Wine: Best of the West

Kumeu River Winery's superb chardonnays inspire thought as well as the palate. Photo / Supplied

Every wine fanatic has a moment that changes the way they drink forever. Mine came after a single sip of Kumeu River Semillon, which I drank on a windy hill in Wellington 20 years ago.

The wine isn't even made anymore. But each sip seemed to open doors to another world of flavour. I hadn't realised wine could taste this good - and I had been swallowing as many samples of sauvignon blanc at every Saturday afternoon tasting I could find. But Kumeu River Semillon was different. It made me sit up and smell, sip and think about the wine in my mouth - as well as enjoy its effects.

These days I still love Kumeu River Wines but like most of their extensive global fan-base, I'm hooked on their chardonnays - the apex of which, Mate's Vineyard Chardonnay, is named after the late, great Mate Brajkovich. He and his wife, Melba, took over the winery that his parents began in 1944 as San Marino.

Visitors are important here - not for picnics, petanque or small talk but to introduce them to the wines.

It would be hard to imagine a family whose members fitted more perfectly into their roles in the family business.

Mate and Melba's children all work at the winery and seem to personify the roles they fill. The oldest son, Michael, was once New Zealand's first and the world's youngest Master of Wine (the highest wine qualification in the world) - he's in charge of winemaking.

The most outgoing family member is Paul, in charge of marketing and, his mother jokes, the one who has been trying to sell things from the family gate to passers-by since he was a boy. The softly spoken Milan is the man in charge of tending the vines.

And their sister, Marijana, works in administration at the winery. This quietly focused, formidable family team source all their grapes in Auckland - apart from a little Marlborough sauvignon blanc.

My first moment with Kumeu River Wines was 20 years ago but it's far from my last - there are now five different chardonnays made at this tiny winery, each one deliciously different, daring wine lovers to think as well as drink.

Kumeu River Wines, 550 State Highway 16, Kumeu, Auckland, phone (09) 412 8415. Opening hours are Monday to Friday from 9am-5pm, Saturday 11am-5pm, closed on Sundays.

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WHILE YOU'RE OUT WEST ...

Brunch or lunch at: Soljans Estate, 366 State Highway 16, Kumeu, Auckland, phone (09) 412 5858 or email: cellar@soljans.co.nz. Eight years on and still going strong, Soljans is open in summer Monday to Friday, 10am-3pm; Saturday and Sunday, 9am-3pm.

Taste a variety of wines at: Babich Wines, Babich Rd, Henderson, Auckland, (09) 833 7859. Open Monday to Saturday. The city has crept as close as it can to the Babich family winery, set atop a hillside in West Auckland, overlooking rolling hills of vines, with suburbia in the distance. This winery makes a wide range of wines from grapes grown all over New Zealand, and it's one of the oldest in the country.

Picnic at: West Brook Wines, 215 Ararimu Valley Rd, Waimauku, Auckland, (09) 411 9924. Open Monday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm. Keen tasters can wrap their palates around five different wines, with crackers for $5 per person or $8 for the same tasting with an antipasto platter.

If it's a picnic as well as a tasting, Waimauku's gorgeous green gentle hills are the perfect place for a bottle of wine with friends - who can indulge in a game of chess with the giant outdoor set here. Groups must book ahead.

Visit the market at:Matua Valley Wines, 307 Waikoukou Valley Rd, Waimauku, Auckland, (09) 411 8301. Matua has a market day planned for February with fresh bread, cheese, seafood, handmade chocolates and their ultimate accompaniment - espresso.

Date to be confirmed; keep an eye on www.matua.co.nz for details.