Wine trailing in Marlborough

For the second weekend in a row, we went out of town for a mini-break. However, this weekend's trip was vastly different to our snow weekend. We took the ferry over to not-so-sunny Marlborough, the home of sauvignon blanc and 101 wineries. Yay for another 101 in 1001 activity: #21 - Take a boat trip.

Being the middle of winter, it was quite different to the last Marlborough wine trail we did. I was really glad that my sweetie could join us on this trip, after missing out on the last two. We generally found that the hospitality on this trip was better than our girls' wine trail to Martinborough last year. It might have been because there were fewer people around (due to the weather), but we noticed that all the presentations and displays at all the wineries we visited were beautifully presented, oozing charm and class. Stump Creek Lodge was our home for the weekend. Naturally, I chose the purple bedroom.

We visited six wineries in total and I worked out that we would have sampled around 45 different wines, so here's a round up of the places we visited and my thoughts about the wines I liked.

Good advice

Cloudy Bay

Cloudy Bay was first up. They certainly know how to put on a show. We were so impressed with the presentation at Cloudy Bay last time that we went back again. There was a roaring fire going even when we arrived before 10 am and a selection of wines waiting for our tasting session. Getting there so early meant that we had the cellar to ourselves and even got to try a couple of 'stickies' (dessert wines) afterwards.

Our tasting session at Cloudy Bay

Cloudy Bay bottles

My Cloudy Bay wine picks are as follows:

• Pelorus NV (non-vintage) - 70% chardonnay, 30% pinot noir. The non-vintage is actually a blend of three vintages from about 3 years ago: predominantly 2007, with smaller amounts of 2006 and 2008. It is a classic, fruity bubbly - great for special occasions.
• 2009 Sauvignon Blanc - a very light, subtle sav with a stony fruit flavour. It is machine harvested at 2 am to ensure the grapes are kept cold. Looking back at my notes from 2008, this was my pick of all the Cloudy Bay wines.
• 2008 Pinot Gris - somewhere between a sauvignon blanc and a chardonnay, it is a half barrel half stainless steel combination.
  
  

  

  Cosy fireplace at Cloudy Bay

Montana wine display

Montana are the biggest producers of wine in New Zealand and never missed an opportunity to remind us of this fact. They seemed really surprised to have kiwis on their winery tour, as most of their clientele is from overseas - this was very obvious while watching their promotional video. However, there is no doubting that the sheer scale of their production and the developments they have made in terms of research and technology are simply amazing.

The tour was interesting. We learned that most vineyard rows in Marlborough are planted north to south to maximise all day sun. However, some vineyards plant east to west, essentially producing two different varieties on the same vine. Their pinot noir hall is impressive, as was their sparkling wine press, the first one of its kind in the southern hemisphere. Montana also produce some organic wines. Companion rows are planted in between the rows of wines, attracting the bugs and keeping the nasties at bay. This reduces, or eliminates, the need for sprays; it they are needed at all, organic sprays are used.

Montana pinot noir cellar hall

I really only liked one of the Montana wines we sampled:

• 2009 Reserve Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc – a light, dry wine with a passionfruit taste.

Wither Hills entrance

Our next tasting was at the lovely Wither Hills, followed by lunch. Their 2008 sauvignon blanc was my favourite wine from the last tour and I was thrilled that my sweetie really liked the 2009 vintage - it's something we can look out for in future. Like the other wineries we visited, Wither Hills boasts some fabulous architecture. Their charming wine cellar has a table and chairs set up among the barrels, which would be perfect for a lunch meeting if it wasn't so cold!

Wither Hills cellar

My Wither Hills wine picks:

• 2009 Sauvignon Blanc - their flagship wine. This is a blend of grapes from twelve vineyards in the Wairau Valley. It has a subtle, fruity flavour and was my pick from the whole tour.
• 2009 Chardonnay - mild and lightly oaked. The flavour wasn't too sharp - my favourite chardonnay of the tour.
• 2007 Riesling - I'm surprised to see a riesling making it onto this list, but this was quite different to any other I've tasted. While there wasn't a very distinct flavour, it also wasn't overly sweet like other rieslings I've tried. However, I probably still couldn't be convinced to buy a bottle.

Wither Hills selection

Our lunch at the Wither Hills Restaurant was long and relaxing. We shared the Thai curry prawns and a steak sandwich - large, delicious portions and a great break from all the wine tasting.

Framingham

Our final stop for the day was Framingham, a small winery known for their rieslings. We sampled thirteen wine varieties - certainly a record and one of the few tastings that were free. They were very busy when we arrived so we wandered down to see their displays in the cellar.

Despite their reputation for riesling, Framingham's sauvignon blanc still came out tops for me:

• 2009 Sauvignon Blanc - this had a big, fruity aroma and went down easily.
• 2008 Pinot Gris - a subtle apple and pear flavour which was also easy to drink.

Framingham wine tasting

Saint Clair

After a lazy and relaxed Saturday night, we set out again on Sunday morning. Saint Clair was right next door to where we were staying. They are known for producing 40 varieties of wine, four of which we got to sample.

• 2009 Pioneer Block Sauvignon Blanc Snap Block 18 - this had a full-on, fruity aroma and a passionfruit taste. I loved it!
• 2009 Reserve Pinot Gris - hand picked with a soft, spicy pear flavour. A delicate drink.

Saint Clair tasting table

We took a brief break from wine by popping in to the Makana Boutique Chocolate Factory. Much like the wineries, they had samples of their divine hand-made chocolates available for visitors to try. Very berry toffee crunch, cherry armagnac truffles, macadamia brittle, and macadamia butter toffee crunch ... I was in heaven.

Makana chocolates

Finally, we went to Hunter's to partake in some amazing wine hospitality. Our host let us sample eleven different wines at no charge, including a bubbly. I think our group bought the most bottles of wine from Hunter's, judging by the boxes they were lugging back onto the ferry. It just goes to show how much good hospitality pays off!

Hunter's gift packs

My picks from Hunter's:

• 2008 Chardonnay - aged in oak for just 6 months (instead of 9 months), this had a light and creamy flavour. I've decided that I prefer unoaked chardonnay and this was the closest to unoaked that we got to sample on this trip.
• 2009 Riesling - surprisingly not too strong or sweet, this was a dry riesling with lime and citrus flavours.
  
• MiruMiru Non Vintage - Maori for 'bubbles'. 58% chardonnay, 33% pinot noir and 9% pinot meunier (the secret ingredient in bubbly wine) with peach and citrus aromas - this was absolutely delicious! We bought a bottle of this as a birthday present for my sweetie's mother.

Hunter's wines

What a weekend! Thankfully we're staying in town for the next few weeks, but this was an amazing break and a great way to learn about the types of wine I like (and don't like). I still find that I prefer subtle, fruity sauvignon blanc but also know that unoaked chardonnay is something to look out for.

Marlborough wine tasting

On 6-7 December, a group of about ten friends got on the morning ferry from Wellington to Picton, then on to Blenheim for an overnight stay. A friend of ours is a climate consultant for a number of vineyards in Marlborough's wine growing region, and had suggested we join him for a weekend of wine tasting at some of the wineries he consults for. Great idea!

As a non-drinker, I was still keen to go along and enjoy the experience. Bubbly Grape Wine Tours were our hosts for the afternoon. Our driver informed us that there are 101 wineries in Blenheim. Given how tiny Blenheim is, that is a huge number! We had four chosen for us to visit. Given that it's been about four years since I stopped drinking alcohol (and hardly drank much before then anyway), here is my uneducated opinion of the wines we tasted.

First stop was at Wither Hills. Their tasting room building features stunning architecture, a lovely cellar, and the most comfy bean bags you can imagine right on their front lawn! If we didn't have other wineries to go to, some of us might have finished our afternoon right there. Our host explained some of the nuisances of the wines they produced and we got to sample a selection.

• 2008 sauvignon blanc - this had a passionfruit taste and was incredibly yummy. I didn't realise it at the time, but it was my favourite wine of the day.
• 2008 Rarangi sauvignon blanc - this is the same sav, but only using the harvest from a specific vineyard (Rarangi). It had quite a lemongrass taste, and I didn't enjoy it as much as the first sav, but friends liked it and bought a bottle, their first of many.
• 2008 pinot gris - this is the only aromatic wine I usually enjoy.
• 2007 chardonnay - I found this quite oaky in taste.
• 2006 pinot noir - this had quite distinctive cherry and plum flavours.

Cloudy Bay was our next destination. Most people recognise Cloudy Bay as having a widely-accepted good name; its name is synonymous with quality. I can see why: pure class, all the way. This is the selection that greeted us upon arrival:

Wow. Ten miniature glasses of wines, all laid out, with water at the end, and a printed list. Our host was Australian, with questionable pronunciation of Maori words (at best), but she was very knowledgeable about the wines Cloudy Bay had produced. Here's their selection:

• Pelorus NV - Pelorus is the sparkling wine label for Cloudy Bay and features the Pelorus dolphin insignia. This non-vintage bubbly was very fruity, and I think someone in our group bought a bottle or two.
• Pelorus Vintage 2004 - this had a more subtle flavour (and also made a sale or two).
• 2008 sauvignon blanc - this was also very fruity and delicious. My pick from Cloudy Bay.
• 2005 Te Koko - this was a more subtle sav, named for the region. Not quite as tasty for me.
• 2006 chardonnay - I found this really oaky. Not sure I could finish a glass of this one.
• 2007 pinot gris - this was the standout pinot gris of the day for me. Delicious!
• 2005 riesling - this was incredibly sweet.
  
• 2006 Gewurztraminer - I wasn't keen on the oily texture of this wine.
• 2006 pinot noir - this was light and quite pleasant to taste.
• 2004 late harvest riesling - I couldn't cope with this; it was far too sickly sweet for me, so only made one sip. My friend bought a bottle, though, and finished our samples, too, along with everyone's leftover bubblies ...

Our third winery was Nautilus Estate. We were given a tour around part of the vineyard and found out a lot about the process of commercial wine making and the importance of frost protection. A decent frost can set a vineyard back 3-4 years overnight!

Nautilus's alternative label is Twin Islands. Apparently most wineries have an alternative label of B-grade wine (although some, like Cloudy Bay, only allow A-grade wine to be accepted) and each vintage is tasted and assessed by samplers who determine whether or not it is fit for sale under their label. Some which don't make the grade are sent to other wineries for bottling and branding under a generic label, and the really bad stuff gets discarded.

• 2008 sauvignon blanc - we got to pour ourselves some of this straight out the vat. It was unfiltered, so quite cloudy, and containing some impurities like seeds and pith. It tasted really fruity and was much-enjoyed by our group. Lovely!
  
• 2008 chardonnay - this was very subtle in flavour and my favourite chardonnay of the day. We got to drink it straight out of the barrels, poured from a large syringe.
  
• 2008 pinot noir - a very smooth flavour, and my favourite pinot noir of the day. Way to go, Nautilus! Again, sampled directly from the barrels and poured from a syringe.
  
• 2008 pinot noir clone - the cloning process was explained, but I don't recall most of it. This clone had a stronger taste than the original pinot noir. Neither will be ready for bottling for another year or so (I think!).
• Twin Islands pinot noir chardonnay - this is a sparkling wine. I enjoyed its light taste.
• Nautilus cuvee brut - and the sparkling just kept getting better. This was my bubbly pick of the day. Yummy!
  
• Twin Islands 2007 pinot noir - very light in taste and delicious.
  

Our final stop for the day was Fairhall Downs. They are a bit further off the beaten track and very much a family affair. They opened their cellar especially for our group. (It pays to know the right people.) Fairhall Downs Estate is set amongst rolling grounds, and with the sun at just the right angle it was the perfect way to end our day of wine tasting. Their alternative brand is Torea, or 'barbeque wine', as our host explained.

• Torea 2008 sauvignon blanc - very fruity 'barbeque wine', ie its purose is not necessarily to be the toast of the town.
• 2008 sauvignon blanc - this was far more subtle than the Torea, and I preferred its flavour.
• 2008 pinot gris - this was partly hand-harvested, which is unusual for white wines. The taste wasn't particularly memorable for me.
• 2007 chardonnay - also not very memorable; I'm not sure why.
• 2007 pinot noir - a bit too oaky for me, but friends bought a bottle. Overall, I enjoyed Fairhall Downs wines less than those we tasted at other wineries.
  

I learned a lot over the weekend. If you are planning on doing a wine trail yourself, I'd highly recommend booking ahead and asking for a tasting for your group. While many wineries will accommodate people off the street, the ones who were expecting us gave us really interesting tours and were better equipped to deal with groups, and they were all free. Keep an open mind, even if you think you only like certain types of wines. I was surprised how the sauvignon blancs ended up being my favourites, as I'd switched to chardonnay several years ago (before stopping drinking at all). We're keen to try another tour, either in the same region or closer to home in the Wairarapa or Hawkes Bay. It also pays to bring someone 'in the know', if you can; we think our connections helped at Cloudy Bay. ;-)

An almost perfect weekend (I would have liked my sweetie to have been able to join us), and what I thought was a near-impossible goal was achieved: #83 - Have a computer-free weekend (all of Sat/Sun).