WINE NOTES

It’s only a small part of our total wine production, but NZ syrah is is creating a lot of excitement among international wine critics.

When most people think of New Zealand wine, it’s Marlborough sauvignon blanc that pops into their minds. Prompted for a red, it’s pinot noir that’s the hot favourite, most likely one from Central Otago. Fair enough too, for between them these two styles account for around 80 per cent of New Zealand’s wine (with Marlborough sauvignon enjoying the lion’s share of 75 per cent of total production). It’s quite amazing to think that the remaining 20 per cent has to include everything produced from the 20-odd other varieties planted around the country!

Some of these grapes definitely punch above their weight, and in particular, one red variety is creating a lot of excitement for both wine producers and wine critics: syrah may be just 0.5 per cent of New Zealand’s production but its high quality and expressive varietal character indicate a variety very much at home in New Zealand’s cooler, maritime climate. The sixth most popular red variety worldwide, syrah originally hails from France’s Rhône Valley, where it makes very smart wines both on its own and in blends. France boasts half the world’s plantings, and second on the list is our nearest neighbour, Australia, though here the variety goes by the name of shiraz. Australia also has the world’s oldest syrah/shiraz vines, including one Barossa vineyard that has been in continuous production since 1843.

In New Zealand, syrah is a much more recent star. Although the vines were brought here around the same time as Australia (by one James Busby, who went on to become the NZ British Resident) it did not become well established. Syrah can thank its modern wine industry renaissance to Stonecroft’s Alan Limmer, who in 1984 had the foresight to rescue some of Busby’s original vine clones from the rubbish heap of a mothballed government research station. He planted them at his pioneering Gimblett Gravels, Hawke’s Bay vineyard and cuttings from these vines brought forth the majority of the 400ha now planted throughout the country.