British expert hails ‘exciting’ N.Z. wines

Press, 4 February 1982, Page 8

British expert hails ‘exciting’ N.Z. wines

NZPA London New Zealand was producing some exciting wines, according to a British wine expert, John Avery. Mr Avery, a Master of. Wine, was chief judge at last year’s New Zealand national wine judging. His family firm, Averys of Bristol, has imported New Zealand wine for 10 years. Mr Avery praised the New Zealand wine at a tasting sponsored by the Wine Institute of New Zealand at New Zealand House. Leading English , wine buyers and writers attended the tasting of about 50 of the country’s top wines from 16 wineries.

Mr Avery described the chardonnays and gewurtztraminers in particular as

“quite exciting." '“There is no surplus of good Chardonnay in the world and there is not likely to be. “If New Zealand producers can go on making those they will certainly be able, to sell them,” he said. To a questioner who wanted to know what New Zealand was going to do with all the wine it expected to produce, Mr Avery replied; “I don’t think they need worry. They must just make sure they grow quality wine,” He said he thought New Zealand’s best market — “although they don’t believe me" — was in Australia. “New Zealand’s white wines are so much cleaner and fresher ' on the whole

than the Australian ones.” New Zealand wines generally sell for about $8 a bottle in British wine shops. The Waitrose chain of supermarkets sells New Zealand cabernet sauvignon for $7.24 a bottle and riesling at $6.55. Mr Avery, whose firm began importing McWilliams wine 10 years ago, said the price of New Zealand wine in Britain was “not unrealistic.” “People will pay it and come back to buy more,” he said. The price of New Zealand wines compared favourably with the price of Californian wines. British wine-drinkers can 1 buy cheaper European wines for about ,$4.60 a bottle.