New Zealand Pure Discovery 2019

THE SHOW

New Zealand is recognised as one of the world’s premium wine regions,

mainly due to the success of their Marlborough region Sauvignon Blanc

 

This explosive varietal introduced the world to New Zealand Wine.

In 2019 they would like to celebrate the success of their famous white

through sub-regional expressions as well as showcase the lesser known

varieties such as Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah and Rose.

Several weeks ago I was offered the opportunity to “speed date” a handful of

New Zealand Winemakers as they passed through Vancouver. I sat at a desk and

they showed up one at a time..each with a wine in hand.

Frankly, it was a blur.

In listening back to the discussions several things became clear.

Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is World Class but now it’s time to check out

sub regions of the North and South islands.

Simon Toneycliffe GM Whitehaven. (Marlborough’s Golden Mile)

Whitehaven wines are grown, crafted and bottled in Marlborough. Each wine is

a powerful, elegant and consistent expression of Marlborough’s classical

wine styles. The white label is the flagship. Their growth has been nothing

short of fantastic.

Whitehaven has been successfully exporting to the United States since 2004

when its first shipment totaled just 5,000 cases. In 2015 Whitehaven

celebrated the export of its millionth case of wine to the US.

Canada is showing the same kind of growth.

The reason is simple. Affordable World class wines.

www.whitehaven.co.nz

Wayne Leadbetter – VP Sales Te Awanga Wines (Hawkes Bay)

Planted 25 years ago by a group of friends in one of Hawke’s Bay’s oldest

wine growing areas, they dreamt of making the region’s greatest wines.

They say they’re still working on it but believe their vineyard, right by

the coast truly captures something unique.

Sitting on an elevated site in the Te Awanga foot hills, the cellar door has views down through our vines,

across the Te Awanga basin and out to the Pacific Ocean. Spectacular.

Syrah and Chardonnay are exceptional.

www.teawangaestate.co.nz

Jim Robertson Global Wine Ambassador NZ Brands – Stoneleigh/Pernod Ricard

(Marlborough)

Stoneleigh Vineyard is situated in the heart of the Rapaura area on the

northern side of the Wairau valley in Marlborough, New Zealand. The ‘Golden

Mile’ of vineyards.

Stoneleigh takes its name from the stones that cover the

vineyard – land that’s now home to some of the oldest grafted Sauvignon

Blanc blocks in Marlborough.

The stones store and reflect the sun’s heat up into the vines, enhancing the ripening process and contributing to the

unique taste of Stoneleigh wines.

Jim travels the World – a natural storyteller and what a story. NZ wines

are recognized the World over.

http://www.stoneleigh.com <http://www.stoneleigh.com/>

Joel Watson – Winemaker at Luna (Martinborough)

Luna Estate has been lovingly renovated and transformed into one of

Martinborough’s premier wineries.

While their main love is Pinot Noir, they also produce elegant Pinot Meunier Rose, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot

Gris, Chardonnay,