Warning that we're breaking out of the
Italian shell today and virtually traveling to a country that has
long been on my bucket list, New Zealand. I recently attending a
virtual tasting hosted by Snooth with guest appearance by Helen
Morrison, the winemaker at Villa Maria. Experience the tasting
yourself at the Villa
Maria virtual tasting with Snooth.
If it wasn't such a long journey from
Boston I've would've already made my way there and probably have
visited the Villa Maria winery by now, but for now I'll settle with
drinking their wines here in the states. Villa Maria wines were some
of the first I've ever tried from New Zealand and was the reason why
I fell in love with sauvignon blanc from New Zealand. To this day
they're still my favorite sauvignon blancs.
Sir George Fistonich started the
company in 1961by leasing five acres of land from his father and
growing vines on one of those acres. He still takes part in the
operations today. Through the years the winery has been recognized
for a multitude of awards, but George prides himself and the winery
by making sure the focus is on quality and the rest will follow.Here
are some pretty neat facts on the timeline of Villa Maria's history:
- 1962 – first vintage
- 1970's – started hiring staff
- 1988 – began exporting
- 1995 – became a member of the Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (SWNZ)
- 2000 – the winery in Marlborough opened
- 2001 – the winery became 100% dedicated to screw caps
- 2005 – the winery and vineyards opened in Auckland
- 2009 – George Fistonich received a knighthood recognizing his contribution to the New Zealand wine industry
George Fistonich in the beginning years of Villa Maria
Villa Maria has 4 vineyards located in
Auckland, Marlborough, Hawkes Bay and Gisborne and they're all either
located on the ocean or close by. Regardless of the difference in
climates there is an aim to create balance between the ripeness of
the grapes, acidity and aromatic flavor profiles.
The following wines are those I
sampled and enjoyed them all for different reasons, plus some great
values. If you haven't tried wines from New Zealand Villa Maria is a
perfect place to start.
2016 Villa Maria Private Bin
Sauvignon Blanc
This wine hails from Marlborough on the northeastern tip of the
island. Crisp mornings are followed by sunny, warm days with
moderate rainfall. The Private Bin tier is the most widely
distributed and most recognized. The wine is produced by blended
vineyards. It demonstrates a classic New Zealand sauvignon blanc
with fresh fruit, citrus, grassiness with some herbs. ABV 13%. SRP
$13.
2015 Villa Maria Bubbly Sauvignon
Blanc
This wine is slightly carbonated with
fine bubbles. The wine is full of lime and grapefruit with softer
acidity. ABV 12.5%. SRP $15
Produced in Hawkes Bay this wine is
predominately made from merlot and actually a touch of the Italian
grape hailing from Piedmont, arneis, which adds softness, richness
and stone fruit. This wine displays juicy strawberries and cherries
with soft acidity and a creamy texture. ABV 12.5%. SRP $14.
A fan favorite of the night this
single vineyard wine comes from a cold subregion in Marlborough and
from stony parts of the vineyard. In the wine you taste that
minerality, citrus and creamy toastiness from the wine aging in new
french barriques. ABV 13.5%. SRP $45.
Produced from Marlbough vineyards the
pinot noir grape is the most widely planted after sauvignon blanc. A
pretty soft wine demonstrating dried herbs, fresh acidity with
cherries and raspberries with a touch of spice and smokiness from the
oak. ABV 13.5%. SRP $26
Produced in
Hawkes Bay this area is much warmer than Marlborough. It consists of
70% merlot and 30% cabernet sauvignon. Sometimes malbec and cabernet
franc is added in small percentages depending on the vintage. This
was considered a great vintage for them with George claiming it's the
vintage of the century. The wine goes through about 18-20 months of
maturation time. ABV 13.5%. SRP $20
*Wines were
provided as samples, but opinions are all my own. Most pictures copyright of Villa Maria.
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