Getting the message across

CHEERS: Barton on Wine

OPINION: The sort of self-promotion in which Champagne has for years indulged is no longer confined to this fabled slice of the world of wine or to the most glamorous wines of them all – the bubblies it produces.

Everyone in the wine industry is now getting in on the act because they can no longer rely on whatever it was that cleared the shelves of wines they made. The name of the new game is hype a la Champagne, spin, niche marketing , whatever you want to call it, and it's driven by the need for wineries, if they want to stay in business, to maintain sales in an increasingly difficult and crowded market.

The answer for many is to form marketing alliances, some based on particular varieties of wine, some on the regions in which they are produced, others on the way the wines are grown and made. They are groupings which come in all shapes and sizes and are doing an increasingly effective job in convincing the world to buy the wines we make in this clean, green and beautiful land, by selling themselves and their particular slices of this heaven. One of the most successful has been a group formed in Hawke's Bay by wineries and winegrowers on the Gimblett Gravels. It has taken the bold and confident approach.

It has, among other things, put the best reds off the Gravels up against some of the finest in the world; tempted the palates of the world's most influential critics, both with considerable success.

As a result there has been a rub-off for New Zealand reds in general, for Hawke's Bay reds (especially Bordeaux-style blends and syrah) in particular. As Hawke's Bay Winegrowers chairman Rod McDonald said this week on the eve of a regional wine summit: "We have had an amazing couple of years as recognition of our unique wines has grown around the world. Now we want to identify what we as a region can be doing to build on those successes." I would have thought the answer was fairly obvious: Give Hawke's Bay chardonnay, regarded by many as among the finest in the world, the same sort of exposure and billing as the reds enjoy. It's a story and a wine worth selling even if it takes another specialist group to spread the message.

Talking of which ... a group of just five Marlborough wineries this week announced an alliance which breaks the big is beautiful, sea of sauvignon regional mold.

The founding members of Marlborough Natural Winegrowers (Fromm, Herzog, Huia, Seresin and Te Whare Ra) share a common belief in traditional, natural, artisanal winemaking which shuns the use of chemicals and other artificial manipulation to produce grapes and premium wines that truly reflect a sense of where they come from. In other words all are either certified biodynamic or organic, or are in the throes of becoming so.

To get the picture, and the taste, try some of these:

Seresin 2009 Sauvignon Blanc (about $25): Partly fermented in French oak to produce a wine that is rich and slightly nutty but with gooseberried, sauvignon characters and citrus shining through. one of Marlborough's finest.

From 2008 Riesling Spatlese (about $28): An utterly gorgeous late harvest (sweet) riesling that's fresh, racy, clean, and goes well as an aperitif or as long lunch wine. Only 7 per cent alcohol.

Hans Hertzog 2002 Spirit of Marlborough Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon (about $40): A serious and substantial tipple for lovers of Bordeaux-style reds. The best of the very few made this far south.

Huia 2002 Brut (about $35): Though the sold out sign has gone up at the winery this classy Huia vintage bubbly might still be on a shelf somewhere. The new edition, when it arrived should be similarly crisp and yeasty .

Te Whare Ra 2008 Riesling D (about $22): An excellent example of the variety from vines that are 30 years old. Beautiful florals, citrus and spice.

An elegant wine that's still developing in the bottle.

- © Fairfax NZ News