Here I Am (Come and Take Me)

Red, red wine

Go to my head

Make me forget

That I still need her so

Red, red wine

It's up to you

All I can do, I've done

- Neil Diamond

Vineyard view from the balcony of our farm-stay

New Zealand is well-known for its wines, particularly Sauvignon Blanc, some of which are considered world class by both the drinking public and critics. SvB is pretty much synonymous with New Zealand wine, and the Marlborough region on the northeast coast of the South Island is its crown. New Zealand SvB's have shed their smokey, heavily oaked origins (think California Fume Blanc) and are now bright, citrusy, and aromatic. Kari and I have tasted few from other regions (Sancerre, France comes to mind) that have surpassed the consistent palate and joy of a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. It's our go-to varietal when we want a glass of wine or two.

Sancerre we drank with friends just prior to moving to NZ

Reds here are another story. Vineyards are planted mostly to Bordeaux varietals as well as Syrah, Sangiovese, and Pinot Noir. These are generally grown in the warmer climate of the North Island's Hawke's Bay region and Waiheke Island. Overall, we have found them to be a disappointment.

When we traveled to New Zealand on holiday 3 years ago, we tried to drink wines from each region we visited. We did not get to the South Island physically, but we did so in spirit (and spirits). We did have some good reds, but they were at a price point that made them special occasion wines rather than daily drinkers. We also went to the Wine Centre in Gisborne where our friends introduced us to a great red ... I will have to ask them to dig through their 3-yr wine fog and remind me of what it was.

We are fortunate to have a local Wine Trader within a very short walk of us. They have an extensive selection and the knowledge to match. They also deal in whiskey and other spirits and were able to obtain some precious bottles of rye for me at a reasonable cost. As I spun our tales of red wine woe to the gentleman at the shop, he agreed. "Kiwis drink their wine young." He had hit the nail on the head. New Zealand reds tend to be very forward and fruity, whereas our preference is for older, more complex reds. He recommended a couple of NZ red blends that he thought might do but admitted that there was really nothing in our price point and steered us to some French Bordeaux blends. We have been drinking these imported wines instead.

A prior resident in our rental home had clearly been as much an oenophile as we imagine ourselves to be. When we moved in, there were a number of fliers from wineries. We received a sale flier in the mail and decided to order a mixed case. The whites and Pinot Noirs were unremarkable, but the Bordeaux blend was fantastic. Alana winery partnered with a winery in Blaye to produce a Merlot/Malbec blend they called Les Amis D'Alana. It has a spicy nose with notes of dark fruit and liquorice and was exactly what we were looking for. Unfortunately, when I went to order more the sale was over and it was too pricey for our budget.

Grand vin de Bordeaux

Highstead luck smiled on us once again. The Kaikoura Earthquake caused widespread damage, including to the Alana Winery warehouse. Shelves tumbled over and wine bottles broke, staining the cases and labels of several pallets of wine. There was a half-price sale on these "damaged" bottles (the wine inside was perfectly fine), so we purchased 2 cases.

Yep, that'll never come out

In New Zealand, Martinborough and Canterbury are known for their Pinot Noir. Lately, Pinot's from the central Otago region have started to come of age, winning numerous international awards. Still, they remain fruity, which is a characteristic of New Zealand wines and not one we typically enjoy. One of the things we have really enjoyed is the Kiwi penchant for bubbles. You can find a sparkling version of almost every local varietal of reds and whites. For drinking on New Year's Eve, our friends gifted us a wonderful sparkling red blend fittingly called "The Doctors' Bubbles for Beth". As great as the wine was (and it really was), I was enthralled by the re-usable, resealable pressurized cap. Inconceivable!

The Doctor is in

This week we went to the UB40 Red Red Wine Vineyard Tour at the Luna Estate Vineyard in Martinborough. As usual, Kari worked her magic and found us a farm-stay ... an above the garage apartment at a vineyard. It's all about location, location, location and our farm-stay was only 1 km from Luna Estate Vineyard. It was a little grey and drizzly, but we followed the line of parked cars and arrived in short order.

  

Concert time!

The usual suspects were there too ... food trucks! We finally had a chance to try a burger truck and a taco truck that we hadn't had before. We didn't forget the gelato for dessert and we didn't skimp on the wine.

   

  

  

Not bad seats, eh?

This was just a quick overnight trip to Martinborough, a short drive away. The big event this week is our canoe trip down the Whanganui River. We will be paddling for three days, sleeping in tents at night, and are very lucky to have good friends joining us.

Feeling irie ...