The man from Dry River

2008 Dry River Pinot Gris. Photo / Martin Sykes

In a magazine interview many years ago I was asked to describe the worst job I'd ever had.

It was a school holiday gig at Butlands Industries in Penrose, Auckland, where I had to place, by hand, a plastic stopper into the glass necks of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce bottles. A tedious eight-hour day standing at a fast-moving conveyor belt, struggling desperately to wedge what seemed like oversized pourers into undersized bottles.

Some weeks later I received a humorous letter from a man who had done the same job and it had almost driven him to the brink of despair. It was signed "Neil McCallum".

Years later I met him: the founder and now overseeing winemaker of New Zealand's most revered vineyard, Dry River in Martinborough. If you were going to suggest one New Zealand winemaker to best represent the country at an international wine symposium, it would be McCallum.

The former DSIR scientist with an Oxford doctorate has a broad vocabulary and an eloquence that suggests authority and genuine knowledge. In other words, substance matched by style. He's earned the right to pontificate.

The fact that most Dry River wines are among the most expensive in the country hasn't deterred wine connoisseurs from tracking them down and paying whatever it takes.

Being on the mailing list is akin to having an elite platinum card guaranteeing automatic upgrade status on international flights on any airline in the world. McCallum, as you would expect, has strong opinions on everything from viticulture, (no irrigation, low-level cropping and specialised trellising), to low-tech, minimum-intervention winemaking. Be prepared for a well-researched lecture on the glories of cork if you dare mention anything about the value of alternative seals.

If you're in the habit of buying a bottle today and drinking it tomorrow, a pained expression will cross the good doctor's face and he will launch into a verbal thesis on the importance of proper cellaring.

Be grateful he didn't stay at the sauce factory.

Recommended

2008 Dry River Pinot Gris
Subtle and stylish. Glycerine nose, not as fruit-forward as previous vintages. Flavours of cinnamon, melon and river stone. Dry, lingering finish.
Price: $50

2007 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir
Immaculate pedigree. One of New Zealand's finest, most consistent pinots from a highly respected producer. A low-yield vintage producing a distinctive savoury, gamey complexity.
Price: $65