Yvonne Lorkin: Expert Kemble back with the Bunch

John Kemble divides his time between his day job and his winemaking passion

The California with the craziest chuckle in New Zealand winemaking might be leading a double life, but he's doing it with gusto. John Kemble, 15-year winemaker at Ravenswood Winery in Sonoma, and once the face (and half the name) of Kemblefield Wines in Hawke's Bay, is now happily back among the tanks and barrels making wine under a new label called Big Bunch.

"I stepped away from winemaking completely about five years ago and became the production manager for Chantal Organic and Natural Wholesalers in Napier," says Kemble. "I went from making wine to making fresh, stoneground peanut butter, tahini, mueslis, milled flours, sauces, jams -- all sorts of cool new things."

It was an extremely physical, hands-on role, which explains why many people may now only recognise him from the laugh.

You see, he's also managed to shed, if you'll pardon the expression, a shed-load of weight, thanks to giving up alcohol for a year and sacrificing driving in favour of pedalling his trusty bicycle around the traps.

But five years is a long time away from your first love, and with over 30 years winemaking experience under his (now much looser) belt, the call of the grapes was too strong. It was time for a comeback and there was no question that Hawke's Bay was the place to do it.

"I went back to the US not long ago and sure, the temptation was there to move home -- but I realised that all the issues that caused me to want to move to New Zealand in the early 1990s were still there. Plus, I have my two daughters here in Napier and I'm really too much of a Kiwi now."

Big Bunch is a range of wines John crafts at a facility in the Napier suburb of Pandora as part of a team including wine consultant Rod McDonald, marketing whizz Mike Farrugia and arty national treasure Dick Frizzell, who designs the labels.

John devotes himself to Chantal Organics in the neighbouring suburb of Onekawa during the working week and his spare waking hours nearby at the winery.

The Big Bunch collection is made from 100 per cent Hawke's Bay fruit and includes sauvignon blanc, syrah, pinot gris, chardonnay, merlot and rosé.

"The rosé is this really cool blend of pinot noir and merlot, which has a totally different flavour to what you'd expect," he enthuses. "It's dry, spicy and it's been a bit of a surprise star this past summer."

The name Big Bunch derives from his passion to make outgoing wines, full of character, colour, "and with a big bunch of flavour," said Kemble.

I wondered how long it would be before John Kemble came back on the scene -- I couldn't imagine him abandoning winemaking forever.

"It's been wonderful reconnecting with friends in the winemaking industry after taking a few years off," he says.

"Winemaking will always be my first passion and love; it's great to be back in the game."

I just hope he manages to get his hands on some great gewurztraminer sometime soon, because back in the day, his Kemblefield gewurztraminer was one of my reasons for living.

SIPS OF THE WEEK

Big Bunch Hawke's Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2014, $19

Ah, yes! Hawke's Bay sav blanc scooping gold medals, that's what I love to see. This superb, snappy, crunchy-crisp wine won gold at the NZ Royal Easter Show Wine Awards and it's easy to see why. Ripe white peach, anise, hints of white pepper, apple and yellow plum all swim around in an intense rush of juicy, tangy flavour. Textural, beautifully balanced and a brilliant example of northern sauvignon. advintage.co.nz and blackmarket.co.nz

Big Bunch Hawke's Bay Syrah 2014, $22

"This is my first attempt at making syrah," says winemaker John Kemble (who didn't make syrah at Kemblefield), but he's done a stand-up job with this one. Violet, cocoa and berry notes on the nose open up to pepper, dried herbs and a velvety, creamy character on the finish.

It's a touch hollow in the mid-palate, however, it's still a very new wine so that'll flesh out with time. advintage.co.nz and blackmarket.co.nz