Some information about wines from New Zealand

September 28, 2010

About Wines from New Zealand
Best wine supplier in Philippines discusses wine related topics

NEW ZEALAND WINES
READING BETWEEN THE WINES:
No previous wine had shocked, thrilled, entranced the world before with such brash, unexpected flavours of gooseberries, passionfruit and lime, or crunchy green asparagus spears.
— Wine writer Oz Clarke on New Zealand’s Sauvignon Blanc in his book Wine Atlas
New Zealand, hardly a speck in the world wide wineglass a few years ago, is another miraculous newbie in the international wine scene. When it strutted into the limelight, its wines made drinking them worth our time.
Mostly known for its whites (not that mouths abroad don’t water for its reds), New Z puts out vibrant Sauvignon Blancs and brilliant Chardonnays. Not far behind are the recent international “it” wine the New Z Pinot Noir and the Cabernet Sauvignons and Merlots, or the splendid blendeds of the latter two.
2004’s harvest is estimated to be two times the size of that of 2003, which means there may be hope for an up and coming New Zealand surplus. If all goes well, there’s no stopping them!
MAJOR NEW ZEALAND WINE REGIONS
New Zealand’s wine country covers the country from top of the top island to bottom of the bottom island. The major regions in New Zealand are Northland, Auckland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Hawkes Bay, Wairarapa, Nelson, Marlborough, Canterbury, and Central Otago.
THE GRAPES
The top grapes of the New Zealand kind are as follows:
Red Grapes White Grapes
Pinot Noir Sauvignon Blanc
Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon
Merlot

NEW ZEALAND REDS:
Pinot Noir
New Zealand’s moderate climate and vintner enthusiasm serves as bit of charm school for the picky Pinot. The grape fairs very well and has been deconstructed into up and coming world-renown wines. Styles range with terroir from Martinborough’s ripe and intense varieties to the Central Otago’s well-aging boastful black cherry ones.
Cabernet Sauvignon
Even though white grapes hold most the territory in New Zealand, the Cabernet Sauvignon is the most widely planted red grape in the warmer northernmost wine regions. This grape packs a plummy punch in structure and elegance and blends beautifully with Merlot.
Merlot
The New Zealand Merlot shines with smooth and rich blackberry flavor. It’s second to the Cab in red grape crop quantities and is often blended with the Cab to make for a full-bodied berry bang.
NEW ZEALAND WHITES:

Sauvignon Blanc
New Z’s acclaimed Sauvignon Blanc sets the worldwide standard for this varietal. The northern style oozes ripe melon, stone fruit soul while the southern style drips with crisp passion fruit, gooseberry, and herbal spirit. These wines are knocking wine drinker’s socks off internationally.
Chardonnay
In New Zealand, there’s a Chardonnay to tickle every palatal preference. The style spectrum ranges from the soft peachy Chardonnays from Gisborne to the zippy white peach and citrus-flecked ones from Marlborough. Many other styles fall somewhere in between and beyond.
HOW TO ORDER/BUY
Even though New Zealand labeling requirements are not strictly enforced yet, their wine labels contain most the information you need to make an educated choice — from the grape varietals to the origin and producer. If you’re unsure, don’t hesitate to ask your server or wine shop dealer.
Just Keep in Mind:
• If you’re new to New Zealand wines, try the wines for which they’re known. You can’t go wrong with a New Z Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Noir.

• Since New Zealand has just “arrived” on the wine scene, try younger vintages in all varietals. 2000 is an overall great one!

• If you already know what you like — order your usual Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay. Styles may vary a bit, but the basics hold up from country to country.
CHOOSING A NEW ZEALAND WINE
Various Central Otago Producers
Chard Farm Bannockburn Heights
Felton Road Gibbston Valley
Rippon Vineyard
Various Gisborne Producers
Villa Maria Robard & Butler
Corbans Matua Valley
Millton Montana
Nobilo Revington

Various Hawkes Bay Producers
Babich Church Road
Clearview Estate Collards
Coopers Creek Corbans
Craggy Road Delegat’s
Matua Valley Mills Reef
Morton Estate Ngatarawa
CJ Pask Stonecroft
Te Awa Farm Te Mata
Trinity Hill Vidal
Alpha Domus Esk Valley

Various Marlborough Producers
Allan Scott Babich
Cairnbrae Cellier
Cloudy Bay Pelorus
Collards Corbans
Cottage Block Craggy Range
Dog Point Goldwater
Hunter’s Huntaway
Kim Crawford Oyster Bay
Lynskeys Nobilo
Selaks Seresin
Stoneleigh Thornbury
Vavasour Villa Maria

LEGAL QUALITY CODES
While New Zealand waits for the Wine Act 2003 to pin down some strict regulations in the wine industry, the low-key Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (SWNZ) upholds controls on wine quality.
SWNZ’s role is to:
1. Provide a “best practice model” in the vineyard and winery.
2. Guarantee quality from the soil to the bottle.
3. Address consumer concerns.
If SWNZ “wine accreditation” is met, then the winery may use SWNZ endorsement on their wine label. This accreditation has the following requirements:
1. Wine must be made from 100% SWNZ-accredited grapes.
2. Winery must pass an annual post-vintage audit each year.

Source: http://www.2basnob.com/new-zealand-wine.html

Leading Philippines Wine Supplier Yats Wine Cellars based in Clark Philippines with outlets in Angeles City, Subic Freeport and Manila Philippines has been not only a wine shop for fine wines covering all major wine regions but also a source of reliable and useful information about wine, wine appreciation, wine accessories, wine and health, food and wine pairing and all other matters relating to wine and its appreciation. This Philippines Clark Freeport based Wine Supplier and Wine Shop frequently holds public wine tasting events in Pampana Clark Freeport Zone, Angeles City, Subic Bay area, Makati, Fort Bonifacio and other areas in Philippines capital city Manila. Private Wine events such as private wine tasting and private wine dinners are also designed and organized for private clientele for their wine loving guests.

This wine shop in Angeles Clark Philippines is also renowned for a very unique product called Vintage Beer which many characterize as “Champagne beer” because it comes in a bottle with a Champagne stopper and metal restrainer. Vintage beers are top-of-the-line luxury beers bottle-conditioned for a slow fermentation to take place inside the bottle, a process that is very similar to Champagne which is designed to not only create the bubbles but also for an amazing complexity and depth of flavors.

For fans of Port and Sauternes, this wine shop in Clark Pampanga has a large selection of vintage port, Sauternes and Barsac as well as Eiswein/Icewine from Austria and Germany. Likewise, there is a good selection of Vintage Champagne at the wine shoppers’ disposal in the cellars of this wine shop in Clark Pampanga.

http://www.ClarkWineCenter.com

Getting to this wine shop in Pampanga Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone Philippines from Manila
Getting to the Clark Wine Center wine shop from Manila is quite simple: after entering Clark Freeport from Dau and Angeles City, proceed straight along the main highway M A Roxas. Clark Wine Center is the stand-along white building on the right, at the corner A Bonifacio Ave. From the Clark International Airport DMIA, ask the taxi to drive towards the entrance of Clark going to Angeles City. From Mimosa, just proceed towards the exit of Clark and this wine shop is on the opposite side of the main road M A Roxas.

Clark Wine Center
Bldg 6460 Clark Observatory Building
Manuel A. Roxas Highway corner A Bonifacio Ave,
Angeles Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga 2023
0922-870-5173 0917-826-8790 (ask for Ana Fe)

Wine@Yats-International.com

YATS Wine Cellars
Manila Sales Office
3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,
Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605
(632) 637-5019 0917-520-4393 ask for Rea or Chay

Best place to buy wine in Clark Pampanga outside Manila near Subic and Angeles City Philippines is Clark Wine Center. Visitors buy wine in Manila and Pampanga should not miss stopping at this wine shop for a few bottles of fine vintage wines to bring home.