32 Mahurangi Matters May 6, 2015 winefeature

vineliving FEATURE

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The growth phase of the Matakana wine industry is over and the future relies on improving quality and boosting tourism, Matakana Winegrowers Association president Gary Heaven says.Mr Heaven says other wine regions offer a better return on investment and less challenging grape growing conditions so it is unlikely more wineries will establish in Matakana.“Our vineyards are generally too small to be making the kind of returns that other areas offer,” he says. “People generally come here to produce wine because of the lifestyle.” The size of the industry in Auckland and Northland shrunk considerably in 2012, going from 556 hectares of grapes to 411ha, before rising slightly to 416 last year. This was at a time when the industry grew rapidly nationally from 21,000ha in 2005 to a steady 35,000 in 2012.The Auckland region produces just 0.3 per cent of the country’s wine but has 16 per cent of the wineries, making it the third largest region in the country in that respect.Gary says this is because the industry relies on more than just wine to balance the books.

Growing quality key to Matakana industry’s future

“Because we are small producers, we have to package and sell the whole vineyard experience to make it viable.

You don’t just sell the wine, you also have a restaurant, cellar door sales and tastings, and maybe a bed and breakfast.”

This strategy appears to be paying off as more people head to Mahurangi.“Over the past three or four years we have been getting a lot more tourists who come to experience the region and are prepared to spend $50 on a bottle of wine.”The future of the industry will rely on increasing the quality of Matakana wine to make that 0.3 per cent count and boosting tourist numbers, he says.“If we make wine of a high standard people will come here. That’s the main focus.”The Matakana Winegrowers Association has been coordinating to improve quality by sharing experiences on how to make the most of the conditions. This includes an annual blind tasting of the region’s wine to allow winemakers to identify the strengths of different styles and help improve others. Many wineries are also using innovative techniques to make a point of difference. At Heron’s Flight winery, Italian winemaker Stefano Guidi is starting his first Matakana vintage using traditional Italian methods.This vintage of Sangiovese wine will be fermented in a clay pot called an

Heron’s Flight winemaker Stefano Guidi is starting his first Matakana vintage using traditional Italian methods like fermenting in an amphora.

continued next page

33 May 6, 2015 Mahurangi Matters winefeature

RA SE A GLASSA S

WINE TAST ING & CHAR I TY AUCT ION

CELEBRATION OFWINE - SATURDAY 9TH MAY, 2015

Wine Tasting& Live Music3pm - 5pm

Wine Auction5.30-7pm

Cost: $25 per person - Limited TicketsAvailable from AscensionWine Estate - www.ascensionwine.co.nz

M A T A K A N A

amphora, which is one of only three used in NZ. “Generally red wine is stored in oak barrels, but the amphora retains more of the wine’s natural flavours,” Stefano says. “It is a common method in Italy and one of the most ancient methods of fermentation.”The winery will also produce a dessert wine from grapes which have been dried on a rack for about six months. The rack is on wheels so it can be taken outside into the sun on good days. About 80

per cent of the grape evaporates leaving highly concentrated flavours.“It’s a method that’s used throughout the Mediterranean, but I don’t think anyone makes wine like that here.”Ascension Wine Estate is currently expanding its winery to include an underground cellar and a wine-making museum, showcasing a variety of different wine-making methods. The extension will include a new bottling plant which is expected to be operating next year.

from previous page

The Mahurangi region has 23

vineyards, with nine wineries producing

about 350 tonne of grapes, or about

200,000 bottles, a year. This is 0.07 per

cent of NZ’s wine.

34 Mahurangi Matters May 6, 2015 winefeature

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Wine lovers will be able to sample the best that local wineries can offer at a charity wine tasting and auction at Ascension Wine Estate this month.Warkworth Rotary Club is hosting the Raise A Glass event on Saturday May 9 to celebrate the region’s wine industry and fundraise for the Well Foundation, the fundraising arm of the Waitemata District Health Board.Product from more than 20 wineries, representing Matakana, Auckland and the Far North, will be on show. Wine tasting will start at 3pm, with music by local Latin music trio Latakana.A charity auction will get underway at 5.30pm with a range of excellent wine and non-wine items going under the hammer, including a trip to Queenstown with accommodation at The Rees Hotel on the shores of Lake Wakatipu.Heron’s Flight owner David Hoskins has helped organise the wine tasting and auction, and says it is the largest event ever to focus on Matakana wines.“It will be the first opportunity for Matakana wineries to present their wines to hundreds of people who are there specifically for the wine,” David says. “The wineries will be offering some exceptional bottles. We will be auctioning our first ever wine – a Cabernet from 1991. We expect many of the bottles will sell for hundreds of dollars.”Ascension functions manager Carlie Blanchett-Burton says it is the third

time Ascension has hosted the Rotary wine auction, but the addition of the wine tasting afternoon will allow more people to join the festivities.“Previous events have been a set dinner style, but we wanted to open it up to more people in the community and showcase local wineries.”There will be wood-fired pizza and rotisserie meats for sale in the garden and a 10 per cent discount to ticket holders who pre-book lunch or dinner

at Ascension Osteria before or after the event.The Well Foundation started last year to fundraise for Waitemata DHB projects that aren’t covered by government funding. This year the foundation raised $125,000 for an Ultrasound Procedural Training Unit and is currently raising $70,000 for a portable echocardiogram scanner for assessing fragile and premature newborn babies with suspected

heart problems. The Waitemata is the country’s largest DHB, serving a population of more than 560,000 people, running North Shore and Waitakere hospitals and primary healthcare and other community services at over 30 sites in the region.Tickets for Raise a Glass are $25 and are available from Ascension Wine Estate, online from ascensionwine.co.nz or at the event.

Rare wines auctioned for charity Ascension functions manager Carlie Blanchett-Burton says the charity wine tasting and

auction will allow wine-lovers to try the best vintages from

20 wineries, from Auckland to the Far North.

Delicious Italian-style wine.That’s our focus at Heron’s Flight Vineyard.

With Vintage 2015, that’s nearly 25 years of making luscious handcrafted wines in Matakana.

Proudly part of Saturday’s Raise-A-Glass event

to support the Well Foundation.

Available at select restaurants, outlets, & direct from cellar door. 49 Sharp Road, Matakana. Cellar door: Thur – Sun, 10-4. M-W by appt.

09 950 6643 or contact@heronsflight.co.nz

Si parla di vino.We speak wine.

35 May 6, 2015 Mahurangi Matters winefeature

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The grapes are off the vines and into the vats as another good Matakana vintage comes to a close.Matakana Winegrowers president Gary Heaven says autumn was cooler and wetter than last year, which will likely produce more delicate and subtle wines.“There wasn’t a lot of rain in the summer and there was a good ripening season but cooler whether in autumn slowed ripening towards harvest.”The hot and dry weather in 2013 and 2014 produced two “golden years”, but 2015 is more of a return to normal for the region.“Matakana is one of the most difficult regions to grow in because of the rain and unpredictable, unsettled weather. But every region has its challenges. We don’t like to think of good or bad years, though some are a lot more difficult than others.“This year appears to be more like 2009. The cooler season means we won’t see the intense flavours we’ve had recently.”That could mean some exceptional wines for those who have the patience

Solid season for winegrowers

Matakana Winegrowers president Gary Heaven harvests the rosé crop at Mahurangi River vineyard.

to cellar a bottle or two.“Doing vertical tastings (tasting wines from different years side-by-side) in the region we’ve found the more difficult years can often develop into exceptional wines after five or six years in the bottle.”

Grapes harvested from Mahurangi River Winery are put through a machine which removes the fruit from the stems before the grapes are transferred to fermentation vats.