Frontline Wine: Gorilla Warfare

As we move into an age where international communication is creating new trading opportunities in the New Zealand wine industry, there has been a marked increase in the way wineries operate and sell to the general public. The internet now provides wine-buyers with easy access to winery websites, with everybody’s favourite bottles delivered direct to their door at the click of a mouse. Wine reviews can be checked for added clarity, prices compared, and a decision can be made at one’s own discretion. No longer is every second case ‘one for the barbeque’, because you took a ‘punt’ after listening to the Braithwaites from number sixty-seven describe the most beautiful wine they had ever tasted, only for it to turn out to be so acidic that you develop bloodshot eyes and an epileptic twitch on one side of your face.

Nowadays, this consumer-friendly online market is creating an underlying problem between New Zealand wine-retailers and wineries which will affect the choice consumers have in the future. It contributes to the reason why you are sometimes puzzled to find that wines you regard as the very best the country has to offer are not stocked in your favourite shop, as retailers take a stand against a somewhat dodgy tactic employed by certain wineries.

This ‘dodgy’ tactic is the increasingly common practice of a winery choosing to display their wines on the internet at a single bottle price that is lower, or at an unreasonably low price in comparison to the price a retailer must pay for it. In effect, by pricing this way, the winery is forcing the retailer into supplying its wine (if it so wishes to supply its wine ) to the public at a higher price than the winery considers the wine to be worth (if it’s ten bucks a bottle on the website, it’s a ten buck wine). To compete with the very business it is trying to promote, retailers must slash the margin they take on that particular wine, or look expensive by selling it at a higher price.

Winery 1- 0 Retailer.

Having been involved in all aspects of the trade myself, I believe that wine-shops are the nuts and bolts of the wine industry machine. They provide New Zealand wines with a correct backdrop to shine against an international array of choice whilst offering mostly unbiased and educational advice with a personal touch. It is the very face of New Zealand wine, holding off the inevitable descent into wines being judged by the back label, or biased opinions of a winery’s marketing team. There are many costs involved with retail that give the winery an unfair advantage if it dictates the price. So, if a winery believes that it can retail its wine through the internet at whatever price it thinks best, disregarding all trade bodies around it, then I believe that said winery should lose the benefits that the shop floor provides and I ask that a blanket boycott be imposed by specialist retailers on these culprits until they change their price. If they do not possess enough integrity to realise their folly, they should pay consequences.

The next time your local shop can’t give you a reason why it doesn’t stock the latest award winning wine, this may be the reason. However, just go online and buy it yourself. Online shopping is here and it’s faaaaantastic but, good wine also needs the personal touch specialist retailers provide. Let’s see an even playing field that really will benefit both the trade and the consumer in the long run and stop this dirty tactic once and for all.

Blind River Sauvignon Blanc 2007 Marlborough

I could smell the passionfruit reeking off this wine from across the room as it was poured and once I got my nose into the glass, it did indeed dominate to the point where I thought I might actually be inhaling vitamin C. The palate is well balanced, texturally soft and displays a good minerality that explodes into a tang of flavour when swallowed. Very fine, deliciously refreshing and a wine that will appeal to even those who have sickened themselves on the variety. $30

Dry River Pinot Gris 1988 Martinborough

Having tried this recently, I thought I’d add this tasting note to give credence to the fact that that I think New Zealand is missing out on decent older white wine.

“A waxy, vegetal green liquid on first analysis that coats the inside of the glass in lazy tears when swirled whilst there is a vibrancy and sparkle to the old dear when held up to the light that belies its age. The nose is concentrated, savoury, vegetal and restrained at first, but opens out into hints of citrus, tinned pineapple syrup and honeysuckle.

The palate has a huge acidity that holds the incredible weight of flavour together into a weighted, intense, yet incredibly fresh texture. There are no ‘rancio’ characteristics present, a bruised fruit taste usually associated with a wine on the decline. Instead, the fruit has a soft, toasted flavour that integrates beautifully into the texture, whilst a floral, citrussy splash sits pretty over the whole shebang before making a surprise virtuoso appearance at the tail-end of the length. This wine was layered and complex, and left me licking my lips at the prospect of each sip. Overall, excellent and the most enjoyable white wine I’ve tried from this country to date. Priceless!

Huia Brut 2001 Marlborough

After being disappointed time and time again by sparkling wine in this country, I can’t tell you how happy I was to have tasted this beautifully made wine. A wine that surely ranks alongside Johanneshof’s 1995 Blanc de Blanc as the very best New Zealand Fizz. With four years spent on its lees, the yeastiness of the wine across the nose and palate held me mesmerised as the huge, honeyed, biscuity nose was followed by a finely balanced, rich palate held together with a fine acidity and even finer mousse. As with all of Huia’s wines, it was all about texture. Big, yet smooth. Flavoursome, yet fine. I strongly suggest you have a look at this little stunner before even thinking about Pelorus. $45

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