WINE PIONEER
Romeo Bragato
- 1895 surveyed potential winegrowing regions > 1901 established Te Kauwhata research station > 1906 published "Viticulture in NZ" > 1908 won gold in London for a wine "approaching Bordeaux claret in lightness & delicacy" > 1909 left NZ disillusioned, due to impact of Prohibition campaigning.
REGIONAL OVERVIEW
Waikato & Bay of Plenty wine regions have small but steadily expanding vineyard plantings, occupying scattered pockets of rolling farmland - both have moderately warm climates, with soils of heavy loam laid over clay. The main varietal is Chardonnay, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon & Sauvignon Blanc.
TE KAUWHATA
Te Kauwhata
Viticultural Research Station was established to import, trial & evaluate phylloxera-resistant rootstocks & new varietals - selected clones were then distributed to winegrowers in other regions. The provenance of many NZ grape vines can be traced back to plants originally raised here.
NZ Wine Soils
- liquid geography -
Grapes can be grown in a wide variety of soils but only certain soil types, with special qualities & unique mesoclimate interactions, are capable of producing wines of character & quality
Profiles of distinctive NZ wine soils
• Gimblett Gravels
are unique to the Hawke's Bay
• Waiheke clay
overlies rock strata millions of years old
• Martinborough Terraces are composed of alluvial gravels
• Semi-arid
soils in Central Otago have high mineral content
• An ancient river system created Nelson's clay-bound gravels
• Waipara limestone
has an affinity with the chalky soils of Burgundy
Mike Weersing (Pyramid Valley): There are certain kinds of soil that have a consistent imprint on the wines grown from them. You can defy that imprint if you choose to - this is why most New World winemakers think that soil has no impact, because it can be overridden. But that doesn't mean it's not there
