Auckland wine region

Auckland

Wine region
Vineyards on Waiheke Island, New Zealand
Type	Geographical Indication
Year established	2018 [1]
Country	New Zealand
Sub-regions	Matakana Kumeū Waiheke Island
Location
Size of planted vineyards	285 hectares (700 acres)
No. of vineyards	87
Grapes produced	Chardonnay Syrah Pinot Gris Merlot Cabernet Franc Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec
No. of wineries	98
Comments	Data source: New Zealand Winegrowers, 2022 [2] [3]

The Auckland wine region is a New Zealand wine-growing area and geographical indication centred around New Zealand's largest city, Auckland. The GI covers the area delineated by the greater Auckland Region, and has a total vineyard area in 2022 of 285 hectares (700 acres). ^[2]

History

Dalmatian immigrants arriving in New Zealand in the late 19th and early 20th centuries brought with them viticultural knowledge and planted vineyards in West and North Auckland. Typically, their vineyards produced table wine and fortified wine to suit the palates of their communities. ^[4]

Climate and geography

Soils are usually either heavy clay, or volcanic-derived soils. It is the warmest of New Zealand's vine-growing areas.^{[ citation needed ]}

Regions

There are three sub-regions within Auckland established as geographical indications: Waiheke Island, Kumeū, and Matakana. In recent years, the hotter temperatures are allowing Auckland winemakers (for example Omaha Bay, Cooper's Creek, Heron's Flight, Matavino, and Obsidian) to experiment with Italian and Spanish grape varieties, such as Albariño, Montepulciano, Sangiovese, Dolcetto, Temperanillo, and even Nebbiolo.^{[ citation needed ]}

Waiheke Island

Main article: Waiheke Island wine region

A Man O' War vineyard on Waiheke Island, looking out over the Hauraki Gulf.

Waiheke Island, just off the east coast of Auckland in the Hauraki Gulf, has a dry and warm mesoclimate and is planted primarily in French red grape varieties: Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Chardonnay. The Bordeaux style red wines that are produced are considered to be significantly ripe and full bodied, and some of the best in New Zealand. ^[5] The island's very small area of 92 square kilometres (36 sq mi) constrains wineries to a small boutique scale.^{[ citation needed ]}

Kumeū

The Geographical Indication of Kumeū is a small sub-region west of Auckland City, surrounding the towns of Huapai and Kumeū, as far west as Waimauku, and east to the southern edge of the town of Riverhead. The area is most notable for its excellent Chardonnay, with well reviewed examples especially from Kumeū River and Soljans Estate Winery. ^[6] Chardonnay makes up 85% of the vineyard area in Kumeū, with Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir making up most of the remainder. Some of New Zealand's oldest wineries are in Kumeū, established in the late 1800s by Croatian settlers working the Kauri gum fields. ^[7] Some of these, such as Montana Wines (now Brancott Estate), Babich, Nobilo, and Cooper's Creek are now among New Zealand's largest wineries, having extended their operations throughout the rest of New Zealand. ^[8]

Matakana

Matakana is a small Geographical Indication and sub-region of the Auckland GI, situated about 60 kilometres (37 mi) north of Auckland City around the towns of Warkworth and Matakana. It extends from Mahurangi Harbour in the south, and as far north as Leigh, although most of the vineyards are clustered in the hills and valleys between Warkworth and Matakana. The area has a warm mesoclimate protected from prevailing winds by hills to the north and west, and a maritime influence from Omaha Bay and Kawau Bay. Matakana wineries are mostly small, family-run or "lifestyle" vineyards, with very small plots and non-commercial production volumes, usually dry-farmed on north-facing hill slopes. ^[9]

Winemaking began in Matakana in the 1960s, but the oldest, current vineyards are Heron's Flight (established 1988), Providence Wines, and Ransom Wines, established in the early 1990s. Around the turn of the century, Heron's Flight replanted its mainly Bordeaux varieties with the Italian varieties Sangiovese and Dolcetto, and many of the newer wineries, have also planted Tannat and Petit Verdot alongside the usual French varieties, as well as the Italian and Spanish varieties Barbera, Nebbiolo, Albariño, Roussanne, and Montepulciano. As of the 2017 vintage, there were more than 65 hectares (160 acres) planted in vines, and 21 commercial grape growing/winery operations within the Matakana GI. ^[10]

Viticulture and winemaking

Grape varieties planted in Auckland in 2022 by vineyard area, total 285 hectares (700 acres).

  Chardonnay (24.8%)

  Syrah (16.3%)

  Pinot Gris (11.8%)

  Merlot (11.7%)

  Cabernet Franc (6.4%)

  Cabernet Sauvignon (6.1%)

  Malbec (5.0%)

  Other (17.9%)

Data from New Zealand Winegrowers vineyard report. ^{[3] : 18}

Overall, the region's most planted variety is Chardonnay, which accounts for nearly a quarter of the vineyard area. Auckland wineries produce some of New Zealand's finest Chardonnay white wines. British wine writer Jancis Robinson and others frequently rank Kumeu River Chardonnay with the finest white Burgundy wines such as Montrachet. ^[11] The next-most planted varieties are Syrah and Pinot Gris, and the Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec that produce Auckland's well regarded Bordeaux-style wines.^{[ citation needed ]}

References

1. "Geographical Indications Register: Auckland". Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand. 2018. Archived from the original on 20 January 2020. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
2. "New Zealand Winegrowers Annual Report 2022" (PDF). New Zealand Winegrowers. 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 January 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
3. "New Zealand Winegrowers Vineyard Report 2022". New Zealand Winegrowers. 2022. Archived from the original on 22 April 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
4. Mabbett, Jason (April 1998). "The Dalmatian influence on the New Zealand wine industry: 1895–1946". Journal of Wine Research. 9 (1): 15–25. doi:10.1080/09571269808718130. ISSN   0957-1264.
5. O'Niell, Rob (20 January 2013). "A good year for Stonyridge". Sunday Star-Times . Archived from the original on 23 February 2018. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
6. Cooper, Michael (2017). Michael Cooper's Buyer's Guide to New Zealand Wines. Auckland: Upstart Press. ISBN   978-1-92-726266-5.
7. Dalley, Bronwyn (24 November 2008). "Wine – Page 2. Migrant groups and the wine industry". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand . Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Archived from the original on 8 December 2019. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
8. "Kumeu Wine Region". Wine-Searcher. 30 August 2017. Archived from the original on 7 May 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
9. "Matakana Wine Region". Wine-Searcher. 24 October 2016. Archived from the original on 26 April 2016. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
10. "Matakana Wine Trail". Matakana Winegrowers Association. Archived from the original on 27 January 2018. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
11. Jancis, Robinson (wine writer); Nash, David (director); Mark-Brown, Simon (producer) (2019). A Seat At The Table (Film). Republic Films / Studio Nash. Segment begins at 90 min, 25 sec. Retrieved 13 March 2023– via YouTube.

Bibliography

• Cooper, Michael (2010). Wine Atlas of New Zealand (2nd ed.). Hatchette New Zealand. ISBN   978-1-86971-091-0.
• Johnson, Hugh; Robinson, Jancis (2013). The World Atlas of Wine (7th ed.). London: Mitchell Beazley. ISBN   978-1-84533-689-9. OCLC   213401236. OL   121715W. Wikidata   Q7775940.
• Moran, Warren (2016). New Zealand Wine: The Land, the Vines, the People. Auckland: Auckland University Press. ISBN   978-1-77558-877-1.
• Robinson, Jancis; Harding, Julia, eds. (2015). The Oxford Companion to Wine (4th ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-198-70538-3. LCCN   2015941385. OCLC   908334498. OL   28570933M. Wikidata   Q7755792.