News & Gallery

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MEDIA RELEASE
14 May 2012
Martinborough Vintage Saved By Beautiful Autumn

 Martinborough wine producers have been breathing a sigh of relief with an Autumn characterised by six weeks of beautiful clear skies and long sunshine hours producing high quality fruit and the promise of some excellent wine to come out of the 2012 vintage.

 The summer growing season of January to March had been disappointing with low sunshine hours, low heat units and frequent rain.  Even with the long sunshine hours during Autumn the growing degree days that measure the heat summation throughout the growing season was only sitting around 980 units compared to the normal seasonal average of 1,050 – 1,150.  Despite the cooler summer, local winemakers have expressed their confidence in the 2012 vintage based on the quality and level of ripening of the fruit.  Paul Mason, winemaker at Martinborough Vineyard explains “it is the challenging years where Martinborough comes to the fore.  Indications are that this year's harvest will continue the tradition of Martinborough's well balanced, elegant wines with finesse.”  

“The cool, dry autumn weather was perfect, particularly for Pinot Noir as the long sunshine hours and calm weather meant that the grapes were able to stay on the vine longer, enabling the flavours to build up without the grapes overheating, resulting in the subtle flavours of the Pinot Noir coming through to the fore and producing a nice balance of fruit ripeness and acidity” says Nicola Belsham of Murdoch James Estate.

 Volumes vary across the district due to the weather at the time of fruit set, but overall are down on a typical year.  For many wineries this may have started as a disappointment, but has proved to be a blessing in helping fruit to ripen in this cooler season.  A number of the vineyards have compared this season to 2010 which also had a cool summer followed by lovely long autumn.  The 2010 vintage has since seen a number of Martinborough wines pick up some top international awards.

 Harvest began for most Martinborough producers in the second week of April, over two weeks later than normal.  It is now almost complete with just some late Riesling to come in.  While the quantity of the 2012 vintage is well below average, the quality is looking fantastic, with many expressing particular surprise about the quality of the Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc.  While the Chardonnay is still fermenting opinions are that it too is looking to be impressive.

 ENDS

 If you would like further information, or would like us to facilitate an interview for you with one of the local winemakers, please contact Gretchen Bunny at Wines From Martinborough.

Martinborough Vintage Update, 2nd April 2012

The 2012 vintage is fast approaching and it's shaping up to be another standout year in Martinborough. Conditions have generally been cooler and cloudier this year compared with previous vintages which has delayed everything by around 2 weeks. Due to higher than average rainfall and excellent growing conditions, grapevine canopies are quite lush and green for this time of the year which can actually aid in late season ripening as the leaves are more photosynthetically active during the critical latter stages of ripeness.

The Chardonnay harvest has started on some vineyards already, while the Pinot Noir harvest is expected to commence in the second week of April. Most Sauvignon Blanc will be picked in the 3rd & 4th week of April. Despite the variable weather, fruit across the region is looking very good with only minor levels of botrytis and powdery mildew present.

Crops are a little lower in some areas of Martinborough due to wet, cool conditions occurring over flowering. This has resulted in the presence of 'hen & chicken' bunches on some vineyards and varieties. This is not all bad news as the smaller berries result in a higher skin to juice ratios which can translate to greater colour development in red varieties such as Pinot Noir and more pronounced, complex fruit characters in whites. Bunches are also less compact which reduces late season disease problems. Weather conditions over the next three to four weeks are vital to ensure diseases such as botrytis do not become an issue.

As the vintage is likely to extend into late April, the berry ripening phase is occurring in relatively cool conditions which can promote quality as rapid acid decline is discouraged. For this reason and providing we do not experience too much rain over the next few weeks, the 2012 vintage is expected to produce excellent examples of Martinborough Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. The later ripening red varieties such as Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon may be a challenge to fully ripen this year, however if prolonged cool, dry conditions occur over remainder of autumn, the quality of wines should be very good.

Update writen by Daniel Watson, Estate Vineyard Manager at Craggy Range Vineyards Ltd. 

Melbourne Meets Martinborough.... and falls in love (obviously)

Eleven wineries descended on Melbourne on "New Zealand day" the 6th of February for a full day of events at Golden Fields in St Kilda. Golden Fields is the new culinary delight of Mr Andrew O'Connell and it was a sheer delight to spend a whole day showcasing wines from Martinborough Wines at his stunning new eatery.

The day started with an intimate structured tasting of older and current vintages of Pinot Noir for Sommeliers Australia. This tasting was hosted by Chris Crawford (Sommeliers Australia/Pinot Unearthed) and some great discussions took place on the regional characters of Martinborough Pinot Noir and the real ageability of these wines. The 2005, 2006 and 2007 from Martinborough Vineyard, Escarpment and Ata Rangi were still very youthful and vibrant. The newer vintages were from some of the smaller wineries that have not been seen in Melbourne so it was a real treat to show the Coney, Big Sky, Brodie, Cambridge Road and Vynfields Pinot Noirs.

A general trade tasting followed that saw 65 of some of the top trade in Melbourne getting to know the region and experiencing its character in the flesh and blood. The new releases were well received and generated some real excitement.

The evening saw Golden Fields packed out with 70 consumers joining 11 Martinborough winemakers in what would have to be one of the smartest food and wine matched dinners us folk from Martinborough have seen for a while. The pickled vegetables went amazingly with both the Palliser and Craggy Range Sauvignon Blanc. The lobster roll was to die for and was an exquisite balance of sweet and savoury, which was a perfect match with the Ata Rangi Pinot Gris. The slow cooked shoulder of lamb just called for Pinot Noir so the line-up of five went down almost too easily! The Cambridge Road Dovetail, a blend of 70% Pinot Noir and 30 % Syrah, lead perfectly to the last wine of the night, the Coney Syrah - a really lovely example of New Zealand cool climate Syrah.

Thanks to the Team at Golden Fields lead by Jeff Salt for a night to remember and to Phillip Rich from the Prince Wine Store for joining us for the night.

Written By Helen Masters, Winemaker at Ata Rangi

Wineries Exhibited:
Ata Rangi Vineyard
Big Sky
Brodie Estate
Cambridge Road
Coney Wines
Craggy Range
Escarpment
Martinborough Vineyard
Palliser Estate
Te Kairanga

MEDIA RELEASE
31 Jan 2012
Martinborough Wines to be showcased in Melbourne

The New Year sees Wine from Martinborough heading to Melbourne to show off the new season's releases and a special showing of older Pinot Noir at Golden Fields in St Kilda.

Eleven of the 23 members will descend on Melbourne on Waitangi Day, 6th of February for a full day of events at Golden Fields in St Kilda. Golden Fields is the new culinary delight of Mr Andrew O'Connell. This Asian inspired eatery is a true match for wines like Pinot Noir – see the menu to get inspired!!

The day's events will start with a structured tasting of older and current vintages of Pinot Noir for Sommeliers Australia from 12:00 to 2:00pm, hosted by Chris Crawford (Sommeliers Australia/Pinot Unearthed) together with Martinborough wine legends Larry McKenna (Escarpment), Allan Johnson (Palliser Estate), Paul Mason (Martinborough Vineyard) and Helen Masters (Ata Rangi) for an in depth exploration and discussion of the variety that, literally, put Martinborough on the map.

Wines from Martinborough will then host a general trade tasting of current releases from 2:00pm to 5:00pm. This will provide trade and lovers of Martinborough wine an opportunity to meet the personalities behind some of Martinborough's most iconic wine labels.

The evening sees the winemakers from the rural wine village letting their hair down and enjoying themselves with a consumer dinner from 7:00pm onwards. This is where Chef Andrew O'Connell's talent will really shine, with a stunning menu matched to a range of wines designed to showcase the distinct boutique nature of the Martinborough appellation. Lovers of Martinborough wine will get to try wines never before seen in Melbourne and this will be a great chance for the winemakers to let their hair down. Phillip Rich from the Prince Wine Store and Chris Crawford from Pinot Unearthed will be there so we are anticipating a fun evening - watch this space for the follow up report!

Wines From Martinborough Dinner:

When: Monday 6th February, 7pm
Where: Golden Fields, 157 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda, Melbourne
Cost: $145
For bookings, please call Golden Fields directly on 03 9525 4488

To preview the menu click here.

*This event is now booked out*

MEDIA RELEASE
4 May 2011
INTERNATIONAL BLOGGERS DRIVING MARTINBOROUGH WINE SALES IN ASIA

A who's who of Asia and Australia's wine writing cyber world is helping to fuel the sales of Martinborough's vintage following a two day wine and culinary experience in the boutique Wairarapa wine village.

Hosted by Wines From Martinborough, the visit by the select group of international media movers and shakers was part the world class Martinborough wine areas' latest push to spread its name and increase wine sales throughout Asia.

The eight Australian and Asian wine writing influences helping to drive Martinborough's wine export market were treated to a variety of vineyard visits.

Fine regional food, tastings of rare cellared wines, lunches and tours were topped off with a seven course degustation dinner with matched wines at Martinborough's Parehua Country Estate.

Visiting writers, including Yu-Sen Li of Taiwan, Suzie Chung of South Korea, Sarah Mayo of Singapore, Dan Sims of Australia and Tersina Shieh, who services the Greater China market from Hong Kong, all operate in the cyber world of internet websites and blogs.

In Hong Kong alone, 90 per cent of the population use iPhones, making blogging and social media the way of the future to push various markets, said Ms Shieh.

Getting Asian wine bloggers on board was a vital step to growing Martinborough's presence in the Asian markets, said Wines From Martinborough chairwoman, and co-owner of local exporting vineyard Vynfields, Kaye McAulay.

Nearly 60 per cent of Wairarapa's 43 wineries are actively involved in exporting their wine.

It's about cultivating wine champions, who could promote Martinborough wines effectively in Asian markets, she says.
“In the past the focus has been on the US and Europe markets, but there has been a shift toward Asian markets. The future of the economy is in Asia. You have young professionals there moving into western food and western wine.

“The bloggers in Asia are the people who drive the wine drinking and wine purchasing more than in the western world. We are now realising just how important these people are in shaping the industry. It is an interesting revolution going on and the reality for us selling our products is that they are the future of wine sales in Asia,” she said.

Figures from the New Zealand Wine Growers Association support the rising success of New Zealand wines in Asia.

According to association chief executive Philip Gregan, Asian markets are now a key focus for New Zealand wineries as they seek to grow their business beyond the traditional markets of Australia, the UK, the United States and Canada.

Exports into Asia could reach NZ$100 million by late this year, from around NZ$60 million last year, the Association has previously said.

Suzie Chung, a columnist, Wine 21.COM reporter and avid wine blogger from South Korea, said the telecommunications evolution was changing the way Asians sought out information on wines.

“Korea is like ‘connectopia,' where everyone wants to be connected with each other. I write a blog and promote a Martinborough wine which is on the market here for example and all of a sudden hundreds of other blogs blog about my blog, and the word spreads. We can get 10,000 hits about one wine in one day alone as the word spreads through the internet.”

Wine appreciation in Korea was an accidental success, she said.

“Around 2006, there was a huge growth in wine sales driven off the back of programmes promoting the health benefits of drinking red wine. The market grew at that time by around 140 per cent and even though an economic crisis which followed in 2009 shrunk that market, the word is spreading.

“People are now really aware of not just the promotion of health benefits', but developing a true appreciation for various tastes and flavours.”

For more information please contact Kaye McAulay, chairperson, Wines From Martinborough (06) 3069901 or 021 891 431.

According to New Zealand Trade and Enterprise:
- The China market for domestic and imported wine has been developing rapidly, and it is now becoming a fashionable drink for the wealthy and elite.
- Wine consumers in Hong Kong are mostly Chinese familiar with Western food and beverage products, Europeans and expatriates. Similar to other Asian countries, Hong Kong is primarily a red wine market.
- Demand for New Zealand wine in gradually increasing in South Korea, but suppliers face a challenge in the form of inexperienced wine consumers
- Despite the downturn, Taiwan has seen demand for wine grow substantially in the past year, making it the fourth largest Asian wine market.
- Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines and Vietnam have a combined population of around 450 million, with wine consumers ranging from uninitiated to sophisticated.

Winestate  (advance news)

The next issue of Australia's prestigious Winestate magazine (May/June 2011) is huge for Palliser Estate Wines – announcing 5 Stars and Equal Top in Class status for both the Palliser Estate Pinot Noir 2008 and the Pencarrow Pinot Noir2009.  The Palliser Estate Methode Traditionelle 2006 also scored Top in Class.   

Cuisine

Cuisine magazine's March 2011 Aromatic wine feature gave 5 Stars and a Top 10 rating to Martinborough Vineyard Manu Riesling 2010, and 4 Stars to the Burnt Spur Pinot Gris 2010. Following are the ratings from other publications and commentators:  

• Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Gris 2009

- Top 20 in New Zealand by Gourmet Traveller Wine Magazine  (January 2011)

• Burnt Spur Pinot Gris 2010

- 4.5 stars - excellent result / high silver medal Winestate magazine

- Nominated for Winestate Annual 2011-12 and Wine of the Year judging for late 2011 by Winestate Magazine (Michael Cooper - NZ recent releases) in the March/April 2011 issue internationally 

• Bob Campbell listed Martinborough Vineyard  in the Top 20 New Zealand wineries in Decanter magazine (September 2010)
• Both Martinborough Vineyard Te Tera Pinot Noir and Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir are being poured in Qantas Trans-Tasman Business Class flights
• Sue Courtney listed Martinborough Vineyard as Best Producer for 2010 and the Martinborough Vineyard Chardonnay 2008 as Best Chardonnay for 2010

Glittering Gold at the 2011 Air NZ Wine Awards

Two iconic Martinborough wineries took top honours at the Air NZ Wine Awards in November 2010.

Gold medals were awarded to Palliser Estate for their Martinborough Pinot Noir 2008 , and Pencarrow Martinborough Pinot Noir 2009. 

The Palliser Estate Pinot Gris 2009 and Palliser Estate Chardonnay 2009 both took home a silver medal, while  the Palliser Estate Chardonnay 2008 won Pure Bronze .   Read More: Richard Riddiford's blog

Margrain Vineyard won Gold with their sparking wine entry Margrain La Michelle 2007 .  www.margainvineyard.co.nz

The 2007 La Michelle, just the second bubbly they have produced, also took out the coveted Winestate Magazine Wine of the Year trophy for Best Sparkling Wine at an awards luncheon in Auckland. The finalists are selected from the thousands of Australian and New Zealand wines tasted throughout the year, then re-tasted to establish the overall winners.

Martinborough Pinot Beats The World

Schubert 2008 Pinot Noir Block B receives the INTERNATIONAL TROPHY for best Pinot Noir at Decanter World Wine Awards 2010 in London. “This is a great honour” says proprietor & winemaker Kai Schubert, “receiving this huge accolade. There were Pinot Noirs from 19 other countries including France, Italy, Australia, the USA, Chile and Germany which makes this International Trophy not only a fantastic success for us at Schubert Wines, but also for the Wairarapa region and the whole of New Zealand. Click HERE to read more

Boutique Size No Barrier

Size really does not matter when it comes to fine wine.  Martinborough produces less than 4 percent of New Zealand's wine but took 20 percent of Decanter magazine's Top 20 picks for “exciting producers and stunning wines. Click HERE to read more.

Schubert Wines

The International Wine Challenge in London just announced the 2010 Trophies and after awarding both Schubert Wines' Pinot Noirs with GOLD the Schubert Pinot Noir Block B 2008 was also awarded the Trophy for BEST NEW ZEALAND PINOT NOIR. Click here to read more

IWC Kiwi Winners

Harpers Wine & Spirits, UK, April 2010
"New Zealand's Wairarapa region may be small, but it's wines are making a big impact".  Click here to read the full article

Martinborough in the Sydney Morning Herald

Peter Bourne, March 2010
"For lovers of pinot noir the grass is greener in New Zealand".  Click here to read the full article

Martinborough Feature in the Sydney Sunday Telegraph

Sandra Lee, February 2010
"Cross the Tasman and raise a toast to the wine region bursting with natural beauty and bottled pleasures". Click here to read the full article

Magestic Martinborough

John Hawkesby, World Magazine December 2009
"Refined and self-confident, low-profile Martinborough produces some of New Zealand's best wines, writes John Hawkesby."

On an overcast late afternoon on a quiet Monday there's not even enough breeze to rustle the leaves of the trees on the green that defines the quaint town of Martinborough.  Looking at the historic two-storey Peppers Martinborough Hotel you'd be excused for thinking you'd stumbled onto the set of High Noon or Three Ten To Yuma.  There's a sense of being in another place at another time.  Click to read the full article

Top of the Range from down under

Will Lyons, Scotland on Sunday, October 2009

In just three decades New Zealand has moved into the forefront of wine producers. What's the secret? "One region that immediately stands out is Martinborough, at the southern end of the North Island. A relative newcomer to the stage – its first vines were only planted in 1979 – it now boasts a trio of outstanding wineries such as Ata Rangi, Dry River and Palliser. The region stands out for its chardonnay, riesling and pinot noir. In fact, the pinot noir I have tasted from Ata Rangi and Dry River can stand alongside any of those found in Burgundy. They possess a ripe, plummy fruit character with an appealing savoury component that puts to shame many of the one-dimensional fruit bombs found elsewhere." To read the full article click here

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