New Zealand

The great wine escape

O

One of the best ways to enjoy the glorious countryside of New Zealand is by sampling the abundant fruits of the terroir, believes Tim Heald

NE of the joys of New Zealand is that proper countryside is never far away from the centre of even the biggest cityÐ which in New

Zealand' s case is Auckland, with just over a million inhabitants and, by our standards, agreeably rural anyway. What' s even better about the place is that a large number of high-quality wineries has sprung up in hitherto slightly forbidding countryside, which offer not only world-class wines, but also terroir-based food, usually centred on locally baked bread, homemade cheese and salami, and olives from local groves. The most appealing offer B&B accommodation with a Kiwi welcomeÐ which is warm, as long as you don' t mention the rugby. If I had a little spare time on a visit to

Auckland, I would hire a car and head north for a couple of hours on Highway One to spend the night with Liz and Gary Cameron at their Lochiel Estate near Mangawhai (www.lochielestate.co.nz). Mangawhai has beaches, golf and walking, not to mention a state-of-the-art chocolate factory where you can get chocolate, delicious lunches and homemade gelati, and even sample

Top 5 wine estates to visit

Chosen by

Magazine

Craggy Range

Hawkes Bay (www. craggyrange.com)

Neudorf Vineyards

Nelson (www. neudorf.co.nz)

Hunter' s

Marlborough (www.hunters. co.nz)

a glass or so of the Lochiel Chardonnay (their best wine, in my opinion) or the award-winning port-style sticky, the Laird. The expert winemaker at Lochiel is the

Camerons' son, Rob. He studied viticulture at university on the South Island, then worked as a flying winemaker in several countries around the world. He' s also making his own bigger-scale, but equally successful, Invivo, using grapes from all over New Zealand, aided by the expert oenological assistance of Angela Mount, the British consultant who used to be chief wine buyer for Somerfield. Rob and his parents sell their wines in the UK; their main agent is Averys of Bristol.

` A large number of high- quality wineries have sprung up, which offer

world-class wines and

terroir-based food'

Although Mr Cameron hails from Mel-

bourne, there is a connection with clan headquarters in the Highlands of Scotland. The chief of Clan Cameron has given per- mission for his namesakes to use a modern take on the five-arrow clan logo, in return, I hope, for a case or two of the New World nectar. I remember a previous Cameron of Lochiel taking a wee dram with my host, Ogilvie of Errachd, when I was in Scotland on a college reading party in the dim and distant. No sign of the clan Chardonnay, however. They drank Tallisker. If I hadn' t zoned in on Lochiel, I could

Cloudy Bay

Marlborough (www. cloudybay.co.nz)

Felton Road Wines

Bannockburn, central Otago (www. feltonroad.com)

68 Country Life International, Summer 2010

have chosen Ransom Wines, just south of Warkworth (www.ransomwines.co.nz), the Brick Bay winery (www.brickbay.co.nz), near the coast at Sandspit, or any one of a number of emergent boutique wineries in what is now designated the Matakana wine- growing area. Both Ransom and Brick Bay have cutting-edge architect-designed tasting and eating areas, plus beautiful lines of well- manicured vines with traditional rose bushes standing sentinel at the ends. Not to men- tion a good drop. For my money, the most consistently drinkable is the Pinot Gris, but Shiraz, also known as Syrah, is becoming established and making strides as the best

Breathtaking scenery and superb wines: New Zealand' s vineyards are worth a visit

red variety ahead of the older Pinot Noir. An hour or so further north, the countryside

is volcanic, bulbous and was once covered in thick kauri trees, until the settlers arrived and cut them down for boats, houses and furniture. The limestone soil supports sheep, cattle and horses, and occasional grapes. I recommend The Vintry, which is really

just the foyer of the dinky arthouse Cinema at Matakana. It serves local wines by the glass, and you can even take a tipple in to the film. Matakana is trendy these days, with a bakery, boutiques and even a smart restaurant called Tapiano, where there was a small music ensemble and a chanteuse. At Sunday lunch, if you please.

www.countrylife.co.uk/international

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