Nieuw Zeeland: Wairau Valley

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Het dal van de Wairau, bekend om zijn savignon blanc, is de grootste en bekendste wijnstreek van Nieuw Zeeland. Kort na 1970 is Montana Wines (huidige naam: Brancott) begonnen met het planten van druiven. Nu zijn er bijna 50 wijnmakerijen werkzaam in het gebied. Op het Ponder Estate maken ze veelgeprezen sauvignon blanc en chardonnay maar de eigenaren verbouwden ook als eersten olijfbomen in Nieuw Zeeland. Bezoekers van het Highfield Estate krijgen een goed overzicht van de wijnstreek vanuit de toren (Toscaanse stijl) op het estate. Dessertwijnen zijn de specialiteit van de kleine wijnmakerij Te Whar Ra. Le Brun Family Estate is gespecialiseerd in mousserende wijnen volgens de méthode traditionelle. De wijngaard van Stoneleigh Vineyards bevindt zich in een voormalige rivierbedding en is genoemd naar de stenen die het terrein bedekken. Het zonlicht dat van de stenen terugkaatst, bespoedigt het rijpingsproces van de druiven. Rond de wijnen van het Wairau-dal wordt in februari het Wine Malborough festival gevierd. Bron: Nieuw Zeeland Capitool Reisgidsen 2003. Highfield Estate Highfield Estate   sauvignin blanc druiven The Wairau Valley is one of two river valleys which make up the heartland of New Zealand's Marlborough wine region. An extensive patchwork of vineyards surrounds the town of Blenheim in the north-eastern corner of the South Island, near where the Wairau River meets the ocean. Sauvignon Blanc is by far the most important grape variety planted here, producing distinctively aromatic white wines with flavors of gooseberry, passionfruit and fresh herbs. The Wairau Valley is a wide river valley that follows the Wairau river from the Spenser Mountains in the west to the Pacific ocean at Cloudy Bay. The Richmond mountains in the north separate it from the sunny region of Nelson, and the Wither Hills in the south protect the valley from harsh weather systems from the south-east. The region can be divided neatly in two: the low-lying area along the Wairau River near Rapaura and Renwick, and the hillier land in the south around the sub-regions of Brancott, Omaka and the Waihopai Valley. New Zealand's modern wine industry began in Marlborough in the 1970s, and it was in the Brancott vineyard in the southern Wairau Valley that the first Sauvignon Blanc vines were planted in 1973. Nowadays, Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is world-famous, and the Wairau Valley is home to some of New Zealand's most famous producers. The valley's varied soil profiles are responsible for the significant variations in wine styles, and are considered to be the most distinctive feature defining the character of wines produced here. Shallow, stony and fast-draining soil patterns along the river terraces aid infertility, a condition which perfectly suits the region's main grape variety, Sauvignon Blanc. Further from the river in the hills, the soils have a higher proportion of clay and silt. These soils retain slightly more moisture for the vines, which leads to a more herbaceous character in the resultant wines. Wairau Valley has a warm, dry climate that is moderated during the growing season by sea breezes from Cloudy Bay. Hot sunshine during the day and cold ocean winds at night extend the ripening period in the grapes, leading to a balance of fruit complexity and acidity. This diurnal temperature variation is essential to the terroir in the Wairau Valley without it, much of the classic punchiness of the wines made here would be lost. Wairau Valley has a slightly warmer, more sheltered climate than its neighbor, the Awatere Valley. As a result, the Sauvignon Blanc made here tends to be on the tropical end of the spectrum, with flavors of passionfruit and grapefruit rounding out the gooseberry and green pepper that typifies Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Sauvignon Blanc is undoubtedly king in this part of the world, but Riesling, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are other important grape varieties grown here. Marlborough sparkling wines made in the methode traditionelle are also highly regarded. Published by Wine-Searcher.com | Last update 26-Aug-2013 by Wine-Searcher Staff.