If New Zealand were to run a competition to name its national grape, sauvignon blanc would probably win hands down. The exuberant and pungent flavours of this varietal have put the country firmly on the global wine map with names such as the Cloudy Bay brand and Marlborough, the northern tip of New Zealand's South Island, now a familiar sight on the wine lists of fine-dining restaurants around the world.
But the New Zealand wine industry is seeking to step beyond its formidable reputation in the white wine stakes and to let its beautiful reds take a bow.
While pinot noir has been widely touted as New Zealand's next best thing, the country's merlot, cabernet sauvignon and syrah are no wallflowers either. Merlot and cabernet sauvignon varietals are in the Bordeaux style and cultivated in similar climatic conditions, and yet they are unmistakably New World in their fruitiness and freshness.
With more than 80 per cent of New Zealand's plantings of merlot, cabernet sauvignon and syrah grapes, the Hawke's Bay region is promoting itself as the premier red wine location in the country. Located on the country's North Island, at the same latitude in the Southern Hemisphere as Madrid in the north, Hawke's Bay boasts a warm maritime climate.
The Gimblett Gravels wine-growing district is particularly special; the gravelly soil a result of the flooding and abatement of the Ngaruroro River in 1876.
The stones that make up the landscape not only ensure that water is drained, so that the roots have to reach hard for them, but they also store sunlight in the day and release it to the vines at night. This unique soil type enables the grapes to ripen beautifully and has produced some wonderful cabernet-merlot blends.