Last week we attended a seminar and tasting, hosted by the New Zealand wine council, in a beautiful space called “Harbor House”, located in lower Manhattan and overlooking the Statue of Liberty. New Zealand is a stunning beautiful country about the size of Japan, divided into a North and South island, spanning 1,000 miles, or about the length of California. It would take about 21 hours driving time to go from the tip of North Island to the end of the South Island. New Zealand is sparsely populated with about 4 million people and 3 times the number of sheep.
The takeaway from this lovely and informative afternoon was the diversity and quality of New Zealand wines. This country boasts very diverse and unique growing regions, producing world class Pinot Noirs and Sauvignon Blancs.
When we tasted wines from many of these growing regions and sub-regions, we were very impressed by the variety of flavors coming from different areas. In addition to their 2 signature grapes, we also really enjoyed wines from syrah, chardonnay, riesling, and cabernet franc grapes, as well as blends.
New Zealand has made a high commitment to being stewards of their land, protecting their environment, organic farming, and reducing their carbon footprint. Almost all of New Zealand’s wines are bottled with screw caps, instead of cork closures.
Among some of the favorites tasted were Giesen Pinot Noir, Clayvin Pinot Noir, Stoneleigh Latitude Pinot Noir, and Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc, Brancott Estate Sauvignon Blanc, and Babich Pinot Noir.
Check out our selection of New Zealand wines and order your favorites!
