A bright future, or just desperate?

It does not take that long to change the flavour of a national wine industry, and it may not be far in the future when viognier or gamay noir could be as much a part of New Zealand’s regional wine flavour as sauvignon blanc and pinot noir now are.

It was not so long ago, a mere 30 or so years, when the sight of a bottle of sauvignon blanc wine on the shelf was rare indeed. Most wines that could be found that actually contained the sauvignon blanc variety on New Zealand shelves in 1980 would have been from France, and carried names like Pouilly Fumé or Château Olivier.

Now over 80% of New Zealand’s wine production is in sauvignon blanc, be it dry, sweet or sparkling, and it can even be found as an RTD in Australia. Indeed, the only version of sauvignon blanc not yet released is red and it is only a matter of time before sauvignon blanc cider hits the market.

So what chance a variety that nobody has yet heard of takes over swathes of the national vineyard? Slim chance, really, as even varieties such as viognier, which has made some impact within both the wine making and drinking communities, has quite a leap to become even slightly mainstream.

Even in Europe, where it is well established, viognier claims such a tiny chunk of Europe’s respectable vineyard land – it is less well known than it is amongst the young and thrusting talents of New Zealand’s wine industry.

The next big thing

It seems that it is no longer good enough to make the best chardonnay or pinot noir, what is wanted is recognition for introducing the ‘next big thing’ in terms of variety.

So here at BWS we decided to have a quick look at what is currently planted in the innovative section of our national vineyard, and what chances they have of being more than a passing interest to wine snobs.

Top of the list of white varieties must be viognier, at least because there are a good number of producers now handling this variety and turning it into fairly decent wine. In Gisborne and Hawkes Bay it has made an impact for its sinew, muscle and pretty fragrance, enough for an estimated 204 hectares of productive vineyard to be in the ground for this coming vintage.

However, even the best of these can tend towards being rather bottom heavy, with more than enough alcohol than is good for its balance.

Against top class chardonnay, riesling or sauvignon blanc they struggle for consistency and complexity without the winemaker going completely over the top.

Best option, probably, is as a co-fermentation variety to add elegance and fragrance to the already striking syrah wines that are being produced around the country.

Of the other white varieties that could be contenders, none is being grown in large enough quantities for a fair assessment of their potential to be made, on the basis of what has been produced so far. It could be that the best theoretical options could actually lie with classics that we have had for a while but have yet to master, such as chenin blanc. Or perhaps in the one-time champion of all European white wine varieties, roussanne.

A lot has been made of arneis, the much discussed “little rascal” variety from Northern Italy. Initial efforts show it to be pretty enough on the nose, with some charming fruit flavours, but so far the verdict must be charming rather than impressive, giving the impression that they will struggle to match the fragrance and character of good viognier, which has its nose well in front in likely arneis regions such as Gisborne and Hawkes Bay.

There has also been plenty of support for grüner veltliner, the Austrian darling of New York and London. A wine bursting with delicate floral tones that has cast its magic over food matching aficionados in the most glamorous settings.

Its star has risen in such publications as Decanter and the Wine Spectator, giving it credibility with New Zealand’s younger winemakers.

Again the results in terms of wine quality have been underwhelming, even in the hands of Austrian born Herman Seifried who should know it well. Again some pretty smells, but not a lot more. No wonder few have actually planted much of it and there remains less than two hectares of producing vineyard around the traps.

There is even less albarinho planted in New Zealand than there is grüner veltliner, but in the wetter parts of the North Island, its Atlantic-side origins in Iberia suggest its custard-like textures and suave manner could make it more likely to be successful here. Famous in Galicia in Northern Spain, it is considered to be the best of Spanish whites, and top labels fetch high prices in Madrid.

So far only one New Zealand Albarinho has been made, by Coopers Creek from grapes grown in Gisborne in 2011, and on this example alone it is reasonable to expect a solid future for the variety here. Firm, with depth, hints of custard and attractive purity, it is certainly a wine worth following.

While there is not a lot of activity in planting these new white varieties, with the singular exception of viognier, the case is different for red wine varieties. Two of these, gamay noir and montepulciano, have established a good track record in wines made with class and character.

Leading the list of these must be montepulciano, a variety of Italian origin that has produced wines in regions as diverse as Marlborough, Waiheke Island and Hawkes Bay. All have impressive aromatic richness, warmth of flavour and length to be close to become a true sub-category of premium New Zealand winemaking, and lobby eloquently for a greater share of the nation’s vineyards to be committed to this variety.

Not far behind is tempranillo, another Iberian grape with plenty of potential. In the hands of Hawkes Bay winery Trinity Hill’s winemakers’ tempranillo has certainly made its point for serious consideration in the future. Flavour depth and texture are invariably impressive, and it also has that warm note that marks a certain convivial quality in the best red wines.

With 12 productive hectares of vineyard it is surprising we have not heard more about gamay noir in this country. There is really only one wine that is worth consideration when discussing this variety here, and that is Te Mata Estate’s Woodthorpe Gamay Noir a Jus Blanc. Vibrant fruit and a cool demeanour make this one of the most striking and succulent wines in the country, and certainly one worthy of interest for future growing.

Finally there is grenache, the variety which boasts the largest vineyard area on earth. While long demeaned as a workhorse of cheap table wine the world over, it is also, as both France and Spain continue to show, father of some truly toothsome, high class, memorable reds. Perhaps its lavish fruit and easy, comfortably flavoursome character could lay the groundwork for New Zealand reds with grunt that won’t break the bank.

So there you have it. Try viognier, montepulciano and gamay noir from any variety of winemakers and see what is different about these grapes and what has some winemakers predicting a bright future for them.