When I was 12 years old, my mum had a job offer in New Zealand; they were short on Probation Officers and would she consider relocating? Mum was in two minds about it, so decided to gauge our interest and put it to a family vote. I have 2 little brothers and an older sister, but we’re no more than 18 months apart from one another in age, so we were all entering the final stages of being lovely human beings, shortly before embarking on the path of destruction that is being a young teenager. At the time, I was playing a lot of rugby, and I was good at it. The first Lord of the Rings film had been released a year earlier and we were all in awe of the majesty of the landscape, and wouldn’t it be lovely to walk it ourselves? The only Kiwis I’d met had been friendly, lovely and open, with a sort of classic British charm that now usually escapes Britain altogether and seems to reside mainly in both New Zealand and Canada. All signs pointed to a life of running around the gorgeous countryside of New Zealand, playing rugby in the most famous rugby-playing nation on earth and enjoying the advantage of a different accent when I got around to talking to girls; I was excited! Obviously, I was unanimously outvoted and I’ve yet to set foot on the islands. That’s just the way it goes, sometimes.

As an adult, my main interaction with New Zealand has been based around rugby and wine and as I don’t play rugby anymore, wine is leading the charge alone these days. Which is handy, because I adore New Zealand wine, both as a drinker and as a wine student. As a drinker, because the wines are full of bright fruit, easy charm and have characteristics which stand out in the glass as being uniquely Kiwi. As a student, because New Zealand is a very easy country to get to grips with, with only a few regions of true commercial importance, a comparatively limited selection of grapes (Sauvignon Blanc still accounts for well over 60% of wine produced in New Zealand!) and none of the arcanery of the Old World to make life complicated. It’s a young industry but one that has already taken the world by storm; from planting their first Sauvignon Blanc vines in Marlborough in the mid-70’s to commanding the highest bottle price in practically ever market they sell in, New Zealand goes from strength to strength. Indeed, their only limitation is likely to be planting space: at 36,000 hectares planted, the entire planted space of New Zealand is about 1/3 of Bordeaux.

I’d have liked to have saved up tasting notes and turned this into a full-blown article about the wonders of New Zealand wine. Despite my brief coverage above, there’s a lot more going on than immediately meets the eye, and the evolution of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in particular deserves its own, lengthy piece. Some of the variation in Sauvignon Blanc is stunning, particularly as sub-regions are discovered, explored and increasingly understood. The potential growth for white, aromatic varieties is huge! However, I’d like to highlight just two wines, which I regard to be the very best of their type in the country. Whilst you can learn a lot from tasting the entry level wines of a place or producer, particularly those that are easily available, it’s also fun to see what’s going on at the top end. New Zealand wines are rarely cheap, but the difference in price between the very top and the entry level is surprisingly small; there’s no Grand Cru pricing here, and it’s an exceptionally rare bottle of wine that gets even close to the €100 mark. Or about half that, in the case of the top wines from Ata Rangi and Kumeu River; my two favourite producers in New Zealand.

Ata Rangi

Ata Rangi wasn’t the first Pinot Noir from New Zealand I fell in love with, but it was the very first that made me look north, away from Central Otago, to the dry, wind-swept region of Martinborough. Still a small winery, like most in Martinborough, Ata Rangi has developed its reputation almost exclusively because of its dark, brambly Pinot Noir. A wide clonal range goes into the mix, led by the Abel Clone which accounts for around 50% of their plantings, and masterfully coaxed by Helen Masters, the head wine-maker here. Despite the high price tag, I’m happy to save up and splash out on Ata Rangi from time to time, as there’s really nothing else quite like it in New Zealand. This was the oldest bottle I’d tried to date at 9 years old, but I’m reliably informed that it can age well for as long as 20-25 years. I hope to visit one day and find out for myself!

Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 2010
100% Pinot Noir from their own vineyards, 10% whole bunch fermentation with natural yeasts and aged for 11 months in 35% new French oak. 13.8% ABV

At 9 years old this has turned an immediately noticeable garnet colour, yet there’s no oxidation and this sings from the glass. Slightly reductive at first but blows off to reveal dark, savoury fruits, dried orange peel, violets, undergrowth, warm earth and tobacco notes. The elegance of the nose doesn’t prepare you at all for the power and verve on the palate, with masses of flavour that seems to bounce around your mouth before finally settling. At first the alcohol tasted quite warm but settled quickly, and the ripe, soft tannins and moderate acidity levels make for a mouth-coating, gentle texture. Long and powerful, this would have benefited more from a long decant to allow the wine to settle; this could go a long way yet! 93Pts

Purchased from Magatzem Escola for €63

Kumeu River

I have a nagging feeling that Chardonnay may well be New Zealand’s strongest grape from a qualitative perspective, with Kumeu River the very best producer I’ve had the pleasure of trying. Michael Brajkovich, New Zealand’s first Master of Wine, is the head of this wine-making operation which has been around since as early as the 1940s, taking off in the 1980s after some much needed tweaks to the vineyard operations. If I lived in the UK, where these wines are widely available, I’d buy a case of each every single vintage. They structure their offerings in a Burgundian style, with village and single vineyard wines in a natural hierarchy, although all their Chardonnay is of a very high quality indeed. Another expensive purchase in Spain but one of the best Chardonnay’s available, full stop.

Kumeu River Hunting Hill Chardonnay 2015
100% Chardonnay from the Hunting Hill Vineyard at slightly higher elevations, whole-bunch pressed and entirely fermented in French oak with natural yeasts. 100% MLF takes place before 11 months further maturation in French oak. 13.5% ABV

Gold and glinting in the sunlight, you don’t even need to bring your nose to the glass to start smelling this. Fresh lime fruit, green apple, white peach, honeysuckle, toast and light butter tumble out, with the reductive struck-match aromas notable but pleasantly out-of-the-way of the fruit. Then on the palate, this just takes off. Refreshing, creamy acidity broadens the flavours of the wine and there’s a mealy, savoury sensation to the mid-palate, with the citrus and stone fruits lasting well into a long, long finish. The oak is beautifully integrated and this wine is already so open and ready, with impeccable balance for such a young Chardonnay. In a league of its own in New Zealand; just lovely. 95Pts

Purchased from Vinissimus for €45