Urlar Estate in Gladestone, Wairarapa. Photo / Wairarapa Times-Age
What is it about the Scots and making wine as far away as possible from the heather clad hills, mist across the lochs and the skirl of the pipes?
For two families, the journey from Scotland to Wairarapa is paying off. I have long referred to the Wairarapa as the
mouse that roared - tiny but perfectly formed, and deserving of more attention. It produces some excellent wines and not just pinot noir, for which it is probably best known.
Most of the vineyards are on the small side but some of the country's best winemakers choose to reside here, probably because of the long sunshine hours and gentle, warm temperatures with a fine array of vine-loving soils.
About 80 minutes' drive over the Rimutakas from Wellington, you feel transported to a different place. It's no wonder some astonishingly wealthy high profile individuals from far-flung corners of the world have finished up here. Titanic director James Cameron is one.
Essentially, the Wairarapa wine region consists of three distinct areas. The best known is Martinborough, where some of the nation's most-revered pinot noir producers reside. The next is Masterton, where the first grapes were planted a century ago but commercial winemaking is a relatively new endeavour. And finally, Gladstone, where the industry didn't really take off until the late-80s and where we find two Scottish families making an array of lovely wines.
