Auckland is one of New Zealand's oldest wine regions, but being old doesn’t mean it’s boring.

With three established sub-areas and an ever-growing variety of grapes and styles being produced, Auckland is upbeat about its place in the New Zealand wine industry.

Kick-started by Croatian immigrants who brought the love of wine and winemaking with them, the industry still has a strong Croatian feel about it, especially in the oldest of the region’s wine areas, Kumeu.

Kumeu might be one of New Zealand’s oldest winegrowing areas, but it is still booming, according to Tony Soljan of Soljan Estate Winery.

“Spring has sprung, the grapes are growing and all looks good up here,” he says.

And well it might, with the country’s biggest population base on its doorstep and healthy export markets for its wine. Kumeu’s Croatian heritage goes back to the early years of last century and that heritage shows in the age and size of the wineries in the area.

“We have a small number of relatively big wineries up here,” Mr Soljan says.

“We’ve got Nobilo, the second-biggest wine company in the country; we’ve got Kumeu River, which is one of the most high-profile wineries, and we have the likes of Cooper’s Creek, Matua Valley, Westbrook, Kerr Farm and ourselves. The advantage of Kumeu is that you can taste the wine of New Zealand here, since many of the companies bring in grapes from around the country.”

(Ed's note: picture (above) shows the Babich family estate).

The wineries that stretch along State Highway 16 between Henderson and Huapai are still thronged with visitors on the weekend, proving that familiarity doesn’t always breed contempt.

“We’ve got the market on our doorstep up here and we get plenty of people coming up to visit,” Mr Soljan says.

“The domestic market is strong and that’s important. It’s also still growing although the best growth has been seen in our export markets. On the domestic market, you really need to have your marketing sorted out, because there are plenty of challenges there, including cheap imported wines.”

Another challenge can be the weather. While frosts tend to be a problem for more southerly wine regions, Auckland can get hit with more rain than other areas, especially as the winegrowing areas are situated on either side of a thin isthmus.

“You need good vineyard management, but you need that everywhere. It’s just a matter of coping with what the weather throws at you.”

Auckland's soils are mainly shallow clays over hard silty-clay subsoils or sandy loams. Vineyards are mostly planted in pockets of flat land in the shelter of the western ranges.

Traditionally, the area has produced quality wine from cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc and chardonnay, but there are other varieties emerging.

“Pinot gris is getting more popular up here and pinot noir as well. We’ve planted some pinot gris and I think Kumeu River have done as good a job with it as anyone in the country,” Mr Soljan says.

“Pinots and chardonnay, being early varieties, seem to suit us and I think we’re covering a certain sector of the wine spectrum very well. Varieties like gewürztraminer tend not to crop very well up here and I think Marlborough already grows great sauvignon blanc and Riesling.”

However, one factor that might limit any expansion of the Kumeu area is not directly related to what grows in the vineyard at all, but the spiralling cost of real estate.

“There is still the Croatian influence of working together up here and there is room for more wineries, but the land prices are reaching the prohibitive stage now.”

However, Mr Soljan can see a rosy future for Kumeu grape growing and winemaking, carving out its own niche in the industry.

“I don’t believe any region is the best region. I would never say one was better than the other; I think each region in the country is doing its own thing and creating its own styles and I think that is the best way to go.”

Waiheke Island was born as a wine area in the early 1980s, and was based very much on the classic Bordeaux varieties of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc. However, the island’s name as a producer of big, high-profile and high-priced reds could be changing with the introduction of the red grape du jour, according to Waiheke Island Winegrowers’ Association president Chris Canning.

“I think syrah is the most overwhelming change out here. There has been a lot of interest in new plantings and replanting of syrah. Not everyone has the financial ability to convert entire vineyards to a new variety, but the interest is most certainly there. There is also some more pinot gris being planted along with viognier.”

Early-ripening varieties like merlot and malbec are also popular, as is the island itself; three new growers set up on Waiheke in the past year.

The island’s wine industry is split along size lines, mostly, from large estates like Stony Batter through vineyards like Cable Bay, Stonyridge and Christensen Estate, to small family-owned vineyards concentrating on contract sales and the tourist market.

However, regardless of size, confidence appears to be brimming on the island, mostly on the back of three excellent growing seasons on the trot.

“Winegrowers on the island have also been buoyed by the fact that several wines have won gold medals in recent competitions. And the season so far has been pretty benign. I think it’s about seven to 10 days later than last year and we haven’t had too much wind. It’s been unusually cold and we had our first frost for a long time recently, but spring has definitely broken now and everything is looking good,” Mr Canning says.

“I detect a relatively high level enthusiasm on the island although perhaps without those three good seasons people would be more circumspect. After all, the big question for any area is does it have varieties that will produce quality wine in the majority of years rather than in a minority of years?”

While Mr Canning doesn’t see any shortage of land for new plantings on Waiheke, there are some concerns involved with new set-ups.

“There is a long way to go before it’s full, but the land reflects the perceived value of lifestyle blocks and 12 acres can go for $1 million. That’s a steep starting point for grape growing.
“The availability of land is something of a challenge, but the main question for us is how we will be treated by the Auckland City Council and the Auckland Regional Council. There is a new district plan out at the moment and we will be responding to that. It’s too early to say what is hold for us at this stage.”

Another challenge for the island’s wine industry is the type of wine tourism on Waiheke.

“The difference between ourselves and other boutique wine areas like Martinborough or Matakana is that mostly our visitors come by foot from the ferry rather than by car, so the tourism experience is completely different. We are working on that with the Waiheke Tourism Group to improve navigation of the island for tourists.”

The tourist market is important to many of the island’s producers and many of the wineries have invested in dining facilities, like the Cable Bay expansion, which is due to open in January in time for the main tourist season. The development includes a fully licensed restaurant with indoor and outdoor dining; cellar door and wine tasting facilities; a private cellar dining room, overlooking the winery barrel room; an executive meeting space and boardroom; a wine bar; and extensive landscaped gardens and walkways to Matiatia wharf and the ferry.

The youngest of Auckland’s wine-producing regions, Matakana, is booming, with 27 growers and winemakers joining the newly founded Matakana Winegrowers Incorporated.

President Robin Ransom, of Ransom Wines, says the organisation was an idea whose time had come.

“The area had got to the point where it was time to do it,” he says.

“It was high time to get together and look after our own interests in such areas as compliance charges and marketing.”

The area has seen a great deal of winegrowing investment in recent years. It has also enjoyed several important accolades for wines made from varieties that include merlot, syrah, cabernet sauvignon, sangiovese, malbec, chardonnay, pinot gris, and viognier all grown on hillside vineyards of free draining, iron-rich granular Matakana clay in a sunny, maritime climate.

"Winegrowing and wine tourism are now very significant contributors to employment and the region's economy," says Robin. 
"One of our first goals is to survey members to ascertain exactly the magnitude of that contribution. Until now there hasn't been ‘one voice’ to represent our interests, particularly with respect to compliance issues, but that will change with the formation of Matakana Winegrowers."

Founding members of Matakana Winegrowers are: Hyperion, Ransom Wines, Ascension, Contour Estate, Matakana Estate, Providence, The Castle Matakana, Herons Flight, Ti Point, Gillman Vineyard, Omaha Bay, Puriri Flat, Saltings Estate, Hawks Nest, Greve, Courage Creek, Brick Bay, Old Mill, Hurstmere House, Hinemoa Estate, Takatu, Whitmore Wines, Merryfields, Hinchco Family Vineyard, Coxhead Creek, Mahurangi Estate and Atakama Wine Workshop.

Mr Ransom also says that the formation of the group will allow the area to create a distinct identity from the other Auckland winegrowing areas like Kumeu and Waiheke Island.

“We do have our own profile, especially in Auckland . Conditions are different here, different climate, different soil type and so forth. Another difference is that we tend to be small, family-owned wineries, rather than the old, established big-name ones over in the Kumeu area.”

While Matakana is knocking out plenty of the grape du jour, pinot gris, the majority of the plantings in the area are red varieties, where Mr Ransom sees great potential.

“More than half of the plantings here are red varieties, especially the Bordeaux varieties, but I think we will see more syrah in the future. As for Ransom Wines, we are selling a lot of pinot gris at the winery, it’s a certain sell for us, but it is our reds that are being exported to Australia.”

However, Mr Ransom reckons that plantings will slow down in the Matakana area in a few years.

“We are lucky having a big market like Auckland on our doorstep, but there is huge competition out there and I think that might drive down plantings. You just have to look at the amount of cheap Australian wine on the shelves to see that.”

 
Article compiled October 2006