So it's little wonder that there are pockets of land in New Zealand perfect for growing Italian varieties. Here are a handful setting their roots down in our southern climes ...
Arneis
Although still rare here, arneis is one of the most exciting emerging varieties. Pronounced "Are-nay-iss", it's a traditional grape of northwest Italy's Piedmont region. "Arneis" translated into English means "little rascal", mirroring its moody, fiddly nature in the vineyard. However, the end result is a lovely floral, almond-like, white peach-infused wine that is bound to win friends and influence people.
Muscat
A prolifically grown variety across the Mediterranean, Muscat is rarely seen in New Zealand as a wine on its own. Muscat ripens late in the season, and most of it is planted around Gisborne. Most of the grapes are used to add an inviting, musky perfume to low-priced sparklings, modelled on the Asti Spumantes of northern Italy. Some superb local examples include: Soljans Fusion Muscat, Bernadino and Millton Sparkling Muskats at Dawn.
Dolcetto
Extremely scarce over on this side of the globe, there was just a whopping 2ha planted (mostly in Northland) here in 2012. Dolcetto is grown in the north of Italy, where it produces juicy, punchy, dark-purple reds, which are lovely even when really young. Try the Heron's Flight from Matakana, Cottle Hill from Kerikeri and Waimea Estate's from Nelson
Marzemino
Once famous but rare today, marzemino is cultivated in northern Italy where it is known for its light, plummy reds. Established in New Zealand in 1995, marzemino was first made commercially by Pernod Ricard NZ under the Church Road brand, in 2005.
Classic Italian food & wine matches
Antipasto - One of the most lipsmacking things to enjoy with this classic assortment of nibbly treats is a glass of something light and slightly spritzy - and that's where an Asti or Prosecco comes in handy. Lower in alcohol than most sparkling wines, they're perfect to enjoy in the middle of the day.
Asti (or Asti Spumante) is made from muscat grapes and is slightly sweet and tropical while Prosecco is less sweet and is made from glera grapes. These snazzy sparklers are superb with salted, pickled, peppered or marinated foods - and therefore excellent with antipasto.
Risotto - Okay, so when it comes to wine it's best to separate whether your risotto is "cheesy" or not. You should never add cheese of any type to a seafood risotto, for example.
One of my favourite wines to enjoy with classic, rich mushroom or beetroot-based risotto, is a light, fruity, gamey Marlborough pinot noir, while I adore a rich, rumpty, oaky chardonnay with my lemon and leek risotto recipe. Once you bring scrummy shellfish and crustaceans into the mix, you can't beat a snappy, herbaceous white wine such as sauvignon blanc or arneis.
Fettucine alfredo - The thing that I love, love, love about this classic dish is the underlying buttery creaminess - so do whatever you can to lay your hands on a glass of rich, toasty chardonnay, preferably one which has undergone "malolactic fermentation" or "malo": this is where the wine undergoes a "secondary" ferment to convert any hard acids into "lactic" acids, making the wine softer and creamier.
Take a look at the notes on the back label of the wine, if it says "creamy" or "malo" then you're in!
Spaghetti bolognese - I love a big, buxom, fleshy, fruity merlot with my bolognese and the reason for that is because it's a wine which has some "guts" to it and you need that rich, meaty character to wrap itself around all the tomatoes, herbs and spicy ingredients in the dish.
Try not to open a merlot that's too young - try to find one that's had a couple of years in the bottle because you'll be rewarded with lovely berryfruit, chocolate and spicy notes. Yum. Now all you have to worry about is whether you're got sauce on your face.
Osso buco - Try finding a good Barolo or Barbaresco to open with this ribstickingly rich, meaty classic. A red wine with a bit of pepper, texture and grunt is what you need and you'll get precisely that with either of these two.
Or you can try a silky Sangiovese, Dolcetto or Montepulciano - all styles that we also happen to make here in New Zealand.
Pecorino cheese - This is a cheese with extreme saltiness, so your ideal drinks' pairings are a bit limited - white wines aren't really going to work so instead go for a big, bold red wine like a syrah or cabernet sauvignon or any red Italian variety. Alternatively, one of my favourite matches for salty cheese is an ultra-crisp, citrus-forward beer. Cheers!
**WIN**
Devil's Cut
During the ageing process, some bourbon naturally evaporates and escapes the barrel. Just like the angel's share that gets lost in evaporation, the "Devil's Cut" is the portion that is trapped in the barrel during the ageing process. Jim Beam uses a proprietary process to unleash it, resulting in a distinctively bold bourbon with a unique rich flavour.
It's now even easier for you to enjoy this innovative new bourbon as Jim Beam has released Devil's Cut in an RTD format. Devil's Cut is blended with the finest Kentucky straight bourbon carefully selected by master distillers, then paired with cola, available at 6.66 per cent alcohol by volume in 4x250ml and 8x330ml pack formats.
We have a pack of Devil's Cut bourbon and cola to give away.
To enter, answer the following question and send your name and contact details to: competitions@apn.co.nz by September 5.
You must be 18 years of age or over to enter.
Question: What is the Devil's Cut?
