Wine time: New Zealand Pinot Noir tops in taste

Some really top wines come from the bottom of the world.

Wine making is relatively new in New Zealand. Although some grapevines were planted there prior to the 20th century, until recently winemaking was pretty much ignored. Two major changes occurred that fostered interest in winemaking. In a move toward prohibition, New Zealand enacted temperance laws in 1917 that restricted alcohol sales in pubs and bars to one hour on workdays and no sales on Sundays. The term for the short hour was “six o’clock swill” as many patrons sought to get as drunk as possible in their one hour of consumption. The move toward prohibition was a failure as Incidents of domestic violence and accidents from drunken driving rose significantly. It wasn’t, however, until 1967 the laws were changed.

In 1973, Great Britain entered the European Economic Community. Government subsidies sparked interest in potential exports for profit. Landowners realized they could make more money by farming grapes than they could by using land for grazing.

Although coming late to the craft of growing grapes and making wine, New Zealand has come far fast in terms of quality. They are the fortunate recipients of unique and beneficial natural resources. They are the southernmost wine growing area in the world. This provides a long growing season. Being surrounded by water, they have a maritime influenced climate that results in cooler summers and milder winters. Even on the hottest summer days, the grapevines cool down at night. The long, cool growing season allows the grapes to mature slowly and develop complex flavors. All the vineyards in New Zealand are located within 50 miles of the ocean, and they have exceptional soils. Much of what is vineyard land was at one time ocean floor. Remains of crustaceans, mollusks and other sea creatures enrich the soils with high levels of calcium. These unique influences work to make unique wines.

We visited New Zealand several years ago. We were surprised at the high quality of the wines, especially white wines. The Chardonnays, Rieslings and Sauvignon Blancs were exceptionally good. Many red grape varieties require a warmer growing environment to mature properly than New Zealand has, but there are a few notable exceptions.

We’ve asked a lot of winemakers “what is your favorite wine to make?” The answer usually is “pinot noir.” The reason is it’s a challenging grape but when made correctly, the results are spectacular. The grape doesn’t do well with too much heat, too much wind, nor with a short growing season. It does well under conditions similar to New Zealand, and efforts to make good Pinot Noir have paid off.

Wine recommendation

▪ Trinity Hill Pinot Noir 2013, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand – about $17. This 100 percent Pinot Noir wine is made from grapes sourced from three vineyards in Hawkes Bay. It’s dark in color with pleasant aromas of cherry and spice along with vibrant, complex flavors of plum, raspberry, dark cherry and earth. It’s well crafted, with soft tannins, has a smooth mouthfeel, and a long finish.

We really enjoyed this wine. So much so we invited our wine savvy friends over for dinner and a blind Pinot Noir tasting. The wine that we paired it against was a Pinot Noir from the Carneros appellation of Napa Valley at more than twice the price. The verdict was unanimous. While both wines were excellent, everyone preferred the New Zealand Pinot Noir.

Pinot Noir is a food-friendly wine. It pairs well with chicken, turkey, duck, pork, lamb, veal, white meats, and shellfish and seafood dishes. It also goes well with pasta.

This story was originally published February 29, 2016 at 2:14 PM with the headline "Wine time: New Zealand Pinot Noir tops in taste."