WineNZ Summer 18-19 (1)

Publisher's note
WineNZ
CONTRIBUTORS
Daniel Honan, Charmian Smith,
John Saker, Vic Williams,
Martin Gillion
PHOTOGRAPHY
Kevin Judd, Richard Brimer
DESIGN
Spinc Media
EDITORIAL
Paul Taggart
021 333 335
Email: paul@spincmedia.com
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COVER PHOTO:
Caroline Frey, winemaker for three major
French wine estates. See Page 16.
WineNZ
Summer 2018/19 $9.90
Winemaker
Caroline
Frey
talks horses
and châteaux
Our pick of the 2018
Sauvignon blancs
Maserati Levante
in Manila traffic
Taking a Huchet
home to France
NZD $9.90
Cellar door
A vineyard with
two elephants
Travel time
The takeaways
from Thailand
Food folly
In praise of
raw oysters
Family
first
Summer started slowly in
much of the country, but
by the time you pick up
this magazine, hopefully
the sun will have sprung in
to action allowing the good
people of Aotearoa to get to the beach,
the bach or the back garden and away
from the daily grind for a decent break.
For the wine business, 2018 wasn’t
a flash year, both for wine itself (three
ex-tropical cyclones swept through
or close to the country in February
and March) and for the industry (the
increasing domination of mega wine
companies at the expense of Kiwi-owned
family businesses).
One of the joys of the Kiwi summer
break is that a bach or crib provides the
perfect place to start thinking seriously
about the upcoming year and what
can be done to make the next twelve
months better.
It’s a fact that the highest number
of people chuck in the towel to seek a
new job over summer, following some
quiet reflection after the turkey has been
eaten and the kids’ broken Christmas
presents have been taken to the dump.
There’s not much that can be done
about next year’s tropical cyclones –
apart from hoping for the best, while
planning for the worst.
And apart from a socialist revolution
– which don’t have a great track record –
not a lot can be done about the on-going
corporatisation and globalisation of
our industry.
We can, however, take heart from the
fact that there are some great role models
among our family wineries – including
all the five-star winners in the various
tasting sections in this issue. These are
the folks who aren’t only thinking about
their end-of-year balance sheet, but also
about their legacy for their children and
grandchildren, who will be running their
businesses down the track.
I think it is important that as wine
lovers and consumers, we put our money
where our mouth is when it comes to
supporting the Kiwi-owned industry.
We are all entitled to the occasional
flirtation with an enticing foreigner,
but when it comes to stocking the cellar
or the fridge for the holidays, nothing
makes me feel better than reaching for
the sort of brands that put their heads
above the parapet, strut their stuff in
our tastings and receive an array of
great compliments from our spectacular
group of judges.
They don’t have to be family wineries,
but the values of these businesses, where
the owners often planted the vines, toiled
for decades before passing the baton
to the next generation, are often
the places iconic wine come from.
While many of our readers are
already committed enough to buy
quality wines, rather than multinational
rubbish from the bargain
bin, maybe we should all take it upon
ourselves this summer to spread the
message – after all, Christmas
is a time for family.
Paul Taggart
Editor & Publisher
6 WineNZ Magazine | Summer 2018-19