Wines that make taste buds sit up and take notice

Press, 18 February 1986, Page 8

Wines that make taste buds sit up and take notice

Maurice Hunter’s

GRAPEVINE!

By the time the Christmas holiday period has arrived most of the new releases have been made and it is a good time for sampling some of those wines which have been stored for a more leisurely appreciation. Consequently, we have been assessing those from one company which has not been receiving the publicity it deserves.

Since Glenvale began a shift of emphasis from fortified to table wines some years ago, there has been quiet but steady progress into the field of quality varietals. In 1983, under the Esk Valley label, they collected 6 silver and 12 bronze awards, in 1984 2 gold and 9 silvers (bronze not available) and, in the tougher 1985 competition, 3 silvers and 9 bronzes.

Although the Esk Valley wines we have been sampling do not appear to have qualified for awards, there is no way of knowing whether they were in fact exhibited, as only award winners are published in the official results.

Neverthless, we have enjoyed trying out some of the 1985 vintage, beginning with the Chenin blanc.

This has a pale gold colour with a fresh fruit bouquet following through into a good depth of flavour and lasting aftertaste. It is a good example of a grape variety which has, to a certain extent, been overlooked in recent years in New Zealand although it has been the

source of the fine wines of the Loire Valley since the eighth century. The semilion is more medium-dry than the “dry” claimed on the label and has a surprisingly deep golden colour. It has a pronounced herbaceous nose and is fully fruited, smooth and mellow with a well balanced and appealing aftertaste. Semilion is widely used by the Australians who give it-wood maturation and produce it in a chablis style but I feel that the Glenvale treatment is likely to appeal to a wider range of palates. The grey riesling, sometimes called chauche gris, is green/gold in colour and not very strong in bouquet, but what there is is clean. A lively wine, on the dry side of medium, it has good fruit and a crisp finish — well made and pleasant drinking but with no really outstanding features.

The 1983 cabernet Sauvignon, if there is any still about, is worth seeking. Having had time to mature in the bottle, it is of good deep colour, well developed and smoothly balanced while the oak

treatment has bene delicately handled. We are now looking with interest at the 1981 and 1982 clarets and the 1984 pinot noir but will await the correct meal with which to consume them.

It is pleasing to note Glenvale’s progress but some attention should now be given to labelling. Although we do not drink the label, it should be updated so that the quality of the contents is more accurately reflected. Also on the Christmas sampling list was a Weingut Seifried White Autumn 1985. Of pinkish hue, owing to some pigmentation from the pinot noir grape from which it is made, it is a very pleasant medium with good bouquet, good fruit and fresh finish — an acceptable warm weather quaffer. Christchurch folk who have holidayed in Nelson will also have had the opportunity of sampling Korepo wines while taking advantage of the barbecuing facilities supplied by Craig Gass at Ruby Bay. Included in the range is

a very nice dry sauvignon blanc. Although there is a slight touch of sulphur when first poured, this quickly dissipates to reveal a well made wine after an appealing freshness.

Sauvignon blanc fans may find the medium style has a little too much residual grape sugar. There is certainly plenty of fruit apparent but the sweetness detracts from the anticipated lift in the finish. For all that, it will have its followers with a liking for medium wine. The Korepo 1985 Rhine riesling, however, is excellent. Of pale gold colour and strong bouquet, it is already developing a honey quality which will intensify with time and would well repay a few months in the cellar. Finally, still lingering on the palate is the flavour of a Bordeaux Rouge from Maison Sichel. A blend of merlot, cabernet franc and cabernet Sauvignon, it is a clear cherry red with an intense bouquet. Designed for early drinking, it has a smooth, velvety feel on the palate and a finish to make the taste buds really sit up and take notice.