Hi, I'm the House of Pania's wine-ing pool boy and I'm back on the hunt for great Reds and have been checking out the Taradale offerings. Just down the road from the Mission is Church Road Winery and grounds and this is where I went after the Mission Estate, intending not to spill any more of the good stuff!

First, it is interesting to note that vines were planted at Church Road Winery in 1897, and the winery became known as a pioneer of Bordeaux-style red wines in New Zealand.

The first release of Cabernet Sauvignon was here, in 1949, when Tom McDonald was the winemaker and he was still there in 1976. I met him not long after he retired and he was still regarded as a winemaking legend and maintained connections with wineries here, and in France. He and my father were friends (and regular poker players) and we had a dinner to which Tom brought a venerable Pauillac. It was way past its best, and barely drinkable (think dry ink notes and a rough finish) although who was I to say being a wine beginner. Never mind, he had some amazing Cabernet Sauvignon as well.

When Tom started out there were hardly any restaurants in New Zealand, and most were in hotels. People had no thought of keeping wine if they bought it at all. Wine was a long way behind beer and spirits as alcoholic drinks went. How times have changed.

For some time now Church Road has made excellent Reds and Whites mostly from its vineyards in the Gimblett Gravels and the Bridge Pa Triangle. Because we did not try any Whites on our recent tasting visit I should mention their excellent range of Grand Reserve Whites including a Chardonnay, a barrel-fermented Sauvignon Blanc and a Viognier. Some of House of Pania's guests in January and February have asked for a tour and I will take them to Church Road for a tasting which will include those.

Church Road's premium range is called TOM, a memorial to Tom's life and contribution to New Zealand winemaking. The standout in this range is the Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot blend. The grapes for the Cabernet come from Bridge Pa and the Merlot from Gimblett. While both have underlying river gravels, unique to Bridge Pa is the overlying soil, shallow loess, volcanic ash and silt. The appearance is different too, in the red colour soil/metal Bridge Pa has, but the Gimblett does not.

Church Road competes with Craggy Range for the best cellar door in Hawkes Bay and both are excellent and worth a visit even if you do not buy anything. On our visit, we did buy.

When walking up the steps to Church Road's cellar door entrance be sure to turn and look back to the beautiful lawns and garden where concerts are held. As you enter through the door a large space with old wooden beams opens out, and at the far end, barrels are laid out.

All very interesting, especially when you realise that you have been tasting grapes from Spain, Italy, and Argentina. Of the Grand Reserves, we liked the Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2020 and bought a bottle of this and Syrah.

The information accompanying the tasting was provided by Mitch (very good) and a series of screens on a tablet. Mitch was able to talk about grape sets, the differences in varietals, and the particular winemaking techniques employed for some of the wines. He could speak about the different terroir for each of the wines, and why some of the red grapes came from Bridge Pa and some from Gimblett.

An enjoyable experience all round.

Our tasting -'Inspired by the Bay'- cost $25pp. Of the other tastings, the 'Iconic Tasting, Flagship TOM Wines' cost $75pp for an hour. The tasting 'Flavour of Place' focuses on a single vineyard and varietals called Church Road 1 and costs $45pp. Finally, the 'Editions' tasting promises rare intriguing alternatives and small batch wines exclusive to the cellar door and costs $35pp.

I suggest anyone contemplating a visit spend time on the excellent Church Road website before booking a tasting. It is essential to book ahead for weekends and holidays.

Note also, that there are live music sessions on the lawn, one Sunday a month, from October to April. This is the same area where small (5000 people) concerts are held during summer. Upcoming is the Timeless Summer concert featuring Boy George, Bonny Tyler, and other oldies but goodies.

Next stop Elephant Hill.

#hawkesbaywine