Hawke's Bay Fine Wines
Red Wines
Hawke’s Bay is the largest contributor to the national vintage of Cabernet Merlot and Syrah categories of wine grapes in tonnes and producing hectares.
Source NZ Winegrower Annual Reports 2009 & 2010) |
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Hawke's Bay Cabernet Merlot
"The best of Old World structure and the New World fruit purity ".
Hawke’s Bay Cabernet Merlot wines are described as having “luscious ripe fruit flavours that acquire
complex structure and elegance with age”. Hawke's Bay red blends are a perfect example of creating a whole greater than the sum of its parts. Both Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot dominant blends are produced in Hawke's Bay as well as 100% varietals. Blending choices are dependent on individual vineyard sites and conditions each vintage.
Hawke's Bay blends also use Malbec,Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and sometimes Syrah.
"One forgets just how fine New Zealand's Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux blends can be,
particularly in Hawke's Bay.."
NEAL MARTIN, Writer for Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, May 2008.
Hawke's Bay Syrah
Hawke’s Bay Syrah is produced in a classic European style and described as “dark, weighty, intensely varietal with plum, fresh raspberry and black pepper flavours”.
“Hawke’s Bay Syrah is one of the most exciting wine styles I’ve tasted in the past five years”
TIM ATKIN, The Observer, February 2007
Hawke’s Bay Pinot Noir
Hawke’s Bay table Pinot Noir plantings reach into cooler more elevated sites within the region as opposed to sparkling Pinot Noir which comprises 8% of the annual regional vintage.
Other red varieties grown in smaller quantities are Marzemino, Montepulciano,Pinotage, Sangiovese, Tempranillo and Zinfandel
White Wines
Hawke's Bay ChardonnayHawke’s Bay has consistently produced New Zealand’s leading examples of Chardonnay and has 30% of New Zealand’s total producing hectares for this variety. Hawke’s Bay’s Chardonnays are rich, complex wines with distinctive flavours of citrus and ripe stonefruit. Unoaked or “natural” Chardonay is also growing in popularity.. |
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“I believe that Hawke's Bay is making exquisite Chardonnay with beautiful fruit definition and suberb freshness. They represent astonishing value”
ANDREW CAILLARD MW, SEPTEMBER 2009
Author and Executive Partner of Langtons Fine Wine Auctions and Wine Exchange
Hawke’s Bay Sauvignon Blanc
Hawke’s Bay Sauvignon Blanc provides an alternative style retaining the freshness typical of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc while exhibiting ripe tropical fruit flavours.
Individual wineries have had great success with Gewürztraminer, Viognier, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Semillon, and Chenin Blanc. Other, more experimental varieties include Arneis, Verdelho.
