KEY POINTS:
In a nation struggling to shrug off its cultural cringe, there are those who regard it as an act of treason to drink wines from beyond our shores.
Yes, our homegrown products are good and getting better, but such misplaced loyalty means missing out on a multitude of tastes and textures specific to the many different places in which wine grapes are grown.
I flinch when I hear people expound that there's no need to buy wines from anywhere else as we make great ones here in New Zealand. Such parochialism surely makes them unqualified to judge the quality of our own wines if they've never tried their counterparts from abroad, where many of the benchmarks for the varieties we grow here hail: think sauvignon blanc from the Loire, pinot noir from Burgundy and riesling from Germany.
Venturing outside Australasia into the Old World - the traditional winemaking nations of Europe and the Mediterranean basin - can be daunting. There's the lesser-known or sometimes complete lack of grape varieties on the label, the tricky to pronounce names, the unfamiliar producers and often no back label to aid selection.
This can make guidance from a knowledgeable wine merchant indispensable and is why so few European wines are to be found on supermarket shelves.
Many European wines also need to be approached from a slightly different angle than those of the New World. Rather than fruit being to the fore, the focus of European wines tends to be on texture - the way a wine feels in the mouth. Most are made to go with food and really come to life at the table.
But if you're looking for lashings of fruit, plenty can still be found in the new wave of wines from Southern Italy, Southern France and Spain.
These warmer climates, combined with modern winemaking techniques, are increasingly delivering rich, ripe wines. Akin to Australian examples, interest is often added by using more eclectic indigenous varieties that offer a whole new palette of flavours rather than relying on the usual suspects.
Sadly, European wines have suffered from image problems in these parts, regarded as elitist at one end of the spectrum and cheap and nasty at the other. It's a situation that's grown out of the gulf that once existed between the top end bottles bought by aficionados and the big cheap brands which provided many people with their first and frequently less than impressive taste of the Old World.
Thankfully this gap has been filled by a growing number of distinctive and well-made wines at all price levels that are inspiring Kiwis to drink more widely.
"People are becoming more interested in European wines due to more overall knowledge and interest in wine," says Richard Caro of Caro's. "They want to try different grape varieties, are becoming more interested in where the wine is grown and are travelling to these areas."
Caro's and fellow wine merchants Wine Direct and Maison Vauron think the time is ripe to convert more Kiwis to the joys of European wine.
"People want to try them but aren't sure where to start," says Maison Vauron's Jean-Christophe Poizat. "So we've banded together to help New Zealanders open the cellar door to European wine."
The result is the European Wine Experience (www.europeanwineexperience.co.nz), that's being held this Saturday in Auckland. With more than 150 wines to sample, plus in-depth masterclasses, the event should offer a great opportunity for both Europhiles and those new to the region to get a taste of what's being produced across Europe today.
There's never been a better time to get out of those vinous comfort zones and broaden your horizons.
And not to appreciate our own wines in an international context is to do them a considerable disservice.
EUROPEAN EXPERIENCES
STUNNING WITH SEAFOOD
Martin Codax Albarino, Rias Baixas, Spain 2006 $19.95
This distinctive tangy lemon and mineral-driven white from Northern Spain, with its subtle stone fruit, hints of blossom and umami-like savouriness, is a perfect partner for all things shellfish.
From Wine Direct.
NEW WORLD MEETS OLD
La Corte Solyss Negroamaro, Puglia, Italy 2006 $26
A ripe, rich and thickly textured wine made by leading Australian winemaker Chris Ringland from the native Southern Italian Negroamaro grape. It has layers of bright berry and brooding darker fruit, earthy and dried herb undertones and a lovely lingering charry finish.
From Caro's.
HEAVENLY CHENIN
Domaines des Baumard Clos de Saint Yves Savennieres, France 2005 $37
Dry and fresh yet intense and opulent, this Loire Chenin Blanc, with its lively and complex palate of mineral, honey, almond and beeswax, is a shining example of this underrated variety.
From Maison Vauron.
