The New Zealand wine industry has become highly successful in the International market and to meet the increasing demand, the country’s vineyard plantings have more than tripled in the last ten years. This has now led to over production, exacerbated by a recent run of high yield vintages, manifesting in a glut of cheap poor quality wines appearing on the UK market.

Thankfully this has helped to draw attention towards the small artisan wineries which represent over 80% of New Zealand’s total producers. We have always supported the smaller producers and feel that this is where the true value and point of difference lies.

One of the most northerly vineyards is that of Kumeu River, just north of Auckland on the North Island. The slightly increased warmth gives a fatness to their wines, and the Pinot Gris is particularly successful, but Michael Brajkovich’s star turns are his Chardonnays, quite Burgundian in style with some racy acidity and built to last five to ten years. Bottled under screwcaps, they are a real eye-opener.

The seat of North Island viticulture is Hawke’s Bay, the standard bearer for claret styles since the late 1990s. One of the secrets to success here are the so-called Gimblett Gravels, the ancient bed of the Ngaruroro River. Free draining, very similar to the Médoc, and warm, this is very good for C J Pask and Kate Radburnd, one of the most talented winemakers in the country. Kate gets a round, ripe feel to her wines whether you prefer the straight Merlot or the Gimblett Road blend, and these are perfect for the Bordeaux enthusiast who wants to compare outside France. Te Mata Estate, our other Hawke’s Bay representative, is in fact the oldest winemaking property in New Zealand - great elegance and sophistication is immediately obvious in their Awatea blend.

Crossing the Cook Strait, you quickly get to Blenheim and the burgeoning Sauvignon Blanc vineyards of Marlborough. Heading our range is Churton, run by Sam and Mandy Weaver who are staunch supporters of Tanners and masters of this most fashionable grape. Rightly so, because Sam gets superb balance and body into his wine which should be a must-buy selection. His efforts to reduce the naturally high alcohol levels in his Pinot Noir are also worth noting, and have won much acclaim from the critics. Sam is a thinker, and we are proud to work so closely with him. Jackson Estate is in the middle of Marlborough’s Wairau River valley. The wines are particularly ripe in style, with a rich intensity in their Sauvignon Blanc. Mud House meanwhile takes parcels of grapes from all over Marlborough to fashion a very pungent, direct Sauvignon, while their Riesling is an excellent food wine with a depth of flavour to it.

The most southerly vineyards in the world are on South Island in Bannockburn, Central Otago. Making wine here you can imagine is fairly nail-biting - you are on the edge of viable grape ripening. Fortunately Felton Road’s vines are protected by a north-facing ridge, and the Chardonnay is certainly ripe enough to take barrel-fermentation while the Pinot Noir is graceful and classical in composition.

Adrian Patterson