New Zealand's wine gets punchy

October 19, 6:17 PMInternational Wine ExaminerKevin Lynch

Previous Next

4 comments Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the International Wine Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

View of Auckland City skyline with Auckland Tower, tallest structure in the southern hemisphere.

(Photo: Amber Share)

Over the years the New Zealand wine biz has spent a a lot of time and cash on trying to figure out how get the world more interested in New Zealand wine. They started in 1834 when a Brit named James Busby dropped by and planted the nation’s first vines in the Bay of Islands before heading to New South Wales, Australia to kick start their wine industry.

The first vintages in New Zealand were turned over to be tasted by a passing French admiral because the French are acknowledged worldwide as the arbiters of all things oenological and gastronomic, n’est pas. Admiral Dumont d’Urville declared that the wines were, “léger, pétillant et délicieux.”

In the following decades wino Kiwis tried to go big and planted vineyards on a large scale just north of Auckland in Matakana. These wineries did well until the 1920’s when they were hit by the scourge worse than that bug-borne phylloxera, Prohibition.

Into the 20th century the NZ wine industry has boomed mostly because of their concerted efforts to make single varietal wines of distinction. Their global winner has been Sauvignon Blanc, notably from the Marlborough District on the South Island.

Looking to export their wines some Kiwi wine people with more wine than consumers have gone the route of the silly label to move their product. Punchline Wines has launched a brand that is not just silly but has been known to produce belly laughs in Auckland wine aisles.

So, the labels are funny but what about the wine? The best word to use for the reds is drinkable. Not too glowing, not too harsh an assessment. For the whites? Pleasant, but maybe that's because the weather is warming here in the Southern Hemisphere.

(Note: A search for Punchline Wines in the US netted nothing. To search for these wines and other New Zealand wines visit: Wine From New Zealand)

Visit Native Food & Wine for a look at Tablas Creek Winery