the extraordinary diversity of matakana wines

Posted by Robin Ransom on 1 February 2011 | 0 Comments

One of the interesting characteristics of the Matakana winegrowing community is the large range of grape cultivars we grow. A recent survey has disclosed 22 different varieties. To put this into perspective the NZ Wine Institute Annual Report shows separate acreage figures for only16 varieties for the whole of New Zealand, and 12 of the varieties grown in Matakana are not amongst these 16. This indicates that around half of the cultivars planted in the region are rare and unusual.

 Fifteen of the 22 varieties grown in Matakana are red grapes and the acreage split between red and white is approximately 60/40. Looking at the historical origin of our cultivars, 14 come from France (nine red, five white), five from Italy (all red), and one each from Spain, South Africa and California.

The largest Matakana region plantings are for Pinot Gris, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay, in that order. Only two of these, Chardonnay and Merlot are amongst New Zealand’s five most planted cultivars, while Pinot Gris, Syrah and Cabernet Franc are sixth, ninth and eleventh nationwide.

What does this wide and unusual varietal mix say about the Matakana region? One thing it says is that Matakana winegrowers may have judged our terroir, particularly our climate, to be not especially well suited to three of the top five New Zealand varietals – Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and Riesling. It may also say that we are all very much individuals and pioneers, happy to try different things in search of the perfect wine. For example there is a cluster of Italian red varietals from Tuscany and Piedmont which are rare throughout New Zealand. One of them, Sangiovese, is the sixth most planted cultivar in the Matakana region. Recently two local vineyards have been amongst the first in the country to plant Albarino, a Spanish white grape which is currently taking Europe by storm.

Other unusual varietals are two very rare Bordeaux reds – Petit Verdot and Carmenere, a South African creation, Pinotage, which used to be common but is less so now, an obscure but exciting red from South-west France, Tannat, a rare white from the Rhone Valley in France, Roussanne, and an equally rare white Californian creation, Flora.

Having such a diverse range of wine styles grown locally gives residents of the region a marvellous selection from which to choose. And hopefully it instills a sense of pride in the local winegrowing industry for being bold enough to think outside the square and dedicated enough to produce many excellent wines.

Robin Ransom

(published in Mahurangi Matters, Feb 2011)