian Missionaries plant first vines on North Island
1836: British minister James Busby plants french & spanish cuttings on his estate in Northland
1895: Wine industry grew slowly compared to beer, so NZ dept of agrigulture hired Romeo Bragato, austrian viticulturist from victoria, who recommended best growing sites & grafting for phyloxera
1909: NZ temperance movement means bars close at 9
1955: Stores allowed to sell single bottles of wine
1960: Restaurants allowed to sell bottles of wine
1967: Temperance repealed
1973: Montana establishes first commercial vineyard
1979: First Marlborough Sauv Blanc is marketed
1985: Cloudy Bay releases first Marlbourgh SB to critical aclaim
1986: NZ vine pull scheme pivots toward quality wine making
2001: Screwcap initiative launched
2002: NZ winegrowers association founded
2017: NZ GI system established
What was 6 o’clock swill?
A WWI era temperance law in Aus & NZ mandating pubs close at 6pm; NZ didn’t repeal until 1967
Which NZ wine GI’s best known for sparkling?
Marlborough
What is the important mountain range in NZ and how does it affect viticulture?
Southern Alps on the South Island
-adds elevation and aspect to vineyards
-creates prominent rainshadow effect for Eastern side
Is mechanical harvesting common in NZ? Why or why not?
Yes, because cheap labor is scarce
Is NZ better known for bulk or quality wine?
Quality wine! They lack the land for bulk production
What is NZ’s % rule & to what does it apply?
85: vintage, variety, GI
What are NZ’s 3 permanent GIs?
New Zealand
North Island
South Island
What is NZ’s traditional center of wine business? What 2 giant producers are HQ’d there?
Aukland; Montana & Villa Maria
What are NZ’s 3 Northernmost wine regions? What grapes are most planted? Describe their climate.
Northland, Aukland, Waikato/Bay of Plenty
Chard, Syrah, Merlot, esp Merlot-based cab blends
Moderate, rainy maritime with risk of spring frost & rot
What are Aukland’s 3 important subregion GIs?
Kumeu
Waiheke Island
Matakana
Where is Waiheke Island and what’s unique about it?
It’s hilly, & uniquely dry & sunny for an Aukland subregion.
What is NZ’s second biggest producing GI and the driest GI on the north island?
Hawkes Bay.
What is most grown in Hawke’s Bay?
Merlot & Chard
What is Hawke’s Bay’s unique subregion? What does it grow, on what soil?
Gimblett Gravels: deep shingles of graywacke (sandstone) gravel
Syrah & bordeaux style blends
What is Gisbourne known for and what does it grow?
It’s the first wine region to see the sun every day
It grows overwhelmingly white grapes, esp chard.
What is most grown in Wairarapa? What is Wairarapa also known as?
Wellington; Pinot Noir & Chardonnay
What is unique about Nelson? What’s most grown there?
It’s both the sunniest & rainiest GI in NZ.
Pinot, Chard, PG, Sauv blanc
