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The growth phase of the Matakana wine industry is over and the future relies on improving quality and boosting tourism, Matakana Winegrowers Association president Gary Heaven says.
Mr Heaven says other wine regions offer a better return on investment and less challenging grape growing conditions so it is unlikely more wineries will establish in Matakana.
“Our vineyards are generally too small to be making the kind of returns that other areas offer,” he says. “People generally come here to produce wine because of the lifestyle.”
According to the NZ Winegrowers Annual Report 2014, the size of the industry in Auckland and Northland shrunk considerably in 2012, going from 556 hectares of grapes to 411ha, before rising slightly to 416 last year. This was at a time when the industry grew rapidly nationally from 21,000ha in 2005 to a steady 35,000 in 2012.
The Auckland region produces just 0.3 per cent of the country’s wine but has 16 per cent of the wineries, making it the third largest region in the country in that respect.
Gary says this is because the industry relies on more than just wine to balance the books.
“Because we are small producers, we have to package and sell the whole vineyard experience to make it viable. You don’t just sell the wine, you also have a restaurant, cellar door sales and tastings, and maybe a bed and breakfast.”
This strategy appears to be paying off as more people head to Mahurangi.
“Over the past three or four years we have been getting a lot more tourists who come to experience the region and are prepared to spend $50 on a bottle of wine.”
The future of the industry will rely on increasing the quality of Matakana wine to make that 0.3 per cent count and boosting tourist numbers, he says.
“If we make wine of a high standard people will come here. That’s the main focus.”
The Matakana Winegrowers Association has been coordinating to improve quality by sharing experiences on how to make the most of the conditions. This includes an annual blind tasting of the region’s wine to allow winemakers to identify the strengths of different styles and help improve others.
Many wineries are also using innovative techniques to make a point of difference.
At Heron’s Flight winery, Italian winemaker Stefano Guidi is starting his first Matakana vintage using traditional Italian methods.
This vintage of Sangiovese wine will be fermented in a clay pot called an amphora, which is one of only three used in NZ.
“Generally red wine is stored in oak barrels, but the amphora retains more of the wine’s natural flavours,” Stefano says. “It is a common method in Italy and one of the most ancient methods of fermentation.”
The winery will also be producing a dessert wine from grapes which have been dried on a rack for about six months. The rack is on wheels so can be taken outside into the sun on good days. About 80 per cent of the grape evaporates leaving highly concentrated flavours.
“It’s a method that’s used throughout the Mediterranean, but I don’t think anyone makes wine like that here.”
Ascension Wine Estate is currently expanding its winery to include an underground cellar and a wine-making museum, showcasing a variety of different wine-making methods. The new extension will include a new bottling plant which is expected to be operating next year.
Wine facts
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The Mahurangi region has 23 vineyards, with nine wineries producing about 350 tonne of grapes, or about 200,000 bottles, a year. This is 0.07 per cent of NZ’s wine.
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The Auckland region has 114 wineries producing about 1300 tonne a year, or 0.3 per cent of NZ’s wine.
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NZ has 669 wineries with about 35,300 hectares of grapes producing 445,000 tonne a year. Marlborough produces 77 per cent of NZ’s wine. About 85 per cent of NZ’s wine is Sauvignon Blanc.
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On a global scale, NZ is just a small fry, sitting 18th in the list of wine producing countries by volume in the world. Italy leads the list, followed by France, Spain, the US and China.
