KEY POINTS:
If I tell you that New Zealand wine has had a year of unparalleled growth, and that 2006 was the biggest vintage ever in this country, I sound perilously as though I am only talking about numbers.
The growth in our wine industry over the past year is
more significant than mere numbers, though, as large and small wineries are showing.
Last week, Central Otago's William Hill Wines moved its marketing manager, Michelle Morpeth, from the deep south to Auckland. The reason is to reposition this tiny winery from being a virtual unknown to being a well, let's wait and see.
The winery is also changing its identity from the family name William Hill to Shaky Bridge; originally established as an export-only label. Shaky Bridge is not one of those all too common, evocative-sounding tags that are devoid of reality but it is an actual place - a footbridge built in 1878, in Alexandra.
Of the trio of new 2006 Shaky Bridge wines that Morpeth put on to my tasting bench last week - a pinot gris, gewurztraminer and riesling - the riesling proved to be the most popular at an after-work drinks session, post my tastings. It was the blokes who tried and loved the riesling, while the women fell over themselves getting to the pinot gris but proceeded to drink it exceedingly slowly for a bunch who claimed to love pinot gris.
Like many small wineries today, William Hill is increasing its production and now clearly understands that wine markets have to be cultivated nationally and internationally.
Over the past year, William Hill's production has doubled and more is on the way as new vineyards and larger vintages eventuate. Which brings this story full circle. New Zealand is challenged in growing its wine industry because of its cool, damp climate and unprotected maritime position.
This country's cool climate helps to accentuate the flavours of its aromatic white wines but also means that anybody trying to make money off the land can end up with 25 per cent less crop than they anticipated. Compare this to Australia, where the variability in grape harvest each year due to weather is only about 5 per cent up or down, and it makes large vintages here worth crowing about. Almost as worth crowing about as the growing number of Kiwi winemakers and marketers with foresight such as William Hill Wines.
WINE NEWS
The Waiheke Wine Centre is opening its cellar doors to the world, with an online ordering scheme. The Oneroa village wine shop and tasting centre represents the island's winemakers - great when you don't have time to go door-to-door on the island - and now proprietor Janet Meares is hoping to make it even easier to obtain their offerings. "Not just the big names either, but wine from some of the boutique winemakers will make up our mixed cases." Seasonal selections and special buys will feature. See waihekewinecentre.co.nz