Rebecca Gibb - The wines of New Zealand

THE INFINITE IDEAS CLASSIC WINE LIBRARY

Editorial board: Sarah Jane Evans MW and Richard Mayson

There is something uniquely satisfying about a good wine book, preferably read with a glass of the said wine in hand. The Infinite Ideas Classic Wine Library is a series of wine books written by authors who are both knowledgeable and passionate about their subject. Each title in The Infinite Ideas Classic Wine Library covers a wine region, country or type and together the books are designed to form a comprehensive guide to the world of wine as well as an enjoyable read, appealing to wine professionals, wine lovers, tourists, armchair travellers and wine trade students alike.

Port and the Douro , Richard Mayson

Cognac: The story of the worlds greatest brandy , Nicholas Faith

Sherry , Julian Jeffs

Madeira: The islands and their wines , Richard Mayson

The wines of Austria , Stephen Brook

Biodynamic wine , Monty Waldin

The story of champagne , Nicholas Faith

The wines of Faugres , Rosemary George MW

Cte dOr: The wines and winemakers of the heart of Burgundy ,
Raymond Blake

The wines of Canada , Rod Phillips

Ros: Understanding the pink wine revolution , Elizabeth Gabay MW

Amarone and the fine wines of Verona , Michael Garner

The wines of Greece , Konstantinos Lazarakis MW

Wines of the Languedoc , Rosemary George MW

The wines of northern Spain , Sarah Jane Evans MW

The wines of New Zealand , Rebecca Gibb MW

The wines of Bulgaria, Romania and Moldova, Caroline Gilby MW

Rebecca Gibb MW is an award-winning wine journalist and editor. Securing her first editorial role at UK wine trade magazine Harpers after being named UK Young Wine Writer of the Year in 2006, she has since edited several print and online publications. Rebecca contributes to prestigious titles including Decanter , The World of Fine Wine , LUX and Wine Business International , in addition to running a small business, The Drinks Project, and a puzzle company, Bamboozled.

In 2015, Rebecca became a Master of Wine. In a record class of 24 graduates, she was awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award and the Bollinger Medal in recognition of outstanding tasting ability.

Having lived in New Zealand from 2010 to 2016 with her Kiwi husband and son, Rebecca recently returned to the UK. She maintains her strong ties with the people and wines of Aotearoa.

Copyright Rebecca Gibb, 2018

The right of Rebecca Gibb to be identified as the author of this book has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

First published in 2018 by

Infinite Ideas Limited

www.infideas.com

All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of small passages for the purposes of criticism or review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except under the terms of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 or under the terms of a licence issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4LP, UK, without the permission in writing of the publisher. Requests to the publisher should be emailed to the Permissions Department, .

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 9781910902790

Brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

All web addresses were checked and correct at time of going to press.

Maps Igor Drecki, 2018

Front cover photo Cephas/Kevin Judd.

Page 93 courtesy of The Landing; page 98 courtesy of Terence Stevens-Prior; page 121 courtesy of Millton Vineyards & Winery; pages 144 and 164 courtesy of Craggy Range; page 184 courtesy of Auntsfield Estate; page 210 courtesy of Seifried Estate; page 224 courtesy of Kevin Judd; page 238 courtesy of Jim Jerram; page 263 Thirst Press.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The writing of a book is a rather solitary experience that requires more stamina than a marathon. The process of writing a book is far from solitary, however. Without the support of my other half, this book would not have been possible. Ben has experienced the ups and downs of this endeavour, which has seen us travel from the UK to the other side of the world with a three year old in tow. Life has thrown its share of obstacles en route and it is with great sadness that we said an untimely goodbye to my brother-in-law Nick and my father-in-laws new wife Heather while we were in New Zealand to research the book.

There are many people who have helped along the way in their different ways. First of all, I am greatly indebted to New Zealand Winegrowers without whom I would not have been able to visit New Zealand to conduct the additional research necessary. The UK team, Chris Stroud and Sarah Shepherd, continue to offer support and the occasional cup of tea. The regional wine bodies across New Zealand have also been instrumental in organizing visits and providing essential information.

I am greatly indebted to all those involved in grape and wine research in New Zealand who have given their time freely to talk through their work and share their knowledge. In particular, I would like to thank Dr Wendy Parr who has always been willing to help me over the years. I owe you far too many drinks. To those involved in the history of New Zealand, thanks go to Kevyn Moore, an expert on Romeo Bragatos life, Paul Mooney for providing access to the Mission Estate archives and to Graeme Cowley of Auntsfield for his work on the Marlborough pioneer David Herd.

There are too many wine producers to mention who have opened their doors, their minds and their wines to assist with the project. Occasionally they have opened their homes too and it is a privilege to be invited to share dinner with their families. There are a number of individuals and wineries that I owe particular thanks to. In the North Island, James and Annie Millton, Glenn and Jan Cunningham, the Ata Rangi team, and all at The Landing, Northland for your warm hospitality. Also to Rick Lindsay of Luna Estate who provided an excellent taxi service to Martinborough, complete with coffee and an excellent music selection. On the South Island, thank you to the Herzogs in Marlborough for their unstinting generosity, Anna Flowerday of Te Whare Ra for sourcing the Beavertown T-shirt and a huge shout out to Nick Gill of Greystone and Muddy Water and his stupendous wife Angela, who provided warmth, shelter and lots of support. And to Paul Pujol of Prophets Rock who has always thrown open the doors to the vineyard cottage and lavished us with his insightful and humorous company. The view really is hard to beat.

I have many friends and colleagues that have provided support along the way. To the editors that have sent me on this route: Christian Davis, Stuart Peskett, Richard chief Siddle, Guy Woodward, Amy Wislocki, Felicity Carter and to all those who have supported my journalistic endeavours, thank you. Writing about wine has also brought great friendships: Tina Gellie has supported me along this undulating path and always provides a great bottle from her stash, which we usually enjoy while watching Only Connect dressed in our pyjamas. To my mum and dad and sister who put up with me, thank you for your support. And to my son, Macaulay, you have not been a great deal of use assisting with the writing of this book, but you are a wonderful distraction and our baking sessions have provided many sweet treats to get me through the afternoon slump.

Thanks also to the Infinite Ideas team. Firstly to Sarah-Jane Evans MW, whom I met on the Eurostar on a press trip to Burgundy just days after she had received her Master of Wine. A decade later, she presented me with my Master of Wine certificate and it was she who put my name forward to author this book. To Richard Burton and Rebecca Clare at Infinite Ideas for supporting me on this journey and providing your expertise in taking this from manuscript to published work. And to Millie Hoskins of United Agents, your patience will be rewarded.