Welcome to my wine-ing blog.

In addition to cleaning the pool, I am the breakfast chef at the House of Pania Bnb which is perched on the Napier Bluff Hill clifftop. I have another task which is to blog about Hawke's Bay wine. Bordeaux style of wine is my favourite, French (I have a small cellar) and Hawke's Bay's most of all. So I will concentrate on these, the French as I drink it and as the year's en primeur arrives, and the Hawke's Bays' as each vintage unfolds.

First, for those from the Northern Hemisphere, have you heard about the wine here? Over the years fine wines like Te Mata Estate's Coleraine, and Trinity Hill's Homage have been consistently rated highly by Masters of Wine, by critics, and in tasting awards, but their volume and availability are modest when compared, for example, with fine wines from Bordeaux, and California. World awards have also been won, including by the fabulous winery, cellar and restaurant, Craggy Range, whose winemakers have made wonderful Le Sols and Sophias over many years.

There are many other vineyards to rate alongside Te Mata, Trinity Hill and Craggy Range. From the oldest, Mission Estate, where vines were first planted in 1851, to smaller boutique producers such as Clearview Estate, Red Metal and mid-size Church Road. Also, there are the makers of some of the best Chardonnay to be found in the Southern Hemisphere. All of these wineries are within a 15-to 30-minute drive from the House of Pania Bnb, and many are accessible by cycle trails.

Each of these has a quite different terroir. From the coast with deep river gravels at Clearview to the light soils on all-day sun gentle slopes at Te Mata, and further inland to the Gimblett Gravels and the Bridge Pa Triangle. About 80% of New Zealand's red varietals, except Pinot Noir, come from Hawke's Bay. More on each of these terroir in later blogs.

If you are interested in wine and where it comes from you will likely know about the Great Wine Capitals of the World. Hawke's Bay was named its 12th member in 2023, now keeping company with Bordeaux and Nappa Valley among the 11 others.

So, to this year's crop. A good cold winter followed by warm spring days and cold nights makes for a promising start. Work in the vineyards will have been focussed on the soil between vine rows, and making sure that frost protection is working in case of unexpected late frosts which cause damage to buds and leaf burst.

The weather people are predicting a long hot summer. Fingers crossed! When that kind of summer comes the same temperature range and duration necessary for making the best red wines found in Bordeaux is also found in Hawke's Bay. Especially is that so for the Cabernets, Sauvignon and Franc, Merlot and Malbec. Syrah also benefits but is best made for itself and will be covered in a later blog. Most of the wineries already mentioned grow Syrah and the Bridge Pa Triangle is particularly productive of the finest and longest-lived of these wines.

The 2024 vintage was notable for low yields but hot dry weather which the winemakers reported as giving high fruit quality and exceptional varietal character in the wines. The next and later chapters will provide updates on the early release 2024s.

Finally, each chapter will include a report on progress and 2023 wines at individual wineries starting with Clearview, and then Trinity Hill.

A bientot!

#hawkesbaywines