To the surprise of a lot of people here, NZ sparkling Sauvignon Blanc continues to win fans overseas. Adrian Atkinson, product development manager for Pernod Ricard UK, says that over the last 12 months, whenever he has been at consumer tastings, people just love the stuff.
Yet this hasn’t been the same for our traditional method sparkling wines, made from classic Champagne grapes? Could it be that there are great examples of Champagne equivalents made all over the world and competition is too fierce?
As I wrote a few columns ago, I think the finest NZ sparkling wines are an excellent, though under appreciated, category of wines.
My view is shared by Matt Connell, winemaker of Akarua Wines, who is convinced that Central Otago has the potential to make outstanding sparkling wine. There’s no shortage of high quality pinot noir and chardonnay grapes and the continental climate means the grapes retain acidity, which is essential if you want to make fine wine.
When Connell set out to create a traditional method wine, his first task was to enlist the help of sparkling wine guru, Dr Tony Jordan, and together they have created a pair of traditional method wines, a regular brut nv and a rosé nv.
Most sparkling wines, even those labelled Brut, have a tiny bit of sugar, called dosage, added at bottling time. Although imperceptible to most tastes, this sweetness is a vital component, allowing the wines to age gracefully. But in recent years, there has been a trend to decrease the amount of dosage and some winemakers add none at all. These wines, labelled zero dosage can be delicious when first released but can seem austere at best and positively brutal if cellared. Sensibly Connell has chosen to take his lead from traditional Champagne styles and has added just a smidgeon of dosage.
Connell is busy laying down stocks of reserve wines, which will be an important part of the blend in future, adding complexity and interest. Yet these first releases are impressive; smartly packaged and well priced.
These may just make a splash in the competitive traditional method markets offshore. They deserve to.
Fast Fact : Traditional method wines are aged in bottle before being prepared for sale. Both Akarua wines have had over 18 months ageing, adding to their complexity.
Akarua Brut nv 4.5 stars $33.90
Finely poised with ripe fresh citrus and stone-fruit flavours balanced by biscuity, smoky bottle developed characters. Dry and crisp with a long, linear finish. Excellent quality and keenly priced.
Akarua Rosé Brut nv 4.0 stars $36.90
Raspberry and strawberry fruit with a little bran biscuit and nougat too. Quite a restrained, fully dry style that has plenty of flavour but manages to retain elegance and charm.