Wine – Spring showcase

Spring is a special time, symbolic of rebirth and renewal, along with warming and lengthening days. For those whose living comes from the land, spring marks the beginning of a new year in a very real way. This is the case for winegrowers as much as anyone.

The wider Matakana region has a history of celebrating spring that reinforces the feeling of a seasonal cycle. The October long weekend events and the Kowhai Festival combine with the school holidays and daylight savings to show us the promise of summer to come.

A new Matakana wine and oyster festival in early October, which was well supported by local winegrowers, looks like it may become a permanent fixture around this time of year. This year’s was a certainly a great day and had a good turnout from locals and Aucklanders alike.

Winegrowers use events like this to showcase their wines, but it can also be useful to gauge where the public are at with their wine choices, and how tastes are evolving. Two of the most interesting at the festival for the Matakana Winegrowers were rosé and chardonnay, which are styles that most of us grow and make up here.

Rosé in particular seems to be a great hit with people these days, and many understand that true rosé is very different from the bright pink lolly-water, formerly sold under the name of rosé, which gave it such a bad name for many. Most rosé wines are now made in a way that very closely mirrors white winemaking, the only difference being that the clear juice may stay in contact with the red grape skins for a few hours to grab some colour. You can use any red grape variety you wish, although in Matakana the varieties used are generally Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Dolcetto.

Chardonnay is the winemaker’s versatile grape variety. It can grow in most climates, and has a long history of having layers of complexity added to it in the winery. Out of favour through the early 2000s, it now seems to have regained a great following, including some who love the old-style Chardonnays with bold oak flavours and buttery characters from a second fermentation. We also make more restrained versions now for those who like a more refreshing style.

If you are on Facebook, head over to “Matakana Wine Trail” to see what we’ve been up to recently, and leave us a comment or two about your favourite styles of wine, and what you love about spring in our wonderful region. Cheers.

Richard Robson, President, Matakana Winegrowers
www.matakanawine.co.nz