(The earlier parts of this blog were posted on February 24, March 10, and March 24.)

             The next morning, after a breakfast of bacon, scrambled eggs, white peach, tangerine, and bread and apricot jam with black coffee and o.j. which Alex prepared, the good folks at Villa Maria Estates took us on a tour of the southern part of the Marlborough wine region. Marlborough can be generally divided into two valleys – the Wairau Valley running west to east in the north, and the Awatere running west to east in the south, with the Wither Hills between. We visited three of the best vineyards in the Awatere Valley – Clifford Bay, Taylor’s Pass, and Seddon Vineyard – and sampled a bottle from each one, which was very instructive.

            After a light lunch al fresco with the whole team of folks from Villa Maria, we bid them a warm farewell, and moved on to the Vintner’s Retreat, where we’d be staying for the next three nights. For travelers far from home it was a welcome sight. Here was a house overlooking a vineyard to the rear, where we could make ourselves at home, do laundry, watch tv, and relax in. Mornings it was a pleasure to sit outside in just my old pair of jeans, drink black tea, read ancient Japanese waka, or make notes on our trip so far.

            In the late afternoon we were met by the tall suave figure of Jim Robertson – Australia and New Zealand’s Global Ambassador for Premium Wine Brands (Pernod Ricard). Jim had a bus waiting to take us on one of the more fascinating side trips of our visit. The bus took us on a thirty minute journey through the Richmond Mountain Range to the port town of Picton on the north coast of the South Island. From there we boarded a water taxi for a twenty minute journey across the sound to the Te Weka Restaurant at the Portage Resort Hotel. The views as we crossed the sound, as well as from the restaurant itself, were simply breathtaking.

            Standing outside overlooking the beach, we sipped a glass of Brancott Reserve Brut Cuvee, which was a perfect beginning to a memorable meal. Jim ordered four wines which, as it happened, paired beautifully with the food I had chosen from the menu.

     (The view from the Te Weka Restaurant.)

             I started with Ceviche with Cocoanut Milk, Peppers, and Tomato Jam and paired it with Couper’s Shed Hawkes Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2010. Hawkes Bay, on the North Island, is somewhat warmer than Marlborough and the Sauvy Blanc showed more tropical notes which worked well with the cocoanut milk. My main course was Pan-Seared Marlborough Salmon on a Ginger Salad with Lightly Battered Fresh Vegetables. I paired this first with the Brancott Living Land Chardonnay 2010, which was fine, but then I switched over to the Triplebank Awatere Valley Marlborough Pinot Noir 2009. This was one of the wines we tried on our first night in New Zealand, and it still remained one of the best Pinot Noirs we’d come across so far. For dessert I ordered Chocolate Tart with Espresso Ice Cream and Sliced Strawberries, and with this I was able to try the Church Road Cuvee Cabernet Sauvignon 2009, and followed it up with a short black coffee. Food, wine, and good fellowship – a memorable evening.

            Coming back across the sound in the darkness, we were again struck by the beauty of the stars above. The Japanese call the Milky Way “the River of Heaven” and looking up you could easily see that delicate river of starlight stretched across the night sky, and how it was mirrored in the dark waters of Marlborough Sound.

            The next morning Jim took us on a tour of the Brancott Estates vineyards. Jim was a fountain of knowledge and erudition. Mention just about any city in the world and Jim could tell you the best restaurants to visit, and a few choice stories about them too.

            Brancott Estates – which until 2010 was mostly known as Montana – is New Zealand’s largest wine producer, and was the first commercial company to plant vines in Marlborough. That was in 1973. At the time most people thought they were crazy. Today Marlborough produces more wine than any other region in New Zealand.

     (Jim Robertson at Brancott Estates)

             Kiwis are very environmentally aware. Recycling is a major concern in New Zealand. Jim told us that 93% of New Zealand’s wineries are sustainably farmed, and the plan is to be 100% sustainable within the next two years. Organics has to do with the vineyard, he told us, but sustainability has to do with everything.

            He took us to the Festival Block, where the first vine planting in Marlborough was done, and Brad, Alex, Drew, and I had our picture taken. Unusually, this block was planted east to west, whereas most vineyards in New Zealand are planted north to south.

            After lunch and a tour of the winery came the tasting. We tasted 27 wines including 4 barrel samplings from the various Brancott lines as well as wines from Stoneleigh, Triplebank, Church Road, and Couper’s Shed. I don’t have space to go into more detail here, but the wines were of good to excellent quality across the board. Stand-outs to me were the already mentioned Triplebank Awatere Pinot Noir 2009, the Stoneleigh Rapaura Series Pinot Noir 2009, Brancott Terraces Pinot Noir 2009, Church Road Reserve Syrah 2008, Church Road Reserve Merlot Cabernet 2008, and the new Brancott Reserve Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc.

(This blog of our trip to New Zealand will continue in two weeks with a visit to Kim Crawford, Nobilo, Monkey Bay and Selaks, a trip to the North Island, and much more.)

Bill Stobbs, Wine Supervisor, ABC Fine Wine And Spirits