A Canterbury riesling makes a dream for the future

Press, 7 December 1978, Page 16

A Canterbury riesling makes a dream for the future

Imagine, one sunny summer afternoon, driving a few miles beyond the outskirts of Christchurch to a winery nestled against a background of flourishing vines for a barbecue lunch accompanied by a bottle of the local product. A flight of fancy? At the moment maybe, but a distinct possibility in a few years time. And, at Lincoln College last month, we learned how. An impressive team of professors, horticulturalists, scientists, winemakers. marketing men and lecturers from all parts of New Zealand imparted their knowledge in two wine seminars to an audience of about 250. The first, angled at prospective growers and small winemakers, was a one-day affair and the second, a more advanced course for commercial growers, winemakers, wholesalers and wine resellers, was spread over three days. Indicative of the importance of the occasion to the wine industry was the attendance of Mr Tom McDonald, a director of McWilliams Wines (N.Z.), Ltd, who has put down more vintages than many of those present had years.

The seminars were the culmination of experimenting and the gathering of data which has been quietiy proceeding at Lincoln College since 1973. In 1572, Mr Danny Schuster, a young German winemi her, came to New Zealar ' noressed wi *’ - ities of

grape production in Canterbury. He found that his views were shared by Dr Dayid Jackson, reader in horticulture at Lincoln, and together they began to establish an experimental vineyard. At first only a few rows, it now occupies an acre of land behind a shelter of poplars where the

initial planting of a dozen varities has grown to 40 wine and 20 table grapes. The team was completed by Mr Graeme Steans, a laboratory technician, and Mr Michael Mellon, whose main interest is in marketing.

We learned that we have the correct type of well drained, medium-fer-tility soil. We learned that the "climate is suitable for certain varieties of grape in certain areas. And we learned that it is possible to combine these factors to produce good wine.

A r as ting of Lincoln College Rhine Riesling and Pinot Noir proved it. The year 1978 was the first in "which grapes had been harvested in reasonable quantity and we discovered that 13 varieties had been successfully cropped. Among the most

promising are Chasselas, Gewurztraminer, Grey Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Sylvaner. The Rhine Riesling was found to be suitable for the warmest sites only and, although the berries were in good condition, they had to be picked too early because of rain. Of the red varieties, Hermitage and Pinotage came through quite well but the grape to present the best possibilities was Pinot Noir.

It was significant that this grape, from which the best French burgundies are made, displays such good potential in Canterbury which is roughly the same distance from the equator as Burgundy. It has been found that in Bordeaux, Champagne, Burgundy, Alsace, the Rheingau, Moselle and Tokay, all of which are on the northern limits of the European wine country and where frosts and extreme cold are experienced, the best wines are produced. The further south one goes to the hotter regions the more commonplace the wines become. Theo- f retically that should place ' Canterbury ahead of Hen- i derson as an area where ' wine of greatest delicacy j and finesse may be pro- ■ duced. We also learned that we ; have the edge on northern | areas as far as spraying is . concerned. As opposed to fortnightly spraying in most other areas, it is necessary to have only one benlate spray for botrytis, two sulphur sprays

for powdery mildew, and one Mesurol spray to deter birds. So we have all the necessary conditions. Some problems remain to be solved, the main one being the pigheaded attitude of some local bodies which refuse to allow the establishment of vineyards owing to restrictions on the use of some agricultural sprays.

But that has been overcome in Marlborough and, in time, it will be in Canterbury.

The success of the wine industry in the South Island depends upon patient experiment and research. In the North Island this is carried out by the Government Research Station at Te Kauwhata but obviously it must be done on the spot.

Eventually when we are a' le to draw the cork of a Canterbury Gewurztraminer, we will be grateful to the team for its dedication to its self-imposed task, the account of which must take its place in the history of the development of wine in New Zealand.

ON THE GRAPEVINE By Maurice Hunter