Discover the Nelson wine region
Written by Robert Giorgione; a guest writer for Winekeller, a passionate New Zealand wine specialist, brand ambassador and award-winning sommelier, and owner of Roving Sommelier Wines & Deli
Neudorf Vineyards, Copyright Robert Giorgione 2009
When it comes to wine tourism, it seems that unfortunately, the Nelson wine region is often overlooked in favour of other wine regions in New Zealand. This is mainly because it is overshadowed by its more popular (and more famous) neighbour over the Richmond Ranges, Marlborough. However, although Nelson is considered underrated, it has many positive advantages, and as a region with plenty of potential, it certainly punches above its weight.
An introduction to the Nelson wine region New Zealand
A major reason for this is the weather in Nelson, New Zealand. At the top of the South Island, Nelson is the sunniest region in New Zealand and it’s where most New Zealanders choose to spend their summer holidays. Drenched in sunshine with beautiful, picture-postcard beaches, not only is Nelson the perfect place to unwind and relax, but its extensive coastline, including tranquil bays and inlets, and national parklands and forests attract huge amounts of tourists who love life, nature, water sports, and outdoor pursuits, including camping, fishing, caving, and walking. Nelson is also the gateway to the Abel Tasman, Kahurangi, and Nelson Lakes National Parks and there are plenty of places to stay.
A historic region that is renowned for superb art and crafts, including pottery, ceramics, and glass blowing, Nelson is also home to a number of wineries that take advantage of the abundant sunshine and microclimates to grow several grape varietals. A good time to visit the region is when they are hosting the Nelson Art festivities, when many national and international luminaries from within the wine world descend on Nelson and sample the wines. In fact, there are many festivals celebrated throughout the year in Nelson and this is an ideal opportunity to discover and enjoy the local produce and friendly hospitality. Craig Potton, arguably New Zealand’s finest photographer is also based in Nelson, where you can visit his gallery (like I did many years ago) and marvel at his pictures of the country’s most iconic landscapes.
Nelson New Zealand wine
The history of wine making in the Nelson region goes back to the mid-1840s, when two shiploads of German wine makers arrived with great hopes of success. By 1845, however, most of them had departed mainly to the Barossa Valley in South Australia. For almost the next century, the region’s top crops were apples, hops and tobacco. For many years, Nelson has been the brewing capital of New Zealand and its heritage and provenance continues to today and has inspired many successful craft brewers and microbreweries in New Zealand and around the world.
Among the modern-day winegrowers, the early pioneers were Austrian couple Hermann and Agnes Seifried in 1974 and Tim and Judy Finn at Neudorf (see the German connection) in 1978, both in the Upper Moutere and both, most importantly still family owned. The Seifried winery is now sited with several others on the Waimea Plains around the Appleby Highway. I have had the great pleasure of visiting both Seifried and Neudorf and have been a big fan of their wines for many years.
Seifried, Nelson
As you can appreciate being of Austrian heritage, the Seifried family, amongst others have experimented with Grüner Veltliner, and with good results, too. Seifried Estate is the largest and oldest winery in Nelson and a substantial proportion of their fruit goes out under the entry level “Old Coach Road” label, a brand that is popular in overseas markets and they also produce top quality wines under their Aotea label, too, including an excellent traditional method sparkling wine.
The original site in the Upper Moutere has been taken over by Kahurangi Estate and they now source their grapes from vineyards in the Redwood Valley, Brightwater, and the Waimea Plains. The Seifried Estate “Sweet Agnes” Riesling dessert wine (I have given 5-stars) has become a modern Kiwi classic and they also produce a very small amount of Zweigelt (a red grape from Hermann’s native Austria).
Neudorf New Zealand
Starting from humble beginnings, yet with a real vision, energetic spirit and determination, Tim and Judy Finn established Neudorf (pronounced New-Dorf) back in 1978. Still family-owned, the Neudorf vineyards produces some of the best wines in the country and deserves to be on any wine lovers’ bucket list.
They are especially known for their world-class “Neudorf Moutere” Chardonnay, (which rivals Kumeu River’s Maté’s Vineyard as being New Zealand’s best) and “Moutere” Pinot Noir, which are sourced from the original home vineyard planted on the clay-rich soils of the Upper Moutere Valley in the late 1970s. Their elegantly structured, silky-smooth Pinot Noirs also rank as some of the best in New Zealand, and for me, really exemplifies how great a wine from Nelson can be.
Tim Finn at Neudorf, Upper Moutere, Nelson, South Island, New Zealand © Copyright Robert Giorgione 2009
Over the years, the pioneering Finn family have nurtured and mentored some of the best winemakers in New Zealand, who have gone on to produce world-renowned wines and forged their own winegrowing path for themselves. Tim and Judy Finn - who have crafted wines of integrity with love and care since 1978 - are also happy to pass on the winegrowing baton to the next generation, including daughter Rosie, who even has a chardonnay-producing vineyard block named in her honour.
As well as top-notch Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Neudorf has also established a fine reputation for aromatic white varieties, including Riesling, Pinot Gris, and more recently, Albariño. As mentioned in my Marlborough article, I think this fragrant Iberian varietal has great potential within New Zealand. What’s more, Nelson has a wonderful, maritime microclimate that perfectly suits Albariño, and partners the local seafood extremely well.
When you visit Neudorf, like I have done a couple of times, you will be treated to a warm and friendly hospitality and have an opportunity to taste all their wines at the cellar door and shop at the winery. In nice weather you can also relax out on the back terrace overlooking the home vineyard with a chilled glass of wine and a few nibbles. It may be a little bit off the beaten track up tucked away in the Upper Moutere Valley, but well worth it.
Neudorf Vineyard, Upper Moutere, Nelson, South Island, New Zealand © Copyright Robert Giorgione 2009
Cellar door and tasting room at Neudorf, Upper Moutere, Nelson, South Island, New Zealand © Copyright Robert Giorgione 2009
I believe that even with these two iconic family-owned vineyards at the forefront of the region’s, and country’s winegrowing heritage, Nelson will always be overshadowed by its more well-known neighbour Marlborough. Please note that Marlborough produces more than three quarters of New Zealand’s total wine output, where most of that, as we all know, is Sauvignon Blanc. Whereas Nelson contains far fewer wineries and most of them cannot match the industrial scale of its powerful neighbour.
For me, Nelson is more about quality than quantity.
Small boutique wineries such as Aotea (owned by Seifried), Brightwater, Greenhough, Kahurangi Estate, Moutere Hills, Rimu Grove, Te Mania Estate, Waimea Estates and Woollaston, among others all deserve to be discovered as they make excellent quality wines.
Further wineries can be found in and around the Upper Moutere hills and there are several plantings over the winding Takaka Hill in Golden Bay. As well as the ubiquitous ‘savvy’, the Nelson region also produces fine aromatic whites, especially Riesling and some good Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer, and is also gaining a reputation for some excellent Pinot Noir.
Restaurants in Nelson New Zealand
If you’re looking for a great place to eat and drink, then look no further than Hopgood’s restaurant in the centre of Nelson. Kevin Hopgood worked in London at Martin Lam’s restaurant “Ransome’s Dock” in Battersea. The cooking is top-notch, the hospitality warm and friendly and the extensive wine list is chock-full of amazing Kiwi wines. The sommelier always comes up with great pairings by the glass too. Along the coast and on its bustling marinas that attract many visitors during high season, the region also has a wide array of fish and seafood restaurants that serve the freshest catch of the day, all washed down with local wines and regional brews.
The Nelson coastline is a bountiful haven of shellfish, especially the legendary green lip mussels of Havelock. Don’t be surprised by their size, as these local delicacies are big, fat and juicy. The freshly caught salmon is also tempting. I recommend you try Mapua Wharf’s Nature Smoke Café.
South Island West Coast
The Nelson region is also the gateway to the South Island’s rugged West Coast. Once you have passed through Nelson’s countryside townships of Motueka, Richmond, Stoke, Wakefield and Brightwater, and the immense Buller Gorge and ‘Lord of the Rings-style’, forest terrain, past historic coastal mining towns such as Greymouth and Westport, the state highway (SH6) literally is a stone’s throw from this most dramatic and iconic coastline. You will experience windswept rock formations, jaw-dropping views, and where turbulent waves come crashing in off the ocean. From quaint little villages and settlements with stop-over opportunities, glacial formations, iconic lakes, and alpine mountains, this is a uniquely remarkable landscape, and you will come across something different on every turn on your adventure down south towards Otago.
Wild West Coast, South Island, New Zealand © Copyright Robert Giorgione 2014
Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki, West Coast, South Island, New Zealand © Copyright Robert Giorgione 2014
And don’t forget the great New Zealand coffee!!
Over the years, coffee has become a big thing in New Zealand. Together with Australia - their enthusiasm for an exciting brand of antipodean coffee culture, produced by passionate artisan roasters and talented baristas (or ‘coffee sommeliers’ as I like to call them) - has been transported around the world. Although I have been drinking ‘flat white’ for more than 25 years, now, we all know what one is. Whilst in Nelson you must visit Pomeroys, which was established in 1989. The smells of roasting beans and the homely ambience of the shop transported me back to my childhood in Bristol and evocative memories of Cawardines coffee roasters, and later when I worked for many years in London and lived a few streets away from Maltby Street and Borough Markets and, of course Monmouth Coffee, who were located there. But hey, that is another story….
Conclusion
So Nelson may not be as famous as its neighbour, Marlborough, but there’s lots to experience here, with two iconic family-owned vineyards, boutique wineries, great food, spectacular scenery - and great coffee!
The epicurean odyssey continues…
Award-winning sommelier, Robert Giorgione’s latest book “Roving Sommelier’s Bucket List of New Zealand Wines” (2023 Edition) is now available. To buy your copy, please go to http://www.anepicureanodyssey.com
More about Robert Giorgione:
Award-winning sommelier Robert Giorgione has been in the hospitality and retail industry for more than 35 years, including 17 years of experience in London where he worked as wine buyer and head sommelier in some of the best fine-dining restaurants and retail establishments, and also won many prestigious awards for his wine lists and sommelier skills. Most recently, Robert also picked up valuable experience in retail and customer service at the iconic Wally’s in Cardiff and previously worked as sommelier at the famous Park House Restaurant, Wine Bar and Private Rooms also in Cardiff, where he massively contributed to the establishment’s successful reputation for fine-dining and sommelier service and its award-winning wine list.
Now relocated to beautiful South Wales, Robert owns and runs Roving Sommelier Wines & Deli – an independent wine merchant and deli in Newport Market and Food Court, which stocks some of the finest affordable premium wines from around the world and epicurean treats, and Robert works enthusiastically to guide wine lovers and consumers towards something that’s right both for palate and pocket.
See here for further details.
In addition to this Robert has many years of experience as a wine consultant for a variety of private and corporate clients, (New Zealand Wine Growers, Wine Chap, Naked Wines, and Les Caves de Pyrene, amongst many others), and has been a wine judge for many prestigious international wine awards and competitions (his areas of experience include New Zealand, Regional Italy, Spain, and South-West France). In fact, the South-West of France, and in particular the region of Roussillon has a special place in Robert’s heart, as he has a real fondness for the local Vin Doux Naturel wines that pair extremely well with desserts and chocolate. In October 2012, while working with William Curley, Robert won the UK Final of the Roussillon Dessert Competition alongside pastry chef Sarah Frankland. The sommelier and chef pâtissier team went on to represent the UK in the European Final held in Perpignan in April 2013 and won the overall title of European Champions, beating the crème de la crème of Belgium, Holland, Germany, and Denmark. An achievement and experience that Robert is genuinely proud of.
Robert’s talents and experience also extends to writing, blogging, and between 2010 and 2013 he produced 275 roving sommelier video blogs on his Roving Sommelier TV You Tube channel.
Robert’s latest book “Roving Sommelier’s Bucket List of New Zealand Wines” (2023 Edition) is now available. To buy your copy, please go to http://www.anepicureanodyssey.com
