Top 100 red wines of North Island - Page 3

Discover the top 100 best red wines of North Island as well as the best winemakers in the region. Explore the varietals of the red wines that are popular of North Island and the best vintages to taste in this region.

Discovering the wine region of North Island

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.

Discover the grape variety: Cabernet franc

Cabernet Franc is one of the oldest red grape varieties in Bordeaux. The Libourne region is its terroir where it develops best. The terroirs of Saint-Emilion and Fronsac allow it to mature and develop its best range of aromas. It is also the majority in many blends. The very famous Château Cheval Blanc, for example, uses 60% Cabernet Franc. The wines produced with Cabernet Franc are medium in colour with fine tannins and subtle aromas of small red fruits and spices. When blended with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, it brings complexity and a bouquet of aromas to the wine. It produces fruity wines that can be drunk quite quickly, but whose great vintages can be kept for a long time. It is an earlier grape variety than Cabernet Sauvignon, which means that it is planted as far north as the Loire Valley. In Anjou, it is also used to make sweet rosé wines. Cabernet Franc is now used in some twenty countries in Europe and throughout the world.

Food and wine pairing with a red wine of North Island

red wines from the region of North Island go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, pasta or veal such as recipes of oxtail and carrot stew, spaghetti with "favouilles" (curries) or veal rouelle normande.

Organoleptic analysis of red wine of North Island

On the nose in the region of North Island often reveals types of flavors of cherry, balsamic or strawberries and sometimes also flavors of red cherry, cranberry or mushroom. In the mouth in the region of North Island is a powerful with a nice freshness.

News from the vineyard of North Island

At the heart of the terroirs of Mâcon-Milly-Lamartine

Sequence from the video « At the heart of the Mâcon terroir » which offer a stroll at the heart of the Mâcon terroir. It offers a focus on Mâcon-Milly-Lamartine, one of the 27 geographical denominations of the Mâcon appellation. Travel through the terroirs of the Mâcon appellation by watching the full video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GF20y1aBZh8 Both are available in French and English. Our social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BourgogneWines​​ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Bour ...

Former mafia boss Michael Franzese targets international expansion for his wine brand

Franzese was known as the ‘yuppie don’ in the 1980s after rising to the rank of caporegime in the Colombo crime family. Fortune Magazine placed him at No. 18 on its 50 Biggest Mafia Bosses list, and he gained a reputation as one of the mob’s biggest earners since Al Capone. He was portrayed by Joseph Bono in Goodfellas. Franzese became a born-again Christian during a lengthy prison sentence for racketeering, and he managed to walk away from the mafia without going into protective custody. He is ...

Champagne glass pyramid sets new world record

At 8.23 metres tall (27ft), a three-sided pyramid made from 54,740 Champagne coupes has officially set a new Guinness World Record for the ‘largest drinking glass pyramid’. A specialist team spent five days between Christmas and New Year delicately constructing the wine glass tower at luxury Dubai resort Atlantis, The Palm, which announced the news. It said the attempt was co-organised by Moët & Chandon, as part of Champagne house’s ‘Effervescence’ event series. Guinness Wo ...