Five young Kiwi winemakers driving the new-wave of wine Leave a comment

Just like in music and fashion, trends change in wine, and there is a new group of winemakers rising up in New Zealand, representing the future. Here are five of the new breed…

There is an abundance of young Kiwi winemakers who are buzzing with ideas about what makes great wine, and thankfully, several of them are getting that energy into bottles. They are creating their own wines while holding down important jobs with some of Aotearoa’s most renowned wineries. Far from side projects, these wines represent the next wave of winemaking in New Zealand.

William Bowman, Vita Wines and Black Estate

William Bowman is the vineyard manager at Black Estate in Omihi, North Canterbury. He is currently preparing to release his second vintage under his own label Vita. After time spent in Italy, the Millton vineyards in Gisborne, and at Black Estate, Bowman has an appreciation of how biodynamic grape farming can bring life and vitality to the vineyard.

It’s hard to imagine a better fit for a young winemaker of Bowman’s talent and interests than working alongside Black Estate’s owner/winemaker Nicholas Brown, who shares a similar approach and was recently named New Zealand Winemaker of the Year by Gourmet Traveller. It’s early days for Vita, but with these credentials it is fair to expect great things to come.

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Will’s picks

Vita, Zoe B-Side Riesling, 2020, $40

Riesling matured for 20 months on lees in stainless steel tanks. The fruit comes from Greystone vineyards, just down the road from Black Estate, also organically farmed and where Bowman previously worked. It is made without any additives or preservatives. Zoe B-side is soon to be released, watch the @vita_wines instagram for updates.

Black Estate, Home Chenin Blanc, 2020, $52

Bowman says this is not only a current favourite from the Black Estate range, but his all-time favourite. I can’t help but agree with him. Black Estate has been at the top of my list of chenins being made in Aotearoa for several years. This, also additive and preservative free, captures the rich and complex aromatics and the tension and energy of the noble varietal.

Ben Leen, Alpine Wine Co and Amisfield

Ben Leen is assistant winemaker at Amisfield in Central Otago, where he has worked for much of his career. In 2018, Leen and his brother Josh set up Alpine Wine Co, wanting to challenge what they saw as a fairly conservative wine market.

The wines are made from organic grapes (like those at Amisfield) from across the Central Otago region. Leen handles the fruit as minimally as possible, making for wines that are bright, fresh, delicious and fun to drink. Their packaging is youthful and fun, disrupting the sometimes self-serious notion that good wine needs to be presented as prestigious.

Ben’s picks

Alpine Wine Co, Future Looks Bright Skin Contact Riesling, 2021, $30

There are bunches of lemon verbena from first sniff to well after the final gulp, and it’s remarkably clean and fresh for such an aromatically punchy wine. It’d be delicious with a plate of white anchovies.

Amisfield, Lowburn Terrace Riesling, 2020, $35

Lovely petroleum, white flower and tropical fruit aromatics: sweetness with a moreish citrus tang to finish.

Braden Crosby, On Giants’ Shoulders and Ata Rangi

Braden Crosby is vineyard manager at Martinborough’s Ata Rangi, one of the first vineyards to set up in Wairarapa more than 40 years ago, and today one of the most highly regarded in Aotearoa. Along with wife Gabrielle, he also runs On Giants’ Shoulders.

Unlike other winemakers featured, the couple own the vineyard site from which their wines are made. The name, On Giants’ Shoulders, is testament to their respect for the four-hectare block and the viticultural history, work and knowledge of those who have worked the land before them. Managing viticulture for Ata Rangi, as well as running On Giants’ Shoulders and raising a young family is a demanding workload, but their wines are real reflections of a place and its people.

Braden’s picks

On Giants’ Shoulders, Chardonnay, 2020, $45

From 30-year-old chardonnay vines, Braden picks relatively early, looking to preserve acidity and avoid over ripeness and an excess of alcohol, making for a delicate, nuanced style of chardonnay.

Ata Rangi Vineyards, Celebre, 2020, $48

Perhaps an unexpected choice from the Vineyard manager who looks after the vines from which come some of New Zealand’s most revered pinot noir. Celebre is a blend of merlot, syrah, malbec and cabernet franc. It’s full and balanced, with ripe berry fruit and savoury notes of spice and wood and a backbone of finely woven tannins.

Jannine Rickards, Huntress and Urlar

Jannine Rickards is winemaker at Urlar in Gladstone, Wairarapa, and makes her own wines under the Huntress label. Her wines reflect her thoughtful consideration of our relationship to the land. She manages the demands of her day job at Urlar, while also producing delicious wines under the Huntress label, and all with grace and keen intuition.

When I asked Rickards to select a couple of wines, she took the opportunity to say how grateful she was to be able to make her wines at Urlar, and that she loves to see others young winemakers being given that flexibility, believing it adds value and brings diversity to Aotearoa’s wine scene. Her wines, as well as those of the other young winemakers featured here, are testament to that.

Jannine’s picks

Huntress, Kuratea Chilled Pinot, 2021, $32

Rickards describes this as having bright aromatic intensity with a light and refreshing palate. It’s a juicy lunchtime red.

Urlar Estate Pinot, 2020, $50

A classic savoury-toned Wairarapa pinot noir, but still with plenty of fruit presence.

Amy Farnsworth, Amoise

This year was Amoise’s fifth vintage, and for winemaker Amy Farnsworth it was the right time to make her own label her full-time job. Farnsworth was managing a high density planted vineyard for Smith and Sheth in the Gimblett Gravels of Hawke’s Bay.

For Amoise, she is keenly focused on sourcing the best quality organic fruit she can, and spends time working in the vines. She is particularly interested in biodynamic farming and applies its labour-intensive practises wherever possible. That’s quite a commitment for a winemaker who is yet to own a vineyard, but it speaks to Farnsworth’s belief that great wine starts with what happens at the vines.

Amy’s picks

Amoise, Gamay Noir, 2021, $40-$42

Farnsworth sees all her wines as her “babies”, and prefers to drink different bottles on different occasions, depending on who she is sharing them with and what they might be eating. However, with fond memories of her time in Beaujolais, she says she was “super pumped” to make gamay for the first time.

Smith & Sheth, Cru Heretaunga Cabernet Franc, 2019, $40

This is cabernet franc from the Howell Vineyard, from which some of my favourite New Zealand cab francs have come for the last decade or more. Expect bright red currant fruit, floral aromatics and tobacco and spice notes from barrel ageing.