At last – the New Zealand wines I’ve been waiting for have arrived!

            It’s been almost a year since my wine trip to New Zealand and long time readers of this blog may remember my seven-part missive on this Antipodean Adventure! But now – finally – after a good ten months’ waiting, ABC has received the wines that were among the very best that I tasted and they are now available at your local ABC store – Elephant Hill Hawkes Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2010 ($20) and Elephant Hill Central Otago Pinot Noir 2009 ($32). To make it more special – ABC is currently the only retailer in the U.S. to offer these great wines!

            Allow me to refresh your memory about these wines by quoting from part of my previous blog ---

I was sitting on my hotel room balcony in Napier, sipping on some spring water, listening to Van Morrison, and looking out over Hawke’s Bay. Brad and Alex had gone to the beach across the street for a swim. It was a sunny late afternoon with temperatures around 80 degrees F, and I was quite content to relax, read an occasional line or two of my book, and soak in the scenery. At six o’clock we were going to be picked up and taken to our final appointment in New Zealand.

We were met promptly at six by Günter Thies – who was a longtime business friend of Brad’s from Günter’s days at Schloss Schönborn in the Rheingau – and who was now Managing Director of Elephant Hill Estate and Winery here in Hawke’s Bay. When Günter heard that Brad was visiting New Zealand he extended a warm invitation for us all to come and visit the winery. So we dutifully climbed into his Rolls Royce – you just know you’re in for a special visit when you’re picked up in a Rolls! – and headed for the coastal village of Te Awanga.

Elephant Hill was the result of owners Reydon and Roger Weiss visiting the area in 2001 and falling in love with it. Together they envisioned creating a state-of-the-art winery that produced world class wines. The first plantings were made in 2003 and their first vintage was as recent as 2008. Cooled by nearby Pacific Ocean sea breezes – the winery is as coastal as you can get – and warmed by long sunshine hours and low rainfall, the wines show wonderful purity and elegance, rich concentration, and a lively acidity. The grapes are 100% hand-picked and 100% sustainably farmed. Walking around the winery you immediately get the impression that every detail has to be just right.

(Günter Thies and Brad Lewis at Elephant Hill)

But Elephant Hill is not just a state-of-the-art winery in a gorgeous coastal setting. It is also a renowned restaurant that was a finalist in Cuisine’s 2010 NZ Restaurant of the Year Awards.

We sat in the comfortable sunken lounge where we were met by winemaker Steve Skinner who was to join us for dinner, and tasted a couple of wines. Günter and Steve could not have been more gracious, and from our first sip we knew that the wines were something special.

It was a beautiful evening so we sat out on the huge terrace that hugs the restaurant and ordered dinner. Everything was so relaxed and yet meticulously organized. The food was excellent, as were the wines we sampled.

By the time we finished, the sun had set behind the mountains and now the faces of the many guests were warmed in the glow of soft candlelight – or perhaps it was the wine. Feeling fully content with so much excellent food and wine, we said our thank yous, climbed back into the Rolls and returned to our hotel, agreeing to meet Günter again in the morning. And so I sat once more on my balcony, at midnight, sipping on some spring water and listening to the silence and the soft roll of the surf before going to bed.

(With Gunter Thies, Elephant Hill)

Bill Stobbs, West Coast Wine Supervisor

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