Hawkes Bay is receiving some well-deserved attention.
Hawkes Bay may be a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to the wines that it makes, but it's also master of many, including some of country's most exciting up-and-coming varieties. This diversity was once considered a weakness, but in a market flooded with Marlborough sauvignon blanc, its winemakers are hopeful that
in the coming years this may well turn out to be its strength.
While the region made its name in red wine with its cabernet and merlot based (bordeaux) blends, syrah is the grape that's really starting to make waves in the Bay. Its fresh and peppery examples are nautical miles away stylistically from some of the blockbusting shirazes to be found across the ditch (same grape, different moniker) and have been creating a interest across the globe.
Hawkes Bay syrahs have been likened to examples from the grape's heartland of France's Northern Rhone, but with their bright fruit fused with upfront aromatics, wines made from this relative newcomer to the region are establishing a style all of their own.
"We can make good bordeaux blends and chardonnay, but they don't necessarily have a character that screams of the region," says Chris Scott, winemaker behind Church Road's award-winning syrahs. "With syrah, we also make really good wines, but there's something more distinctively Hawkes Bay about them."
Syrah is also proving to be a far more reliable customer than cabernet sauvignon, which has proved difficult to ripen even here, in one of our warmer winegrowing regions. In cool years cabernets can be tough and herbaceous, while syrahs can still shine.
Nevertheless, syrah has some way go before it overtakes bordeaux blends as the region's dominant red style, still very much a minority variety in Hawkes Bay. Bordeaux blends have also been generating plenty of their own interest of late since their varieties have increasingly come to be planted in warmer spots, such as the Gimblett Gravels sub-region. Here they fare much better and have been making some equally impressive wines.
So confident that their bordeaux blends are now up there with the best, the last couple of years have seen Gimblett Gravels growers present their wines in blind tastings to key critics in New Zealand and London. In the first tasting in Taupo, four of the six highest-ranked wines were from the Gimblett Gravels, including the most highly rated, while in London two still made it into the top six.
Hawkes Bay's chardonnays have also never been better, but given the variety's international ubiquity, have historically proved a harder sell than Marlborough's sauvignons. Though rumours are spreading of a comeback.
While I was suspicious this could just be a story generated by the Aussies as an attempt to put their most important white variety back in the spotlight after it was overtaken by NZ sauvignon on their shores, Moana Park's Kaylea Barker has seen a resurgence in interest in chardonnay: "When we were pouring chardonnay at shows and the cellar door 12 months ago people didn't want to try it, but now they always ask."
Hawkes Bay's other great white hope, and a variety fewer regions do well, is viognier (vee-on-yay). However, its sales could be held back by fact it's such a pain to pronounce.
This difficulty was hilariously highlighted at the recent Hawkes Bay Wine Awards ceremony. When presenting the Viognier Trophy, MC Frankie Stevens made a mess of this mouthful, while the trophy's sponsor called it something sounding closer to Viagra! Now that could be a new marketing avenue to explore.
BOTTLES FROM THE BAY
CHURCH ROAD CHAMPION
Church Road Hawkes Bay Syrah 2009 $26.95
Some stellar syrahs have come from the Church Road stable and this extremely affordable example was named Champion Wine of the Show at the Hawke's Bay Wine Awards. A beguiling bouquet of black pepper and Asian spice is echoed in its palate of lifted and juicy black cherry and plum fruit. (Widely available.)
ROCKIN' RED
Wild Rock Gravel Pit Hawkes Bay Red 2008 $21.95
This well-priced merlot malbec blend, with its deep and juicy cherry and blackberry fruit and seasoning of spice, took home the trophies for Best Merlot Dominant Blend and Export Wine at the Hawke's Bay Wine Awards. (From Glengarry, First Glass, Wine Vault, Fine Wine Delivery Company, Advintage, Liquorland, Point Wines.)
CLASSIC CHARDONNAY
Ngatarawa Alwyn Hawkes Bay Chardonnay 2007 $35
Ngatarawa's silky flagship chardonnay has a rich toasty expression with notes of nut and shortbread backed by fresh citrus. (From Fine Wine Delivery Company, La Barrique, Hamilton Wine Company, Waitakere Licensing Trust.)