A Lovely Lunch At Waimea Estates Winery

Posted by Ruth Atherley on May 17, 2010 at 1:48 pm

After picking up the rental car with Adriena, our first stop in Nelson was the Waimea Estates Winery. We met with Astrid Fisher, International Marketing Manager from Nelson Tasman Tourism and Wietske van der Pol, Associate Winemaker, Waimea Estates. It was a beautiful, sunny day and we sat out on the terrace for lunch.

Waimea Estates is an interesting winery. Wietske explained that the winemakers are locals and they have a strong commitment to making good, reasonably priced wines. Wines that real people (like you and me!) can afford and that are good, really good.

Here is some information for the wine lovers reading this blog post. The owners of Waimea Estates, Trevor and Robyn Bolitho, have been growing grapes on Nelson’s Waimea Plains since 1993. The first vintage release was of a trophy-winning Sauvignon Blanc in 1997. There are now over 130 hectares of grapes planted in six vineyards. The soils are predominantly free draining alluvial soils. The combination of these soils with plenty of sunshine hours and a long ripening season, thanks to moderating maritime influences and a protective phalanx of hills, provide the perfect terroir for growing quality grapes.

The main varietal wines made at Waimea Estates are Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, plus smaller volumes of Viognier, Gewürztraminer and a Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blend. In addition, two wine styles they are establishing a cult following for are iconic dessert wines and a “strawberries and cream” Rosé.  When vintage conditions allow, Bolitho Signature Vineyard wines are created from specially selected, low-yielding vineyards. They have also added “Spinyback” to their stable, a range of seriously good fun wines – full of South Island sunshine!

Waimea Estates produces about 60,000 cases annually. Currently, they sell approximately one third of the production domestically, with the balance going to Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, the UK, and the U.S.

Check out their website www.waimeaestates.co.nz for more information and to see the long (and I do mean long!) list of awards.

I am just learning about wines and this was an exceptional opportunity to see how a winemaker thinks. Wietske is a very interesting character. She has a way with words that takes you right into the story she is telling or the location she is describing. I commented on her poetic descriptions and she just laughed and blushed a little. Then I learned that this Dutch born Kiwi has a master’s degree in Russian. With a master’s degree in another language, no wonder she has such an incredible talent with words!

We did a tasting with several different Waimea wines and I have put the tasting notes below. If you see one of these wines in your area, pick up a bottle. You won’t be disappointed. When I get “homesick” for New Zealand, I like to have a glass NZ wine.

During the tasting, I used my grown-up voice and proclaimed that you can really taste Nelson in the wines. (I have heard connoisseurs use the phrase before.) Wietske laughed and pointed over to some rocks that surround one area of the winery and she said: “I think that is what you are tasting…a bit of mineral.” Hmmm…wine from a stone, now there’s a concept!

Waimea Savignon Blanc

This is Waimea Estate’s most popular wine, due to the emphasis on drinkability. Nectarines, gooseberries, limes and ripe capsicum on the nose, while the palate is characterized by toned-down acidity, fruit concentration and mouth-filling texture. Even Chardonnay drinkers love this one!

Waimea Edel

I had never heard of this kind of wine. Wietske explained that the inspiration for this wine comes from Alsace’s Edelzwicker. The Waimea “Edel” is a blend of Riesling (47%), Pinot Gris (38%) and Gewürztraminer (15%). With the spicy aromatics of Gewurz, the texture of Pinot Gris and the fresh acidity of Riesling, the resultant blend is full of intrigue and delight!

The first release of this special blend has a heady nose of orange peel, Turkish delight, lychees and spice, plus hints of marshmallow!  The intensity of flavour, textural palate and the off-dry style make for a generous, mouth-filling wine with length and character.

I should have bought a bottle while I was there, since the winery makes such a small amount of this lovely wine that it doesn’t export it. The locals are the lucky ones!

Waimea Rosé

Waimea Rosé is made predominantly from Pinot Noir and partly fermented in American oak barrels. Aromas of red berry fruit and rose petals, an off-dry palate that is absolute strawberries and cream, and a spicy vanilla finish make this a charming wine.

Waimea Bolitho SV Pinot Noir

Waimea Bolitho SV Pinot Noir comes from low yielding vines, is hand-harvested and hand-plunged – all done the Burgundian way.  On the nose it has black cherries and damson plums wrapped up in classy French oak, while on the palate it possesses silky, fine-grained tannins and concentrated ripe fruit flavours.

All in all, not a bad start to my stay in Nelson!