THE BEST IN THE WEST
A day or weekend spent exploring the vineyards and cellar doors of West Auckland will satisfy your palate, mind, soul and appetite.
From downtown Auckland, head west for about 30 minutes along the Northwestern Motorway through Henderson to Kumeu and Huapai – maybe pick up some fresh local produce from the roadside stalls, with spray-free, organic and pick-your-own options. As well as being the route to Auckland’s infamous West Coast beaches, it also leads to some vineyards that have played an important part in the New Zealand wine story.
The first vineyards were planted in West Auckland more than a century ago, and the largely Croatian proprietors were very much a community, supporting each other in those early days.
Now, with Wineries Out West – a collaboration between Babich, Soljans, Kumeu River, Coopers Creek, The Hunting Lodge and Westbrook – the story is getting a new chapter. The six producers showcase their estate-grown wines at their cellar doors, with gourmet food and other experiences on offer.
BABICH
One of New Zealand’s oldest wine dynasties, the Babich family made their permanent wine home in West Auckland in the 1920s. The Babich tasting room offers an opportunity to access the full range of wines from its portfolio. The icon range (including Irongate and The Patriarch) is dispensed via an enomatic unit for freshness and integrity. The location is delightful and you’ll find yourself wanting to linger for a cheese board, or a picnic and a game of pétanque.
Two wines that I think showcase the modern Babich story are the organic Family Estates Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2019 (RRP $22.95) and the Irongate Gimblett Gravels Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2018 (RRP $34.95). The sauvignon blanc has aromas and flavours of wild white flowers, sweet hay, gooseberry and lemon. It is harmonious, fresh and crunchy with a long finish. The chardonnay is full-bodied, rich, nutty and creamy, with an abundance of orchard fruits, baking spices, a familiar note of butter and contrasting youthful acidity. babichwines.com
SOLJANS
New Zealand’s third-oldest established winery, Soljans, has been making wine since 1927.
The fifth generation now makes wine and runs sales, social media and cellar-door operations. Soljans makes port and estate, premium and barrique-reserve wine ranges, along with bottle-fermented sparkling wine. They are nearly all available for tasting on site.
The restaurant is always buzzing. I recently had a delicious traditional Croatian ćevapćići sausage with truffle mash and ratatouille.
Two wines I recommend you try are the Fifth Generation Chardonnay 2016 (RRP $48), with flavours of roasted yellow stonefruits, grapefruit, brazil nut and baking spices, and the Estate Pinot Gris 2019 (RRP $20), which is pinot grigio in style and has flavours of citrus and lemon, peach, green pear and apple.
Be sure to put your name down for a bottle of the 2020 Pinotage, too. soljans.co.nz
THE HUNTING LODGE
There’s a lot to see, taste and try at The Hunting Lodge in the Waimauku Valley. Its heritage dates back to 1868, and it has recently come back into NZ ownership. Today, the site offers layers of experience, with a tasting room, lawn bar and café, various function areas, roaming gardens and a restaurant. The tasting room offers all wines as well as homemade cider, with local beer and easy access into the bar where you can enjoy the likes of platters, pizza or beef brisket.
The Hunting Lodge restaurant is the more formal dining area located in the old lodge. You’ll need to book as the menu from chef Des Harris, and service from the team headed by Philip Stack, make this a West Auckland must-do.
Winemaker Pete Turner has crafted some must-try wines – I suggest the Homeblock Chardonnay 2019 (RRP $46), which showcases aromas of peach and citrus fruit with a flinty, nutty, oaky core and a long, weighty finish.
The Homeblock Sauvignon Blanc 2019 (RRP $33) is a classic, with aromas and old-school herbaceous and fruity flavours, then a modern twist with lees, wild flowers and nettle flavours. thehuntinglodge.com
WESTBROOK
Westbrook’s cellar-door experience includes sit-down tutored tastings and a fine platter-based food menu. There is wine and cheese tasting, wine matched with a mini-degustation menu and platters with components that pair with the Westbrook range. The beautiful grounds invite a stroll and a picnic if the weather co-operates.
Winemaker James Rowan crafts excellent wine. His styles are all about texture, palate feel and a core of flavours. The Waimauku Pinot Gris 2018 (RRP $25) has flavours of pear and apple, white nectarine, Asian pear, some white spice and a silky, creamy texture.
The Waimauku Chardonnay (RRP $44) is delicious, with a complex bouquet and palate of stonefruit and citrus, then baked custard and oak. The texture is fantastic, with a long finish. For something fun, try the Crackling Rosé (RRP $23). westbrook.co.nz
KUMEU RIVER
The Brajkovich family has been in Kumeu making quality wines since 1944. Their chardonnays from the past 35 years have put Kumeu River on the world map. The dry-farmed singlevineyard chardonnays showcase a cool-climate freshness and crisp acidity.
The tasting room offers a wine experience only. Trust me, there is no need for more. Please try the 2019 Kumeu Village Chardonnay (RRP $18). Although positioned as an entry-level wine, it is from an exceptional vintage.
The 2019 Mate’s Vineyard Chardonnay is possibly the best vintage of this iconic wine I have tried (it will be released in August – RRP $80). It has a fascinating bouquet and urgent, vibrant flavours with amazing texture and complexity. kumeuriver.co.nz
COOPERS CREEK
Coopers Creek is welcoming the ‘old-school’ tasting room visit. In winter, the fireplace offers a welcoming warmth and they serve the likes of cheese platters, fruit platters and pork pies. In the summertime there’s a kids’ playground, barbecue facilities and live jazz.
Two benchmark wines you should try are the estategrown “Guido in Velvet Pants” Montepulciano 2016 (RRP $26) with a bouquet of plum, black cherry, gravelly earth and a moderate oak palate. This is an all-foods wine.
The other is the Swamp Reserve Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2017 (RRP $38). With flavours of roasted stone fruits and grapefruit and a distinctive seam of oak and baking spices, it’s big, bold, loud and satisfying. cooperscreek.co.nz