| Along its panoramic roads, we were thrilled to discover New Zealand. The sky, the earth and the water had never been so beautiful. We never got tired of looking at the landscape, so full of purity. On the North island, also called the smoking island because of its volcanoes, the geothermal activity bubbled and the steams of sulphur filled the atmosphere. The jade island, that of the South, was covered with fantastic summits, with glaciers and crystalline fjords, with lakes and crystal clear torrents. |
| The island magnificence hosted two cultures: maorie and European. Beyond their differences, the Kiwis - such was the nickname of the New Zealanders just like their fruit and their endemic bird - shared the same love of open air activities and extreme sports. The haka of the sensational All Blacks was all over the rugby fields. The other activities were a concentration of adrenalin: sailboating, mountain biking, climbing, surfing, rafting, paragliding, parachuting and hang gliding. This extraordinary garden was also the place where bungee jumping was first seen. |
| In Queenstown, life was exciting and full of energy. Descendants of the gold seekers of the end of the 19th century, the autochthons never left home without their quad or jetski, on their 4WD. The most audacious were certainly the pioneers of Central Otago, the wine producing area located most South of the planet. Half wine growers half lumberjacks, they liked using their chain saw to build their cellar and their house. They did not either hesitate to put their skis on when the snow was covering the vineyards. |
| The cuvées of Peregrine and Waitiri Creek reflected this very continental climate. The pinots noirs with a strong personality showed fruit aromas as much as an aromatic length. True nature wines, they planted their roots in an exhilarating environment, perfumed with gorse and wild thym. These wineries organized regularly concerts of jazz or classical music. Their friendly café-restaurant offered their wines for tasting along with delicious season products and a wonderful cuisine from the market. |
| With a total amount which had tripled in a decade, the wineries even the small family organisations, had all participated in the expansion of wine tourism and taken advantage of its profitable effects. The geographic isolation had not prevented New Zealand from transforming its vineyard into a destination appreciated by the local and international tourism. The distance of more than 19 000 kilometres from the European continent and 2 000 km from its closest Australian neighbour, had not at all slowed down the simultaneous development of a terroir tourism and a powerful exporting activity. |
| Direct selling at the winery was an educational, entertaining and relaxed moment due to the art of living and the conviviality of the wine people. First famous for its spectacular landscapes, this country soon became well known to the 2,3 million annual visitors for its wines. The multiplicity and the specificity of climates and grounds had created 10 different producing regions. Waiheke island, located only half an hour from Auckland by ferry, produced the sincere and precise wine by Stonyridge, a Bordeaux blend of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and merlot. |
| Hawke’s Bay hosted an exotic, rich and fat chardonnay and also more recently, the magnificent syrah by Stonecroft. Marlborough, whose fame came from Cloudy Bay, had become the largest and the most famous wine area in New Zealand. Profusion of mandarin, asparagus with cream, green apple, yellow plum, ginger and basilica, its sauvignon blanc was a serious reference for luminosity, liveliness and subtlety. |
| Hawke’s Bay: Te Mata, Craggy Range, Kim Crawford, Clearview, Vidal, Mission, Church Road, Brookfields, Matariki, Stonecroft, Esk Valley - Waiheke Island: Mudbrick, Stonyridge, Onetangi Road - Auckland: Kumeu River, Nobilo, Villa Maria - Marlborough: Daniel Lebrun, Grove Mill, Saint Clair, Hunter’s, Cloudy Bay, Seresin, Fromm, Highfield, Wither Hills, Montana - Central Otago: Rippon, Black Ridge, William Hill, Gibbston Valley, Amisfield, Peregrine, Chard Farm, Waitiri Creek, Mt Difficulty. |
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new zealand
pinots noirs et white sheep in Central Otago
wine venus at Onetangi Road on Waiheke Island
breeding area facing the Tasmanian sea
volcanoes route of Rotorua
Wanaka lake at the foot of Rippon vineyard in Central Otago
young sauvignons blancs in Marlborough