New-zealand/north-island/northland">Northland, as its name suggests, is New Zealand's northernmost wine-producing region, around four hours' drive northwest of the country's largest city, Auckland. Most of the Northland region's wineries are situated on the east coast, particularly around the Bay of Islands and the Karikari Pensinula, with another cluster on the west coast near Kaitaia.
The region's red wines are mostly produced from Syrah, Pinotage">Pinotage and the Hybrid variety Chambourcin. Chardonnay leads the way for white wine grape varieties; Pinot Gris, Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc are among the other varieties cultivated here.
Although Northland's contribution to the New Zealand wine industry is minuscule (in 2013, the region crushed 130 metric tonnes of grapes, compared to Marlborough's 250,000), it is important historically. The first vines were planted in the Bay of Islands in 1819, a Full 30 years before missionaries began planting in the Hawkes Bay. The founding father of viticulture in the Antipodes, James Busby, had a Vineyard at his house at Waitangi before going on to establish the Hunter Valley wine region in Australia. This Waitangi property is also where New Zealand's founding document, the Treaty of Waitangi, was signed in 1840.
In the late 1800s, kauri-gum diggers from Croatia began to move into the area in search of fortune, bringing winemaking traditions from their homeland. While viticulture in the region has never been viable on a large scale, Northland's boutique wine industry is growing fast, with the Northland Wine Growers Association (formed in 2007) boasting a membership of more than 50.
Northland's sub-tropical Climate is unique in New Zealand. Warm, humid summers and rainy winters are challenging for growers, who must employ careful vineyard techniques to avoid mildew and rot.
Known to wine enthusiasts for one of the world’s best known annual wine fairs, Vinitaly, Verona is about to host a poli-functional wine museum and visitor centre that promises to rival similar enterprises in Bordeaux and Porto. The Museo del Vino (MuVin) project was officially unveiled at Vinitaly earlier this month, with the endorsement of Italian tourism minister Massimo Garavaglia, Roberta Garibaldi of Italy’s national tourism agency, and Prof Diego Begalli, director of the department of busi ...
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Looking for inspiration? Here are the best things to read, watch and listen to for wine lovers. We’ve picked out some of the best wine-related books, TV shows and podcasts for your enjoyment! Wine books: Malbec Mon Amour – Laura Catena and Alejandro Vigil Written by fourth-generation vintner Dr Laura Catena and winemaker Alejandro Vigil, this illustrated coffee-table book is a love song to the Malbec grape in Argentina. Combining history and storytelling with viticultural notes – including ...
