THE MAGIC OF MARLBOROUGH

When we think of the history of the world’s great wine regions we think in centuries - hundreds and hundreds of years of gradual evolution. In Burgundy the Roman legions introduced vines and in the 14th century the expansionist Dukes of Valois, with the aid of the clergy, extended plantings to the borders of the Netherlands. Later the French revolution changed all that as the powers that be divided up the huge domains and gave small strips to the peasantry. Today this fragmented pattern of vineyard holdings still exists. Once again the Romans planted in Champagne, to be superseded by the religious orders who installed the proper foundations of the wine industry. By the seventeenth century, in the reign of Louis XIV ‘The Sun King‘, the local wines were renowned throughout Europe, and with only a few hiccups, things haven’t changed. The British took over Bordeaux in the 13th century at the time of the marriage of Ailénor d’Aquitaine to Henry Plantagenet when the province became British territory (later the Irish, fleeing poverty at home, turned up in force, hence names such as Lynch Bages and Barton. Even with the New World we remember the California wine industry as purveyors of thirst slaking produce for the Gold Rush, and in the mid 1800’s the early English settlers and Lutherans planted vines in the Barossa Valley.

But Marlborough, one of the world’s most exciting wine regions, now that is a different story altogether!

When I grew up in New Zealand in the nineteen fifties and sixties the area was a relatively poor agricultural district. The soils weren’t up to much and farmers eked out a living – just. Yes, it was hauntingly beautiful, especially around the coastline and the inland mountain ranges, but this didn’t produce much money. Anyway in those days New Zealand hadn’t worked on the tourist industry, so if a few hardy Americans turned up there was no way they could spend their money. I remember staying in a Nelson hotel in 1967 and asking for a bottle of Champagne, from the restaurant wine list, in the bar. The manager was summoned and he was able to help my education along by informing me “This is a Bar. It is for beer. See that room through there – that’s the restaurant where ponces like you drink their wine”.

In 1973, a visionary New Zealander, Frank Yukich, the owner of Montana, changed everything dramatically. All of New Zealand’s vineyard owners, based in the North Island, considered the South Island too cold for commercial grape growing, but Yukich had read reports to the contrary. He argued with the doomsayers, and his own board, and with the erudite support of Professor Berg of Davis University, California’s viticultural department won support for ‘Project Marlborough’. Montana began planting a 2,000 acre vineyard in August of that year. It would be great to report that everything went brilliantly. Unfortunately it didn’t. The vines were planted just before one of the region’s worst droughts and 80% of the grapes didn’t survive their first summer! In the next March 20,000 replacement vines, each grown in individual terracotta pots, were trucked down from Montana’s Auckland nursery – and these survived. Two other years are crucial: In 1976, Montana harvested their first crop of Muller-Thurgau and Cabernet Sauvignon. The grapes were packed in wooden apples crates and trucked back to the Gisborne winery, on the east coast of the North Island, for processing. In the same year they planted New Zealand’s first commercial Sauvignon Blanc vineyard. Then in 1978 they built a winery in the region.

In the space of a few years Marlborough was fashionable in New Zealand, and other producers arrived on the scene – some large, some tiny. At the same time the whole national wine industry was experiencing a major transition – from fortified plonk producers to the creators of sophisticated table wine. In 1984 I visited my home country and was amazed at the quality of the ‘new’ wines, in particular the Marlborough Sauvignon Blancs. I wrote my first book, “Enjoying Wine” in 1985, and dedicated a whole chapter to New Zealand. No other wine book had ever done this – even Hugh Johnson’s lofty “World Atlas of Wine” only acknowledged the country as an appendage on the last page of the Australia section, so my publishers weren’t exactly happy, and considered my attitude to be a touch of over-zealous patriotism. I took a chilled bottle of Montana’s first UK release of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc along to the editorial meeting and poured – after tasting the wine there were no more objections. In 1990 at London’s International Wine & Spirit Competition, Montana won the prestigious ‘Marquis de Goulaine’ trophy for the world’s best Sauvignon Blanc.

From relatively impoverished sheep rearing to the world’s finest wine. All this in the space a mere sixteen years! It is one of the great contemporary wine stories.

A few of Marlborough’s best wineries are now of sufficient size to provide widely available wines, others require more diligent searching out. The 1977 Sauvignon Blancs are starting to arrive in, and they are seriously stunning! Here’s my pick of the crop of producers.

MONTANA
Not only the first into the region but the giant of the industry, producing over 50% of the country’s wine. This year Sauvignon Blanc accounted for 75% of New Zealand’s exports to the UK, and Montana’s flagship Sauv Blanc is available at just about every serious wine outlet around the world. The Reserve Pinot Noir is a steal for this varietal.

HUNTERS
Jane and the late Ernie Hunter established one of the first boutique wineries in the region in 1983. Jane runs a superb enterprise which now sources grapes from over 100 hectares of vineyards. If you are touring the region, this is one of the best places for lunch – the restaurant is excellent, and you can relax by the pool before or after. The renowned Sauvignon Blanc won the ‘Marquis de Goulaine’ trophy.

OYSTER BAY
Jim Delegat of Auckland’s Delegats Wines, one of the few major players still family owned, established a separate operation to make the most of Marlborough. Oyster Bay is now the number two selling New Zealand brand in Britain, after Montana. Last year sales were up by a massive 46%. The Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir all offer deliciously fragrant fruit. A word of advice; the Pinot benefits enormously with an extra year of bottle age after release, so if you can keep your hands off it until next autumn you will be able to enjoy an inexpensive gem!

NOBILO
The Nobilo family were one of the first wineries to establish vineyards in Marlborough after Montana. Their flagship “Icon” Sauvignon Blanc won the 2000‘Marquis de Gouliane’ trophy. This wine show trophy is just about a home fixture for the Kiwis! The 2006 is stunning; the usual extroverted mixture of gooseberries, herbs and tropical fruits, but with a more firm, elegant style. Ask your local wine merchant, or keep an eye out for it on restaurant wine lists.

VILLA MARIA
Villa Maria is one of the country’s finest achievements. Still 100% New Zealand owned by the Fistonich family (less than 20% of the total production can claim this). Their Marlborough winery produces terrific Sauvignon Blanc. The stars of the range are their “Private Bin” Riesling, with lovely lemony, citrus flavours, and the Burgundian styled “Reserve” Marlborough Chardonnay.

SAINT CLAIR
Neal and Judy Ibbotson are amongst the earliest Marlborough pioneers; they first planted grapes in 1978 and initially supplied the large wine companies. Saint Clair Wines was eventually established and their first vintage was 1994. Since then they have won every award imaginable – yes, the “Goulaine” gong … of course! There is a wide range available in independent wine shops and restaurants, but a couple are worth requesting – the Wairau Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, and “Doctor’s Reserve” Pinot Noir. Not cheap by any means, but still excellent value!

KOURA BAY
Superbly crafted wines from Geoff and Diane Smith’s winery. Their first vines were planted way back in 1993, so no problem with maturity. The “Whaleback” Sauvignon Blanc is in the true Marlborough tradition, but their superstar is the “Blue Duck” Pinot Noir, the 2003 currently here, is a beautifully balanced wine with a silky texture of ripe cherries and plums and a sexy, smooth finish. There is only one problem with these beauties– availability. Even if you tour the ‘shaky isles’ you will be hard-pressed to find the wines outside the better restaurants.

CLOUDY BAY
No article about Marlborough would be complete without a mention of one of the currently trendiest wines in the world. No longer a small winery – now a subsidiary of Veuve Clicquot, with a large part of its grapes bought in .Expensive? Yes. Is the Sauvignon Blanc worth the money? Probably not. But the Chardonnay 2005 is worth every penny.

And the glory of the region is that I have touched the surface with many more prominent names worth searching out such as DASHWOOD, GOLDWATER ESTATE, JACKSON ESTATE, MATUA VALLEY, SELAKS, SHINGLE PEAK, SPY VALLEY, VAVASOUR and WITHER HILLS.