New Zealand Flashcards
Who is James Busby?
British minister who planted a small vineyard from French and Spanish cuttings at his estate in Northland
Who is Romeo Bragato?
An Austrian viticulturist who came to New Zealand from Victoria with the task of studying the nation’s vineyards and combating phylloxera.
What was the most planted grape varietal in New Zealand in 1960?
Albany Surprise
Who is New Zealand’s largest winemaking company and what did they do in 1973?
Montana
Established Marlborough’s first commercial vineyards in 1973
Who produced the country’s first varietal wine and what was the grape? From where?
Montana
Chardonnay from Gisborne
Who is responsible for putting New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc on the map and in what year was this?
Cloudy Bay
1985
When was the Screwcap Initiative launched?
2001
How is the climate and topography of the North Island different than that of the South Island?
North Island is less mountainous and generally much rainier
What is the name of the mountain range that divides the South Island?
Southern Alps
What region in New Zealand is the world’s southernmost winemaking region?
Central Otago
Where are most of New Zealand’s vineyards planted in regards to the coastline and topography?
Planted on flat expanses and mostly located within twenty miles of the eastern coastline.
Why is mechanical harvesting so common in New Zealand?
A consistent source of cheap manual labor is hard to find.
Why is on average a bottle of wine in New Zealand more expensive than any other bottle in the world?
New Zealand has little land to spare, thus modern bulk wine production is not economically feasible. For this reason producers have mainly focused on higher price points in the global market.
What two organizations worked together to create the overarching wine growing organization that all producer in New Zealand belong to? What is it called?
Grape Growers Council and the New Zealand Wine Institute
New Zealand Winegrowers
Who was the first to commercially release wine under the screw cap in New Zealand?
Kim Crawford in Marlborough
What are the six larger wine regions of the North Island?
Northland Auckland Waikato/ Bay of Plenty Gisborne (Poverty Bay) Hawkes Bay Wairarapa (Wellington)
What three grapes dominate Auckland?
Chardonnay
Cabernet Sauvignon
Merlot
What are the 5 unofficial subregions of Auckland?
Kumeu/Huapai Waiheke Island Matakana/Mahurangi South Auckland Henderson
What is Waikato also known as?
Bay of Plenty
Poverty Bay is also known as what wine region that is the first in the world to see the sun each day?
Gisborne
Which one, red or white, wine production dominates Gisborne? What is the major grape planted here?
White
Chardonnay
Which region is known as the second largest wine region in the country and the North Island’s driest in climate?
Hawkes Bay
What are the 5 unofficial subregions of Hawke’s Bay? Which subregion’s subregion is the most notable for producing premium Syrah and Bordeaux-style blends? What are the major soil type of this subregion? What other major soil types exist in Hawke’s Bay?
River Valleys Coastal Areas Alluvial Plains Hillsides Central Hawke's Bay
Alluvial Plains’ subregion, Gimblett Gravels is notable for premium Syrah and Bordeaux-style blends, the major soil type here is deep shingle soils
Other soil types include Greywacke gravel, heavy silt, and sandy loam
What is the southernmost wine region on the North Island? What is it also called? What is the major subregion here and what is the most successful grape for both white wines and red wines?
Wairarapa a.k.a. Wellington
Martinborough is the major subregion here and Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc thrive here.
Which wine region in New Zealand produces over half of the country’s total output?
Marlborough
What is the most exported wine from New Zealand?
Montana’s Lindauer sparkling wines are the most exported.
Which famous Champagne house teamed up with Montana in 1988 effectively cementing Marlborough’s future in the wine world?
Deutz
What are the three unofficial subregions of Marlborough?
Wairau Valley
Southern Valleys
Awatere Valley
Name three producers of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.
Cloudy Bay
Kim Crawford
Montana
What is the fastest growing wine region in New Zealand and what are its two subregions?
Canterbury
Waipara Valley
Canterbury Plains are the two subregions.
What is the star grape of Central Otago? What is the climate here and how does it differ from the rest of the country?
Pinot Noir
Witnesses country’s only continental climate
The best vineyards in Central Otago face what direction? Why not the other?
North
Southern aspects are much too cold to ripen the grapes effectively.
Name three producers of Central Otago Pinot Noir.
Felton Road
Mt. Difficulty
Rippon
What are the 6 unofficial subregions of Central Otago?
Gibbston Wanaka Alexandra Basin Cromwell Basin Bannockburn Bendigo
If a wine has a grape listed what is the minimum % of the grape that must be in the bottle? Vintage?
85% for both
