New Zealand

Question 1

Location

Answer 1

Marlborough

Question 2

Climate

Answer 2

cool maritime with dry, sunny summers

Question 3

Soils

Answer 3

free-draining, sometimes irrigation is needed

Question 4

Grape Varieties

Answer 4

Char, PN most popular

Question 5

Winery

Answer 5

Premium: traditional, transfer may also be used
Basic: tank, carbonation (fresher, fruitier for immediate consumption)

Bottle-fermented sparkling wines formula:

• multi-vintage base wine
• 18 mo on lees
• disgorged via machine or transfer

Reluctant to use screw cap, so traditional cork

Question 6

Styles

Answer 6

Non-vintage, Vintage, BdB, Rose

Reliable ripening conditions = vintage variation is not as marked as in Champ. Most wines are based on single vintage, though no quality connotation

Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc

• carbonated
• Mount Riley winery first, but Lindauer produced for mass market

Question 7

Important Trade Structures

Answer 7

• Few estates that specialize in sparkling wine
• Most producers have a sparkling as part of larger portfolio
• A number of producers use contract facilities to bottle, age and disgorge their sparkling wines to avoid costs of specialized equipment and benefit from highly skilled staff.

Question 8

History

Answer 8

1970’s: semi sweet carbonated wines from Muller Thurgau

Last 30 years:

• abandoning low quality styles
• Chardonnay and Pinot Noir plantings
• traditional method
• shifting from Gisborne/Hawkes Bay (warmer) to Marlborough and Central Otago (mush smaller)

Methode Marlborough - aim to invigorate category through education

Question 9

Market

Answer 9

Dominant Producers:

• Lion (owns Lindaur)
• Nobilo
• Pernod ricard
• Oyster Bay

Problems:

• domestic market buys based on price not quality
• export market more confident in sparkling from Cava, Prosecco, Australia, etc.
• global market crash made Champagne more affordable

2016 - 1.33 million litres of sparkling wine exported
- Australia and UK major markets