The Wonderful Wines of Marlborough – Picton, New Zealand

Sometimes the things I discover when I’m traveling make me feel stupid.  Too often I will find out something about a country that is blatantly obvious but somehow it never registered in my brain.   One such fact was realizing that New Zealand was made up of two islands.  In my defense, when looking at the map, the Cook Straight is so narrow that the country looks like a single land mass, but its not.  There is the North Island and the South Island.  Please don’t judge me, I’m still learning.

Picton is a small town situated along the Cook Straight on the Southern Island of New Zealand.  Arriving at the port, my first impression was that it reminded me of the Pacific Northwest in the US.  The working port was covered in timber and the steep hillsides dense with many different types of trees.    

As a small town, Picton is easily walkable, and the High Street is lined with many retail shops, restaurants, and pubs.  If you are into history, you can visit the Edwin Fox Historic Ship and Visitors Centre and see the oldest merchant ship in the world and the last remaining ship that took convicts to Australia. 

Picton is home to the Kaipupu Point Wildlife Sanctuary, the Heritage and Whaling Museum, and a steady traffic of ferries transporting individuals and vehicles from the South Island across the Cook Straight to Wellington.

My favorite thing about this little town is that it is located in the Marlborough region of New Zealand.  One of the largest and most popular wine regions in the world.  Primarily known for Sauvignon Blanc, I discovered that they cultivate other grape varieties as well including Riesling, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir.

When it comes to wine making, I’m aware that geographic location and climate conditions play a big role. However, when it comes to the science, my knowledge is woefully lacking.  I’ll leave it to the the official Marlborough Wine website to explain:

“Perfectly positioned at 41.3°S, a latitudinal mid-point within the world's wine belt, Marlborough lies on a comparable latitude to many of the world’s longest established wine regions. But its unique maritime climate and significant diurnal temperature variation slows the development of sugars, preserves the natural acidity in the grapes and gives rise to the extraordinarily intense varietal characters for which Marlborough wines are renowned.

Our natural environment is a significant force in our wine. Our place is a perfect nexus of the most ideal wine-growing conditions. It offers the purest of environments made of young soils and unique climate conditions that have helped not only earn our Sauvignon Blanc’s place on the global stage, but also to create other varieties worthy of the same recognition - that share the quality and palpable sense of place.”

While not an expert on wine, I do know how to enjoy it.  So, for my brief visit to the South Island I elected to board a tour bus and enjoyed a 40-minute drive inland through the beautiful, hilly countryside to visit this iconic wine region. Our first stop was at The Hunting Lodge Vineyards.  Once a family hunting lodge, this vineyard is said to be the home of the original Sauvignon Blanc vines in the country.

While there we were able to sample their Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Noir and, or course the Sauvignon Blanc.  Each wine was paired with various meets and cheeses that added to the overall experience.  I’m generally not a big fan of Riesling, but this award-winning wine was not overly sweet and had a nice dry finish.  The Pinot Noir was my least favorite having something of a smokey smell and sharp tannins.  The staff was lovely and grounds well-manicured with wide pathways lined with trees.

The second stop was Allan Scott Wines and Estates.  It was the largest vineyard of the day but I found it to be the least memorable.  The tasting experience was unorganized and ill timed, and we received little commentary on the wines.  To be fair, they seemed very busy and perhaps short-staffed.  Regardless, the wines were nice but didn’t make much of an impression given the chaotic environment.

Our last stop was a small boutique vineyard called Fromm Winery.  This is a newer winery in the region and the estate wasn't as scenic as the others.   We could see the rows of vines, but the gorgeous views associated with vineyard visits were missing.  However, what it lacked in atmosphere was more than made up for with the quality of wines served and the fun and engaging commentary from the owner. At Fromm I was able to sample my first New Zealand Rose.  They also had a rich Syrah and the best Pinot Noir of the day.

The entire excursion lasted 4 ½ hours and the hours flew by.  It would have been nice to have another hour to really explore the vineyards or perhaps enjoy a single glass of a favorite wine while taking in the views of the countryside.   This part of New Zealand is where I would love to rent cottage with close friends and spend a few days tasting wine, walking through the woods, and strolling through the tiny town.  No one I know is going to traverse the globe simply to spend a few days in a small seaside village. Though, as I was to soon discover, the country has so much to offer that perhaps one day in the future I may be able to round up a group for an epic New Zealand road trip!