(Leaving the South Island on the ferry.)

            So far, we had only visited one wine region – Marlborough – on one island. Now it was time to pack our bags and head up to the North Island of New Zealand for a couple of days, where we had some appointments in the Hawke’s Bay region.

            We taxied up to the picturesque port town of Picton, which we had a little time to explore and stop for a short black coffee before boarding the ferry to Wellington, New Zealand’s capital city on the North Island.

            The trip on the car ferry lasts about three hours and takes you first through the spectacular scenery of the Marlborough Sounds before crossing between the two islands. This, we were told, could be a turbulent trip, but the wine gods smiled down on us and gave us sunny weather and calm seas.

            Arriving in Wellington we picked up our rental car and headed up toward Hawke’s Bay, a journey which should have lasted about three hours but because of heavy traffic jams around Wellington took over five. Anxious to get there at a reasonable time we kept going without stopping for food (except chips and chocolate at a gas station). By the time we checked in at our hotel in Havelock North it was almost 10 p.m. and we were starving. Restaurants were closed so we ended up at a pub that served us a few tapas and the world’s worst pizza. Never mind, we ate it all with the help of a couple of beers. We also tried a glass of Chattering Magpie Syrah which was pretty impressive, and I finished (thank you, Alex) with a glass of 1959 New Zealand port.

            The next morning Brad and I walked around the village, were suitably impressed by Bellatino’s Food Lovers Market which was something like a good New York Italian deli, and stopped for a short black before heading out to our first appointment of the day – Vidal Winery in the town of Hastings.

            Vidal (pronounced VEYE-dal) Winery was founded in 1905 by Spaniard Anthony Joseph Vidal, who quickly established himself as one of New Zealand’s early innovators. It has been owned by Villa Maria since 1976, which allows them access to Villa Maria’s many vineyards (including sites at the famous Gimblett Gravels), but also allows them to keep their own autonomy. It is still run like a boutique winery. The wines aren’t available yet in the U.S., but there are plans to begin next year.

  (With Senior Winemaker Hugh Crichton at Vidal.)

             We were welcomed by Senior Winemaker Hugh Crichton, who spoke to us for a while of Vidal’s history and future plans before showing us into the barrel rooms to taste some samples from the barrel. Hawke’s Bay, being further north than Marlborough, has a considerably warmer climate. Here the emphasis is not on Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, but on the red Bordeaux varietals – Cabernet and Merlot primarily – as well as Syrah and Chardonnay. The wines of Vidal oozed quality. After the barrel samples we sat down for a tasting of twelve wines – some released, some tank samples. I was especially impressed by the Vidal Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2010 on all three tiers; the Vidal Hawke’s Bay Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 (which was judged Top Wine and Best Buy in a tasting at New Zealand’s premiere food and wine magazine Cuisine); and the Vidal Hawke’s Bay Reserve Syrah 2007.

            The Syrah wines of New Zealand in general, and Hawke’s Bay in particular, have an elegance that has more to do with the northern Rhone than the bolder Shirazes of Australia across the Tasman Sea. I was particularly impressed by them because they came as a surprise. I wasn’t expecting that kind of quality from New Zealand Syrah.

            We took a thirty minute break after the tasting and I sipped on a glass of delicious Vidal Pinot Noir Rose as an aperitif before lunch. We dined outside at the Vidal Restaurant with Hugh and were joined by viticulturist Ollie Powrie. The restaurant, founded in 1979, was a finalist in the 2010 NZ Restaurant of the Year Awards, and Executive Chef Ken O’Connell was awarded New Zealand Chef of the Year 2008, so you can imagine how good the lunch was. Especially as Hawke’s Bay boasts more artisan food producers than any other province, and is home to New Zealand’s original farmer’s market, still the biggest and the best in the country. The wines that Hugh chose paired spectacularly with the food.

  (Alex with Ollie Powrie in the vineyards.)

 Afterward Ollie took us on a tour of various well-known vineyards in the area – Keltern, Waikahu, Twyford Gravels – as well as the impressive Gimblett Gravels, that long dried-out river bed whose soil and climate are perfect for grapes. The tour was interesting, educational, and fun, and Ollie did a terrific job of explaining the lay of the land to us.

            But now it was time for the first part of our final appointment – a visit that would be a spectacular conclusion to our journey….

(Previous blogs on our trip to New Zealand were posted on Feb 24, Mar 10, Mar 24, Apr 7, and Apr 21. The blog concludes with our final days in New Zealand in two weeks.)

Bill Stobbs, Wine Supervisor