Waitaki - Winemaking on the Edge

The ultimate goal of any decent winemaker is to make a wine with a sense of place. Unfortunately, today's supermarket shelves are filled with mass-produced wines that could be from anywhere. Pile it high, sell it cheap but don't expect too much from the contents. Thankfully, there are plenty of producers across the world who care enough to make a wine with a real sense of place from the Wachau to Washington - and now Waitaki

It's less than 10 years since the first vines were planted in Waitaki by businessman Howard Paterson and Marlborough producer Dr John Forrest. The region is still in its infancy but it has already started to capture the attention of the domestic, and international media. Forrest describes it as the "undiscovered jewel of New Zealand" but it won't be long before the secret is out. So why is it considered such a gem?

Waitaki wines seem to offer something different to most New World wines: texture, minerality and structure. Anyone can make a fruit bomb with a whack of new French oak but to achieve elegance and minerality is next level winegrowing. Waitaki seems to have captured some of those elusive characteristics despite the youth of its vines. The main reason for the region's distinctiveness lies under the ground in its limestone soils, which are not dissimilar to those found in Chablis or Champagne. It's easy to spot the chalky outcrops in the valley at Clos Ostler and Doctor's Creek vineyards. Forrest says, "Limestone is widespread on the southern side of the valley and there's a hard ridge alongside the main road. There's huge potential for other sites."

But not all Waitaki vineyards are planted on limestone. While there's been a big song and dance about the chalky soils here, Grant's Road, which makes up half of all the vineyard area in the region, is mainly on alluvial soils and loess. There are certainly some dubious sites and some vineyards are looking rather sorry for themselves. Many wealthy investors have put money into Waitaki, buying into the romance of owning a vineyard, only to realise that this wasn't the easiest place to grow grapes. Murray Turner, general manager, Kurow Estate, says, "There was a frenzy of planting from 2004 on Otago Station and many investors wanted to plant. It peaked in 2007 when people realised it was harder and more expensive than they thought."

The region is on the edge of viticultural possibility and it takes nerves of steel and lots of tender loving care to grow grapes here. First of all, there are frost issues. You'll see wind turbines or ‘smudge pots' in the vineyards, which act as frost prevention systems but Jim Jerram, owner of Ostler Wines and president of the Waitaki Winegrowers' Association, adds "Spring is still a crazy time running around in the middle of the night with thermometers and torches." If you get through the frost danger period, there's the wind and rain to contend with at flowering that affects the pollination of the fruit. In 2007, Ostler "didn't get a berry" and the vintage was pretty disastrous whereas Central Otago, just 180km away, had a fantastic crop, albeit small. Waitaki's harvest is also the latest in New Zealand. While most regions are done and dusted by late April, picking dates can be as late as mid-May. Jerram describes it as "nail biting stuff. But that's what gives us terrific aromatics and prevents high sugar levels."

If you're a grower with nerves of steel, Waitaki has real potential. You'll find surprisingly taut yet textured Pinot Gris; intense and lean Riesling; feminine Pinot Noir with an almost chalky texture, plus a smattering of Gewürztraminer and Chardonnay. Italian-owned producer Pasquale makes an appealing white blend, Alma Mater, comprising Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer (see recommendations). It started off as an experiment, explains Turner: "The fruit was sent to the winery and the winemaker said, ‘What the hell am I going to do with three bins of this and three bins of that?' So he put it in a tank together." It worked. Craggy Range winemaker, Rod Easthope, has now suggested that each producer in the region follows suit and makes an aromatic blend to set Waitaki apart, rather than just another New Zealand Riesling or Pinot Noir. While the Alma Mater is both appealing and intriguing, I'd argue Waitaki wines already stand out from the crowd with an aromatic profile and minerality rarely seen in New Zealand. Jerram agrees,"I think we are doing distinctive varietal wines and it would be a shame to be blending them before we know our wines better."