We left Hawke’s Bay and drove south.
We were very lucky with the weather as we headed south, driving through a huge rain shower, but emerging into bright sunshine once again as we neared Masterton. Though vines were planted in Masterton in the nineteenth century it was in the 1970s that the modern wine scene started to develop. Studies were done that suggested the region was very similar to Burgundy in terms of climate and sunshine. Clive Paton of Ata Rangi planted Pinot Noir and was roundly laughed at by locals. Given the reputation the region now has for the variety, ‘who’s laughing now?’.
In Masterton we visited Le Grá Vineyard and Winery, meeting Nicky Geary who owns it with her husband Brian, and Charlotte, who has worked with them virtually from the start. That was back in 2019 when they came to create a business based on the land that would allow their daughter Orlaith to have the same kind of rural upbringing they had enjoyed in Masterton in Nicky’s case, and Ireland in Brian’s. Le Grá means ‘with love’ in Gaelic, and love shone through everything that they do.
The vineyard they bought (all 1.5ha!) was well established, and luckily the original owner Frank was happy to lean over the fence and chat through how two complete rookies to wine making should approach this new venture. Their first vintage was during Covid, so they had to learn how to use their equipment, including a press with instructions in German, through ‘phone calls and trial and error. Nicky is a talented cook, and they have built their business around their cellar door. They have a B&B, pitches for campers, and run events during the year (including truffle hunting!).
We enjoyed a lovely tasting of their wines in their tasting room next to the winery, looking onto the vines. Nicky took us through their range – a couple of fizzes, whites, reds and to finish a Pink Pinot Port (great for a cocktail), and a Mulled Pinot, which was perfect for a southern hemisphere Christmas toast. Some cheese and chutneys and a slice of Nicky’s sublime Christmas Cake ensured any hunger pangs were dealt with. There were of course no hunger pangs but we still tucked in.
All too quickly we had to depart, for our final drive of the day into the town of Martinborough and the very nice Parehua Resort hotel, with its cabins among the vines, and lovely bistro where we had our final tasting of the tour.
Marion Deming and Kai Schubert came to Martinborough in 1998, having studied at Geisenheim University in their native Germany. They wanted to make world class Pinot Noir and selected Martinborough over Oregon, Australia and even Central Otago. Martinborough Pinot is known for its more complex flavours, which range into the ‘meaty’, and we experienced this in our tasting which accompanied a lovely final night dinner.
Marion took us through a tasting of seven of their wines, starting with a Sauvignon Blanc that demonstrated how the variety can vary in its character in different parts of New Zealand. This had a delicate tropical character, with lovely mouthfeel and a great finish. Their Tribianco blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Müller-Thurgau was (to my palate) even better, while their Chardonnay was super with the green lip mussels I had as a first course. Their Pinot Noirs from different clones grown on different vineyard blocks were both lovely and most of us preferred ‘Marion’s Vineyard’, though I actually liked ‘Block B’ more. We had these with main course. Con Brio is a blend of Syrah, Pinot Noir and Merlot that has spent four years in barrique. It was fabulous.
We finished with their Dolce, a late harvest Müller-Thurgau, accompanying pudding. Marion was a witty, eloquent speaker with deep knowledge of the region ans well as their wines. The wines (which are available in the UK) gave us a fantastic conclusion to our North Island tasting experience. Tim made some closing remarks, reminded everyone to be packed and ready to leave in the morning, and that was it! The first leg of our New Zealand tour is complete.
