Three cheers
Taking out a trio of trophies at the Air New Zealand Wine Awards was affirmation for the Dashwood winemaking team that they’re on to a winner.
Dashwood Pass lies between the Taylor and Redwood Passes in the Awatere Valley, an area so widely planted in vineyards that, were it separated from the rest of Marlborough’s vineyard areas, would still rate as New Zealand’s second-largest wine region. Dashwood is also the namesake of the successful 31-year-old “little brother” of Vavasour Wines and as can happen, the brand has taken on a life of its own.
In a suprise announcement last November, the Dashwood Marlborough Pinot Noir 2016 romped home with three of the most coveted trophies at the 2017 Air New Zealand Wine Awards. That a wine you can pick up at any supermarket for between $15–$19 could take out the Champion Reserve Wine of the Show, Champion Pinot Noir and the Dish Magazine Champion Open Red Wine, brought gasps of surprise followed by thunderous applause from the audience.
Accepting those trophy accolades was 15-year Vavasour veteran Stu Marfell, who grew up on his family farm just down the road from the winery. “I was at the first Dashwood harvest in 1989 as a nine-year-old helping my mother pick grapes,” explains Stu. “I worked in the vineyard and winery during school holidays so I really got to understand the vineyards as well as the winemaking. I even got to plant some of the pinot noir vines that went into the Dashwood, so it’s pretty cool to see them being part of a trophy-winning wine.”
The 2016 Dashwood Pinot Noir also uses fruit from vineyards with heavier clay soils in the Wairau Valley. “It’s the clay that gives the wine more depth and structure,” Stu adds.
When asked what he thought made this cheap and seriously cheerful wine such a stand-out for the judges, he offered,“it’s a wine that’s immediately appealing and gets your attention, but if you give it a bit more time it really shows you more. First, you get vibrant red and blue fruits, which capture your attention, then all the extra layers of dark fruits, savouriness and spice start showing. I think using a blend of both valleys works really well, with bright lifted fruit coming from the Wairau, but concentration and structure from the Awatere. There are a few winemaking tricks as well, such as using the whole bunches to enhance the florals and also very careful use of oak to support the fruit.”
Even so, it was still a huge shock to win so big against ferociously tasty pinots from a plethora of other producers. “Even to get a gold medal is a fantastic achievement but to then get three trophies was just amazing. Something you always dream of doing at least
“Right from when we put together the Dashwood Pinot Noir blend I was very excited about its vibrancy, its balance and its silky texture.”
once in your winemaking career. Right from when we put together the Dashwood Pinot Noir blend I was excited about its vibrancy, balance and silky texture. One of the guys I work with compared it to the All Whites winning the World Cup and I think he’s about right!”
The Dashwood wines have a solid track record, however – the pinot and pinot gris earning golds at another recent wine show, while a few years back the sauvignon blanc won the Sauvignon Blanc trophy and the Open White at Air New Zealand Wine Awards, “So the brand definitely punches above its weight,” he grins.
Stu’s pinot philosophy is simple. “I want to create wines that people love to drink. The wine that you can feel good about taking to your friend’s house for a barbecue, or the wine you grab when you want something great to match with that lamb you’re cooking. It’s the ‘go to’. I want to create a wine that has that real attraction, that special something that makes you want to go back for another sip”.